ddarla's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
theodorelogan's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
losgiraffee's review against another edition
3.0
This was a cute quick read, fairly old fashioned in the writing. I did find it a little hard to follow at some times, but given that this was a mesh of short stories sewn together into a novel, I guess that makes sense.
This is a 2.5 rounded up to three for me. It kinda reads like a fairytale. Only one that may have skipped over some parts. It comes back around to the Great Greadmére and Timothy, but once it surges ahead you feel like you missed something in the Segway.
Turns out it’s little sitting on the floor in front of your grandfather as he tells tales that he heard as a child. Except instead of a grandpa it’s a 4,000 year old mummy. Which is cool. I like mummy’s. I wish one would come tell me stories. I would totally listen after I finish screaming from the fright of seeing a mummy walking and talking. (Don’t you dare say you would do otherwise…we’ve all seen that Mummy movie.)
Anyways, cute Halloween read even if the language is a little old fashioned. Quick and easy as I read it on a plane and finished before we touched ground. Not spooky or anything…just…cute.
This is a 2.5 rounded up to three for me. It kinda reads like a fairytale. Only one that may have skipped over some parts. It comes back around to the Great Greadmére and Timothy, but once it surges ahead you feel like you missed something in the Segway.
Turns out it’s little sitting on the floor in front of your grandfather as he tells tales that he heard as a child. Except instead of a grandpa it’s a 4,000 year old mummy. Which is cool. I like mummy’s. I wish one would come tell me stories. I would totally listen after I finish screaming from the fright of seeing a mummy walking and talking. (Don’t you dare say you would do otherwise…we’ve all seen that Mummy movie.)
Anyways, cute Halloween read even if the language is a little old fashioned. Quick and easy as I read it on a plane and finished before we touched ground. Not spooky or anything…just…cute.
whaydengilbert's review against another edition
4.0
I give this "fix up" novel by Bradbury, an assemblage of collected disparate stories of his beloved Elliot family and stitched together with his wonderful and elegant prose, four stars and my heart. It does not entirely work as a novel, but it says everything I love to be said to me and is an absolute dream to behold for any October Person. What a lovely book to have stumbled across.
missprint_'s review against another edition
1.0
In this case, you really can't judge a book by its cover. The cover is great, the text . . . well, I couldn't get past the first chapter.
shraham27's review against another edition
4.0
Really eloquent writing. Fit the story. You could read it over and over.
bergmanwrites's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
A wonderful collection of stories and chapters, some loosely connected, but all telling a grander tale. Ultimately it's a story about what makes a family, told against the spectacle of fantasy. Family can be strange sometimes, and it's not always something you're born into, but it's a place to find love forever, even if you're a 4000 year old mummy.
alibrareads's review against another edition
2.0
I think Bradbury's writing style isn't for me. I also didn't realize this was essentially a collection of short stories written over decades complied into one volume. I'm not familiar with The Family, and the cover doesn't say anywhere that it's a compilation.
This book revolves around the wacky and creepy members of The Family living in Illinois in The House, which is a place where all of the haunted and dead and forgotten things go to revel in their existence in the face of a world that has begun to thoroughly revoke their existence. People don't believe in ghosts and night creatures anymore, and this is sort of like their last stand.
That sounds spooky and fun, but really nothing at all happened in this book. It's all about the flowery purple prose that Bradbury breathes into his writing, and honestly it just does nothing for me. I feel the same boredom for it as I do with poetry and old classics like Shakespearean plays (I'm sorry, please don't hate me!). It's just not my cup of tea. No accounting for taste, right? I WISH I was sophisticated enough to enjoy that kind of literature, but I'm just not. I love me some metaphors and beautifully painted imagery in my books, but so far Bradbury's writing comes across to me as outdated and slow.
Also, there's a creepy scene where a girl who is (in that moment) 18 years old, kisses Timothy, a 10 year old boy, to whom she has no blood relation, smack on the mouth. Twice.
So yeah, this book wasn't for me!
Check out my YouTube review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfIz8QlS2jw
This book revolves around the wacky and creepy members of The Family living in Illinois in The House, which is a place where all of the haunted and dead and forgotten things go to revel in their existence in the face of a world that has begun to thoroughly revoke their existence. People don't believe in ghosts and night creatures anymore, and this is sort of like their last stand.
That sounds spooky and fun, but really nothing at all happened in this book. It's all about the flowery purple prose that Bradbury breathes into his writing, and honestly it just does nothing for me. I feel the same boredom for it as I do with poetry and old classics like Shakespearean plays (I'm sorry, please don't hate me!). It's just not my cup of tea. No accounting for taste, right? I WISH I was sophisticated enough to enjoy that kind of literature, but I'm just not. I love me some metaphors and beautifully painted imagery in my books, but so far Bradbury's writing comes across to me as outdated and slow.
Also, there's a creepy scene where a girl who is (in that moment) 18 years old, kisses Timothy, a 10 year old boy, to whom she has no blood relation, smack on the mouth. Twice.
So yeah, this book wasn't for me!
Check out my YouTube review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfIz8QlS2jw
scottneumann's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hollylath24's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0