ashleylm's review
3.0
It was okay, but so far the sequels aren't rising to what-I-felt-were the dizzying heights of the first book. The first book had that ineffable quality of true magic. It isn't easily captured. You can't, yourself, sit down and set out to write it. It just happens, for some special books. It's often there in a first book, but lost in later books as the author sets out to recapture it. (In face, it's almost never in a second book: the only exception I can think of is Carroll's two Alice books, which are both equally wonderful in their own ways).
In the first book, family was missing—in this third book, it's a cat, and no one's worried about it. There's a sense of actual danger and menace in the original story, but here, there's a trumped-up sub-plot about money and evil real-estate developers, essentially, that has no place in the story other than to try to create some kind of urgency (it doesn't) ... otherwise this is just a travelogue, where nothing happens of any consquence. The first was a treasure hunt ... this is just treading water.
The tale is pleasant to read, but if this were my first acquaintance with the family, I don't think I'd have persisted. I'll read #4 (I own it), but if there isn't an uptick in excitement, I don't think I'll continue.
P.S. as fun as it is to read, say, Harry Potter, the Lightning Thief, Lockwood & Co, etc., they don't have that "magical" quality for me. I'm thinking of books like Howl's Moving Castle, Winnie the Pooh, Moominsummer Madness, or The Gammage Cup.
(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)
In the first book, family was missing—in this third book, it's a cat, and no one's worried about it. There's a sense of actual danger and menace in the original story, but here, there's a trumped-up sub-plot about money and evil real-estate developers, essentially, that has no place in the story other than to try to create some kind of urgency (it doesn't) ... otherwise this is just a travelogue, where nothing happens of any consquence. The first was a treasure hunt ... this is just treading water.
The tale is pleasant to read, but if this were my first acquaintance with the family, I don't think I'd have persisted. I'll read #4 (I own it), but if there isn't an uptick in excitement, I don't think I'll continue.
P.S. as fun as it is to read, say, Harry Potter, the Lightning Thief, Lockwood & Co, etc., they don't have that "magical" quality for me. I'm thinking of books like Howl's Moving Castle, Winnie the Pooh, Moominsummer Madness, or The Gammage Cup.
(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)
kailey_luminouslibro's review
3.0
The writing is great as always. I love the magic and the storylines in these books, but I've been a bit put-off by all the Transcendental philosophy throughout the series. Now this book takes on religious thought and theology, teaching some weird Transcendentalist views, and dealing very strangely with Christianity and Druidism, and never really saying anything concrete.
I would be very careful about giving this book to children, and I would talk with them extensively about the false theology presented here. Or better yet, don't muddle their poor little heads with all this Transcendental philosophic nonsense.
I would be very careful about giving this book to children, and I would talk with them extensively about the false theology presented here. Or better yet, don't muddle their poor little heads with all this Transcendental philosophic nonsense.
ramseyhootman's review
3.0
Sometimes the books you read and loved as a kid hold up, and sometimes... they don't. I love the Hall Family Chronicles, but this is definitely the weakest of the bunch. There's a lot of really fantastic grappling with religion and history and "what it all means" in the first 2/3, but at the end it just sort of... trails off without tying anything together. The central conflict is "If we're good enough, or if we believe the right things, will John Green get well?" Langton seems to have run into some kind of wall here because a) the answer is obviously no, but b) ending a kid's book with the guy's death would send the wrong message. In the end Eleanor seems to have some kind of epiphany and there's a rush to his hospital room and then he wakes up, but the nature of her epiphany is entirely unclear. It all ends up being just kind of vague and hand-wavey.
Also, I just have to note that the sexism which has been sort of implicit in these books simply owing to the time they were written in - well, it gets very explicit in this one. Eddie doesn't want to wash windows because it's "women's work," fussy and detail-oriented. This statement is just thrown out there and never challenged or interrogated.
I'm kind of disappointed because this was one of my favorites as a kid - so much so that I desperately wanted a stereoscope of my own! Ah well. Looking forward to book four, The Fledgling - my absolute favorite, and which hopefully holds up, having been a Newbery Honor book!
Also, I just have to note that the sexism which has been sort of implicit in these books simply owing to the time they were written in - well, it gets very explicit in this one. Eddie doesn't want to wash windows because it's "women's work," fussy and detail-oriented. This statement is just thrown out there and never challenged or interrogated.
I'm kind of disappointed because this was one of my favorites as a kid - so much so that I desperately wanted a stereoscope of my own! Ah well. Looking forward to book four, The Fledgling - my absolute favorite, and which hopefully holds up, having been a Newbery Honor book!
hayesstw's review
3.0
Reminded me of works of [a:Jostein Gaarder|1388082|Jostein Gaarder|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1314177785p2/1388082.jpg], did he copy her?
Closed in error, lost everything I had written, ceebs to rewrite.
Closed in error, lost everything I had written, ceebs to rewrite.
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