mat_tobin's review against another edition
4.0
It's been such a long time since I have read a book and come away unsure as to 'why' or even 'if' I really liked it or not. Because the book is many things and tells many stories beneath the surface of the words and carries many themes within the narrative, I left with more questions that I started off with and, ultimately, knew may never get answered. This is not to say that Young fails to leave the story with a satisfying ending: she closes it rather beautifully. Instead, there is much that goes unsaid; actions that go unexplained, leaving it for the reader to deduce much.
Davy David, an orphaned boy cast out of the local children's home because they could accommodate the residents no more, is the main protagonist *possibly* who spends his life within a small town drawing angels in the dust with a bag full of brooms. Unbeknownst to him, he has a calling, a purpose although he does not know what it is and where it will take him. Only when he encounters the elderly, grumpy Miss Flint and embark on a journey with her does he begin to understand.
The blurb of the copy I have compares the book to It's a Wonderful Life and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button but, for me, this is not only missing the point but giving things away. It's more like Irving's [b:A Prayer for Owen Meany|4473|A Prayer for Owen Meany|John Irving|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1260470010s/4473.jpg|1734019] to me with a touch of[b:Oscar And The Lady In Pink|565629|Oscar And The Lady In Pink|Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1175843195s/565629.jpg|1064288]. It took me a long time to place the book, geographically, but I went for a small town in a semi-rural part of America. All its characters are well crafted as is the landscape. Young weaves a very clever story in which a LOT of talk would be welcomed as we decide whether we, as readers, are willing to accept miracles or not.
Davy David, an orphaned boy cast out of the local children's home because they could accommodate the residents no more, is the main protagonist *possibly* who spends his life within a small town drawing angels in the dust with a bag full of brooms. Unbeknownst to him, he has a calling, a purpose although he does not know what it is and where it will take him. Only when he encounters the elderly, grumpy Miss Flint and embark on a journey with her does he begin to understand.
The blurb of the copy I have compares the book to It's a Wonderful Life and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button but, for me, this is not only missing the point but giving things away. It's more like Irving's [b:A Prayer for Owen Meany|4473|A Prayer for Owen Meany|John Irving|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1260470010s/4473.jpg|1734019] to me with a touch of[b:Oscar And The Lady In Pink|565629|Oscar And The Lady In Pink|Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1175843195s/565629.jpg|1064288]. It took me a long time to place the book, geographically, but I went for a small town in a semi-rural part of America. All its characters are well crafted as is the landscape. Young weaves a very clever story in which a LOT of talk would be welcomed as we decide whether we, as readers, are willing to accept miracles or not.
ashleylm's review against another edition
2.0
A frustrating blend of lovely and incompetent writing (whether through ignorance, or deliberate bad choices, it's hard to tell).
Others have sung its praises, so I'll focus on what bothered me.
Unbelievable, inconsistent characters, who don't behave the way humans behave. This is sometimes acceptable (say, in a fairy tale, or very stylized picture book) but in a novel I expect some semblance of reality. Almost every single character, no matter how big or small, ended up overacting to some extent.
Unbelievable, unacceptable plot contrivances, like a 13 year old who has never driven before (or even been in a car, given his circumstances) magically knowing how to drive a motorcycle, for God's sake.
Unnecessary, pointless, unexplained passages--the first 70 pages is essentially filler--just such a waste.
This irritated me to no end. It felt like the author was aiming for some beautifully-written touching evocation of Peter S. Beagle and Ray Bradbury, and they got the Smaller Dumpling Amateur Theatrical Society's presentation of the director's 8 year old's dramatization of War and Peace instead. It's just so far off the mark.
(I was this close to stopping reading, but I had to wonder if anything paid off eventually--maybe the main character, say, turned out to be in a video game and that's why he could magically do everything, and why the NPCs were so unconvincing, etc., but no.)
Not for me.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
Others have sung its praises, so I'll focus on what bothered me.
Unbelievable, inconsistent characters, who don't behave the way humans behave. This is sometimes acceptable (say, in a fairy tale, or very stylized picture book) but in a novel I expect some semblance of reality. Almost every single character, no matter how big or small, ended up overacting to some extent.
Unbelievable, unacceptable plot contrivances, like a 13 year old who has never driven before (or even been in a car, given his circumstances) magically knowing how to drive a motorcycle, for God's sake.
Unnecessary, pointless, unexplained passages--the first 70 pages is essentially filler--just such a waste.
This irritated me to no end. It felt like the author was aiming for some beautifully-written touching evocation of Peter S. Beagle and Ray Bradbury, and they got the Smaller Dumpling Amateur Theatrical Society's presentation of the director's 8 year old's dramatization of War and Peace instead. It's just so far off the mark.
(I was this close to stopping reading, but I had to wonder if anything paid off eventually--maybe the main character, say, turned out to be in a video game and that's why he could magically do everything, and why the NPCs were so unconvincing, etc., but no.)
Not for me.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
summeri94's review against another edition
I thought it was something else. No interest.
melduro's review against another edition
3.0
3,5/5
C’était doux comme histoire. Une belle histoire d’amitié. C’était un peu long avant d’embarquer complètement dans l’histoire par contre.
C’était doux comme histoire. Une belle histoire d’amitié. C’était un peu long avant d’embarquer complètement dans l’histoire par contre.
liesljrowe's review against another edition
4.0
A sweet road-trip story that turns into a discussion of what it means to have lived a full and happy life. Beautiful prose, funny and heartbreaking at the same time. It's the little vignettes in this one which make it special like the travellers Davy encounters or the librarian who was forced to close his library down.
kirstysbookshelf's review against another edition
2.0
I am not going to lie I picked this up purely because of the cover. I knew nothing about the story and have not read anything by this author before.
I didn't enjoy this book and if I had known that it was magical realism I would not have picked it up as it is not a genre that I enjoy. This book follows Davy and a stray dog George who help an old lady make a final trip. This book moved very slowly and it took me a while to get into it. Despite being quite a short read it still took me a long time to get through it.
I didn't connect to this story or the characters so I found that the ending didn't really have an impact on me. Overall this was not for me and I really did not enjoy reading it.
I didn't enjoy this book and if I had known that it was magical realism I would not have picked it up as it is not a genre that I enjoy. This book follows Davy and a stray dog George who help an old lady make a final trip. This book moved very slowly and it took me a while to get into it. Despite being quite a short read it still took me a long time to get through it.
I didn't connect to this story or the characters so I found that the ending didn't really have an impact on me. Overall this was not for me and I really did not enjoy reading it.
just_a_touch_of_bibliomania's review against another edition
4.0
What a fun, hopeful, adventure of a middle-grade book! From the opening scenes of our orphan protagonist drawing renaissance angels in the dirt, to the road trip with a very sassy old lady to get to her to her childhood home where she says her coffin is prepared and waiting, and all of the antics they get up to in between, I was here for every moment. I found the ultimate goal, and that it takes place on Christmas, to be very sweet and different from what I've read before., though it did remind me a little of A Christmas Carol. I think this novel speaks well on living, dying, and friendships and I would like to pick up more from Moira Young.
riddhi_345's review against another edition
1.0
I didn't find this book particularly interesting, but it's not horrible. I just feel as if there are certain books which are better.