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jaij7's review against another edition
5.0
My fifth graders really despised the main character in this one. It was great to see them so disgusted.
mirable's review against another edition
4.0
This is a warped little thing. There's something very Roald Dahl about it. I absolutely loved the ending!
shonaningyo's review against another edition
4.0
I vaguely recall reading this book, but from looking at the cover I remember I enjoyed the art. Chris Van Allsburg's art style reminds me of... that one guy who drew in pencil.
He made this:
...All I remember is that was a self portrait of him looking through a glass orb. Pretty cool, huh?
That's what Allsburg's style reminds me of. It's very charming.
He made this:
...All I remember is that was a self portrait of him looking through a glass orb. Pretty cool, huh?That's what Allsburg's style reminds me of. It's very charming.
theinkwyrm's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
I really enjoyed the sepia-toned illustrations in this book, but the story was a little underdeveloped for my taste. After how horrible he was to Marcel (honestly, people like that shouldn’t be pet owners), I really wanted to see him get his comeuppance but it was really only hinted at in the end.
I really enjoyed the sepia-toned illustrations in this book, but the story was a little underdeveloped for my taste. After how horrible he was to Marcel (honestly, people like that shouldn’t be pet owners), I really wanted to see him get his comeuppance but it was really only hinted at in the end.
asmaa_arqawi's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mat_tobin's review against another edition
5.0
With Van Allsburg the marriage between word and picture is always the purest delight to behold. With each book, he finds that balance in the narrative that is full of elegant pauses, corners of mystery and endings that leaving you with a crooked smile upon your face and a mind full of afterthoughts.
The Sweetest Fig has the reader follow the rather orderly, strict and modestly well-to-do life of Bibot, a Parisian dentist. When an elderly customer pays him with two 'magical' figs that she promises will make his dreams come true, he is outraged by such nonsensical imagination and casts her out returning home to his unloved and maltreated dog. When he eventually dines on one, he finds that his rather mundane life is changed forever.
Allsberg's artwork is always a delight and there is none whose pencil-work comes close. This time in sepia, Allsburg captures the dentist's regimented, orderly life so well in clinical framing and sparse, linear lifestyle. As always, he saves the best till last with a beautiful, grin-inducing ending which I have no doubt children will love.
The Sweetest Fig has the reader follow the rather orderly, strict and modestly well-to-do life of Bibot, a Parisian dentist. When an elderly customer pays him with two 'magical' figs that she promises will make his dreams come true, he is outraged by such nonsensical imagination and casts her out returning home to his unloved and maltreated dog. When he eventually dines on one, he finds that his rather mundane life is changed forever.
Allsberg's artwork is always a delight and there is none whose pencil-work comes close. This time in sepia, Allsburg captures the dentist's regimented, orderly life so well in clinical framing and sparse, linear lifestyle. As always, he saves the best till last with a beautiful, grin-inducing ending which I have no doubt children will love.
msgabbythelibrarian's review against another edition
1.0
I really hate this one. The way the owner treats his dog......ugh.
And I know there is an allegory in here somewhere. But it's really hard to find.
And I know there is an allegory in here somewhere. But it's really hard to find.