dreyesbo's review against another edition
5.0
Without missing a step, Pullman returns to this world with a fast-paced adventure that (pardon the overused cliché) feels very timely for 2017. Can't wait for The Secret Commonwealth
krisandthesea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
childdeirdre's review against another edition
5.0
Interesting story. Extraordinary narrator. Standing ovation.
sci_mom's review against another edition
4.0
The audiobook version of this book is lovely. I would recommend it.
hstorkel's review against another edition
3.0
This book was selected for me and my 14-year-old son by the Raven Bookstore (Lawrence, KS). The story was interesting but somewhat slow and confusing in places. I don’t think I will read the next one in the series.
manajanee's review against another edition
3.0
Very slow. Not much happens until more than half the way through and even then its slow paced until the last 200 or so pages and when it finally builds up it just ends... thats probably one thing i dislike about Pullmans books they end before the ending feels like an ending.
[Spoilers ahead]
In this book Lord Asriel tells them that they had to go back home, to tell no one of what happened and to stay away from Jorden College and Lyra for awhile yet he thrusts them to the Master of Jordan College after handing Lyra over and tells him to treasure them and thats it... feels a little rushed to me...
[Spoilers ahead]
In this book Lord Asriel tells them that they had to go back home, to tell no one of what happened and to stay away from Jorden College and Lyra for awhile yet he thrusts them to the Master of Jordan College after handing Lyra over and tells him to treasure them and thats it... feels a little rushed to me...
emrache's review against another edition
5.0
I had so many thoughts, feelings, and reminiscences while reading this book. My past and my present intertwined in intense ways that me feel all the things.
Reading The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage brought me back to reading The Amber Spyglass when it first came out. I have vivid memories of going to the bookstore to buy it on the day it came out and of reading it outside my high school library. I also remember how intensely I felt all of the emotions in that book.
In the future, I think I will look back at reading The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage with similar clarity. Instead of the nostalgia of high school, I will remember reading it when my daughter was about the same age as Lyra. This coincidence led to an emotional resonance that I wasn't expecting. I imagined my own daughter as Lyra and it was all I could do to avoid hyperventilating in certain fear-inducing moments.
I adored this book both for the memories it evoked in me and for the story itself. The universe of daemons, anbaric power, and alethiometers is one that I will lovingly visit and revisit for as long as Philip Pullman keeps writing these stories.
Reading The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage brought me back to reading The Amber Spyglass when it first came out. I have vivid memories of going to the bookstore to buy it on the day it came out and of reading it outside my high school library. I also remember how intensely I felt all of the emotions in that book.
In the future, I think I will look back at reading The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage with similar clarity. Instead of the nostalgia of high school, I will remember reading it when my daughter was about the same age as Lyra. This coincidence led to an emotional resonance that I wasn't expecting. I imagined my own daughter as Lyra and it was all I could do to avoid hyperventilating in certain fear-inducing moments.
I adored this book both for the memories it evoked in me and for the story itself. The universe of daemons, anbaric power, and alethiometers is one that I will lovingly visit and revisit for as long as Philip Pullman keeps writing these stories.
picechu's review against another edition
4.0
A little slow, but a great dive back into the universe of his books!
whatthefawkes's review against another edition
5.0
“He came awake like someone struggling to swim to the surface of a lake of laudanum, where the strongest delights were the deepest and there was nothing above but cold and fear and duty.”
I can't even begin to describe how much I absolutely adored this book; from beginning to end it was truly spectacular. It had so much potential to be a disappointment, especially when you consider the success of His Dark Materials, and the extent to which this series impacted people's childhoods. But my boy, Philip Pullman, pulled through and delivered.
This book was worth the wait and without a shadow of a doubt the best book I have read all year.
There is something truly beautiful and whimsical in the way Pullman tells a story. It's like he grabs you by the collar and sucks you in until you feel like you're a part of this big great adventure.
La Belle Savage was a slow burn. You're left wanting and waiting for the little bits of magic and secrets that are strategicially placed throughout the first half of the book; the excitement over seeing and hearing from old familiar faces. It's not necessary to read His Dark Materials to understand this book or it's references but let's be real here... why wouldn't you want to? It all frames a greater, far more interesting picture.
The second half of La Belle Savage is where this book starts to really hit its stride. A great flood, mythical creatures, a great voyage across Britian. I couldn't have asked for more. Except I am because this girl is in serious need of The Secret Commonwealth. Just hand over the manuscript as soon as humanly possible and no one will get hurt. I'm already experiencing a serious case of Post-La Bella Savage Depression.
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I can't even begin to describe how much I absolutely adored this book; from beginning to end it was truly spectacular. It had so much potential to be a disappointment, especially when you consider the success of His Dark Materials, and the extent to which this series impacted people's childhoods. But my boy, Philip Pullman, pulled through and delivered.
This book was worth the wait and without a shadow of a doubt the best book I have read all year.
There is something truly beautiful and whimsical in the way Pullman tells a story. It's like he grabs you by the collar and sucks you in until you feel like you're a part of this big great adventure.
La Belle Savage was a slow burn. You're left wanting and waiting for the little bits of magic and secrets that are strategicially placed throughout the first half of the book; the excitement over seeing and hearing from old familiar faces. It's not necessary to read His Dark Materials to understand this book or it's references but let's be real here... why wouldn't you want to? It all frames a greater, far more interesting picture.
The second half of La Belle Savage is where this book starts to really hit its stride. A great flood, mythical creatures, a great voyage across Britian. I couldn't have asked for more. Except I am because this girl is in serious need of The Secret Commonwealth. Just hand over the manuscript as soon as humanly possible and no one will get hurt. I'm already experiencing a serious case of Post-La Bella Savage Depression.
Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr
sonofatreus's review against another edition
4.0
Even though this book takes place entirely before His Dark Materials, I imagine it would still be best read after reading HDM. It does very little explaining how the world works (what's a daemon, what various technologies are, etc.), but this sort of thing is done in HDM. Instead, La Belle Sauvage takes most of this for granted. Nevertheless, there is still some new world building (there are fairies and river gods/spirits!). We see some characters that appear in HDM, including Lyra, Lord Asriel, and Mrs. Coulter. We get further demonstration and explanation of the alethiometer(s). These all make La Bella Sauvage read like a nice companion to HDM.
But, at the end of the day, this is the first of a new (planned) trilogy. The new world building described above does a good job bridging between already established characters and stories while still creating room for new characters and new stories to expand. I was worried heading in that this book might have too much nostalgia for the original series, or too many 'clever' nods. I am happy to have been wrong on this matter. The new characters are wonderful (I love Malcom almost as much as Lyra from before; Alice certainly more than Will). The story felt natural and worth telling. Having finished, I now feel like I have a fuller understanding both of Lyra's own life and the world she inhabits.
But, at the end of the day, this is the first of a new (planned) trilogy. The new world building described above does a good job bridging between already established characters and stories while still creating room for new characters and new stories to expand. I was worried heading in that this book might have too much nostalgia for the original series, or too many 'clever' nods. I am happy to have been wrong on this matter. The new characters are wonderful (I love Malcom almost as much as Lyra from before; Alice certainly more than Will). The story felt natural and worth telling. Having finished, I now feel like I have a fuller understanding both of Lyra's own life and the world she inhabits.