Rating: Summary: This is one of, if not THE, best 20th century fairy tale. Review: The 13 Clocks is essential reading for anyone who loves either the Bros. Grimm in a less grim form or The Princess Bride, or James Thurber at his best. It is wonderful reading for adults or independent readers, and makes wonderful reading-to material for a savvy young one who longs for something more than Barney et al. It is the perfect gift for someone who has learned through the Carnival, etc., to love Thurber. That it is not readily available is both heart breaking and incomprehensible.
Rating: Summary: One of the best books I have ever read, Review: the plot is, well, it's a good plot. However, it's not the plot that reaches out and grabs you in. It's the characters (especially the golux and his unique way of looking at the world) but more it's the words that are almost poetry and are written in a way that makes you wonder what worlds could be around you if you just opened up your eyes.
Rating: Summary: Puzzling Review: There is so much darkness in it, even with Thurber's quixotic humor. While I liked it, I'm not exactly sure what it is supposed to mean, but I do think it is supposed to mean something. It contains goodness and cruelty, romanticism and sinister characters. I think it may be a parable, but to what end? I liked his take on the matter of time, and I love Thurber's writing. My copy has wonderful illustrations.
Rating: Summary: Puzzling Review: There is so much darkness in it, even with Thurber's quixotic humor. While I liked it, I'm not exactly sure what it is supposed to mean, but I do think it is supposed to mean something. It contains goodness and cruelty, romanticism and sinister characters. I think it may be a parable, but to what end? I liked his take on the matter of time, and I love Thurber's writing. My copy has wonderful illustrations.
Rating: Summary: The Todal Gleeped! Review: This book is amazing. The lyricism is cleverly hidden behind a dark children's tale. I really just now realized how well written this book is, but that's 'cause I hadn't looked at it since I was 10 because a few of the panels scared the living hell out of me. Not for very young kids, but probably one of the finest modern fairy tales ever written.
Rating: Summary: No one is too old for this book. A must-have. Review: This book is immortal. I'd never even heard of it until
I got to college. It must be wonderful to read as a
child, but it is an absolute joy to read as an adult.
It should be in everyone's personal library.
Rating: Summary: Thurber at his best.. read it! Review: This has been one of my favourites ever since my sister gave it to me on my 11th birthday and introduced me to Thurber's delightful sideways view of the world. Like 'Rocky and Bullwinkle,' it's ostensibly intended for younger audiences but a joy full of gentle humour for adults as well. Rated 'G' for 'great fun!'
Rating: Summary: Whimsical Review: This is a cute, very short fantasy book full of a weird mix of prose and poetry. The back of my old paperback proclaims "Everyone has always wanted to love a princess/Everyone has always wanted to be a prince/Everyone has always wanted the wicked duke to be punished/Everyone has always wanted to live happily ever after." While I've never wanted to love a princess or be a prince, I am always entranced by the characters. It follows a mysterious young man who wishes to marry the beautiful Princess Saralinda. But Saralinda is kept in a castle without time, by a sinister Duke who claims to be her uncle. The young man (whom we find is a prince himself, Zorn of Zorna) is given an impossible task, and his only ally is the bizarre Golux, "the only Golux in the world, and not a mere Device." Together they venture through a shadowy world of jewel-weeping women, things without heads, and mediocre witches... The storyline and plotting are straightforward, without detours or side-quests. Characters go from point A to point B without wandering off to do things. Zorn and Saralinda are a fairly ordinary prince and princess, and the Duke rolls and revels in his sheer badness; it's the Golux who really makes this tale. The son of a mediocre witch and an alcoholic wizard, he is quirky and sometimes gets things wrong. The prose is sprinkled through with poetry, as often a sentence will fall into rhyme, without benefit of stanzas. Thurber's description of things is casual: he doesn't dwell forever on weird things, but treats them as part of the experience. This is a wonderful book, well worth the hunt it will take to find it.
Rating: Summary: Great Book Review: This is a story that is so simple, yet incredibly complex. You don't quite now whats going on unless you think about it. It's a doorway to discover all kinds of interesting about yourself and life. This is just an all-around great book.
Rating: Summary: Children & Adults will enjoy! Review: This is one of the few books that both children & adults can enjoy. Other reviews have gone into more detail on what this book is about, but for me, the key point is this: too many kids' books are uninteresting to adults, and vice versa, but this is one that you will enjoy reading to your child or having your child read to you!
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