Rating: 
Summary: Nothing Too Wicked Coming Around Here in the Summer of 1928
Review: Ray Bradbury has penned a tribute to the halcyon days of his youth, a full 1928 summer in the life of a 12 year boy living in a smallish town in the upper midwest. Life was easy going and without worries, surrounded by an extended family, including great-grandparents, and a neighborhood of caring life-time friends. Reminds me of my own youth in the 1960's in Pennsylvania, without world war and depression in the future, and with only a few technological differences. You wont find anything here about the great problems of American democracy in the first half of the twentieth century, nor any tales of international espionage or outer space adventures, but it is an enjoyable read. The Spaulding boys experience all the familiar delicacies of summer such as eskimo pies, new tennis shoes, cutting grass, beating rugs, and of course, the making of grandpa's dandelion wine. Along the way, they debate the great philosophical issues of whether old people were ever young, and if so, do they have first names. They meet two extreme old-timers, who imbue them with tales of the Civil War, and world travel, before they go peacefully into that quiet night to collect their just rewards. And of course, progress comes to their town, when the last trolley is replaced by a bus, and new strains of grass are proposed that would eliminate lawn mowing and weeding. The town is terrified briefly by a stalker, and perpetually by the unseen and unknowable dangers lurking in the ravine. The lowly junkman, long extinct from American life, is not only active, but a source of great knowledge, comfort, security, and counsel, in addition to second hand toys and household goods. Minor tragedies occur, such as when a dear friend's family leaves town, the demise of the happiness machine, the time machine, and the green machine, and the inevitable return to school and the coming of autumn.
Rating: 
Summary: The simplicity of the complex
Review: I have always known Bradbury to be a science fiction writer, but ironically, the deepest earthly and human truths were put into this novel. The novel reminded me of Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg Ohio. With plenty of individual stories and with a constant influx of new characters, Dandelion Wine leaves a lasting impression on a reader. The stories hold plenty of earthly truths; truths that are so obvious, so amazing, yet so hidden within out society, that the reader's mind is constantly stimulated with things that are so common in our everyday lives. The novel goes through the experiences of a town during the summer of 1928. The novel explores the pleasures of summer, and the gloom of death. In the end, the reader is almost forced to recall Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five and say to themselves: So it goes.
Rating:
Summary: small town delight
Review: This book has inspire me to move to the countyside with my family and enjoy life. Why have we as a people gone to the cities away from family and friends? Was it money? Was it the false dream of fame and success? Dandelion Wine helped me see that success is having the the love of your family and the wormth of a good home. Without those the rest means nothing.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty words, that's all this story is.
Review: 1928. It was a good summer. Too bad it wasn't a good read. I'm surprised I even made it through this book at all. This book follows 12-year-old Douglas Spaulding during the summer of 1928. Yes, Ray wrote it, but there's no book burning or aliens in this book. It basically focuses on Doug's self-discovery. I love Ray Bradbury's stories, but this just killed me. I'm originally from a small town, so I know how Doug felt when the summer rolled around. Running through the grass barefoot, picking grapes, tasting the first ripened blackberries of the season, I experienced it all as a child, and while that brought back many fond memories, the story itself did not have the ability to capture my attention fully. Ray Bradbury has a beautiful poetic way with his writing, but most of the time, it seemed like he was using his vast knowledge of dictionary words to fill pages rather than relate a story to the readers. There doesn't seem to be much of a plot. It's just a series of events put together with some pretty words. I found that huge chunks of this book was largely uninteresting and tedious to get through. I know many people will disagree with this. Many people enjoyed this book, and that's cool. But for me, this book was just a killjoy. This was more like a chore than an enjoyable reading experience. This book made me remember a lot of good times back home. I even called an old childhood friend after reading this book, but I honestly don't see myself picking this up again. It was a nice book to make me relive my own summer memories, but that's about it. Perhaps, this is one of those books that I have to read more than once to fully appreciate. At least I found some great new adjectives to use.
Rating:
Summary: Bradbury's Dandelion Wine - pure classic in a bottle
Review: Until this weekend, I had almost forgotten. As a child, and during high school I had read scores of Ray Bradbury's short story collections. From fright to fantasy, wide-eyed terror to wonder each tale had held me spellbound for a stretch. Some had confused and confounded, and some had left indelible heartfelt impressions and images ("Skeleton", "The Small Assassin", "...And Soft Rains Will Come") I still recall today. After nearly two decades of absence from his works, Bradbury's 1950's masterpiece Dandelion Wine sparked a dusty light mental switch, and reawakened a dormant room in my subconscious. Now, during this hazy, greenly buzzing Illinois July far in time - but not far in space - from Bradbury's legendary Green Town of 1928, I saw it. I heard it. I felt it. I understood exactly why this poetic, golden-green tale of a Waukegan childhood could not be comprehended in full by a reader of the protagonist's tender age. Only in the angled light of adulthood does this tale of memory, love, loss, youth and age, friendship and time ripen to its full bouquet. Like the potent bottled summer that 12-year old Douglas Spaulding's grandfather employed to keep each day of the season perfectly capped in time, awaiting a future winter's day for its release, I finally uncorked this deliciously fragrant tale at just the right place and time. Pick up a copy, and select a quiet weekend day to open the cover. You'll be mesmerized in moments...and if not, just close the book and try again next summer. There will come a time when this book will be exactly the ticket to transport you, whether in one year or twenty. It will wait; it only improves with time. Each chapter, whether short or long, appears first as a simple bloom: but like the dandelions in its title, these small golden blossoms contain far more than first meets the eye...upon closer examination, each one's roots pierce deep down into the fertile soil of the subconscious. Dandelion Wine elicits emotions spanning the gamut of pure blazing noonday childhood joy that burns it image through smiling, closed eyelids - to the clammy neck-stiffening fear felt walking alone through a black ravine at midnight, with half-heard footsteps echoing a few paces behind you. 1928. It was a very good summer, indeed.
Rating: 
Summary: A Two Star Book
Review: Ray Bradbury once wrote a book about a 12 year old boy and his summer experiences during 1928. Over the course of these three months, Douglas, and his younger brother Tom, do everything they possibly can from making dandelion wine, to buying new sneakers.
Unfortunately, I found this book to be nothing more than a series of events that took place over the coarse of one summer season. There is no storyline, no plot, and no climax. To be honest, there is nothing that keeps me reading this novel, aside from the fact that it is a school assignment
Still, it is true that in his book, Bradbury's themes with important philosophies such as life vs. death, as well as happiness. So I suppose there is a plot regarding the joys in life. Still, it was not enough to keep me interested.
In conclusion, I felt that while the themes in the book were interesting, the plot fell short. I give this Ray Bradbury novel two stars.
Rating: 
Summary: A must not read
Review: From the very start this book was confusing. The author had not been very clear on the setting. The book was skipping around to much. It never stayed or talked about one or a few main events throughout the book. It was a good book to read in the summer. It had the right words and summer type theme. But that was not enough to convice me that the book was good. If your into action pack type books then this book isn't the right book for you.
Rating:
Summary: A bookI didn't like
Review: Well when the book first started off; to me it was the kind of book that I wouldn't like I could see that. I would recommend this book to someone who is more into mystery. My opinion is that this book is one that I would never have chose to read if I would have known how it was. On the other hand if you are into mystery you would have no problem understanding the plot of this book. You would love this, but only if your into mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Not very interesting.
Review: When i first saw the cover of the book, i thought to myself, this book looks like it's going to be boring, but i remebered not to judge a book by its cover, so read the first 4 chapters, and it actuaully was boreing, i wanted to stop reading the book because i didnt find it interesting, and their were parts in the book that tried to get the readers attention, like when the mom and her son look for Doug in the woods, and the thought the were getting chased by the "lonely one", when i first read that chapter i thought hey, this might get interesting, but i was wrong, it was boreing. I would of stoped reading this book if i could, but my teacher made me. I wouldent recomend this book to the younger readers, because me as a young reader found it really boreing, but praubably the older readers will enjoy for whatever reson.
Rating:
Summary: Dandelion Wine
Review: Dandelion Wine is a book. It's not a bad book, it's not a good book. It's just a book. I personally think that the book lacked excitement and a plot that was less than sufficient. This book did not appeal to me in any way shape or form. Someone may find interest in this book though. If you care about feeling alive and how it affects you and summer rituals, I highly suggest this book to you. If those do not apply, I would try to avoid this book.
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