Rating: 
Summary: An Entertaining Bit of Fluff
Review: The book jacket has a blurb which calls this "a quirky piece of pop writing" and that's about right. The author has fun throwing unexpected plot twists at you left and right, and the book has a palpable sense of fun. In fact, it might be compared to Spider Robinson's "Callahan" books in this regard.But in another regard it never really seemed to strive for anything greater. Although an entertaining bit of fluff, ultimately it was a bit lightweight and inconsequential. The story developed no internal logic, and the ending was just as airy as the rest. Unlike Robinson, Carroll seems content to float a plot in midair like a feather. Not a bad recommendation, if you're looking for a pleasant afternoon's read.
Rating: 
Summary: Earth to JC! Please phone home.....
Review: I've been a fan of Carroll's for years; sometimes felt I was the only person in on the secret. He defies the normal genre categories: his novels--beautifully written, teasingly plotted, quite often quite terrifying--combine horror and fantasy, flirt with matters metaphysical, don't ever entirely depart from the conventions of "mainstream" literary fiction. So it was extremely upsetting for me to find I just couldn't finish this book....just too whimsical, too exasperatingly arbitrary in its narrative development, too self-consciously darkly cute (or cutely dark). I want the Carroll who reminds me of Robert Aickman, not the Carroll who reminds me of a schizophrenic Walt Disney...
Rating: 
Summary: J. Carroll is a winner
Review: A charmingly presented book by a master of the mysterious. Somehow
he manages to make it seem less than expected, even when his
reputation for vanishing acts, unexplainable events, and unreality
all precede him. He is the American Haruki Murakami. He deserves
credit for delivering a nice book. My only complaint is that it
seemed over too soon.
Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: Great book! It was funny, sad, scary, and mysterious till the very last page. The story will have you demanding "tell me why!" throughout it, but Carroll keeps you guessing brilliantly until your about to pull your hair out. I would definitly recommend this book to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Wild Ride
Review: I really enjoyed The Wooden Sea. Without repeating the plot or giving away any spoilers, I loved the reason behind all of the odd happenings in Crane's View. The author does not wrap up the story in a bow. There are questions posed that remain unanswered - as well they should. That is the magic of the story. While there is no real sex in the book, the story has a sexuality to it - we can identify with Frannie McCabe because he thinks as everyman and lives as everyman. We should all get the opportunities that he has been given. I read the book in 2 days - I just couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: STARTS WITH A BANG, ENDS WITH A WHIMPER
Review: Frannie McCabe, the unlikely hero of "The Wooden Sea", started his life as a rebellious youth given to bullying and terrorizing the town of Crane's View, in upstate New York. Now a much calmer adult, he oversees that town's police force as chief. Having made peace with the demon's of his youth, Frannie has settled into a pleasant, if somewhat uneventful, life in Crane's View. That is until he befriends a three-legged dog, which summarily drops dead in his office one day. Taking it upon himself to bury the poor thing, it starts into action a chain of events that changes Frannie's life, and death, forever. Drawing on "magical realism" to tell his story, Jonathan Carroll weaves a brilliant premise of gods, aliens, and strange, colorful feathers which seem to keep cropping up whenever things are about to get really hinky in Frannie's world. The story is engrossing throughout it's many plot twists and turns, but seems somehow to take far too long to get to its point. By the end of this story, I found myself skimming over the last pages to find the answers, not really caring about the droning particulars of the story any longer. Written with a wry nod to Neil Gaiman, "The Wooden Sea" starts out with a bang, and ends with the whimper of a three-legged dog named Old Vertue.
Rating: 
Summary: a wild ride.. destination unknown
Review: I bought this book after hearing a reference to it on an NPR show about "Summer Reading" lists. The person recommending it read a passage from early on -- I think it was a description of the dog Old Vertue -- which struck a chord with me. I thought anything that starts out this odd must get odder and be quite fun in the process. I was right. But I didn't expect to be as sucked in as I was to the story and its various turns and bizarre events. I could not put this book down.. and as soon as I finished reading it I started it again. After the first read I was left with questions -- I think I took some of the more fantastic elements of the plot a bit literally -- the answers to which become more apparent on the second read -- which I approached in terms of looking at the life of Frannie McCabe, much as the first reviewer suggested. But dont see this as a reason NOT to dive into The Wooden Sea. It was well worth the journey! The writing style is a joy: very conversational with a pearl that made me smile every few pages and at least one stunner per chapter. Carroll made me care about these people and I plan to buy his others books as soon as I finish writing this review! And I liked the idea that seemingly odd things would occur that I did not expect -- life throws us wingers every day, okay maybe not as strange as those in the book, but I appreciate the wonder he presents the reader. Its a small book that tells a fun story and packs a lot in besides that if you care to investigate. The notion of our various "selves" at different ages being present to help us out of jams and to consult with about life's problems is a provacative one. Carroll is an author to keep an eye on, no doubt. Read this, again and again.
Rating:
Summary: potential never realized
Review: The story seemed to have potential. Mr. Carroll knows how to write character and about the things that make the ordinary magical for average people like me. Yet all this potential is wasted in a story that is weaved to seem to unintentionally silly, confusing, and that in the end leaves you very unsatisfied. After reading this book I don't know if I want to chance my money on any of his other books.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: It had me laughing aloud within the first few pages, and continued to surprise me until the end. I was searching for more books by this author as soon as I finished.
Rating:
Summary: Hey Oprah!, Here's One of the Best Books of the Year!
Review: The Wooden Sea, by Jonathan Carroll (Tor). Carroll's latest book, The Wooden Sea, is a truncated Remembrance Of Things Past meets Dr. Who. Frannie McCabe is a middle-aged, small-town cop in Crane's View, New York, an ordinary guy with an ordinary life who dries his face on pink towels. But Frannie is having an odd week. A three legged, one-eyed pit bull dies in his office; he buries it, then later finds the canine corpse in the trunk of his car. Read more in The Spook where we review The Wooden Sea and interview Jonathan ... .
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