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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
A little hard to follow, as the plot jumped around a lot. Also, the characters were not as fully developed as I have come to expect from Konigsburg.
This is such an interesting read. This is a mystery about art. It happens to be modern art from the time period of Nazi Germany. It is a very mature middle grade read. I mean, this is something that as an adult I enjoyed as an adult. There happened to be young characters in the story.
I know as a child, I would have loved reading this as I liked books that were mature and smart. Amedeo is a very smart kid who grew up knowing art. This book discusses art and how to think about it. It taught me quite a bit about art and the art world. E. L. goes into the history of modern art in Nazi Germany in a detailed way. I really did not know about any of this, though it shouldn't surprise me. Hitler wanted to be an artist and wasn't accepted into art school as he lacked imagination. I wonder want would have happened if he had gotten into school. The arts can help people work through their issues. Anyway.
They also tell of a gay couple raising a child in this period. Hitler basically came to power talking about the gays. They were able to marry in Germany in this period of the 20s. It was a few time for gays. I give E. L. Props for letting us see healthy gay couples in a historical context. It is so important for every age from young children on up to have a chance to possibly see themselves represented in stories. It is important and I applaud E. L. for using this. Middle grade is finally showing more and more gay characters and this is wonderful. I hope this trend will only continue.
The story is a slow mystery. It is high brow and I don't know that there is a sense of fun in this novel. It is pretty serious. I don't really know what to think of it. I'm between 3 and 4 stars. I think I like it so that will make my decision. This will be for only the mature middle grade readers or even high school students.
I know as a child, I would have loved reading this as I liked books that were mature and smart. Amedeo is a very smart kid who grew up knowing art. This book discusses art and how to think about it. It taught me quite a bit about art and the art world. E. L. goes into the history of modern art in Nazi Germany in a detailed way. I really did not know about any of this, though it shouldn't surprise me. Hitler wanted to be an artist and wasn't accepted into art school as he lacked imagination. I wonder want would have happened if he had gotten into school. The arts can help people work through their issues. Anyway.
They also tell of a gay couple raising a child in this period. Hitler basically came to power talking about the gays. They were able to marry in Germany in this period of the 20s. It was a few time for gays. I give E. L. Props for letting us see healthy gay couples in a historical context. It is so important for every age from young children on up to have a chance to possibly see themselves represented in stories. It is important and I applaud E. L. for using this. Middle grade is finally showing more and more gay characters and this is wonderful. I hope this trend will only continue.
The story is a slow mystery. It is high brow and I don't know that there is a sense of fun in this novel. It is pretty serious. I don't really know what to think of it. I'm between 3 and 4 stars. I think I like it so that will make my decision. This will be for only the mature middle grade readers or even high school students.
It's like running into a friend 20 years later and catching up.
Aside from that: did every bit make perfect sense to me? No... But I was still sucked in completely. I couldn't put it down - not out of nostalgia, but because I wanted to know what happened.
Aside from that: did every bit make perfect sense to me? No... But I was still sucked in completely. I couldn't put it down - not out of nostalgia, but because I wanted to know what happened.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
I never fully lost myself in this story and I didn’t care very much about the central mystery or its super coincidental and tidy solution. The pacing was off, also; nothing of much consequence for pages and pages, and then everything all at once.
This is the story of Amadeo, who wants to discover something that will bring him fame. When he begins working for Mrs. Zender, he hopes to find a treasure of some kind among her dusty old things, but he is also looking for friendship. Egh. I disliked this book intensely, but I can't muster up enough emotional reaction to it to actually say I hated it.
The plot moves sooooooo slow. I kept waiting and waiting for something to happen. Finally, towards the end of the middle, they find the drawing, and finally finally after a long drawn-out bunch of nothing, we find out the mystery of the drawing, which is another long bunch of extra stuff that I didn't really care about. The end was so incredibly under-whelming.
The characters are supposed to be quirky and interesting, but I find them boring. I just don't care about any of them. Some of them are nice, I suppose, but I don't like any of them. They are so rude and snappy to each other, and everyone is circling tentatively around everyone else.
I can't figure out why William and Amadeo are friends. All they do is nitpick and fuss at each other. There is not a single conversation between them that says to me, "Ah, these two are good friends!" Their dialogue is acidic, and they pick on each other.
Peter is especially boring. What is his problem? He can be overly dramatic, but no one else is allowed to. He just has to be the center of attention at all times. egh. He's annoying.
Why do I keep reading this author's books? I never like her books. I like her writing style, but I hate her plots and characters. The only one that I have ever liked, out of all her work, is [b:From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|3980|From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|E.L. Konigsburg|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327784751s/3980.jpg|1384549].
The plot moves sooooooo slow. I kept waiting and waiting for something to happen. Finally, towards the end of the middle, they find the drawing, and finally finally after a long drawn-out bunch of nothing, we find out the mystery of the drawing, which is another long bunch of extra stuff that I didn't really care about. The end was so incredibly under-whelming.
The characters are supposed to be quirky and interesting, but I find them boring. I just don't care about any of them. Some of them are nice, I suppose, but I don't like any of them. They are so rude and snappy to each other, and everyone is circling tentatively around everyone else.
I can't figure out why William and Amadeo are friends. All they do is nitpick and fuss at each other. There is not a single conversation between them that says to me, "Ah, these two are good friends!" Their dialogue is acidic, and they pick on each other.
Peter is especially boring. What is his problem? He can be overly dramatic, but no one else is allowed to. He just has to be the center of attention at all times. egh. He's annoying.
Why do I keep reading this author's books? I never like her books. I like her writing style, but I hate her plots and characters. The only one that I have ever liked, out of all her work, is [b:From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|3980|From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler|E.L. Konigsburg|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327784751s/3980.jpg|1384549].
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler used to be my favorite E.L. Konigsburg, but this blows it out of the running. Loved the layers of this book. It was deep and profound and real. it also brought to light less talked about aspects of the Nazi regime, while also touching on our vast capacity for choosing comfort over virtue. Worth reading.
This book would go on my stairs.
This book would go on my stairs.
An interesting read with a fairly good mystery as well, despite the slow beginning. It tackles important and at times difficult topics, which makes me wonder why this is book is described as/categorized under juvenile fiction.
(This also happens to be the first physical book I've read in about a month...)
(This also happens to be the first physical book I've read in about a month...)
I loved this book.
For the writing.
And that is a rare and wonderful thing.
Unconventional similes dot the pages. I first noticed it when “William raised his shoulder slowly and tilted his head slightly like a conversational semicolon before continuing.” But they're everywhere.
Little gems of wisdom pop up in unexpected places, and so are saved from being trite. I especially loved this one: "Friendship is a combination of art and craft. The craft part is in knowing how to give and how to take. The art part is in knowing when, and the whole process only works when no one is keeping track."
The characters are lifelike (just like Mixed Up Files and View from Saturday)--idiosyncratic, full of mistakes, affectations, disappointments and secrets...but still heroic in the ways they learn to listen to each other's stories.
So, while Mrs. Zender suggests that 90% of every person is hidden from view, Konigsburg manages to unveil another few percentage points with her impeccable craft.
For the writing.
And that is a rare and wonderful thing.
Unconventional similes dot the pages. I first noticed it when “William raised his shoulder slowly and tilted his head slightly like a conversational semicolon before continuing.” But they're everywhere.
Little gems of wisdom pop up in unexpected places, and so are saved from being trite. I especially loved this one: "Friendship is a combination of art and craft. The craft part is in knowing how to give and how to take. The art part is in knowing when, and the whole process only works when no one is keeping track."
The characters are lifelike (just like Mixed Up Files and View from Saturday)--idiosyncratic, full of mistakes, affectations, disappointments and secrets...but still heroic in the ways they learn to listen to each other's stories.
So, while Mrs. Zender suggests that 90% of every person is hidden from view, Konigsburg manages to unveil another few percentage points with her impeccable craft.
again, average....i never finished it, i dont think. no offense but it was really boring...
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced