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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
I didn't finish this book even though the prose was stunning, because I was bored by it. It was probably all me really - there's nothing about being a boy in 1920s America that I was interested in at the time I read it. I read the beginning and the end and some bits in between to be sure I wasn't making a mistake in giving it up, but, like 'My Antonia' it just isn't for me even though I can see it's beautifully written.
I wish I would have read this 10 years ago when I was younger, more idealistic, and had not yet become acquainted with death. Seeing through the eyes of Tom and Douglas was an easy journey back to dirt roads and fields I knew as a child. Their delight in "knowing" things is something we can all related to-the wisdom of youth. While this book is not what I have come to expect from Bradbury, it was an enjoyable wash of innocence.
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A work and author that heavily influenced my own creative life. I savored this over a long period as I read and set it aside to think about the words. Such beautiful writing and a wonderful nostalgic sentiment. One of my favorites.
Many people praise this book for its writing style. The trouble I've always had with Ray Bradbury is that I enjoy his writing style but cannot buy into his plots and characters. I had the opposite problem with this book. I enjoyed the stories told well enough, but the beautiful prose people often praise seemed to me oftentimes like word salad.
Furthermore, I did not particularly enjoy the disjointed structure of the novel. This is not objectively bad; in fact, I'm sure people who enjoy the book would say the lack of structure adds to its charm, but it was not for me.
The story that stuck in my mind was the one with the 30-year-old man who finds his soulmate is a 90-year-old woman. Their relationship was extremely touching, and I do hope they found each other at the right time in the next life.
Furthermore, I did not particularly enjoy the disjointed structure of the novel. This is not objectively bad; in fact, I'm sure people who enjoy the book would say the lack of structure adds to its charm, but it was not for me.
The story that stuck in my mind was the one with the 30-year-old man who finds his soulmate is a 90-year-old woman. Their relationship was extremely touching, and I do hope they found each other at the right time in the next life.
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book tested my patience. Bradbury’s prose is lush but meandering, and I nearly abandoned it multiple times. The fragmented vignettes felt disjointed, and the nostalgic tone occasionally veered into sentimentality. Yet, I pushed through—and found moments that lingered. It started to grow on me, especially towards the second half of the book.
Helen Loomis’s dragon-swan metaphor stood out:
“Do you know, it’s lucky we met so late. I wouldn’t have wanted you to meet me when I was twenty-one and full of foolishness.”
“They have special laws for pretty girls twenty-one.”
“So you think I was pretty?”
He nodded good-humoredly.
“But how can you tell?” she asked. “When you meet a dragon that has eaten a swan, do you guess by the few feathers left around the mouth? That’s what a body like this is, a dragon, all scales and folds. So the dragon ate the white swan. I haven’t seen her for years. I can’t even remember what she looks like. I feel her, though. She’s safe inside, still alive; the essential swan hasn’t changed a feather. Do you know, there are some mornings in spring or fall, when I wake and think, I’ll run across the fields into the woods and pick wild strawberries! Or I’ll swim in the lake, or I’ll dance all night tonight until dawn! And then, in a rage, discover I’m in this old and ruined dragon. I’m the princess in the crumbled tower, no way out, waiting for her Prince Charming.”
This haunting reflection on aging—the body as a dragon, the soul as a trapped swan—captured the tension between decay and enduring spirit. It’s raw and universal, a rare spark of profundity.
Similarly, Grandma’s “I’ve lost my touch” moment gutted me. Her crumbling confidence in the kitchen mirrors the fear of obsolescence we all face. Douglas restoring her chaotic workspace felt like a quiet rebellion against time itself—a reminder that love often lies in preserving imperfect magic.
Why 3.5 stars? For every gem, there’s a rambling passage or underdeveloped character. But Bradbury’s best scenes—like those above—justify the slog. It’s a book that rewards persistence, though I’d only recommend it to readers who savor poetic imagery over plot. If you’ve ever felt life slipping through your fingers, those fleeting, luminous moments might resonate deeply.
Helen Loomis’s dragon-swan metaphor stood out:
“Do you know, it’s lucky we met so late. I wouldn’t have wanted you to meet me when I was twenty-one and full of foolishness.”
“They have special laws for pretty girls twenty-one.”
“So you think I was pretty?”
He nodded good-humoredly.
“But how can you tell?” she asked. “When you meet a dragon that has eaten a swan, do you guess by the few feathers left around the mouth? That’s what a body like this is, a dragon, all scales and folds. So the dragon ate the white swan. I haven’t seen her for years. I can’t even remember what she looks like. I feel her, though. She’s safe inside, still alive; the essential swan hasn’t changed a feather. Do you know, there are some mornings in spring or fall, when I wake and think, I’ll run across the fields into the woods and pick wild strawberries! Or I’ll swim in the lake, or I’ll dance all night tonight until dawn! And then, in a rage, discover I’m in this old and ruined dragon. I’m the princess in the crumbled tower, no way out, waiting for her Prince Charming.”
This haunting reflection on aging—the body as a dragon, the soul as a trapped swan—captured the tension between decay and enduring spirit. It’s raw and universal, a rare spark of profundity.
Similarly, Grandma’s “I’ve lost my touch” moment gutted me. Her crumbling confidence in the kitchen mirrors the fear of obsolescence we all face. Douglas restoring her chaotic workspace felt like a quiet rebellion against time itself—a reminder that love often lies in preserving imperfect magic.
Why 3.5 stars? For every gem, there’s a rambling passage or underdeveloped character. But Bradbury’s best scenes—like those above—justify the slog. It’s a book that rewards persistence, though I’d only recommend it to readers who savor poetic imagery over plot. If you’ve ever felt life slipping through your fingers, those fleeting, luminous moments might resonate deeply.
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"I didn't know old ladies had first names!"
"And if you care to run across my front lawn tonight at about 11, if I'm still awake I'll fire off a civil war muscat at you. Will that satisfy your masculine urge for adventure?"
What a gentle, poetic, impactful and evocative book. The description of what it feels like to wear those new tennis shoes will live with me forever .
"And if you care to run across my front lawn tonight at about 11, if I'm still awake I'll fire off a civil war muscat at you. Will that satisfy your masculine urge for adventure?"
What a gentle, poetic, impactful and evocative book. The description of what it feels like to wear those new tennis shoes will live with me forever .