Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
This book was, at its heart, a coming-of-age story. A little boy is put on a ship with a guardian who mostly ignores him and doesn't stay in the same class area of the ship - let alone in the same cabin. He's sent from Sri Lanka to England where he knows no one but is supposed to meet his mother. He spends his days with two boys his age in much the way one would expect three little boys to spend their days on a ship. They spy and steal food and get into trouble. They also spend some time getting to know the other people seated at the Cat's Table with them. Together they are a group of misfits too odd or lowly to be placed anywhere near the Captain. The book is full of interesting characters - a prisoner in chains, a thief,
What was interesting about this book was the way that the book, while mostly told by 11 year old Michael aboard the ship, is interspersed with sections told by his adult self. What 11-year-old Micheal considers to be just a fun trip is shown to influence so many aspects of his later life. Ondaatje doesn't spell out every revelation. Instead he implies and almost cajoles the reader into reaching insights that seem so obvious when they hit you. Of course, this is the sort of book in which these revelations never occur during the reading. They pop up unexpectedly as the reader finds his/herself contemplating the book for days after the last word has been read.
The info sheet about Ondaatje that my library had set out next to the book informed me that he drew from his own experiences as an 11-year-old on a long voyage. It absolutely shows. Some of the descriptions in this book are almost poetic. Which is no big surprise considering that Ondaatje is also a poet. I loved his writing style and how well the characters were fleshed out so that I almost felt as if I was getting to know them along with Michael. Like [b:The English Patient|11713|The English Patient|Michael Ondaatje|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320527907s/11713.jpg|3009869], this is a book that you will fall into, and come out of in a daze. Beautifully done.
What was interesting about this book was the way that the book, while mostly told by 11 year old Michael aboard the ship, is interspersed with sections told by his adult self. What 11-year-old Micheal considers to be just a fun trip is shown to influence so many aspects of his later life. Ondaatje doesn't spell out every revelation. Instead he implies and almost cajoles the reader into reaching insights that seem so obvious when they hit you. Of course, this is the sort of book in which these revelations never occur during the reading. They pop up unexpectedly as the reader finds his/herself contemplating the book for days after the last word has been read.
The info sheet about Ondaatje that my library had set out next to the book informed me that he drew from his own experiences as an 11-year-old on a long voyage. It absolutely shows. Some of the descriptions in this book are almost poetic. Which is no big surprise considering that Ondaatje is also a poet. I loved his writing style and how well the characters were fleshed out so that I almost felt as if I was getting to know them along with Michael. Like [b:The English Patient|11713|The English Patient|Michael Ondaatje|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320527907s/11713.jpg|3009869], this is a book that you will fall into, and come out of in a daze. Beautifully done.
adventurous
challenging
funny
medium-paced
I tried, but I could not get into this book. Other than the boys meeting different characters on the ship, there is no plot. This ends up being boring and in my opinion, meaningless. There's tons of symbolism, but also tons of boredom.
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2011/10/2011-book-257.html
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5
This flows effortlessly, but I was never really sure where it was flowing to. Not even when I finished. Lots of quotable introspective thoughts, but they felt a bit disconnected.
This flows effortlessly, but I was never really sure where it was flowing to. Not even when I finished. Lots of quotable introspective thoughts, but they felt a bit disconnected.
A seemingly simple story about a boy's journey from Colombo, Sri Lanka to England aboard the Oronsay ship. We read about the boy's adventures with the other two kids from his dining table (i.e. the Cat's Table, situated as far from the captain's table as possible). We learn of the other passengers aboard the ship and about the ship itself from his 11-year old perspective, whose knowledge was mostly gained from sneaking around the decks in the shadows. This is how we learn about the prisoner on board, the secret garden in the bellows of the ship, the comings and goings of the roller skater, and other such things that appeal to preteen boys.
The author jumps ahead in time to give us bits and pieces about what future life was in store for the three boys as they grew up. This helped us understand how the adventures on board the Oronsay affected them throughout their lives. It wasn't until almost the end of the book that a mystery was revealed and the true story unraveled.
I enjoyed the book; I enjoyed the writing; and I enjoyed the perspective from which the story transpired. I didn't expect the book to take me where it did, but the journey was worth it.
The author jumps ahead in time to give us bits and pieces about what future life was in store for the three boys as they grew up. This helped us understand how the adventures on board the Oronsay affected them throughout their lives. It wasn't until almost the end of the book that a mystery was revealed and the true story unraveled.
I enjoyed the book; I enjoyed the writing; and I enjoyed the perspective from which the story transpired. I didn't expect the book to take me where it did, but the journey was worth it.
“In the early 1950s, an eleven-year-old boy boards a ship bound for England. At mealtimes, he is seated at the lowly ‘Cat’s Table’ with an eccentric and fascinating group of adults and two other boys.”
This is the story of their voyage and the after effects, felt into their adult lives.
The cover describes it as a “thrilling, deeply-moving novel”. I’d not be quite so effusive. Ondaatje’s writing is elegant and the story has some tension. But sometimes, the parts just didn’t seem to be coming together. 3½ stars
This is the story of their voyage and the after effects, felt into their adult lives.
The cover describes it as a “thrilling, deeply-moving novel”. I’d not be quite so effusive. Ondaatje’s writing is elegant and the story has some tension. But sometimes, the parts just didn’t seem to be coming together. 3½ stars
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fine line between fiction and memoir, especially from a child's point of view.