Scan barcode
talljustin's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
madamenovelist's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
elsiebrady's review against another edition
3.0
Similar to Roald Dahl books but rather different than the movie.
ashleejuanita's review against another edition
4.0
Fun book, short read, kids liked it. Nothing like movie
rpgw84's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.0
3/5 stars.
I won't be writing a full review for this one. I loved the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang movie adaptation with Dick Van Dyke when I was little... Even though I don't remember all the details of the movie and it has been at least 20 years since I last saw it, I was curious to see what the original story was like. I'm not sure if my memory completely failed me, but this definitely wasn't what I remembered of the movie, and I wasn't all that impressed by what I found to be honest... I felt the spark the movie had was missing, and the plot and writing style just didn't do it for me. The illustrations were a nice touch though! But mostly this book made me want to watch the movie again and experience its magic instead of continuing with the rest of the books.
I won't be writing a full review for this one. I loved the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang movie adaptation with Dick Van Dyke when I was little... Even though I don't remember all the details of the movie and it has been at least 20 years since I last saw it, I was curious to see what the original story was like. I'm not sure if my memory completely failed me, but this definitely wasn't what I remembered of the movie, and I wasn't all that impressed by what I found to be honest... I felt the spark the movie had was missing, and the plot and writing style just didn't do it for me. The illustrations were a nice touch though! But mostly this book made me want to watch the movie again and experience its magic instead of continuing with the rest of the books.
pharmdad2007's review against another edition
4.0
I've never read this book before, nor did I realize that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and James Bond originated from the same creative mind. This is different from the movie, in that it really only introduces the characters, but their adventures are different. Fun book!
kjboldon's review against another edition
3.0
Perhaps my 12 and 14yo are slightly too old to love this? I loved the illustrations by John Burningham, but the story not as much.
circlesofflame's review against another edition
3.0
I had no idea the book was so different from the film. In the book, you have some of the same elements, the car, Potts' creation of sweets sold to the sweet producer, but we also get the twins' mother, more intuitive actions from the car to take them on adventures, a cave full of explosives and a French gangster plot for the children to foil.
The book should be considered on its own merits and, if you do so, it's a nice adventure story with unexpected details thrown into the mix. However, it's really difficult to separate the reading experience to that enjoyed when watching the well-known adaptation and I think with that comparison it fares poorly. I usually wouldn't say this of a film that really takes the bare bones of a story to make something entirely different, but I think it works. The film is stronger than the book in my opinion and even the able narration of David Tennant can't make me consider it more highly.
The book should be considered on its own merits and, if you do so, it's a nice adventure story with unexpected details thrown into the mix. However, it's really difficult to separate the reading experience to that enjoyed when watching the well-known adaptation and I think with that comparison it fares poorly. I usually wouldn't say this of a film that really takes the bare bones of a story to make something entirely different, but I think it works. The film is stronger than the book in my opinion and even the able narration of David Tennant can't make me consider it more highly.