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aseleener's review against another edition
3.0
Read for my classic lit book club. Nice story. Weird how a lot of the names were German instead of Dutch.
elevetha's review against another edition
3.0
Holland. Winter. A skating competition. Brother and sister. Mystery. 8+. Enough said.
snowdrowsey's review against another edition
3.0
This book was an interesting read. I'd started long ago in the wintertime while living on Prairie St., but never could get much farther into it. The book starts out with Hans and his sister but then moves on to talk about a group of boys that Hans knows. The book follows their adventures while skating around on the frozen canals in Holland to travel all over to various cities in Holland and what happens to them on their trip. This was really weird since it had nothing to do with Hans or if he was mentioned he was a bit player in that part of the story. The last part of the book then focused on Hans and some about his sister. Everything turned out great for Hans, his sister, and their family and it was pretty unbelievable and shocking how it all got resolved.
libraryanned's review against another edition
2.0
Well, this book was pretty much what I expected so I shouldn't really complain. It is old and was written by someone in America who had only read a history book on the Netherlands (but she did visit after the book was published, to her credit). Basically it read like an old, cheesy Disney film like Pollyanna (in fact, not surprisingly,it was made into one), wherein the cheery, good people are rewarded and the nasty, mean people get their comeuppance. Plus a complete contrived plot. But again, I knew what I was getting into. Somehow, after the holidays ended and I was still reading this book, it ceased being charming. Not its fault. Mine.
bdplume's review against another edition
3.0
This was intimidating as children's books go, but it was fun once you got into it. Probably not for every kid, but I enjoyed it.
dorothy_is_me's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
At first, I found this novel to be really hard to get into, as I progressed it got easier and easier until I was enjoying ever bit of it. There are many characters and a lot of them are not the main focus as it is told in the this person, but I did really enjoy how each character acted. It almost added even more to the story and place from the time and place that it was written in. Over all, I thought the story was nicely written and there is a variety of people who many be interested in reading this, as the detail, writing style and description is really quite simple but still beautiful.
Pros:
- Learning about the Dutch (Mevrouw =Miss, Mme, etc, for example).
- Very much hope and subtle action. You do not get overwhelmed but certainly not bored.
- It is very quick and hopeful. I felt the need to talk about my reading experience to others (talking about characters, words seen often, etc).
Cons:
- Somewhat predictable and cliche. The middle of the plot would not have come across my mind but the ending sure did.
- I found that the middle plot- (spoiler) when Hans suddenly gets kidnapped and then the whole dream scheme and suddenly finding help was a bit unrealistic. Although things like this can happen, I think if there was a bit more added about who he could have been feeling emotionally aside from his dream.
- I think the clothing could have been described much more. As for me, I think that someone reading this in the future from the time that it was written, would not just know how they dressed and what each to her classses dressed as. In this book they are only really described as "poor clothes" or "wealthy looking suits".
In conclusion, I think that this book can be suited for all ages if there parents are alright with them reading some parts with mild blood being described (fighting). I loved my time reading this and I found it to be quite funny at some points.
Pros:
- Learning about the Dutch (Mevrouw =Miss, Mme, etc, for example).
- Very much hope and subtle action. You do not get overwhelmed but certainly not bored.
- It is very quick and hopeful. I felt the need to talk about my reading experience to others (talking about characters, words seen often, etc).
Cons:
- Somewhat predictable and cliche. The middle of the plot would not have come across my mind but the ending sure did.
- I found that the middle plot- (spoiler) when Hans suddenly gets kidnapped and then the whole dream scheme and suddenly finding help was a bit unrealistic. Although things like this can happen, I think if there was a bit more added about who he could have been feeling emotionally aside from his dream.
- I think the clothing could have been described much more. As for me, I think that someone reading this in the future from the time that it was written, would not just know how they dressed and what each to her classses dressed as. In this book they are only really described as "poor clothes" or "wealthy looking suits".
In conclusion, I think that this book can be suited for all ages if there parents are alright with them reading some parts with mild blood being described (fighting). I loved my time reading this and I found it to be quite funny at some points.
sabienb's review
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
nadyagr's review against another edition
3.0
Определено моята любима част беше краят на книгата. Въпреки че, не бях фенка на средата, силно я препоръчвам , особено ако се интерсувате от Холандия, бит, култура и също история.
gliebherr's review against another edition
3.0
A wholesome story with many characters. Lots of details about Dutch life in mid 1800's.
Two stories in one, with the middle section give great detail about school boys' skating trip to the city to see museums. A little slow and detail dumps, but worth it in the end.
The story of Hans, and the Brinker's and is really good and includes a pretty awesome plot twist.
Two stories in one, with the middle section give great detail about school boys' skating trip to the city to see museums. A little slow and detail dumps, but worth it in the end.
The story of Hans, and the Brinker's and is really good and includes a pretty awesome plot twist.
kairros11's review against another edition
1.0
I hated this book. The story of Hans Brinker itself is fine. What I detested was the break from the main story to follow a group of boys with too much time on their hands exploring Amsterdam and pointing out "fun facts" of art and history. Not incredibly well-written either.