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situationnormal's review
3.0
Not as much fun as the first book in the series, which is a childhood favorite of mine (so that nostalgia factor boosts it), but I did love revisiting this family in a different setting. Their personalities are more distinct after reading the first book, and Zilpha Keatley Snyder's writing is so tongue-in-cheek and refreshing because it comes from David's POV and he's the only relatively normal child of the bunch.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
panda_incognito's review against another edition
3.0
This has a lot of extraneous detail and padding near the beginning, but the slice-of-life family details ring so true, and I laughed out loud multiple times.
manwithanagenda's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Well, I wasn't too big of a fan of this book when I first read it, but I've kept rereading it occasionally over the years to see if I missed something. I don't think I ever have.
This first sequel to 'The Headless Cupid' takes place about a year after the events of that book. David's stepmother Molly has been left a sizable amount of money from a great-uncle, but there's a catch. The money must be spent in Italy. So, after some arrangements are made, the Stanley family are set to spend a year in Italy! Fun, right? Just think of the possibilities!
Well, Snyder didn't seem to consider those possibilities. After some sightseeing, the Stanley's settle in an old villa near Florence that has several other tenants as well.
Surely there will be some interesting characters, some sort of mystery?
No...they are mentioned, but aside from one older couple, dismissed. So why are they even in the book? Amanda developing a crush on a boring English boy in Swiss hiking shorts was kinda funny, but not great..
I won't give away how the kidnapping comes about, or what happens, but I will say I am disappointed in Snyder. This is a young children's book so, obviously, nothing horrible is going to happen, but the core of 'The Headless Cupid' wasn't the mystery, but the interactions between the children, particularly Amanda and David. That's what was missing here.
Amanda still has some issues to get over, but since she's given up the witchcraft bit she's just another surly 13 year old girl. Exciting. After being kidnapped she has an emotional scene with David, talking about troubles she's kept quiet about since before her mother divorced her dad. But, we don't get specifics, and we don't get the insight into her character that might make us feel for her, we just hear from David that he talked with her a lot. A lot of other scenes are treated similarly, glossed over in favor of the "action".
David made sense as a narrator in 'The Headless Cupid' because of his good-kid reactions and interpretations of Amanda's rebellion. Here, it might have been better to switch to Amanda's perspective because David is always two steps behind what would have been interesting. David and Amanda's plot against the kidnapper's is particularly absurd as well. Even for a 12 and a 13 year old. The character of motormouth Janie with an IQ of 145 is the only one who shines.
Stanley Family
Next: 'Blair's Nightmare'
Previous: 'The Headless Cupid'
This first sequel to 'The Headless Cupid' takes place about a year after the events of that book. David's stepmother Molly has been left a sizable amount of money from a great-uncle, but there's a catch. The money must be spent in Italy. So, after some arrangements are made, the Stanley family are set to spend a year in Italy! Fun, right? Just think of the possibilities!
Well, Snyder didn't seem to consider those possibilities. After some sightseeing, the Stanley's settle in an old villa near Florence that has several other tenants as well.
Surely there will be some interesting characters, some sort of mystery?
No...they are mentioned, but aside from one older couple, dismissed. So why are they even in the book? Amanda developing a crush on a boring English boy in Swiss hiking shorts was kinda funny, but not great..
I won't give away how the kidnapping comes about, or what happens, but I will say I am disappointed in Snyder. This is a young children's book so, obviously, nothing horrible is going to happen, but the core of 'The Headless Cupid' wasn't the mystery, but the interactions between the children, particularly Amanda and David. That's what was missing here.
Amanda still has some issues to get over, but since she's given up the witchcraft bit she's just another surly 13 year old girl. Exciting. After being kidnapped she has an emotional scene with David, talking about troubles she's kept quiet about since before her mother divorced her dad. But, we don't get specifics, and we don't get the insight into her character that might make us feel for her, we just hear from David that he talked with her a lot. A lot of other scenes are treated similarly, glossed over in favor of the "action".
David made sense as a narrator in 'The Headless Cupid' because of his good-kid reactions and interpretations of Amanda's rebellion. Here, it might have been better to switch to Amanda's perspective because David is always two steps behind what would have been interesting. David and Amanda's plot against the kidnapper's is particularly absurd as well. Even for a 12 and a 13 year old. The character of motormouth Janie with an IQ of 145 is the only one who shines.
Stanley Family
Next: 'Blair's Nightmare'
Previous: 'The Headless Cupid'
More...