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katevane's review against another edition
4.0
I decided to stop reading this book. It was too whimsical, too saccharine. It’s about a kid! But it was such a fun, easy read I thought I’d read just one more page or maybe a chapter and within a day I’d read the whole thing.
This is the story of nine-year-old Milo who has retinitis pigmentosa. His condition means his vision is restricted to a pinhole. Meanwhile, Milo’s family is falling apart. His dad has left for another woman and his gran is going into a care home. Milo decides he has to bring his gran back home and that, while he may not be able to see the bigger picture, he is able to focus in on what matters.
The story has a cast of quirky characters, from Milo’s mum, a beautician who is letting herself go, to Gran and her fellow residents, to a Syrian refugee working as a chef at the care home. And yes, the plot is fairly predictable and the story doesn’t bear much relation to reality but along the way Milo does learn about the adult world of secrets and deception and why good people sometimes hurt each other.
Mainly though, it’s a page-turning, joyfully escapist story. Not saccharine but genuinely sweet.
-
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.
This is the story of nine-year-old Milo who has retinitis pigmentosa. His condition means his vision is restricted to a pinhole. Meanwhile, Milo’s family is falling apart. His dad has left for another woman and his gran is going into a care home. Milo decides he has to bring his gran back home and that, while he may not be able to see the bigger picture, he is able to focus in on what matters.
The story has a cast of quirky characters, from Milo’s mum, a beautician who is letting herself go, to Gran and her fellow residents, to a Syrian refugee working as a chef at the care home. And yes, the plot is fairly predictable and the story doesn’t bear much relation to reality but along the way Milo does learn about the adult world of secrets and deception and why good people sometimes hurt each other.
Mainly though, it’s a page-turning, joyfully escapist story. Not saccharine but genuinely sweet.
-
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.
ellieroth's review against another edition
4.0
Publicado originalmente: El Extraño Gato del Cuento
Qué cosa más adorable es este libro. Para mí fue uno de esos libros en el cual a los poco párrafos de empezar a leer ya sabía tenía muy probablemente mi libro favorito, de esos que te da miedo acabarlo por miedo a que te decepcione. La narración hecha por niños es algo que muy recientemente estoy experimentando y hasta ahora han sido en su mayoría muy buenas experiencias.
Algo que he notado en algunos escritores europeos es que es son más diversos, en cuanto a personajes, lugares y cultura. Sé que tiene que ver el que no sean norteamericanos pero cuando ellos me dan personajes de diferentes países, ya sean árabes, pakistaníes, libios o griegos, se me hacen naturales, extremadamente ricos de leer. What Milo Saw no fue la excepción, eso sin contar la ternura, y a veces un poco de tristeza, que es leer sobre los pacientes del asilo.
Milo es un niño maravilloso, se me hizo casi imposible no encariñarme con él o su cerdito Hamlet. Es difícil encontrar un libro sobre discapacidad, son muy pocos, y que tengan la calidad de este libro, mucho más difícil aún.
Le puse cuatro de cinco porque soy un adulto sin corazón ni alma. El final me gustó mucho en cuanto como le fue a algunos de los personajes porque en lo que leí el libro, para mí fue obvio que ellos son mucho mejores personajes que yo y si hubiera acabado de otra forma los personajes y la historia no hubieran sido lo que fueran. Es de esos finales que te dejan un poco con la duda, un tanto... no sé como ponerlo.
Hay una historia muy cortita rondando por ahí, se lllama "Where Hamlet Went", la historia es contada por el cerdito Hamlet y es una preciosura de historia corta. Si la escritora decidiera escribir libro para niños, tenía una lectora asegurada. De verdad es muy linda, pero solo pueden leer si leen What Milo Saw primero.
Sin duda una mis mejores lectura del año.
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Qué cosa más adorable es este libro. Para mí fue uno de esos libros en el cual a los poco párrafos de empezar a leer ya sabía tenía muy probablemente mi libro favorito, de esos que te da miedo acabarlo por miedo a que te decepcione. La narración hecha por niños es algo que muy recientemente estoy experimentando y hasta ahora han sido en su mayoría muy buenas experiencias.
Algo que he notado en algunos escritores europeos es que es son más diversos, en cuanto a personajes, lugares y cultura. Sé que tiene que ver el que no sean norteamericanos pero cuando ellos me dan personajes de diferentes países, ya sean árabes, pakistaníes, libios o griegos, se me hacen naturales, extremadamente ricos de leer. What Milo Saw no fue la excepción, eso sin contar la ternura, y a veces un poco de tristeza, que es leer sobre los pacientes del asilo.
Milo es un niño maravilloso, se me hizo casi imposible no encariñarme con él o su cerdito Hamlet. Es difícil encontrar un libro sobre discapacidad, son muy pocos, y que tengan la calidad de este libro, mucho más difícil aún.
Le puse cuatro de cinco porque soy un adulto sin corazón ni alma. El final me gustó mucho en cuanto como le fue a algunos de los personajes porque en lo que leí el libro, para mí fue obvio que ellos son mucho mejores personajes que yo y si hubiera acabado de otra forma los personajes y la historia no hubieran sido lo que fueran. Es de esos finales que te dejan un poco con la duda, un tanto... no sé como ponerlo.
Hay una historia muy cortita rondando por ahí, se lllama "Where Hamlet Went", la historia es contada por el cerdito Hamlet y es una preciosura de historia corta. Si la escritora decidiera escribir libro para niños, tenía una lectora asegurada. De verdad es muy linda, pero solo pueden leer si leen What Milo Saw primero.
Sin duda una mis mejores lectura del año.
Twitter || Blog || Pinterest || Tumblr || Instagram
jaironside's review against another edition
4.0
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a charming modern fable full of big ideas and simple truths. As poor as Milo's eyesight is, it is also an advantage because he has taught himself to compensate by using his other senses and by paying attention. Because he cannot and does not take sight for granted, Milo sees many things that other people do not. Couple that with a child's black and white understanding of right and wrong and you have an unusual 'white knight' on a mission to sort things out.
This has a deftly woven plot - told from several POVs, the main one being Milo's - where every thread eventually weaves into the whole to create a tapestry of rich simplicity. The characters are good, the voice is pretty close to perfect - especially Milo's. And there is plenty of wry humour, as well as dealing with some big issues. The more unpleasant aspects are told plainly but we're able to look at them head on because we see them through Milo's impartial and child-like gaze. At it's core, this is a book about the quiet injustices and cruelties of every day. About really looking and noticing what is going on around you. And most of all about being able to look at life through new perspectives. As one of the characters says 'miracles happen everyday, but only if you believe, only if you look.'
I can't say that anything in the plot surprised me and this book has the misfortune of coming up against another modern fable, read earlier in the year (A Robot in the Garden) and not coming off best in an unconscious comparison. Occasionally the characters do extremely irritating things and it feels like it is just to be in line with the plot. However this is still a good book with an ultimately satisfying ending and you cannot help but root for Milo.
Highly recommended.
This is a charming modern fable full of big ideas and simple truths. As poor as Milo's eyesight is, it is also an advantage because he has taught himself to compensate by using his other senses and by paying attention. Because he cannot and does not take sight for granted, Milo sees many things that other people do not. Couple that with a child's black and white understanding of right and wrong and you have an unusual 'white knight' on a mission to sort things out.
This has a deftly woven plot - told from several POVs, the main one being Milo's - where every thread eventually weaves into the whole to create a tapestry of rich simplicity. The characters are good, the voice is pretty close to perfect - especially Milo's. And there is plenty of wry humour, as well as dealing with some big issues. The more unpleasant aspects are told plainly but we're able to look at them head on because we see them through Milo's impartial and child-like gaze. At it's core, this is a book about the quiet injustices and cruelties of every day. About really looking and noticing what is going on around you. And most of all about being able to look at life through new perspectives. As one of the characters says 'miracles happen everyday, but only if you believe, only if you look.'
I can't say that anything in the plot surprised me and this book has the misfortune of coming up against another modern fable, read earlier in the year (A Robot in the Garden) and not coming off best in an unconscious comparison. Occasionally the characters do extremely irritating things and it feels like it is just to be in line with the plot. However this is still a good book with an ultimately satisfying ending and you cannot help but root for Milo.
Highly recommended.
sheryl_macca's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Wonderful
This book is magical and restored my faith in humanity. On finishing this book I feel that same skip in my step as when you walk out of the cinema after a lovely rom com and it's sunny outside. The child's logical approach is a tad far fetched but I don't care. It allows the reader to experience the personal stories of each character with more understanding...even Nurse Thornhill's story. This book is like that quote you see everywhere, the one about being kind to people as everyone is fighting their own battle that you have no idea about. It gives you a bittersweet happiness with a good dose of humour and charm. We all need to be a bit more Milo.
This book is magical and restored my faith in humanity. On finishing this book I feel that same skip in my step as when you walk out of the cinema after a lovely rom com and it's sunny outside. The child's logical approach is a tad far fetched but I don't care. It allows the reader to experience the personal stories of each character with more understanding...even Nurse Thornhill's story. This book is like that quote you see everywhere, the one about being kind to people as everyone is fighting their own battle that you have no idea about. It gives you a bittersweet happiness with a good dose of humour and charm. We all need to be a bit more Milo.
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