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katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
The Letter for the King (translated).
It is nighttime. Dark, silent. There’s a loud, insistent knocking on the door. A stranger urgently pleads with you to get a message to the King. You agree. “Do you have his email address? A number to send a text to?” Bish, bash, bosh. Message sent. End of story. Not exactly a thrilling read.
This might be the scenario of The Letter for the King if it were written as a contemporary novel. Well, thank goodness this translation of the original, written in 1962, is a truly old-fashioned (in every good sense of the word) tale of a daring quest through hardship and adversity. No quick way out, no short cuts, no technology. For me, it was a Hobbit / Lord of the Rings-type quest saga without the magic (or the dwarfs), but probably more enjoyable.
When I picked it up, I was daunted by the fact that it’s a children’s book that tallies up at a rather weighty 450 pages. Would a 10 year old want to wade through a book that size? Would a parent want to read 450 pages to their child?
Well, I now cannot wait for my own toddler to be old enough for me to read this to him. From the first chapter to the last, it was an absolute pleasure, one I as an adult reader enjoyed immensely.
In the great tradition of the Arthurian quest legends, the story concerns a sixteen year old, Tiuri, who, on the eve of his knighting ceremony, is disturbed from his vigil of silence by a knock at the door. Against the rules, he cannot help but break his vow of silence and agree to help the desperate stranger who comes to him seeking help in getting an important letter to the king of a neighbouring land. Knowing he will not now be knighted, Tiuri leaves without money or supplies to find the Black Knight with the White Shield.
But circumstances change, and they require Tiuri to make a choice – should he return home, become a knight and forget about the letter? Or should he sacrifice what he finds important for a greater cause?
He’s an honorable, likeable and realistic young hero, and the story follows Tiuri through forests and mountains, as he makes decisions that may make him friends or enemies, meeting knights, robbers and hermits, becoming a noble and brave knight-at-heart. Evil is always close behind, always seeking to steal the letter away.
I couldn’t stop reading, to be honest. The language is plain enough for a confident nine-year-old to read alone, but makes a wonderful adventure to share at bedtime too. And for an adult? Immensely enjoyable, traditional quest, one that reading groups might like to use for discussion on Quest Stories and legends, dual-audience books (those that appeal to children and adults), and the role of traditional stories for a modern audience.
It’s a well-rounded story, with lots of interesting minor characters, and a ‘round trip’ structure that takes Tiuri back through to his origins and finishes beautifully. I wouldn’t want to ask for more from a book for my child. It’s vivid and intelligent, a worthy winner of Denmark’s Children’s Book of the Year, and makes me ask: what other potential classics are there that need desperately to be translated?
One to cherish. 5 stars.
It is nighttime. Dark, silent. There’s a loud, insistent knocking on the door. A stranger urgently pleads with you to get a message to the King. You agree. “Do you have his email address? A number to send a text to?” Bish, bash, bosh. Message sent. End of story. Not exactly a thrilling read.
This might be the scenario of The Letter for the King if it were written as a contemporary novel. Well, thank goodness this translation of the original, written in 1962, is a truly old-fashioned (in every good sense of the word) tale of a daring quest through hardship and adversity. No quick way out, no short cuts, no technology. For me, it was a Hobbit / Lord of the Rings-type quest saga without the magic (or the dwarfs), but probably more enjoyable.
When I picked it up, I was daunted by the fact that it’s a children’s book that tallies up at a rather weighty 450 pages. Would a 10 year old want to wade through a book that size? Would a parent want to read 450 pages to their child?
Well, I now cannot wait for my own toddler to be old enough for me to read this to him. From the first chapter to the last, it was an absolute pleasure, one I as an adult reader enjoyed immensely.
In the great tradition of the Arthurian quest legends, the story concerns a sixteen year old, Tiuri, who, on the eve of his knighting ceremony, is disturbed from his vigil of silence by a knock at the door. Against the rules, he cannot help but break his vow of silence and agree to help the desperate stranger who comes to him seeking help in getting an important letter to the king of a neighbouring land. Knowing he will not now be knighted, Tiuri leaves without money or supplies to find the Black Knight with the White Shield.
But circumstances change, and they require Tiuri to make a choice – should he return home, become a knight and forget about the letter? Or should he sacrifice what he finds important for a greater cause?
He’s an honorable, likeable and realistic young hero, and the story follows Tiuri through forests and mountains, as he makes decisions that may make him friends or enemies, meeting knights, robbers and hermits, becoming a noble and brave knight-at-heart. Evil is always close behind, always seeking to steal the letter away.
I couldn’t stop reading, to be honest. The language is plain enough for a confident nine-year-old to read alone, but makes a wonderful adventure to share at bedtime too. And for an adult? Immensely enjoyable, traditional quest, one that reading groups might like to use for discussion on Quest Stories and legends, dual-audience books (those that appeal to children and adults), and the role of traditional stories for a modern audience.
It’s a well-rounded story, with lots of interesting minor characters, and a ‘round trip’ structure that takes Tiuri back through to his origins and finishes beautifully. I wouldn’t want to ask for more from a book for my child. It’s vivid and intelligent, a worthy winner of Denmark’s Children’s Book of the Year, and makes me ask: what other potential classics are there that need desperately to be translated?
One to cherish. 5 stars.
gilliske's review against another edition
4.0
Ik vond dit een goed boek. Uiteindelijk toch. Want vooral de eerste helft vond ik eigenlijk best saai. Gelukkig kwam er veel meer actie, spanning en boeiende personages in het verhaal vanaf de tweede helft. Waardoor ik nu, op het eind, toch met een positief gevoel afsluit. Het laatste deel is terug wat saaier, maar dat viel al bij al nog mee. En het had een doel, nl. 'closure': alle verhaallijnen mooi afsluiten.
Ook tof dat er zoveel 'lessen' in het boek verwerkt zitten.
Akkoord, het is een echt kinderboek en daardoor misschien iets te eenvoudig, braaf en rechtlijnig om mijn volwassen geest voldoende te prikkelen.
Maar ja, dat dat een risico is weet je in principe wel vooraf als je als veertiger er bewust voor kiest om voor een kinderboek te gaan.
Ook tof dat er zoveel 'lessen' in het boek verwerkt zitten.
Akkoord, het is een echt kinderboek en daardoor misschien iets te eenvoudig, braaf en rechtlijnig om mijn volwassen geest voldoende te prikkelen.
Maar ja, dat dat een risico is weet je in principe wel vooraf als je als veertiger er bewust voor kiest om voor een kinderboek te gaan.
ibisette's review against another edition
4.0
fantastisch boek, al hoefden die laatste hoofdstukken niet voor mij
daphnerieke's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Dit is met recht een jeugd klassieker! En dus ook zeer vermakelijk voor een volwassene om te lezen.
Het avontuur van Tiuri, hoe hij vertrouwt op zijn intuïtie, hoe hij vrienden maakt en zijn woord houdt... Een heus epos!
Het maakt dat ik op vakantie wil naar de bergen, met beekjes en kastelen om te bezoeken. Op naar het avontuur!
Het avontuur van Tiuri, hoe hij vertrouwt op zijn intuïtie, hoe hij vrienden maakt en zijn woord houdt... Een heus epos!
Het maakt dat ik op vakantie wil naar de bergen, met beekjes en kastelen om te bezoeken. Op naar het avontuur!
mrs_bonaventure's review against another edition
5.0
Lovely fairytale - like quest, written post Lord of the Rings and therefore taking some of its flavour from it, but wonderfully simple, richly coloured and quietly entertaining. A tale of a young squire about to become a knight who has to carry a secret message across the mountains to the kingdom in the west, it's story is old fashioned and wholesome and very satisfying. So much so that when my son read on ahead, I had to pick it up after him and finish it myself!
anna_appelsap's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
boekenmenno's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Het was een boek dat ik niet snel zou vergeten
bookmarkedmack's review against another edition
5.0
I wish I was not limited by 5 stars because it deserves so much more.
An epic fantasy read, amazing characters, a well-developed storyline and put that all together and *chef's kiss*. Definitely a worthwhile read. Gonna get the sequel soon and cannot wait!
An epic fantasy read, amazing characters, a well-developed storyline and put that all together and *chef's kiss*. Definitely a worthwhile read. Gonna get the sequel soon and cannot wait!
riccii's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0