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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4/5 stars
This, my friends, is exactly how different a book can be from it's movie adaptation. It is completely different. While I grew up watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and loving it, I never thought about reading the book until about 2 years ago. I was always a bit hesitant, because knowing that the two are quite different makes me think I won't enjoy one after the other. I can honestly say that I quite enjoyed this! It was an interesting experience after being so used to what I know based on the movie. This book is still funny, mysterious, and even dark at times. I tried reading this 2 years ago, but stopped at chapter 4, as I wasn't really sure what to think. I decided to pick it back up for a reading challenge of "a book you've never finished". I'm glad I chose this one. as it was quite fun! I'd definitely recommend checking this out for a new experience.
This, my friends, is exactly how different a book can be from it's movie adaptation. It is completely different. While I grew up watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and loving it, I never thought about reading the book until about 2 years ago. I was always a bit hesitant, because knowing that the two are quite different makes me think I won't enjoy one after the other. I can honestly say that I quite enjoyed this! It was an interesting experience after being so used to what I know based on the movie. This book is still funny, mysterious, and even dark at times. I tried reading this 2 years ago, but stopped at chapter 4, as I wasn't really sure what to think. I decided to pick it back up for a reading challenge of "a book you've never finished". I'm glad I chose this one. as it was quite fun! I'd definitely recommend checking this out for a new experience.
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The author was aiming quite high with this book. I get the impression they wanted both a parody novel and a commentary on contemporary racial divisions, as embodied by the Toons and most in-book humans' distaste for them. There was even a bit of alternative history lore, though I didn't find it quite slotted in well enough.
Unfortunately I think the premise wasn't enough to carry the whole plot. The last quarter of the book feels like it ran out of steam, and the outcome of the whodunnit wasn't particularly satisfactory to me, since I don't think the reader got a fair chance of cracking it themselves.
Valiant, the protagonist, also never has any satisfying character growth. It feels like he gets very close to one but ultimately falls short,race species, but never making the connection that Toons and humans are in fact intellectual equals.
And for a book trying to make a progressive point about race, it has a blind spot for misogyny and transphobia, with both present in the book either through Valiant's eyes or as a choice made by the author.
As a parody it holds up better. The inner monologue we get of Eddie Valiant plays on the genre's clichés and, at least for the first half of the book, the deadpan delivery of the Toon's appearance, behaviour, and actions works very well. Worth a read, if only as a comparison to see how the film took a hit and miss book and turned it into a full hit.
Unfortunately I think the premise wasn't enough to carry the whole plot. The last quarter of the book feels like it ran out of steam, and the outcome of the whodunnit wasn't particularly satisfactory to me, since I don't think the reader got a fair chance of cracking it themselves.
Valiant, the protagonist, also never has any satisfying character growth. It feels like he gets very close to one but ultimately falls short,
Spoiler
constantly commenting that the Toons he runs into are smarter than his perception of theAnd for a book trying to make a progressive point about race, it has a blind spot for misogyny and transphobia, with both present in the book either through Valiant's eyes or as a choice made by the author.
As a parody it holds up better. The inner monologue we get of Eddie Valiant plays on the genre's clichés and, at least for the first half of the book, the deadpan delivery of the Toon's appearance, behaviour, and actions works very well. Worth a read, if only as a comparison to see how the film took a hit and miss book and turned it into a full hit.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Almost nothing like the movie. The toons are comic strip characters, not animated cartoons, and so they create word bubbles when they speak. Roger doesn’t have a stutter. Bennie is a beetle (an insect) and an antique dealer rather than a wise-cracking cab. Toontown is mentioned but never visited. Toons can create “doppels”, exact copies of themselves, using the power of their mind for some reason.
Oh, and Jessica never loved Roger, it was all a limited time wish granted by a GENIE in a MAGIC LAMP. The aforementioned genie also murdered Roger - he is dead at the end of the book. And Roger commit a murder himself and his final scene with Eddie Valiant is basically just “heh, yeah I did kill somebody, you got me”.
Very weird. It’s... I don’t know. I want to say it’s not BAD, just lesser compared to the film. But actually, it sort of is bad. The world it creates is so unique and that helps a lot, as does the “noir” writing. But the plot of the book is weak, weak. Only worth reading for the reasons anybody would be reading it these days—to see how it compares to the movie.
Oh, and Jessica never loved Roger, it was all a limited time wish granted by a GENIE in a MAGIC LAMP. The aforementioned genie also murdered Roger - he is dead at the end of the book. And Roger commit a murder himself and his final scene with Eddie Valiant is basically just “heh, yeah I did kill somebody, you got me”.
Very weird. It’s... I don’t know. I want to say it’s not BAD, just lesser compared to the film. But actually, it sort of is bad. The world it creates is so unique and that helps a lot, as does the “noir” writing. But the plot of the book is weak, weak. Only worth reading for the reasons anybody would be reading it these days—to see how it compares to the movie.