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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Не могу сказать, что мне понравилось. С одной стороны семейство описанное интересно и разнообразно, с другой, что-то всегда отвлекало. Или не затягивало. Не знаю, может я просто тоже как редакторы журнала хотела чего-то традиционного или может более законченного, чтобы понять кто все эти люди на самом деле, где я их могла встречать.
Но так не получилось, а когда есть несовпадения с ожиданием и это не становится открытием, то и получается оценка средняя. Вроде и не поругаешь, за что? Истории необычны рассказаны. Герои необычно предподнесены. Да и сами герои только какими-то внешними признаками знакомы, а так попробуй найти источник. С другой и находить-то неинтересно. Кроме, пожалуй, одного, про кого действительно прочитать больше хотелось, всю его историю. Это восточный алмазноглазый принц. Вот про него было необычно и ново, хотя вроде бы есть истории о приведениях, в которых нужно верить, но тут рассказано было так, что история казалась новой. Но может это просто герой оказался обаятельный и с прекрасными глазами)
Но что у Брэдбери не отнять, так это атмосферы. Книга ей дышит. Ночью, травами, загадками, древним египетским песком, запахом крови и гари, прохладным ветром, от взмаха крыльев. Ради этого может и стоит читать книгу долгим осенним вечером, где-то на стыке октября и ноября.
Ray Bradbury's From the Dust Returned isn't just a story of Halloween, spooks, and ghouls. It's also a story of family, love, loss, and coming to terms with our mortality. I first discovered Bradbury in high school through his short story The Pedestrian, and his writing style--immensely descriptive, laden with rich imagery, and almost lyrical--was as captivating then as it is in this novel.
While reading this, I was reminded of the Addams Family, and no wonder--Bradbury and Addams were close! Bradbury's novel carries a similar blend of eerie charm and quirky warmth to the TV show we all know and love. I find this mix refreshing; something a little abstract from gothic, but not quite contemporary.
I would definitely recommend From the Dust Returned to anyone wanting a relaxing read with a touch of an Addams Family twist.
While reading this, I was reminded of the Addams Family, and no wonder--Bradbury and Addams were close! Bradbury's novel carries a similar blend of eerie charm and quirky warmth to the TV show we all know and love. I find this mix refreshing; something a little abstract from gothic, but not quite contemporary.
I would definitely recommend From the Dust Returned to anyone wanting a relaxing read with a touch of an Addams Family twist.
This book, oh, it's dreamy. (And by dreamy I mean, it feels like a dream. A good, surreal dream.) This and The Ocean At The End of The Lane are perfect books for that sort of mood, especially if it's a chilly and rainy night. Tea recommended.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
An atmospheric read, but not what I expected. The plot was hard to follow; and though the characters had personality, there were so many of them. There were subplots that couldn’t be fit into this fleshed out mystery. I enjoyed the ambiance, but the plot could’ve been better.
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A spiritual precursor to the Addams family, the characters of this book are delightfully mysterious and whimsical creatures. Bradbury is one of my favorite word-smiths, using poetic language to craft unique emotions and imagery. This book is more like a collection of short stories with varying amounts of connecting threads between them. A perfect Halloween read.
Not for me. The stories felt vague and untied and blurry and, yes, lyrical, but not a tune that I particularly care for. It felt like a kind of mythmaking that didn't do anything other than pull the teeth out of other myths. Maybe it's the era I'm in: from my perspective, I've seen generations upon generations of the nice-ifying of the old stories, from vampires and werewolves to the shenanigans of the Greek gods. These stories feel like bland pap, from that perspective. Also? I'm an adult, and I suspect that these are boy-stories, for boys of an age called "middle-grade" now but that has been called "the golden age" or readers in the past.
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book is like a collection of stories that are tied together very well. I say this because it easily reads as one book but you could also read a chapter or two as a singular story. This would be perfect to read during the spooky season and Halloween because it is dividable. All the stories, and the book as a whole focus on one spooky and weird family, the Elliot family who live in Illinois. Bradbury has a thing for setting his stories in the midwest and this book does not disappoint that front. This family is like the Munsters or the Adams Family; they aren't normal humans. All Hallows Eve is coming and so, the family is having a huge reunion at their large house. Each chapter goes through the reunion and the travels and some backgrounds of specific family members, and then what happens after the family is betrayed by one of their own.
I loved this book so much! I can't even describe why, but it just made me feel so warm and cozy and happy while reading it. I adored the portrayal of the family and especially the family members that it really focused on. It reminds you that all families are not picture perfect and we all have the weird uncle and annoying cousin. It really speaks to both the power and the importance of the family unit and how fundamental that is for our development as people (or whatever you are). This is really honed with the character Timothy who seems to be a normal human. This family reunion serves a series of lessons to him about what family is and what it means to be a family, what it means to be yourself and true to that, and how each person or being is important. I loved how throughout the book Timothy is just kind of pushed aside and brushed over because he is a normal human, but in the end it becomes clear that that was not the case at all. Rather, he was given space to observe and later take his place in his kooky family and carry out his purpose. The ending was so good and I genuinely loved read this story.
Bradbury's creative genus is really on display here since he works to incorporate some many important and fundamental ideas into a story or series of short stories that are a bit unconventional. Growing up, I watched The Munsters and the Adams family regularly and I think that as a kid I got the messages underlying those television shows but didn't know how to express it or make that reflect in my own life. Thinking back, I totally did make it reflect and still do. Reading this book allowed me to tap back into those fundamental ideas and lessons about acceptance and love while giving me back a little of the fuzzy warmth surrounding my own memories of my family and the Halloween season. I also adore how Bradbury is able to write about things that are quite heavy in ways that would be okay for children and that aren't gore-infested or just for shock. His stories make you do a double read and consider what has happened or what was being said. I love the brilliance in that and the power the written word exudes in those examples.
Without saying, this is definitely a book that I will read again, probably next Halloween or maybe even this one! As soon as I finished it, I looked online to order a used copy for my shelves. It just reminds me of good times and what used to be my favorite holiday.
I loved this book so much! I can't even describe why, but it just made me feel so warm and cozy and happy while reading it. I adored the portrayal of the family and especially the family members that it really focused on. It reminds you that all families are not picture perfect and we all have the weird uncle and annoying cousin. It really speaks to both the power and the importance of the family unit and how fundamental that is for our development as people (or whatever you are). This is really honed with the character Timothy who seems to be a normal human. This family reunion serves a series of lessons to him about what family is and what it means to be a family, what it means to be yourself and true to that, and how each person or being is important. I loved how throughout the book Timothy is just kind of pushed aside and brushed over because he is a normal human, but in the end it becomes clear that that was not the case at all. Rather, he was given space to observe and later take his place in his kooky family and carry out his purpose. The ending was so good and I genuinely loved read this story.
Bradbury's creative genus is really on display here since he works to incorporate some many important and fundamental ideas into a story or series of short stories that are a bit unconventional. Growing up, I watched The Munsters and the Adams family regularly and I think that as a kid I got the messages underlying those television shows but didn't know how to express it or make that reflect in my own life. Thinking back, I totally did make it reflect and still do. Reading this book allowed me to tap back into those fundamental ideas and lessons about acceptance and love while giving me back a little of the fuzzy warmth surrounding my own memories of my family and the Halloween season. I also adore how Bradbury is able to write about things that are quite heavy in ways that would be okay for children and that aren't gore-infested or just for shock. His stories make you do a double read and consider what has happened or what was being said. I love the brilliance in that and the power the written word exudes in those examples.
Without saying, this is definitely a book that I will read again, probably next Halloween or maybe even this one! As soon as I finished it, I looked online to order a used copy for my shelves. It just reminds me of good times and what used to be my favorite holiday.
