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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
I know I have read this before years ago in my teens, so revisiting it now was a treat. There are definitely sensibilities that reflect decades past, you can tell it's being progressive for its time but you'll raise a brow these days. A short, clever mystery game with distinctive characters and a satisfying conclusion.
mysterious
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
I felt like the extensive cast of characters really detracted from the story for me. It was too hard to keep track of all the characters let alone try to keep track of motives and opportunities to really get into the mystery.
The rampant xenophobia and sexism were excessive to the point of distraction. Several of the women were infantilized disturbingly and others were damned for their aspirations.
I really hated Turtle as a character. Mostly I just think that she was inconsistently written for her age and development. 13 years old is way too old to be running around kicking people constantly. She seemed both clever and wise beyond her years and far less mature than a middle schooler would be.
The rampant xenophobia and sexism were excessive to the point of distraction. Several of the women were infantilized disturbingly and others were damned for their aspirations.
I really hated Turtle as a character. Mostly I just think that she was inconsistently written for her age and development. 13 years old is way too old to be running around kicking people constantly. She seemed both clever and wise beyond her years and far less mature than a middle schooler would be.
Very glad that I finally got around to reading this classic. Great mystery for 5-7 graders to solve as they read. Love that it's set in Wisconsin!
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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:
N/A
medium-paced
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Well, I'm certainly not the ideal target audience for The Westing Game since it's actually intended for middle-schoolers. I also didn't grow up reading this book, so there's no nostalgia factor for me. All I can say is that while the puzzles were interesting and it's probably quite accurately marketed as a sort of Knives Out for children, that I found that plot a little less satisfying than I'd hoped.
Sixteen people have been approached to rent apartments at Sunset Towers, a beautiful new building that happens to be north of the Westing estate. That's right, they've been approached by a mysterious individual and it turns out that they also happen to the heirs of Samuel W. Westing, who has been recently found dead in his estate. Old Man Westing was an eccentric millionaire, who came from nothing and made his fortune in paper products. And now he has gathered his supposed heirs to play a final game to inherit his massive fortune.
I liked the idea of a mystery for middle-schoolers where the readers have to piece together the puzzle to find out why Westing had chosen these people specifically, which this book certainly was. However, I found that sixteen is too many characters to keep track of and I had a tendency to get confused about them, especially since they tended to off on tangents of their own.
Who were these people, these specially selected tenants? They were mothers and fathers and children. A dressmaker, a secretary, an inventor, a doctor, a judge. And, oh yes, one was a bookie, one was a burglar, one was a bomber, and one was a mistake. Barney Northup had rented one of the apartments to the wrong person.
Sixteen people have been approached to rent apartments at Sunset Towers, a beautiful new building that happens to be north of the Westing estate. That's right, they've been approached by a mysterious individual and it turns out that they also happen to the heirs of Samuel W. Westing, who has been recently found dead in his estate. Old Man Westing was an eccentric millionaire, who came from nothing and made his fortune in paper products. And now he has gathered his supposed heirs to play a final game to inherit his massive fortune.
I liked the idea of a mystery for middle-schoolers where the readers have to piece together the puzzle to find out why Westing had chosen these people specifically, which this book certainly was. However, I found that sixteen is too many characters to keep track of and I had a tendency to get confused about them, especially since they tended to off on tangents of their own.