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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I picked this up as it was mentioned at an author talk I attended. I was hoping for whimsy and magic but instead I found it overwritten and hard to follow - although this may be down to the 1907 writing style.
The main characters were hard to differentiate and basically … I was bored.
Also, while I appreciate that it is off it’s time, I found the repeated use of the N word and references to Indians very jarring.
The main characters were hard to differentiate and basically … I was bored.
Also, while I appreciate that it is off it’s time, I found the repeated use of the N word and references to Indians very jarring.
What an incredibly delightful book! I desperately wish I'd run across this as a child. The audiobook version narrated by Joanna Ward is utterly flawless. E. Nesbit has been on my mental to-read list for eons, but this was my first experience with one of her works. The descriptions are exquisite, the children are realistic but likable, and the story possessed more twists than I would have imagined from the description. Some parts were deliciously creepy, which I also didn't expect. New favorite!
4/5* The way the author writes, wow, love it. Fun and clever.
When you are young so many things are difficult to believe, and yet the dullest people will tell you that they are true--such things, for instance, as that the earth goes round the sun, and that it is not flat but round. But the things that seem really likely, like fairy-tales and magic, are, so say the grown-ups, not true at all. Yet they are so easy to believe, especially when you see them happening.
The Enchanted Castle (1907) is a children's fantasy novel by the wonderful E. (Edith) Nesbit. It tells of the summer adventures of a curious family of children who are forced to spend their holiday at Kathleen's boarding school when their cousin (whose school let out first) arrives at their house with a case of the measles. The cousin must be quarantined and the children can't go home for their planned daily outings and fun. Gerald sets out to charm the French schoolmistress into letting the children wander the countryside in search of excitement. Jerry is certain that there must be a cave somewhere that they can play bandits or pirates or...something much more fun than the forced boredom of a schoolroom.
Little do they know that they will stumble upon a secret passage leading to a castle with a new friend, a treasure trove of jewels, a magic ring that can induce invisibility (among other magical side-effects), and a garden full of statues that come alive at night in the moonlight. They also learn that while magic may be exciting and fun, one must always be careful what one wishes for....You just might get it. Of course, in this lovely children's fantasy, all's well that ends well and the magic comes right in the end and they even manage to reunite a pair of lovers who were separated by a stubborn old man. Happy endings all around.
Nesbit is another children's author that I missed when growing up. This is a delightful tale of magic, fantasy, and humor with a healthy dose of adventurous mishaps--just enough to keep one's feet planted firmly in reality. It is easy to see why this novel has stood the test of time as a favorite children's classic.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
The Enchanted Castle (1907) is a children's fantasy novel by the wonderful E. (Edith) Nesbit. It tells of the summer adventures of a curious family of children who are forced to spend their holiday at Kathleen's boarding school when their cousin (whose school let out first) arrives at their house with a case of the measles. The cousin must be quarantined and the children can't go home for their planned daily outings and fun. Gerald sets out to charm the French schoolmistress into letting the children wander the countryside in search of excitement. Jerry is certain that there must be a cave somewhere that they can play bandits or pirates or...something much more fun than the forced boredom of a schoolroom.
Little do they know that they will stumble upon a secret passage leading to a castle with a new friend, a treasure trove of jewels, a magic ring that can induce invisibility (among other magical side-effects), and a garden full of statues that come alive at night in the moonlight. They also learn that while magic may be exciting and fun, one must always be careful what one wishes for....You just might get it. Of course, in this lovely children's fantasy, all's well that ends well and the magic comes right in the end and they even manage to reunite a pair of lovers who were separated by a stubborn old man. Happy endings all around.
Nesbit is another children's author that I missed when growing up. This is a delightful tale of magic, fantasy, and humor with a healthy dose of adventurous mishaps--just enough to keep one's feet planted firmly in reality. It is easy to see why this novel has stood the test of time as a favorite children's classic.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
This is a Great Book. I love it. The wording is a little Shakespeareian at first but once you get onto it it's wonderful. And the ending is so Magical. This is one of those books everyone should read at least once.
Not as good as I expected after reading the Treasure Seekers, but still fun.
Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2018 Task #11: A children’s classic published before 1980
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I would have loved this book as a kid. As an adult, while I enjoyed the language and writing style, I found the pacing slow and choppy. In the beginning I was intrigued, but I lost interest when invisibility issue kept on going with no resolution, and just didn't feel like watching the same sequence of events unfold with every one of the children. I also didn't particularly feel anything for the characters. I DNF at 46%. (Felt like I should have been much farther along than that.)
I was always a <i>Tuck Everlasting</i> fan, but this is only my second Nesbit. I may try another and come back to this at some point.
I was always a <i>Tuck Everlasting</i> fan, but this is only my second Nesbit. I may try another and come back to this at some point.