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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this cute little children’s fantasy. The characters were likeable and easy to root for. The magic system was fun and easy to understand. I like the imaginative writing and I cannot wait to read more from E. Nesbit.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a foundational, influential genre text that I'm glad I read for its historical value, but not one I would recommend.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Nesbit has a real gift for writing compelling stories centered on children; she perfectly threads the needle between realistically childish and characters who consistently make the choice that makes the better story.
The bit with the enchanted statues was the highlight, for me. The lowlight was the historically plausible but now entirely out of line blackface scene, which was thankfully brief.
The bit with the enchanted statues was the highlight, for me. The lowlight was the historically plausible but now entirely out of line blackface scene, which was thankfully brief.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
4.5 ★ - (loved it, favorite!)
I've started rereading books that I know I enjoyed when I was younger realizing that I had forgotten a lot of the story. With this one especially I only recalled vibes and select scenes vaguely. So time for a reread it was! I'm quite late in reviewing this (I read it in November whoops) but it's clearer in my memory that it was before so here goes XD
I enjoyed this book immensely, just as much, if not more than the first time!
CWs - or things that caught my attention: lying, secrets, magic (fairytale kind), inanimate objects coming to life.
4/22/24
I've started rereading books that I know I enjoyed when I was younger realizing that I had forgotten a lot of the story. With this one especially I only recalled vibes and select scenes vaguely. So time for a reread it was! I'm quite late in reviewing this (I read it in November whoops) but it's clearer in my memory that it was before so here goes XD
I enjoyed this book immensely, just as much, if not more than the first time!
CWs - or things that caught my attention: lying, secrets, magic (fairytale kind), inanimate objects coming to life.
4/22/24
I tried to keep an open mind while reading this novel, because I knew it was published in a very different era. And it is interesting as a historical artifact, offering a glimpse not only of 1907 Britain, but also of the state of children's fantasy literature in the years before Narnia. (Indeed, it's hard to read this adventure of four English schoolchildren discovering an invisibility ring and not wonder how it may have influenced both Lewis and his friend Tolkien.) But it's just not a very good story, and one character or another is always being either awful -- like smearing himself with oil and pretending to be an Indian swami -- or utterly moronic -- like using a magic wish to turn herself into a statue. The Enchanted Castle shows off children fantasy literature's roots, but it mostly just provides relief that the genre has grown up since then.
I’ve got to say, this was cute and all, but I didn’t really like it. It was very much exhibited a charming fairytale feeling, but one that was rather dull and repetitive.
I liked the “pretend magic giving way to real magic” aspect, and them utilizing their invisibility, but the rest of the story didn’t give me anything.
Despite its meager 200 pages, this book dragged on for me, and I felt it could’ve been condensed into maybe 40.
There isn’t very much plot, and the characters weren’t engaging either, and I just couldn’t move past that.
I liked the “pretend magic giving way to real magic” aspect, and them utilizing their invisibility, but the rest of the story didn’t give me anything.
Despite its meager 200 pages, this book dragged on for me, and I felt it could’ve been condensed into maybe 40.
There isn’t very much plot, and the characters weren’t engaging either, and I just couldn’t move past that.
Why don't more people know about [a: E. Nesbit|7935185|E. Nesbit|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1395657856p2/7935185.jpg]? (Kids these days! cries the 23-year-old.) Her fantasies are rich and original, with an undercurrent of creepy that keeps me coming back even as a (semi-)adult(ish-type-person). The sequence with the statues in this book is especially shiver-worthy if you've read Nesbit's short horror story, "Man-Size in Marble," which I highly recommend. (It's in the [a: Edward Gorey|21578|Edward Gorey|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1200338278p2/21578.jpg]-edited-and-illustrated [b: Haunted Looking Glass|275470|The Haunted Looking Glass|Edward Gorey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320436442l/275470._SY75_.jpg|3265037], recently re-issued.)
New note: Anyone who recently saw and enjoyed the Doctor Who episode "Blink" REALLY needs to read both of the above!
New note: Anyone who recently saw and enjoyed the Doctor Who episode "Blink" REALLY needs to read both of the above!
The Enchanted Castle is a classic. I love a good classic so I jumped onboard. It’s a little dumb compared to some others I’ve read. There is a charm to it that most old books I have. That charm is why I read them.
Three kids find a magical castle. Shenanigans ensue. That’s the plot.
It’s a classic so I can’t technically hold this against it, but it was still unpleasant to read: there is a wildly racist instance of black/brownface , where one of the kids paints himself in some black substance and puts on a turban to dress up as an Indian ‘conjurer’.
Other than that it’s a pretty average book for its era. It’s kind of fun so I can see why kids would have enjoyed it. I had a decent time though it's not so special that I remember a lot of what happens.
Three kids find a magical castle. Shenanigans ensue. That’s the plot.
It’s a classic so I can’t technically hold this against it, but it was still unpleasant to read: there is a wildly racist instance of black/brownface , where one of the kids paints himself in some black substance and puts on a turban to dress up as an Indian ‘conjurer’.
Other than that it’s a pretty average book for its era. It’s kind of fun so I can see why kids would have enjoyed it. I had a decent time though it's not so special that I remember a lot of what happens.