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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
Reminds me of: "when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money".
This will forever be one of my favorites. So simple yet so poignant. Beautiful.
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A children’s tale glorifying an abusive relationship with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer
Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree” is often celebrated as a classic of children’s literature, yet, reading it now, I struggle to see the appeal. Where contemporaries in the genre – such as Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” – bring subtext, wit, and magic, Silverstein’s approach here is relentlessly didactic.
The narrative, centring on a boy’s lifelong (abusive) relationship with a perpetually self-sacrificing tree, bludgeons the reader with its message of unconditional giving to the point of tedium. “The Giving Tree” has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
The story’s moral simplicity feels not only outdated but, frankly, rather joyless. One leaves the tale with a sense of manipulation, not enlightenment. This might suffice for those in search of finger-wagging parables, but for those yearning for depth or nuance, there are far better options in the children’s canon.
One star out of five.
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No matter how many times I read this to my nephew, I learn something new about it each time. It most definitely makes to realize how much you can take people and things for granted.
Uma relação desigual entre uma árvore e um ser humano, em que o homem explora e exige tudo da árvore, dando-lhe nada em troca. Bem típico da visão humana de dominação e poder.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A book about a boy and his tree.
I have been meaning to read this book for some time now, and finally I had time (and motivation) to do it. For my copy cat challenge one of my partners (I have 2!) read this book. I was quite curious about how a tree and a boy have a relationship/friendship.
Review to come tomorrow.
I have been meaning to read this book for some time now, and finally I had time (and motivation) to do it. For my copy cat challenge one of my partners (I have 2!) read this book. I was quite curious about how a tree and a boy have a relationship/friendship.
Review to come tomorrow.
Stuck between sentimental/nostalgic love of this book and the actual book, which is really a horrible story of a parent figure tree that has a spoiled brat child who can't make any time for the former unless it's for money or supplies. Don't read it to the kids. I won't.
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I expected a bit more since this is very well known. I did not grow up with this hence my emotional disconnection to it, but I don't think this had anything good to say and on the contrary, it had bad lessons to teach the kids. (Love is giving and giving and giving until the end, until you are a shell of what you used to be) There are greater kids' books out there.
To remind me that our parents' love for us is truly unconditional and infinite.