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charlottesometimes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
magenta_silk's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
roseleaf24's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death
cimorene1558's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
To say this is a thrilling ghost story is to misrepresent it entirely. It does have a very scary moment, at least very scary if you're a kid, but the 'ghosts' are more shadows of happy children, and this is a book I go to every year for comfort, not thrills.
I wondered why Christmas didn’t feel right this year, and realized that part of it was not having read this book. So I’ve now taken care of that. I don’t think my mother actually read this to us at all, or at least not more than once (I mostly remember reading it myself), but for some reason it reminds me so much of being a child being read aloud to. And I did once have a scary night-time encounter with seeing a tree “where no tree should be” in a thunder storm.
I wondered why Christmas didn’t feel right this year, and realized that part of it was not having read this book. So I’ve now taken care of that. I don’t think my mother actually read this to us at all, or at least not more than once (I mostly remember reading it myself), but for some reason it reminds me so much of being a child being read aloud to. And I did once have a scary night-time encounter with seeing a tree “where no tree should be” in a thunder storm.
saroz162's review against another edition
3.0
This is a hard one for me to review. I think if you read it as a child, it's going to have a really strong pull - it speaks to something about what it is to be a small, imaginative child, particularly a small, imaginative, only child, that I don't think I've ever seen represented in prose before. It's a favorite book of a close friend of mine, who read it when young, but I didn't read it for the first time until I was almost 30. It doesn't have the same pull for me - I don't really see how it could.
It's a relatively free-form story, almost a "sandbox" story in the way we talk about video games where characters can explore environments at will and at their own pace. Predominantly, it's about a young boy arriving to stay with his great-grandmother at Christmas, and exploring the house and grounds that have been in his family for over 400 years. He and the great-grandmother strike up a special relationship, and she tells him about a trio of his ancestors who lived as happy children in the same house. They died in the Great Plague, and soon, by playing with their toys and engaging in their games, the boy realizes that their ghosts are still there.
This is not a scary book, although there are one or two dark moments. The ghost children are kind presences, and the overall tone is a dreamy one that pushes gently toward whimsy. The protagonist, Tolly, is fascinated by everything he sees; his mind goes into overdrive as he imagines how his ghostly relatives were inspired by the same house, the same gardens, the same topiaries. He leaves sugar cubes for a legendary horse in the stable and pretends that a ceramic mouse is alive in his pocket. It isn't really a question whether or not he's dreaming, or whether or not the children are really there - it's all kind of a blur, without a lot of boundaries, and mostly we are simply aware that both Tolly and his grandmother are pleased by what they experience. There is a great love of the natural world, too; does it really matter if the squirrel and the mole and the hare that Tolly sees are the same ones those long-ago children named and tamed? No, it doesn't - everything is in its place and all's right with the world.
I'll be honest and say that I, personally, usually prefer a children's book with just a little bit more to it. I don't mind the "sandbox" idea of drifting without a really defined plot, but I think it would work better for me with some slightly more contrasting characters involved. The most enjoyable bits of the book, to me, are the rare ones where the gardener, Boggis, brings his somewhat earthy pragmatism into the "airy" world Tolly inhabits (and which his grandmother supports). There's a gentle conflict of personalities there that is very appealing without being abrasive in any way. Having one, more central character exhibit a stronger down-to-earth perspective, or even a dry sense of humor, would have punctured some of the "fairy tale"-ness that, for me, simply goes on too long without tonal variation. I can see how other people might like that undisturbed "golden glow," though.
Happily, I think the final quarter moves the story from merely good to very good, at least for me. The magic (or whatever you wish to call it) is at its height, and there's a sequence of genuine terror, offset by the joy of a Christmas Day that includes feeding all the animals who find their homes on the grounds. At that point I'm content to let the book be as dreamy and sweet as it wants to be without any further complaint: after all, it's Christmas!
It's a relatively free-form story, almost a "sandbox" story in the way we talk about video games where characters can explore environments at will and at their own pace. Predominantly, it's about a young boy arriving to stay with his great-grandmother at Christmas, and exploring the house and grounds that have been in his family for over 400 years. He and the great-grandmother strike up a special relationship, and she tells him about a trio of his ancestors who lived as happy children in the same house. They died in the Great Plague, and soon, by playing with their toys and engaging in their games, the boy realizes that their ghosts are still there.
This is not a scary book, although there are one or two dark moments. The ghost children are kind presences, and the overall tone is a dreamy one that pushes gently toward whimsy. The protagonist, Tolly, is fascinated by everything he sees; his mind goes into overdrive as he imagines how his ghostly relatives were inspired by the same house, the same gardens, the same topiaries. He leaves sugar cubes for a legendary horse in the stable and pretends that a ceramic mouse is alive in his pocket. It isn't really a question whether or not he's dreaming, or whether or not the children are really there - it's all kind of a blur, without a lot of boundaries, and mostly we are simply aware that both Tolly and his grandmother are pleased by what they experience. There is a great love of the natural world, too; does it really matter if the squirrel and the mole and the hare that Tolly sees are the same ones those long-ago children named and tamed? No, it doesn't - everything is in its place and all's right with the world.
I'll be honest and say that I, personally, usually prefer a children's book with just a little bit more to it. I don't mind the "sandbox" idea of drifting without a really defined plot, but I think it would work better for me with some slightly more contrasting characters involved. The most enjoyable bits of the book, to me, are the rare ones where the gardener, Boggis, brings his somewhat earthy pragmatism into the "airy" world Tolly inhabits (and which his grandmother supports). There's a gentle conflict of personalities there that is very appealing without being abrasive in any way. Having one, more central character exhibit a stronger down-to-earth perspective, or even a dry sense of humor, would have punctured some of the "fairy tale"-ness that, for me, simply goes on too long without tonal variation. I can see how other people might like that undisturbed "golden glow," though.
Happily, I think the final quarter moves the story from merely good to very good, at least for me. The magic (or whatever you wish to call it) is at its height, and there's a sequence of genuine terror, offset by the joy of a Christmas Day that includes feeding all the animals who find their homes on the grounds. At that point I'm content to let the book be as dreamy and sweet as it wants to be without any further complaint: after all, it's Christmas!
situationnormal's review against another edition
4.0
It was a little too easy for me to zone out while listening to this one on audiobook, but I loved the borderline creepy descriptions and the way they made the book feel like winter. The structure of the present being mixed in with stories of the past generation is beautifully done, although books with several generations of characters with the same names always confuse me (probably more than they should).
Overall, I really enjoyed it. I'm not sure if I'm interested in the rest of the series just because I know there are character changes after the second book and the characters are where my interest lies. I might try them out if I need something quick on audiobook though.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. I'm not sure if I'm interested in the rest of the series just because I know there are character changes after the second book and the characters are where my interest lies. I might try them out if I need something quick on audiobook though.
rschmidt7's review against another edition
4.0
Deservedly a classic of children's literature. I only wish I had discovered it when I was a child; it contains exactly the kind of enchanted, haunted atmosphere that makes children's fantasy so worth reading. Unfortunately the book has little plot, which might not matter much to children, but it does diminish an otherwise captivating little tale. I'll definitely read all the sequels and introduce these to my son and daughter when they are ready for them in a few years!
fallingletters's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t think I am cut out for this particular kind of British children’s literature. I don’t really understand it?? (I had the same feeling about [b: The Owl Service|83829|The Owl Service|Alan Garner|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328875903s/83829.jpg|80927].) But it was a pleasant enough read, I suppose...I love how joyfully childlike Tolly is. I feel it’s rare to read about a character like him in today’s middle grade.