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ruthjay's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved it. Struggled to put it down and do normal life. I would encourage anyone to read it and will take great pleasure in reading it to my son when he is a little older. War, death, life, love, friendship...wonderful little book.
georginaflor's review against another edition
4.0
✨4 stars✨
This little book was recommended to me by a friend months ago but for some reason I didn’t pick it up until now. The emphasis on love, loss, and war is so beautifully and succinctly conveyed and I finished the book in one sitting.
This story acknowledges the deep and innate sadness that is inextricably attached to love, as one cannot exist without the other, and my heart got a little heavier with every meeting of Mary and Lanmo. It may only be 130 or so pages long but watching him learn to love and look after Mary as she grows up was really emotional and so well written. The ending is bittersweet, and I really felt it in my bones; this book handles heavy topics and yet does so softly, brilliantly, raising ideas and simply letting them hang for you to consider more on your own. Lanmo’s outlook on death becomes more complex as the story progresses, as does his view of humans, and it is in this way that the ideas are presented to us as readers, and I think this is genius.
Life is complicated and hard and wonderful and happy and sad and scary and fun and bright and dark and tiring and warm and lovely and this book perfectly encapsulates all of that. It packs a lot of meaningful moments into very few pages, and I am sincerely glad that I finally picked it up and read it.
This little book was recommended to me by a friend months ago but for some reason I didn’t pick it up until now. The emphasis on love, loss, and war is so beautifully and succinctly conveyed and I finished the book in one sitting.
This story acknowledges the deep and innate sadness that is inextricably attached to love, as one cannot exist without the other, and my heart got a little heavier with every meeting of Mary and Lanmo. It may only be 130 or so pages long but watching him learn to love and look after Mary as she grows up was really emotional and so well written. The ending is bittersweet, and I really felt it in my bones; this book handles heavy topics and yet does so softly, brilliantly, raising ideas and simply letting them hang for you to consider more on your own. Lanmo’s outlook on death becomes more complex as the story progresses, as does his view of humans, and it is in this way that the ideas are presented to us as readers, and I think this is genius.
Life is complicated and hard and wonderful and happy and sad and scary and fun and bright and dark and tiring and warm and lovely and this book perfectly encapsulates all of that. It packs a lot of meaningful moments into very few pages, and I am sincerely glad that I finally picked it up and read it.
delff17's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars. This is beautifully enchanting tale that even in my now 17 years of teenage destruction has found it like a hug and kiss in form of a book.
The only way to describe it is comparing to the feeling when I watch Studio Ghibili movies. The books is so simple but so complex that at all ages it will touch your heart.
I will leave this three highlights yo prepare for your heart to swell:
“You are the night with sunshine
You are the ocean with no shore
You are the bird that sings wine
You are the lion with no claw.
And be my honour and be mine
And be my glory and be mine
And be my living and be mine
My friend, my love, be mine.”
Excerpt From
The Little Snake
A.L. Kennedy
“They should fly kites, he thought. They should play with cats and eat ice cream and bake bread and dance with each other and sing and they should marry each other and perhaps make intelligent children who understand things, or adopt children who are orphans and have nobody for them in the world.”
Excerpt From
The Little Snake
A.L. Kennedy
“two humans devoting themselves to each other in joy and tenderness. As the days to come descended, it was something to remember. When matters became grey, or hard, or uncertain there would often be a face in this or that crowd which was smiling slightly, thinking of the girl and her boy and their dancing and the light caught in their hair.”
Excerpt From
The Little Snake
A.L. Kennedy
The only way to describe it is comparing to the feeling when I watch Studio Ghibili movies. The books is so simple but so complex that at all ages it will touch your heart.
I will leave this three highlights yo prepare for your heart to swell:
“You are the night with sunshine
You are the ocean with no shore
You are the bird that sings wine
You are the lion with no claw.
And be my honour and be mine
And be my glory and be mine
And be my living and be mine
My friend, my love, be mine.”
Excerpt From
The Little Snake
A.L. Kennedy
“They should fly kites, he thought. They should play with cats and eat ice cream and bake bread and dance with each other and sing and they should marry each other and perhaps make intelligent children who understand things, or adopt children who are orphans and have nobody for them in the world.”
Excerpt From
The Little Snake
A.L. Kennedy
“two humans devoting themselves to each other in joy and tenderness. As the days to come descended, it was something to remember. When matters became grey, or hard, or uncertain there would often be a face in this or that crowd which was smiling slightly, thinking of the girl and her boy and their dancing and the light caught in their hair.”
Excerpt From
The Little Snake
A.L. Kennedy
hayitsabi's review against another edition
4.0
The was a beautiful book. It is quite short and follows the protagonist Mary through the eyes of a snake who visits her throughout her life between travelling the world and as acting a a grim reaper type figure. Overall I really enjoyed it.
4.5/ 5
4.5/ 5
3wilcotroad's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
emmap2023's review against another edition
4.0
This beautiful little story is about Mary, a young girl born into a city of stunning gardens and fluttering kits however, when she is small circumstances introduce her to Lanmo the snake one afternoon in the garden and the shining golden snake forms a bond with the little girl,
Throughout her childhood and into adulthood Lanmo visits Mary and through their eyes we see the change in her city as war effects all around them. He see's the harsh realities that her family has to make finally leaving their home and as Mary fall's in love he is aware a time will come when he will no longer be able to see Mary and he questions the reality and pain of friendship,
This is a stunning interpretation about the life we lead and the decisions and paths we chose to traverse it. It shows the strength and resilience of a little girl growing up during a time of war and the strength she gains from family members and those she loves.
What I loved about this story was the magic and beauty of A L Kennedy's writing, she makes you feel like you are indeed a fly on the wall and I felt it as compelling and all encompassing as The Book Thief, I would highly recommend it and will definitely look out for other works by this author.
Throughout her childhood and into adulthood Lanmo visits Mary and through their eyes we see the change in her city as war effects all around them. He see's the harsh realities that her family has to make finally leaving their home and as Mary fall's in love he is aware a time will come when he will no longer be able to see Mary and he questions the reality and pain of friendship,
This is a stunning interpretation about the life we lead and the decisions and paths we chose to traverse it. It shows the strength and resilience of a little girl growing up during a time of war and the strength she gains from family members and those she loves.
What I loved about this story was the magic and beauty of A L Kennedy's writing, she makes you feel like you are indeed a fly on the wall and I felt it as compelling and all encompassing as The Book Thief, I would highly recommend it and will definitely look out for other works by this author.
eclairemars's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. Great perspective. Reads like a children's fable.
kjaro's review against another edition
5.0
Somewhere between 'The Book Thief' and The Little Prince, this small little story lies and breaks your heart a little, right after making you smile because everything seems so beautiful. Sad, at times, yes. But beautiful.
nerdygnome's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a beautiful book, as charming in its small size and glittering cover as it is in the heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking story within. This is a parable suitable for both children and adults, that tells of a girl who meets a golden talking snake. During the harsh rations and war-torn poverty of her youth to her coming of age and then elderly years, the snake and Mary share a tender friendship the likes of which neither has experienced before.
I grabbed this off the library shelf on a whim, so I knew next to nothing about it going in. I think that's the way it's best enjoyed so I won't share any other details. Bless the librarian who decided to give this book its turn in the spotlight so it could catch my eye!
I grabbed this off the library shelf on a whim, so I knew next to nothing about it going in. I think that's the way it's best enjoyed so I won't share any other details. Bless the librarian who decided to give this book its turn in the spotlight so it could catch my eye!
agog818's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75