Reviews

The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories by Joan Aiken

dapplezee's review

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5.0

I loved Joan Aiken's Armitage stories when I was a kid. So were they still good? Yes, really, they are. The ones with Mr. Johansen, the music teacher, are still my favorites. I'm probably not alone in that, since Mr. Johansen's first appearance is in "The Serial Garden", which gives this collection its title.

kittymamers's review against another edition

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5.0

vot siis, millist absoluutselt hingematvalt imelist lasteraamatut on mu eest peidetud kogu mu lapsepõlve ja napilt kogu ülejäänud elu. hea, et nüüdki jaole sain.

Joan Aikenit ma natuke tean küll, ta oli väga viljakas briti lastekirjanik, aga olen talt enne ainult ühte raamatut lugenud ("Wolves of Willoughby Chase"). neid Armitage'i perekonna lookesi kirjutas ta läbi oma pika elu ja alles 2008 anti need esimest korda samade kaante vahel välja.

perekond on selline tavaline - isa, ema ja kaks last kuskil Inglismaa külakeses. nendega lihtsalt juhtub... ebatavalisi asju. (enamasti esmaspäeviti. aga mitte alati ja mitte ainult.) ja polekski ses vast midagi erilist, kui need imeasjad juhtuksid ainult lastega, aga minu jaoks väga võluv on see, kuidas vanemad selle kõigega toime tulevad. enamasti... täiesti kõigutamatult.

kui külanõid muudab härra ja proua Armitage'id lepatriinudeks, siis korraldab papa, et poeg ta karbikeses kontorisse viiks, ja juhatab seal häirimatult suurt müügikoosolekut. kui majapidamine täitub ükssarvikutega (mis on ebatavaline ainult sellepärast, et see juhtub teisipäevasel päeval), siis panevad ema-isa pead kokku ja jagavad karja laiali kõigi külaelanike vahel, kellel võiks veo- või ratsalooma vaja minna. (lapsed muidugi lahendavad ka jõudumööda kõiki ettetulevaid probleeme, aga vahel teatava viitega, sest sellel, kui su vanemad on paar päeva lepatriinud, on ju ka omi eeliseid, magamaminekuaja osas ja nii.) noh, ja kui Mark ja Harriet kogemata naabrilapsed lammasteks muudavad, siis leiavad nondegi vanemad, et see annab hea võimaluse õhtul tantsima minna, sest pole kedagi vaja voodisse panna (ja ehk saab edaspidi ka muruniitmise pealt vaeva kokku hoida).

ühesõnaga, rohkem selliseid vanemaid lastekirjandusse, paluks.

boonusena on pea kõik lood õnneliku lõpuga, kuigi raamatu nimilugu tabas ootamatult ja peaaegu murdis mu südame.

marisamoo's review against another edition

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5.0

quirky and funny alright read it and you will be happy cos whimsy

poachedeggs's review

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3.0

The stories are really odd and quirky because of the blase way in which Aiken narrates them. As the Armitage family encounters one adventure after another, though, what is most striking is the unusually strong bond between the brother and sister in the family (and... no surprise, I've forgotten their names!). It is super-cute... until the next paranormal phenomenon startles you yet again.

macklin's review against another edition

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I read this very slowly. I really love how cozy these stories and how magic is integrated into the world. 

rworrall78's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Fun. The stories often had odd conclusions or just tailed off but always fun and inventive. A great mixture of the everyday and the magical. 

jessiphia's review against another edition

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5.0

When I tell you "The Serial Garden" absolutely GUTTED me... I read that story for the first time in the 4th grade and it WRECKED ME. I'm talking crying in class, staring silently out of the bus window on the way home, not talking at dinner WRECKED me. I reread this as an adult hoping that maybe my heart had grown a little tougher, but no. I read it aloud to my wife so she could understand my misery and we both just wept and laughed together because ITS SUCH A SAD STORY AND FOR WHAT?!?!?!

Joan really said 'if I gotta have Trauma™, so does everyone who reads this story".

sean67's review

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3.0

I keep saying that's it no more Joan Aiken, I've had enough -and yet, here I am once more reviewing another Aiken book. And like a lot of Aiken it starts well, the premise is strong, there are lots of things to like, and yet I seem to quickly drift away from her stories and wonder why I am reading it.
Same old song with different characters and stories. Is this the last Aiken for me? Only time can tell I guess.

quietjenn's review

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5.0

Pretty sure it would be impossible for me review this story collection without using a lot of very twee words. So I won't, but it's rather a treasure.

crowyhead's review

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5.0

This is an absolutely charming collection of short stories, written throughout Aiken's career. They concern the Armitage family, who are always having fantastic adventures, mostly on Mondays. The stories have all the wit and bite of Aiken's novels, with a certain almost Victorian feel about them that also calls to mind classic authors like E. Nesbit. I especially loved the story "The Land of Trees and Heroes," but it's difficult to pick favorites.