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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
“Do you know what it feels like to be aware of every star, every blade of grass? Yes. You do. You call it 'opening your eyes again.' But you do it for a moment. We have done it for eternity. No sleep, no rest, just endless... endless experience, endless awareness. Of everything. All the time. How we envy you, envy you! Lucky humans, who can close your minds to the endless deeps of space! You have this thing you call... boredom? That is the rarest talent in the universe! We heard a song — it went 'Twinkle twinkle little star....' What power! What wondrous power! You can take a billion trillion tons of flaming matter, a furnace of unimaginable strength, and turn it into a little song for children! You build little worlds, little stories, little shells around your minds, and that keeps infinity at bay and allows you to wake up in the morning without screaming!”
Tell me this is not wonderful and clever. This paragraph contains something of which one could write a hundred of philosophical books.
On the back of my version of this book was a quote from the Daily Telegraph saying: "A passion for language, wordplay and puns bursts from the pages." And that's true. This book is as much about language as it is about witching. It reads like a wonderful journey to the depths of our language, it reveals how language can still be a magical thing, can still make you wonder, it shows you how it's a wild creature not to be understood easily. It screams at you: dare to be child, dare to wonder, ask questions, imagine, grow. It made me realize how little I know and how little I understand and that's great, it's perfect, I love it.
Oh and it's just really funny and clever and the characters are original and really clever and it contains a good story as well and it doesn't matter if you're ten or twenty or eighty, it's just fantastic.
Tell me this is not wonderful and clever. This paragraph contains something of which one could write a hundred of philosophical books.
On the back of my version of this book was a quote from the Daily Telegraph saying: "A passion for language, wordplay and puns bursts from the pages." And that's true. This book is as much about language as it is about witching. It reads like a wonderful journey to the depths of our language, it reveals how language can still be a magical thing, can still make you wonder, it shows you how it's a wild creature not to be understood easily. It screams at you: dare to be child, dare to wonder, ask questions, imagine, grow. It made me realize how little I know and how little I understand and that's great, it's perfect, I love it.
Oh and it's just really funny and clever and the characters are original and really clever and it contains a good story as well and it doesn't matter if you're ten or twenty or eighty, it's just fantastic.
It just shows you, doesn't it? Lots of other GR readers complained that this wasn't as good as The Wee Free Men, but I thought it was WAY better. I loved it. Maybe the difference for me was there was considerably less silliness and more ... enchantment, in the sense of thinking about the wonders that exist in the world and how the human imagination can unlock them if you just pay attention. There was a little of that in the first book, which elevated it for me above just comedy, but a lot more in this one. I also loved the relationship between Tiffany and Granny Weatherwax.
4.5
It's hard for me to review Terry's works because I often feel like I don't have the right words and I don't have the skill to adequately describe the effect his work has on me.
It always starts of slowly as the story builds up and the conflict becomes apparent. There's always a lesson to be learned. It's one that you already know, have thought of, but don't necessarily have an answer to. Terry has this way of talking about common place things - things we don't generally talk about and explaining them in a simple and succinct way that leaves you feeling understood and amused, and slightly wiser. The other thing is that it's funny, in silly, good natured way.
Tiffany is such a fantastic heroine. She is very young, but we see her coming into her powers. She's not perfect and a little too shy and taciturn, but she has so much potential. She is kind and lovely and I really enjoy watched her grow.
The Nac Mac Feegles are a fantastic comic relief. They do get a bit annoying at times, but they've got so much heart and their protectiveness of Tiffany is very endearing.
Overall, A Hat Full of Sky is a fantastic installment in this series and I would highly recommend checking them out.
It's hard for me to review Terry's works because I often feel like I don't have the right words and I don't have the skill to adequately describe the effect his work has on me.
It always starts of slowly as the story builds up and the conflict becomes apparent. There's always a lesson to be learned. It's one that you already know, have thought of, but don't necessarily have an answer to. Terry has this way of talking about common place things - things we don't generally talk about and explaining them in a simple and succinct way that leaves you feeling understood and amused, and slightly wiser. The other thing is that it's funny, in silly, good natured way.
Tiffany is such a fantastic heroine. She is very young, but we see her coming into her powers. She's not perfect and a little too shy and taciturn, but she has so much potential. She is kind and lovely and I really enjoy watched her grow.
The Nac Mac Feegles are a fantastic comic relief. They do get a bit annoying at times, but they've got so much heart and their protectiveness of Tiffany is very endearing.
Overall, A Hat Full of Sky is a fantastic installment in this series and I would highly recommend checking them out.
Another charming romp with Tiffany Aching--not quite as stellar as the first book in the series, but still. Terry Pratchett. Nac Mac Feegles. The movie in my head while I was reading was pretty damn good.
I'm going to blow right through these Tiffany Aching books! My favorite part of this one was the chapters when Tiffany's taken over by the hiver and acting terrible/not like herself. Usually when a character is possessed, this is demonstrated by describing them from an outside viewpoint - but Pratchett does it from INSIDE Tiffany's head without giving it away.
Could've used a bit more from the Nac Mac Feegles; they seemed as though they were just...there as a plot device. Lost a point because the crisis resolution was confusing/a little slapdash. Overall light and fun but full of substance as well, just like almost all Pratchett's work.
Could've used a bit more from the Nac Mac Feegles; they seemed as though they were just...there as a plot device. Lost a point because the crisis resolution was confusing/a little slapdash. Overall light and fun but full of substance as well, just like almost all Pratchett's work.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
About halfway through this 2nd tale in the adventures of Tiffany Aching, an 11-year old new to witchcraft. She is fun, but I'll admit to liking the portions with the Nac Mac Feegles in them best of all.
Upon finishing: A nice tale. I bet I would've enjoyed these very much if I were a young girl. As an adult, I am enjoying them, but am not drawn in as much as I have been with other YA series such as Harry Potter. Still, they are fun and I will definitely try one of the Discworld books by the same author. I'll grab the third in this series maybe for a plane trip.
Upon finishing: A nice tale. I bet I would've enjoyed these very much if I were a young girl. As an adult, I am enjoying them, but am not drawn in as much as I have been with other YA series such as Harry Potter. Still, they are fun and I will definitely try one of the Discworld books by the same author. I'll grab the third in this series maybe for a plane trip.
One of the main reasons I can’t get into current Cozy Fantasy like Legends and Lattes is because Terry Pratchett has set the bar way too high for me. This is my cozy fantasy, Nac Mac Feegle humor and strong willed little girls learning from strong willed witches while fighting terrifying creatures from the dawn of time. The humor is bar none, while also giving a heartwarming and profoundly hopeful ending. I love coming home to Discworld, and am so lucky that Pratchett created such a vast universe for me to virtually never run out of stories from.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reread 2020: I'm beginning to realise the older and more cynical I get the more I can relate to Granny Weatherwax!