Reviews

Joe Quinn's Poltergeist by David Almond

pewterwolf's review against another edition

3.0

Ok, am giving this 3 stars now, but am a tad overwhelmed over and I need to sit down and think this one over. This star rating might change...

EDIT: Under 3 stars. Review taken from The Pewter Wolf. Book gifted by UK Publisher, Walker Books, in exchange for an honest review/reaction.

Joe Quinn is telling everyone about the poltergeist that is in his house. And no one believe’s him. No one, that is, expect Davie. Davie can’t help but feel that there’s something there and see random objects flying through the air. But there’s something more… memories of his sister and a feeling deep down that maybe, just maybe, ghosts exists…

So, what’s my gut reaction to this?

This is a weird little book.

There is no other way to explain it. I read this in practically one sitting and I kept thinking to myself “I like this, but this is so weird”. It’s hard to describe why I kept walking back to this. The story was good as was the illustrations. But for some reason, my brain kept going “Well, this is odd”.

Maybe I missed something in my reading. Maybe I need to go back and reread. While I did like this, I’m not 100% certain that this book was my cup of tea.

ecote525's review against another edition

4.0

Dave McKean's art is amazing, as always; it illustrates this intriguing and thought provoking short story by David Almond. A definite re-read.

kurtwombat's review against another edition

2.0

I enjoy when inner demons are explored by externalizing them as outer demons. That is the basic idea here but these collaborators fail to deliver much of interest. The story is thin—feels more like a second hand anecdote told without passion or intent. The art work is mundane—the color scheme seemed that of a coffee stain rather than anything that might represent the workings of the teenage mind and imagination central to the story. The story was disappointing because of the evocative use of the word “poltergeist” in the title and the art was disappointing because as often happens, the cover art does not represent the style of the book. I received this book free through the Library Thing website with the understanding that I would write a review and I chose it largely based upon it’s cover art—kind of an otherworldly disturbing 3-D puppet image. Wondered if maybe this was geared toward children and that’s why I didn’t connect with it. But if that is the case, then this is an even bigger failure of the imagination than I initially thought.

littleelfman's review against another edition

3.0

A book about how life demands to be lived. And all the emotions that move us.

dogearedqueer's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

karenchase's review against another edition

5.0

This little graphic novel is more like a poem, and the art is raw, descriptive, real people feeling real and fantastical things--shot through with images of mundane objects (a burnt-down cigarette, a kitchen knife). Everyday boys, living everyday lives, suddenly realize there is more in the world than what they see. The sudden appearance of a poltergeist at Joe Quinn's opens an opportunity for Davie to witness those greater forces. Is Joe Quinn (nobody's favourite, it seems, despite his cool and unusual mum) having them on? Is he mocking Davie for continuing to grieve his dead sister? Is the poltergeist really Joe's imprisoned father, psychically harassing him and his mum? Or is it Barbara, reaching out from beyond to touch Davie, out of the blue? Everything is possible in this tale--of the banal and the extraordinary.

gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition

1.0

I didn't enjoy this one. I couldn't get anything out of the story and didn't connect to it.

I liked looking at the mixed media art though. It reminded me of the Sandman covers.

Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén

ash_hernick's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoyed the story, though found it seemed to lack a full conclusion - although the protagonist's character arc seemed complete, the lives of those around him were still unfulfilled (though maybe that was the point?) I also found the art style initially jarring, though soon realized that the strange, almost unfinished illustrations worked in tandem with the story. The point of the story is to feel unsettled, and to sometimes to feel beauty in that discomfort, and I think the art portrayed this well while not leaning too heavily on just trying to be "pretty" or "ugly" for no reason. There were scenes where the art was beautiful and scenes where it was frightening without the style itself ever changing, and this offered a unique perspective on the message of the story itself; the duality that can be contained within one single thing.

Overall, I still feel like there were multiple unresolved plot points, although this can be wonderful for a book like "Poltergeist" I found that Almond grew too comfortable in leaving parts of his story unfinished. How is the reader supposed to come to a conclusion without any clues from the author? Was the Poltergeist real, or a metaphor, or both?

gordonj's review against another edition

5.0

A haunting book, but not in the way you expect. I read this because I thought it would be a quick way to add another book to my reading challenge, but then I kept thinking about the story and going back to look at the illustrations, which are darkly beautiful. David Almond has captured something true and potentially more frightening than any traditional ghost story. And yet there's hope in it too as the characters find empathy and beauty in a sometimes terrifying world.

mekeisha's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad 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? No

3.0