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mama_maleficent's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book more once I finished it then when I was actually reading it. It takes a while to really absorb, but Winkie is a great character.
winterscape's review against another edition
4.0
Winkie is a very well-written and imaginative book that casts a loveable old teddy bear in the lead role.
If that sentence put an idea in your head about how this book will play out, dash it right now! You're wrong. I was wrong.
I imagined a tale of "Toy Story 3" proportions that would leave me in tears and hugging my old toys with fervoured nostalgia. Well, I got it partly right:
^ This is Brown Bear and he's a good bear.
But, the fact is, that this is a strange book and nothing like the story I thought it would be. That isn't a bad thing, but the way of this book might catch you off guard. It's cultured, but primal. It's nostalgic, but looks to the future. It's thought provoking, but unanswering. It's comforting, but also uncomfortable.
"...he felt as though he had waded into the very flood stream of life and paradox." (It's also very quotable !)
Also: poop. (Please don't ask...)
I think that my one nitpick with it (besides being caught off-guard and weird pacing at times) is that it very clearly has an agenda. Everything has a meaning in Winkie and it's all a social commentary of one thing or another. I think that's actually very interesting, clever, and smart! However, it's so transparent that I think it would have really benefited from a little subtlety. It's all a bit much after awhile and hiding it a bit deeper would have kept me from getting bombarded with it at every turn. That being said, the social commentary and satire is usually spot on (and sometimes hilarious) so I can't really complain.
So, if you're looking for an odd tale with something to say and an old teddy to say it, this is the book for you!
P.S. Go hug your old toys for goodness sake!
If that sentence put an idea in your head about how this book will play out, dash it right now! You're wrong. I was wrong.
I imagined a tale of "Toy Story 3" proportions that would leave me in tears and hugging my old toys with fervoured nostalgia. Well, I got it partly right:
^ This is Brown Bear and he's a good bear.
But, the fact is, that this is a strange book and nothing like the story I thought it would be. That isn't a bad thing, but the way of this book might catch you off guard. It's cultured, but primal. It's nostalgic, but looks to the future. It's thought provoking, but unanswering. It's comforting, but also uncomfortable.
"...he felt as though he had waded into the very flood stream of life and paradox." (It's also very quotable !)
Also: poop. (Please don't ask...)
I think that my one nitpick with it (besides being caught off-guard and weird pacing at times) is that it very clearly has an agenda. Everything has a meaning in Winkie and it's all a social commentary of one thing or another. I think that's actually very interesting, clever, and smart! However, it's so transparent that I think it would have really benefited from a little subtlety. It's all a bit much after awhile and hiding it a bit deeper would have kept me from getting bombarded with it at every turn. That being said, the social commentary and satire is usually spot on (and sometimes hilarious) so I can't really complain.
So, if you're looking for an odd tale with something to say and an old teddy to say it, this is the book for you!
P.S. Go hug your old toys for goodness sake!
alyssaereads's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
showell's review against another edition
3.0
I'm torn about this book. It reminded me of how I used to think about my stuffed animals growing up, so I found the story of Winkie to be affecting and sad and well worth reading. At the same time, the part of the book which I assume was meant to be the much heralded satire -- the trial of Winkie as a terrorist -- was too absurd to be effective.
katzreads's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very strange book. Oddly compelling, but at times it dragged a bit. I confess to skimming the last fifty pages.
louiser's review against another edition
2.0
I bought this book and left the store excited to read it. It started out promisingly with a wonderful sense of humor and political mocking. And then it got weird. The book turned into some sort of forced philosophical musing all involving the bear coming to life and what that means etc. The most amusing parts for me where the parts where he was at trial for being a "terrorist." I only just managed to make it through without giving up.
tnt307's review against another edition
2.0
Das Buch war einfach anstrengend. Ein Teil der Mitte und das Ende waren ziemlich unterhaltsam und gut lesbar, aber der Rest (und leider mehr als Hälfte) war langweilig, schwer zu lesen und einfach uninteressant.
Das größte Problem stellte für mich die Diskrepanz zwischen den Abbildungen und dem Text dar. Im Text war an mehreren Stellen deutlich gemacht, dass die Tatsache, dass der Teddy-Bär Augen hat, deren Lidern zugemacht werden können, sehr wichtig ist. Aber dann guckt man sich die Bilder, und man sieht, dass die Augen eher wie Knöpfe sind und jedenfalls nicht zugemacht werden können. Es hat mich jedesmal aufgeregt, wenn der Bär solche Augen nicht hatte, warum wird daraus ein so wichtiges Merkmal gemacht.
Die Geschichte hatte jedenfalls potenzial, aber der Übergang von etwas magischem bis zur totaler Absurdität war nicht besonders gut. Dass der Bär angeblich nicht nur mit griechischen Philosophen, aber auch mit den Hexen aus Salem zu tun hätte...
Wie gesagt, das Ende war ganz gut, aber das macht leider nicht alles gut. Ich kann das Buch einfach nicht empfehlen.
Das größte Problem stellte für mich die Diskrepanz zwischen den Abbildungen und dem Text dar. Im Text war an mehreren Stellen deutlich gemacht, dass die Tatsache, dass der Teddy-Bär Augen hat, deren Lidern zugemacht werden können, sehr wichtig ist. Aber dann guckt man sich die Bilder, und man sieht, dass die Augen eher wie Knöpfe sind und jedenfalls nicht zugemacht werden können. Es hat mich jedesmal aufgeregt, wenn der Bär solche Augen nicht hatte, warum wird daraus ein so wichtiges Merkmal gemacht.
Die Geschichte hatte jedenfalls potenzial, aber der Übergang von etwas magischem bis zur totaler Absurdität war nicht besonders gut. Dass der Bär angeblich nicht nur mit griechischen Philosophen, aber auch mit den Hexen aus Salem zu tun hätte...
Wie gesagt, das Ende war ganz gut, aber das macht leider nicht alles gut. Ich kann das Buch einfach nicht empfehlen.
newfylady's review against another edition
4.0
The arrest of a teddy bear as the head of an international terrorist plot sounds absurd and this book is certainly absurd. But it is also touching and funny and hopeful.