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chsng_blmps's review against another edition
5.0
Five Stars.
Having not read Bradbury since high school, I went in to this book blind, and with modest expectations. I was tasked with reading Fahrenheit 451 back in the day, I book I recalled enjoying. What I didn’t recall, for some silly reason, was just how well Bradbury can write.
I marvelled at the writing here, there’s a timelessness to the telling of this story, and I felt constantly reminded that I was reading the work of someone who had moved beyond having a solid handle of their craft, and had found mastery.
Also, I was fascinated by the origin story of Something Wicked, and it’s connection to Gene Kelly.
Essential reading for almost every kind of reader, and enjoyable for all ages.
Having not read Bradbury since high school, I went in to this book blind, and with modest expectations. I was tasked with reading Fahrenheit 451 back in the day, I book I recalled enjoying. What I didn’t recall, for some silly reason, was just how well Bradbury can write.
I marvelled at the writing here, there’s a timelessness to the telling of this story, and I felt constantly reminded that I was reading the work of someone who had moved beyond having a solid handle of their craft, and had found mastery.
Also, I was fascinated by the origin story of Something Wicked, and it’s connection to Gene Kelly.
Essential reading for almost every kind of reader, and enjoyable for all ages.
westiron's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pixcat's review against another edition
4.0
If I had read this book as a kid I would have been completely freaked out as there are some truly evil characters in the story. About a year ago I read The Night Circus and loved loved it. Now that I read this there's no way Erin Morgenstern was not inspired by Ray Bradbury. Glad to have read this now and made the connection.
lionessramping's review against another edition
3.0
Bradbury uses words and describes scenes and settings in a unique and original style. He gives this book an excellent dark and eerie feeling, and the setting alone is enough to make up for a few slightly tedious soliloquies and overall campy message. It was interesting to read a book that allows an older dad to be the hero of story, but I do feel like some aspects of this book have not held up over time. I'm glad I've read this book, I enjoyed the slightly horror-eque romp through it but I won't put it on any all-time favorites list.
parasite_z's review against another edition
3.0
A lot of passages feel like they're trying too hard to be deep while being rambling/nonsensical.
It got better toward the end and there were a few suspenseful scenes that were genuinely good. Otherwise mid
It got better toward the end and there were a few suspenseful scenes that were genuinely good. Otherwise mid
snorslev's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
mediaevalmuse's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve always loved Bradbury’s writing, whether it has been his science fiction or something more along the lines of dark fantasy/horror. There’s something about the way he writes that gives me chills - perhaps its the poetic prose, which makes the images he presents us more gripping than books that simply describe what’s happening. If you’re a lover of poetry or dark fantasy/horror, I would highly recommend giving this book a go.
Things I Liked
1. Prose: Bradbury knows how to write a damn book. Reading his novel feels like reading a poem: words that wouldn’t normally be grouped together work to create intense reading experiences. He avoids common cliches and invents his own ways of relating what everything looks like in his world. His prose is also very oral - he groups sounds together so that you can’t help but want to hear the story being read aloud.
2. Charles Halloway: Even though this story is largely about two adolescent boys, one of the boys’ fathers, Charles Halloway, is phenomenally written. He is a bit of an older father and works as a janitor in the local library. I loved how Bradbury used this character to explore finding happiness and purpose later in life - for most of the book, it seemed like Halloway wished he was younger, but by the end, his mind is totally changed and his relationship with his son has grown.
3. Carousel: I found the carousel to be one of the most unexpectedly threatening and chilling aspects of the book. The carousel is able to alter someone’s age - forward for making them older, backward to make someone younger. It always seemed like a threat. Dark would use it to disguise people but also punish them. It’s spooky because the thought is very appealing - what young boy wouldn’t mind being a little older or an adult being a little younger? Bradbury pushes this to the extreme so that I always saw the carousel as a weapon rather than a mystical object.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Lack of Clarity: One of the pitfalls with pose this poetic is that sometimes, readers can miss things. There were more than a few instances where I wasn’t quite sure what was happening because the prose was so indirect.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in poetry, poetic prose, oral poetry, carnivals, freak shows, and 19th century rural life.
Things I Liked
1. Prose: Bradbury knows how to write a damn book. Reading his novel feels like reading a poem: words that wouldn’t normally be grouped together work to create intense reading experiences. He avoids common cliches and invents his own ways of relating what everything looks like in his world. His prose is also very oral - he groups sounds together so that you can’t help but want to hear the story being read aloud.
2. Charles Halloway: Even though this story is largely about two adolescent boys, one of the boys’ fathers, Charles Halloway, is phenomenally written. He is a bit of an older father and works as a janitor in the local library. I loved how Bradbury used this character to explore finding happiness and purpose later in life - for most of the book, it seemed like Halloway wished he was younger, but by the end, his mind is totally changed and his relationship with his son has grown.
3. Carousel: I found the carousel to be one of the most unexpectedly threatening and chilling aspects of the book. The carousel is able to alter someone’s age - forward for making them older, backward to make someone younger. It always seemed like a threat. Dark would use it to disguise people but also punish them. It’s spooky because the thought is very appealing - what young boy wouldn’t mind being a little older or an adult being a little younger? Bradbury pushes this to the extreme so that I always saw the carousel as a weapon rather than a mystical object.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Lack of Clarity: One of the pitfalls with pose this poetic is that sometimes, readers can miss things. There were more than a few instances where I wasn’t quite sure what was happening because the prose was so indirect.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in poetry, poetic prose, oral poetry, carnivals, freak shows, and 19th century rural life.
martin_christopher's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This is is a hard book to put a rating on, lol...
So, I love Ray Bradbury, and I expected to love this one out the gate from what I knew of the premise and just reading the first page or 2, but it ended up taking me about 70 pages before I could really commit to saying I was enjoying it.
When I glanced over the lower star reviews for this one (after I finished it), I could see where a lot of that feeling was coming from (although like a lot of 1-star reviews I think a lot of people are being hyperbolic or unfair.)
So, this is a pretty challenging book in that it is VERY VERY VERY flowery. It is in many spots obnoxiously poetic to the point where it genuinely makes it hard to stay engaged or totally follow what he's trying to say. I can't really argue with people who come away with thinking it's pretentious and self-indulgent. I think if you go into it knowing that it's basically prose as poetry and more about the way it feels rather than something straightforward and literal, you'll have a better time with it. For me, I'd say Bradbury's style here works about 80% of the time--as someone who enjoys flowery writing.
I'd also say there are a few parts with the farther that end up feeling pretty long-winded and hard to get through. To the point where it starts to kill some of the momentum that it has built up.
The conclusion, while it works, felt somewhat messy or unplanned--like he had a really clear idea of the world and premise, but didn't have a concrete way to bring it all home in super clean way.
So, I'm giving this a pretty favorable review because I still enjoyed it overall a fair amount. I did largely enjoy his writing, much of the book is paced very well, the characters are solid, it's imaginative, it's got a great moody atmosphere.
Glad I read it, but it would still go below Fahrenheit and Illustrated Man for me.
Much love! MC
So, I love Ray Bradbury, and I expected to love this one out the gate from what I knew of the premise and just reading the first page or 2, but it ended up taking me about 70 pages before I could really commit to saying I was enjoying it.
When I glanced over the lower star reviews for this one (after I finished it), I could see where a lot of that feeling was coming from (although like a lot of 1-star reviews I think a lot of people are being hyperbolic or unfair.)
So, this is a pretty challenging book in that it is VERY VERY VERY flowery. It is in many spots obnoxiously poetic to the point where it genuinely makes it hard to stay engaged or totally follow what he's trying to say. I can't really argue with people who come away with thinking it's pretentious and self-indulgent. I think if you go into it knowing that it's basically prose as poetry and more about the way it feels rather than something straightforward and literal, you'll have a better time with it. For me, I'd say Bradbury's style here works about 80% of the time--as someone who enjoys flowery writing.
I'd also say there are a few parts with the farther that end up feeling pretty long-winded and hard to get through. To the point where it starts to kill some of the momentum that it has built up.
The conclusion, while it works, felt somewhat messy or unplanned--like he had a really clear idea of the world and premise, but didn't have a concrete way to bring it all home in super clean way.
So, I'm giving this a pretty favorable review because I still enjoyed it overall a fair amount. I did largely enjoy his writing, much of the book is paced very well, the characters are solid, it's imaginative, it's got a great moody atmosphere.
Glad I read it, but it would still go below Fahrenheit and Illustrated Man for me.
Much love! MC
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Why is it that I always forget how poetic a writer Ray Bradbury is? Ten I read him again, and it is like oh man, that is some lovely language right there.
If you are frightened of clowns, you should most likely skip this book. While not the same type of horror as Pennywise in King’s It. But I don’t think you will ever look at a Carnival a same way again.
There is a reason why everyone remembers the Illustrated Man.
In a story about two boys trying to come to terms growing up and with a father who believes himself to be too old. If I have one complaint I would have wished for more female characters, but who so what.
The language is beautiful, the fear real, and the solution wonderful.
Good Halloween read.
Oh, and this version is well read and includes an afterword that mentions Gene Kelly.
If you are frightened of clowns, you should most likely skip this book. While not the same type of horror as Pennywise in King’s It. But I don’t think you will ever look at a Carnival a same way again.
There is a reason why everyone remembers the Illustrated Man.
In a story about two boys trying to come to terms growing up and with a father who believes himself to be too old. If I have one complaint I would have wished for more female characters, but who so what.
The language is beautiful, the fear real, and the solution wonderful.
Good Halloween read.
Oh, and this version is well read and includes an afterword that mentions Gene Kelly.
alliincali's review against another edition
3.0
The narrator may not have done this story any favors which is probably the reason for the low rating. This was an interesting cross between The Night Circus, It, and Joyland. And not a bad Halloween read.