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krep___'s review against another edition
4.5
One of my all-time favorite books to have read to my children - certainly my favorite among books few have ever heard of. The overarching story of the mysterious homeless man saving the failing secondhand shop is populated with a succession of presumably fabricated, but incredibly creative stories-cum-sales-pitches behind each curio. Each story is in a different, classic style - ghost story, romance, Lewis-Carrollesque poem, and many more. The author's clever stylistic virtuosity may not be fully appreciated by children, but it was an utter delight for the parent to read.
annashan's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jtherockjohnson's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
pixieauthoress's review against another edition
4.0
I read this for school when I was thirteen and really enjoyed it. I liked how each story had a sort of "moral lesson" about the consequences of each character's actions. Each chapter was an individual story/lesson although there was a main plot running through the whole story regarding the mysterious guy who turned up and started working in the shop. However, thinking back, I can't remember what we "studied" in this book as I don't think we wrote any essays on it. Oh well! Mrs Waterstone did let us read a lot of good books during our time in her class - I don't think I hated a single one of them!
larrys's review against another edition
4.0
For an example of a kidlit author who doesn't 'write down' for a younger audience, Geraldine McCaughrean is a wonderful example.
MCC is such an engaging character that I found myself skipping through his stories in order to find out more about him. Personally I'd have liked a greater proportion of the book to have been set in the shop. I didn't even realise until afterwards that his stories had taken the reader through the various stages of English literature. I'd have been even more impressed with the structure had I realised that.
I really liked the ending, which is perfectly ambiguous enough to put me in a mindspin. This tale throws up philosophical questions regarding the true nature of truth and untruth, and for younger readers will perhaps lead to an understanding that the greatest truths are told via fiction, even if fiction itself is outright lies.
MCC is such an engaging character that I found myself skipping through his stories in order to find out more about him. Personally I'd have liked a greater proportion of the book to have been set in the shop. I didn't even realise until afterwards that his stories had taken the reader through the various stages of English literature. I'd have been even more impressed with the structure had I realised that.
I really liked the ending, which is perfectly ambiguous enough to put me in a mindspin. This tale throws up philosophical questions regarding the true nature of truth and untruth, and for younger readers will perhaps lead to an understanding that the greatest truths are told via fiction, even if fiction itself is outright lies.
suzmac's review against another edition
3.0
Grabbed this because it was the only one I could find by the author of The White Darkness, a story I admired. The title suggested a fleshed out web of deceit. Not at all. Interesting but totally different book than I what sought out. Not quite my thing but it did keep my attention. Young protagonists, one of whom can spin tales the way Midas touched gold. Good stories too. And the young guy is a book lover. Always a winning trait.
lucyrutherford's review
5.0
This was one of my favourite books as a kid, so much so that when I lost it in the process of moving house I had to go out and buy it again. My main reason for loving it was that I absolutely fell in love with MCC and wanted to be Ailsa. However I did enjoy the stories as well, especially as they were often spoofs of some of my other favourite books at the time (for example the story about Grace the spoiled girl who persuades her parents to take her to India is reminiscent of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett). I also thought the ending was immensely clever. Reading it for a third time I still loved MCC and Ailsa, and still wished there was more of them in it, and am even guilty of skipping over the stories a bit to get to their parts. However I know that if McCaughrean had included more of their characters it would be a very different novel. I also still loved the stories and can appreciate more that they each copy a British literature genre (or at least genres loved in British Literature) and the way the conventions are played around with is very clever. What struck me most that I didn't notice so much as a kid was the language. McCaughrean's incredibly adept at writing vivid and brilliant descriptions. I still liked the ending, and the concept of characters realising they're characters is one I find very interesting so I wish it was explored in more depth. It is a bit creepy that the author decided to write a young girl as his love interest when he could have written anyone. But maybe his real life experiences of women his own age weren't the best. There is certainly lots of room to expand the characters and story of McCaughrean ever decided to write sequel.
georgiewhoissarahdrew's review
5.0
If I say this is a tour de force, a superb collection of delightful pastiches of different story forms, you'll think, "Oh, a Clever book". But it's so much more than that. Yes, each story is terrific, but the real story is the linking story, that appears just to be a framing device, and then turns into so much more. The characters are so delicately drawn. It's funny, it's clever, it's thought-provoking. It's one of the best books I've read.
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