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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
I read this (finally!) over the holidays. I liked it very much, except for all the stuff about Henry Fussy.
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was a newer audio book - the one with a full cast and Meryl Streep reading the narrative. It was wonderful. I actually could picture the beautiful illustrations from the original book. It might be my favorite book of all time. I wanted to be Fern so badly. I remember dreaming about fairs and knowing exactly how they would be because of this book. The friendship amongst the animals and between Wilbur and Charlotte are unmatched. The preface read by the woman who wrote a biography of EB White was wonderful. I’m so glad I listened to this book. It meant so much to me as a child and it still holds a place in my heart. I’m also just astounded at the vocabulary used by the characters in the book. EB White wrote so much more than children’s books. As a child who devoured this book more than once - I am so glad that it exists for all.
The book is incredible. I can imagine how awesome it'd be to read this to a child. It has such interesting themes for children to learn. It feels realistic, and I like how it subtly teaches vocab. The pictures are lovely. I can't wait to read this to a kid some day
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I grew up with this book, as a kid who loved animals it was clearly up my street. I recommend it to anyone who wants to teach some vegan values to their kids. Even now, I can't read the sad bit without crying, which is embarrassing because I tend to read on my commute to work. It's very well written.
Looking at it from a more critical eye, the character of Fern feels almost tacked on. The novel has a brilliant opening in which Fern sees her father taking an axe out to the pigs and stands up to him, saving the life of a piglet she names Wilbur and raises as her baby. But once he moves to the farm, Fern just observes the animals, listening to them talking but never interacting and does nothing whatsoever to help Wilbur a second time when he learns his fate is to be executed and turned into Christmas dinner. It seems like Fern and Charlotte don't really both fit in the same story, as if Fern was just a bit of back story that was added later and never fully developed to fit into the rest of the tale. It's a shame, because that opening is a banger.
Her mother is concerned by how much time Fern spends with animals and the stories she 'makes up' about them, so goes to see a doctor who says it is perfectly normal and Fern will grow out of it as she gets older and takes an interest in boys. And this happens during the novel. Fern is EIGHT. The story is mostly set over one summer, yet somehow Fern matures so much that she no longer cares about a childish thing like not wanting her hand-reared pet to be killed and would rather date boys. WTH?
Also the friendship between Charlotte and Wilbur is incredibly one-sided. Wilbur is not a very developed character really, I suppose because he is so young, he just gets confused and whines and eats a lot. I don't want him to die, but there's not really much to get invested in here. Charlotte acts much more like his mother than his friend.
We also obviously don't address the fact that presumably some of the other animals on the farm are on death row.
But you know, it's a nice story.
Looking at it from a more critical eye, the character of Fern feels almost tacked on. The novel has a brilliant opening in which Fern sees her father taking an axe out to the pigs and stands up to him, saving the life of a piglet she names Wilbur and raises as her baby. But once he moves to the farm, Fern just observes the animals, listening to them talking but never interacting and does nothing whatsoever to help Wilbur a second time when he learns his fate is to be executed and turned into Christmas dinner. It seems like Fern and Charlotte don't really both fit in the same story, as if Fern was just a bit of back story that was added later and never fully developed to fit into the rest of the tale. It's a shame, because that opening is a banger.
Her mother is concerned by how much time Fern spends with animals and the stories she 'makes up' about them, so goes to see a doctor who says it is perfectly normal and Fern will grow out of it as she gets older and takes an interest in boys. And this happens during the novel. Fern is EIGHT. The story is mostly set over one summer, yet somehow Fern matures so much that she no longer cares about a childish thing like not wanting her hand-reared pet to be killed and would rather date boys. WTH?
Also the friendship between Charlotte and Wilbur is incredibly one-sided. Wilbur is not a very developed character really, I suppose because he is so young, he just gets confused and whines and eats a lot. I don't want him to die, but there's not really much to get invested in here. Charlotte acts much more like his mother than his friend.
We also obviously don't address the fact that presumably some of the other animals on the farm are on death row.
But you know, it's a nice story.
Previously i had only known this story through movies/cartoons and never really loved it. I definitely liked it more as a book.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated