Scan barcode
A review by thechaliceofaries
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
4.0
“Some people turn sad awfully young. No special reason, it seems, but they seem almost to be born that way. They bruise easier, tire faster, cry quicker, remember longer and, as I say, get sadder younger than anyone else in the world. I know, for I'm one of them.”
What a sweet, nostalgic, and moving novel. Dandelion Wine is essentially a series of memories and stories about a small town in the summer of 1928. Each page is so tender, the prose hypnotising with its lush, whirling beauty. The characters are all interesting, though we only get brief periods with each. Despite always wanting to continue reading more about a particular story or memory once it ended, I could confidently turn the page knowing I would get another lovely and heartfelt tale next too. The magical realism adds a whole new, dreamlike dimension to the novel. At so many points while I was reading this my chest would ache with yearning for childhood, for infinite possibilities, for taking every beating from life (whether it was a skinned knee or the death of a family member) without ever staying down for too long - always rising back up, buoyed by the innate hope and belief that things would somehow be fixed and explained. I’m only 21, but I also do feel like I’m one of those people who get sad really young and my mind robbed me of a lot of those feelings early on. It definitely made me tear up plenty of times to get to experience the magic of a sweet childhood while reading this. I feel that this is a novel I will want to reread several times over the course of my life as I get older, and I can only imagine it loving it more as I do. This endearing, indescribably poetic book will always have a special place in my heart.
What a sweet, nostalgic, and moving novel. Dandelion Wine is essentially a series of memories and stories about a small town in the summer of 1928. Each page is so tender, the prose hypnotising with its lush, whirling beauty. The characters are all interesting, though we only get brief periods with each. Despite always wanting to continue reading more about a particular story or memory once it ended, I could confidently turn the page knowing I would get another lovely and heartfelt tale next too. The magical realism adds a whole new, dreamlike dimension to the novel. At so many points while I was reading this my chest would ache with yearning for childhood, for infinite possibilities, for taking every beating from life (whether it was a skinned knee or the death of a family member) without ever staying down for too long - always rising back up, buoyed by the innate hope and belief that things would somehow be fixed and explained. I’m only 21, but I also do feel like I’m one of those people who get sad really young and my mind robbed me of a lot of those feelings early on. It definitely made me tear up plenty of times to get to experience the magic of a sweet childhood while reading this. I feel that this is a novel I will want to reread several times over the course of my life as I get older, and I can only imagine it loving it more as I do. This endearing, indescribably poetic book will always have a special place in my heart.