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watry 's review for:
The Fourth Bear
by Jasper Fforde
And so my 'books about books' spree continues. As hinted at in The Big Over Easy, the Gingerbreadman has escaped, but Jack and Mary aren't given the case for PR reasons. Instead, Goldilocks has disappeared, and--for more PR reasons--Jack assents to her brother's request to find her.
As always, Fforde writes a great mystery--not terribly cerebral, but exciting. I found myself heading towards the end at a breakneck pace just to see how all the pieces fit together. The Gingerbreadman, Goldilocks, the bears (and the ursine community drug issues), cucumbers, explosions, and QuangTech. And it does all come together.
I liked that Fforde tried to portray the marriages of the Persons of Dubious Reality, even if he...kind of fails completely. The Punches exist on something like three levels of nonreality in this book, so I'll excuse the message there, but Jack and Madeleine's spat is given short shrift.
SPOILERS
Madeleine's anger seems only manufactured, leading to a resolution that also seems manufactured. Sure, Madeleine's belief that Jack was unfaithful compounded the situation a bit, but her anger over Jack's hiding his PDR status is reasonable and it just disappears. Jack is genuinely sorry, but if this element is to be included, it should have been done justice.
As always, Fforde writes a great mystery--not terribly cerebral, but exciting. I found myself heading towards the end at a breakneck pace just to see how all the pieces fit together. The Gingerbreadman, Goldilocks, the bears (and the ursine community drug issues), cucumbers, explosions, and QuangTech. And it does all come together.
I liked that Fforde tried to portray the marriages of the Persons of Dubious Reality, even if he...kind of fails completely. The Punches exist on something like three levels of nonreality in this book, so I'll excuse the message there, but Jack and Madeleine's spat is given short shrift.
SPOILERS
Madeleine's anger seems only manufactured, leading to a resolution that also seems manufactured. Sure, Madeleine's belief that Jack was unfaithful compounded the situation a bit, but her anger over Jack's hiding his PDR status is reasonable and it just disappears. Jack is genuinely sorry, but if this element is to be included, it should have been done justice.