The Book of Lost Things Review
This idea has been done before, no question, but I'm a sucker for twisted fairy tales, and this book really nails that, many times over. I was under the impression that it's a YA book, but I'm not sure that I would give it to a kid. It's *very* dark and gruesome in places, and there are issues in play that younger kids won't pick up on. There are definitely subjects in there - loss, sexuality, growing up - that I got a lot more out of at 22 than I would have at 15.
The format - multiple traditional stories embedded in Davids' own story - makes for very easy reading. It's almost episodic, but each story builds on the next, so that there's simultaneously good character development and a buildup of tension - you really want to know how David's fairy tale ends. Given the endings that Connolly adds to, say, The Three Surgeons, there's actually quite a bit of tension. No one in this world lives happily ever after.
There's quite a bit of extra material at the end - notes about the book interspersed with the classic versions of all the fairy tales that David encounters along the way. It's worth a read, especially for the bits of analysis that Connolly does on the main themes. The little tidbits of history behind the stories are interesting, too. Definitely recommended.
Good lines:
"At last he fell asleep, and he dreamed of his father, and of Rose and his new half-brother, and of things that burrowed up from beneath the earth, waiting for the fears of others to give them shape."
"He had quite liked the dwarfs. He often had no idea what they were talking about, but for a group of homicidal, class-obsessed small people, they were really rather good fun."
The Book of Lost Things Feature
- ISBN13: 9780743298902
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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The Book of Lost Things Overview
High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mournsthe death of his mother, with only the books on his shelf forcompany. But those books have begun to whisper to him in thedarkness. Angry and alone, he takes refuge in his imaginationand soon finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. Whilehis family falls apart around him, David is violently propelledinto a world that is a strange reflection of his own -- populatedby heroes and monsters and ruled by a faded king who keeps hissecrets in a mysterious book, The Book of Lost Things.
Taking readers on a vivid journey through the lossof innocence into adulthood and beyond, New York Timesbestselling author John Connolly tells a dark and compelling talethat reminds us of the enduring power of stories in our lives.
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