I hope you all enjoyed the book. I sure did, even though i really have to admit that it freaked me out a lot of the time.
For those of you who may not have had a chance to read it, it is a dark fantasy about David, a boy living in England during WWII, who crosses over into another world while following the voice of his dead mother. He finds himself in a world where fantasy and fairy tales are real, but that are dark and twisted versions of the tales he heard as a child. And although he meets a few people to assist him on his way, most of the characters are dark and creepy.
I found that the book was very well written. As I read it, I kept thinking, "This is what Greggory Maguire's books should be like." I loved watching the internal and external struggles David had throughout the book, even though at times you wished you could close your eyes. In fact, the only reason I didn't completely love the book, was because it was so creepy, it gave me nightmares and I had to stop reading it before bed. It really was a great read though.
My questions are as follows:
1. What was your first impression of David? How did your impressions of him change throughout the book?
At first David made me a little nervous. He was so stricken with fear that his mother would die, that he had become obsessive trying to do things to keep her alive - even though all the things he did were actually superstitious and would not actually help her. After his father married Rose, David made me annoyed, as he had become a very selfish version of himself. It actually wasn't until the point in the story where he followed Roland into the fortress, that I began to like him as a character. I think the realization that his mother was really gone, helped him grow and heal.
2. Did you have any idea how dangerous or powerful the Crooked Man was?
I have to admit, the Crooked Man was the reason I had nightmares while reading this book. Something about the way Connolly wrote him really terrified me, even though for the most part of the book, he was lurking in the shadows. Part of that might have to do with the fact that he was the only one from their world who could cross over into ours. However, even with that, it wasn't until the end that I realised just how evil he really was.
3. Connolly did a fantastic job of weaving in different fairy tales into the story, however distorted he made them. Which was your favorite example?
I would have to say that the section about the 7 dwarfs and Snow White was my favorite, mostly because the dwarfs were the only lighthearted part of the book. They were so clever and funny, it was a nice break from the rest of the book.
**I would love to know a few of your questions if you want to add them when you answer mine. I hope you all enjoyed it :). And I am excited to read next month's book Jessie - I have never read Christy before.
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3 comments:
I didn't get a chance to read it this month but it is on my list. Hopefully soon....
I like the idea of this book, but it was a little too dark. Pregnancy already creates wierd dreams, but add to that a creepy storyline and my nightmares were really weird. I did read the first part of the book.
1.David is an interesting character. I thought it was sad how much he had closed his heart off to his new family. I think that is common in children who lose someone they love. I felt sorry for him, not being able to express his feelings. I started to see the changes in him with the huntress. I felt like there would be lots of growth as he realized that he had to rely on himself if he was going to survive. I stopped after that part though.
2 The crooked man hasn't played too big a role yet, but he is definately creepy. I didn't like the feeling that I had of him preying on children. That really bothered me.
3. I agree, so far the snow white part was the best. I loved the dwarves. Connelly really did make the stories interesting. His twists actually remind me a lot of the original Grimms Fairy Tales. They are really gruesome too.
PS. on that note, I'm glad the huntress got what she deserved. She was a horrible and evil character!
4. I loved the woodsman. I was really sad when he was killed. It reminded me of the scripture that talks about a friend giving his life for another. I did look ahead to the last chapter, (I was trying to find something to hope for in the book) Anyway, I was glad to see that he reappears though surprised at it as well.
Lisa thanks for picking a book that reached out beyond what I would normally read. I think that is one of the great things a book group does. It helps us reach outside the box, even though this is one I probably won't finish (at least not until the baby is born) I still enjoyed something new and learned from it. Thanks!
It really was a lot darker than I was expecting, and it is good to know that I wasn't the only one totally freaked out by it, Jessie :). It was different for me as well. The woodsman was my favorite character as well. He just seemed safe and strong - like he would always be there, and even though he was gone for a large part of the story, I think his influence kept David going.
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