Book Review - What I Was - Meg Rosoff
Wednesday, 17 September 2008 10:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
byslantedlightI threatened to talk about other books sometimes, and... well, I read one... *g*
The picture above doesn't make this cover look anywhere near as pretty as it is - there's silver sparkle in all the right places, and the colours are sea-wash pale, giving it a sort of dreamy, half-promised-magic look which is just about perfect, because that was exactly how I felt as I was reading it...
The cover drew me first, in the bookshop, and then the blurb: "...the East Anglian coast...the fisherman's hut with its roaring fire... its seamonster stew... met the boy with the beautiful eyes, the flickering half-smile and no past... Shall we begin?"
I must admit that I flicked through and was even more grabbed when I saw that the narrator was actually a lad - interesting thought I, and shades of Torchwood-type acceptances reaching to the a wide audience? Then I started to read, and felt a little disappointed - pretentious thought I, the author's too knowing but I kept on reading, and... and it took me!
There's a lovely dreamy rhythm to this story that really drew me in, like the tides washing at a shore - atmosphere, which is what I love! I don't want to say too much about it, because it would spoil the story, but... the narrator is old enough to be interesting, and young enough that the world is still unknown - despite his apparent cynicism and weary air.
I do wonder how kids would read this book, whether they'd like it. I rather had the feeling as I was reading that although it was classed as a "Children's book" ("Young Adult" I'd think) it was really written for adults to read - the perspective seems strange, and the tense sometimes too knowing, but maybe I need to wiggle myself back into my proper reading head and remember what it was all like again, because sometimes it was a part of the magic to know that the narrator knew more than both the character you were reading about, and yourself...
This certainly isn't Meg Rosoff's first book - in fact I thought it was the first in a series when I bought it, but I don't think it can be, I think the titles must just be cleverly done - and I'll be interested to read more...
Told you that if I did this there'd be no "literary critique" involved... *g*
The picture above doesn't make this cover look anywhere near as pretty as it is - there's silver sparkle in all the right places, and the colours are sea-wash pale, giving it a sort of dreamy, half-promised-magic look which is just about perfect, because that was exactly how I felt as I was reading it...
The cover drew me first, in the bookshop, and then the blurb: "...the East Anglian coast...the fisherman's hut with its roaring fire... its seamonster stew... met the boy with the beautiful eyes, the flickering half-smile and no past... Shall we begin?"
I must admit that I flicked through and was even more grabbed when I saw that the narrator was actually a lad - interesting thought I, and shades of Torchwood-type acceptances reaching to the a wide audience? Then I started to read, and felt a little disappointed - pretentious thought I, the author's too knowing but I kept on reading, and... and it took me!
There's a lovely dreamy rhythm to this story that really drew me in, like the tides washing at a shore - atmosphere, which is what I love! I don't want to say too much about it, because it would spoil the story, but... the narrator is old enough to be interesting, and young enough that the world is still unknown - despite his apparent cynicism and weary air.
I do wonder how kids would read this book, whether they'd like it. I rather had the feeling as I was reading that although it was classed as a "Children's book" ("Young Adult" I'd think) it was really written for adults to read - the perspective seems strange, and the tense sometimes too knowing, but maybe I need to wiggle myself back into my proper reading head and remember what it was all like again, because sometimes it was a part of the magic to know that the narrator knew more than both the character you were reading about, and yourself...
This certainly isn't Meg Rosoff's first book - in fact I thought it was the first in a series when I bought it, but I don't think it can be, I think the titles must just be cleverly done - and I'll be interested to read more...
Told you that if I did this there'd be no "literary critique" involved... *g*
