It should not be so hard to write both poetry and fiction. Both arts, after all, make use of the same materials, words and punctuation. Poems...
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Oh, the problem with endings. I can't count how many engaging novels I've read that kept me reading, and enraptured, until they slammed into a brick wall three-quarters of the way through.
I adored T.S. Spivet from page one--his family, his world, his maps. The diagrams fascinated me. They were sometimes funny, sometimes heart-wrenching, and always added another dimension to T.S.'s character. Even when the story suddenly swerved into the ditch, the maps and diagrams kept me interested, and kept T.S.'s spirit alive.
I really wish the author had allowed the character and the story to continue in the way it began, with solid supporting characterizations and solidly realistic situations. These are what allowed T.S. to be so wildly improbable a kid. Once we actually get to the Smithsonian, everything gets strange and pretty unbelievable.
However, I would recommend this book. Its many delights are worth putting up with a sloppy end. I look forward to Reid Larsen's next offering,
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(19 of 37 readers found this comment helpful)
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The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet by Reif Larsen
mm harper, June 17, 2009
Oh, the problem with endings. I can't count how many engaging novels I've read that kept me reading, and enraptured, until they slammed into a brick wall three-quarters of the way through.I adored T.S. Spivet from page one--his family, his world, his maps. The diagrams fascinated me. They were sometimes funny, sometimes heart-wrenching, and always added another dimension to T.S.'s character. Even when the story suddenly swerved into the ditch, the maps and diagrams kept me interested, and kept T.S.'s spirit alive.
I really wish the author had allowed the character and the story to continue in the way it began, with solid supporting characterizations and solidly realistic situations. These are what allowed T.S. to be so wildly improbable a kid. Once we actually get to the Smithsonian, everything gets strange and pretty unbelievable.
However, I would recommend this book. Its many delights are worth putting up with a sloppy end. I look forward to Reid Larsen's next offering,
(19 of 37 readers found this comment helpful)