tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post2696339596273542969..comments2024-03-07T11:38:48.622-08:00Comments on We Be Reading: How DWJ Saved the DayKristen M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-61968495916978631032012-11-04T13:05:54.753-08:002012-11-04T13:05:54.753-08:00Thank you, Aarti. I'm hoping to be able to be ...Thank you, Aarti. I'm hoping to be able to be with her again when my niece is born. It's going to be such a tough time.Kristen M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-74612603576796458072012-11-04T13:05:05.906-08:002012-11-04T13:05:05.906-08:00Thank you so much, Tif. Loss is difficult but you&...Thank you so much, Tif. Loss is difficult but you're right ... the comfort and familiarity of a well-loved author or book can help the healing.Kristen M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-50467552697767156952012-11-04T13:03:57.503-08:002012-11-04T13:03:57.503-08:00Thank you, Kerry. As for the book, I'm not sur...Thank you, Kerry. As for the book, I'm not sure if Z would like this one quite yet. He gets stressed when we read about siblings fighting. I think it's because he doesn't have any so he doesn't really understand how close quarters affect relationships. :)Kristen M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-40607625388944741692012-11-04T13:01:29.238-08:002012-11-04T13:01:29.238-08:00Thank you for the hugs, Jenny. It's been rough...Thank you for the hugs, Jenny. It's been rough but we've all come together in ways we haven't in a long time so at least there's something good that has come out of it.Kristen M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-91071076955036024372012-11-04T13:00:19.975-08:002012-11-04T13:00:19.975-08:00Thanks for sharing your review! I absolutely agree...Thanks for sharing your review! I absolutely agree that it's the family relationships that are most interesting in the story.Kristen M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02335598194501733541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-8416167974743080382012-11-04T10:02:34.673-08:002012-11-04T10:02:34.673-08:00Oh, Kristen, I am so sorry to hear about your brot...Oh, Kristen, I am so sorry to hear about your brother-in-law. I am sure your sister is grateful to have you with her. I know just what you mean about some authors that you can really turn to in a crisis to help you through the tough times. Big hugs to you and your family.Aartihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02354873119188597611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-89552815262843719372012-11-04T08:24:09.117-08:002012-11-04T08:24:09.117-08:00I have been keeping you and your family in my thou...I have been keeping you and your family in my thoughts. This year has been a difficult one and I have discovered that I turn to some of my favorite authors/re-reads to get through these difficult times. It is truly amazing just how much books can help us, even in the darkest of times.Tif Sweeneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06015299390676538748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-29654825511702945112012-11-03T20:16:41.855-07:002012-11-03T20:16:41.855-07:00I'm so sorry to hear about your BIL. Sendling ...I'm so sorry to hear about your BIL. Sendling love to all your family, especially your poor sister.<br /><br />My 8 year old son loved this book. It was exactly right for him. He's liked other DWJ too, but probably needs to be just a little older for some of them. I hadn't read it before myself and I really enjoyed it too.Kerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01829070558793881064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-42285988875286720012012-11-03T08:35:34.746-07:002012-11-03T08:35:34.746-07:00Oh Kristen. I am so sorry about your brother-in-la...Oh Kristen. I am so sorry about your brother-in-law. Diana Wynne Jones is always good for me in a crisis too. I send you and your family all the hugs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-754919688510890076.post-33777027512353406632012-11-03T05:23:09.073-07:002012-11-03T05:23:09.073-07:00Very much enjoyed your review of this on LibraryTh...Very much enjoyed your review of this on LibraryThing, Kristen. I was similarly enthusiastic, and you might appreciate my comments: "This riff on "Jack and the Beanstalk" is one of Diana Wynne Jones' best standalone fantasy titles. The twists come from the fact that the character of the giant (here nicknamed the Ogre) is "downstairs" and not up the sky as in the fairytale, and that it's the Ogre whose name is Jack and not the hero of the tale. All the DWJ features are there: the fun with words (the compounds in the magic chemistry sets have abbreviations similar to homeopathic rememdies), the sly Arthurian allusions (the most obvious being the girl Gwinny: Guinevere in British folklore was sometimes described as a giant's daughter) and, not least, the convoluted plot in a claustrophobic setting. <br /><br />What makes the story particularly attractive is the conflict resolutions that emerge from the initially strained sibling relationships, combined with the increasingly sympathetic description of the Ogre as an ordinary adult with human failings rather than the mere monster of one's nightmares. And, of course, anybody who's ever had a flying dream will recognise how it feels to be the Ogre's children and stepchildren in the opening chapters."<br /><br />Look forward to browsing your other reviews!<br />Chris<br />http://calmgrove.wordpress.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com