Human Croquet
7 journalers for this copy...
A really delightful read. A book that I'd really like to send on to a new home where it will be read and enjoyed.
Sent to fellow BCer DrBrown on 7/8/03.
Happy happy joy joy joy! This arrived in the mail today. I think it may go with me on vacation next week! Thank you!
This is an amazing, wonderfully bizarre, epic of a novel that takes its heart from the play As You Like It by Shakespeare - although that play is never mentioned. Isobel, the protagonist, grows up in a house called Arden with her very strange friends and family, moving between past, present, and future; between her own story, those of her family and friends, and those of historical personages connected with Arden; and between the possibilities and realities of her own life. If this sounds confusing, it is -- in the same weird and wonderful way that life throws us for a curve and never seems to make rational, linear sense. Kate Atkinson is a major talent for this century, and this is without a doubt one of the best books I have read this year.
Bookray for this book:
1) Debnance -- TX
2) krin511 -- MD
3) pchemphd -- FL?
4) lightwavz
5) Kymberlie -- TX
6) spark -- SF (keep at end of list)
I'm finally mailing this off -- sorry for the delay!
Human Croquet came today. Perfect timing. That gives me the nice long Labor Day weekend to enjoy the book. Wonderful!
Behind the Scenes at the Museum has sat on my shelves for months; now that I see how wonderful this author is, I must read it, too.
"How can I trust reality when the phenomenal world appears to be playing tricks on me at every turn?" Eliza tells us, her readers. "Everything in the whole world seems capable of turning into something else," she sighs. And, indeed, it does. Her mother and father disappear. Time shifts. Her brother changes into a dog. As Eliza and other characters say over and over, "Appearances can be deceiving."
A wonderful book I never would have read had it not been for BookCrossing. Recommended.
Some other favorite quotes from the book:
"People don't just disappear (What am I saying?)"
"Imagine if you were to come around the corner and meet yourself---What questions you would ask!"
"We are taking a shortcut, to save time (but where will we put it? In the banks of wild thyme?)"
"How many people do you need for Human Croquet, for heaven's sake?"
Journal Entry
7 by
debnance at on Monday, September 1, 2003
Release planned for
Tuesday, September 02, 2003 at
to fellow bookcrosser in postal release, postal release USA.
Sending off to our next BCer to receive Human Croquet....Enjoy!
Very interesting and well-written book - Isobel's accidental time-jumping was sometimes amusing, and sometimes scary and confusing. Still, I enjoyed it and I'm sorry that it had to end.
Arrived yesterday in the mail. I'm setting aside some other books to read it now.
A little hard to follow at the end, since it jumps around so much from present to past and vice versa. It was a very interesting read, and I'm looking for more books by this author.
Just received in the mail! YAY! I'll try to get to this one ASAP (running a little behind on the rings right now and OH is it beautiful outside...). I loved "Behind the Scenes at the Museum" so I am sure I will enjoy this one! Thanks!
After reading this and "Behind the Scenes at the Museum," Kate Atkinson has been assured a spot in both my Favorite Authors list and my "will read anything by..." category! This book was such a fun ride, going backwards and forwards in the history of a family with a large black cloud hanging over its head. I thoroughly enjoyed the alternate realities, both the possible and impossibly wicked twists of fate. The description of the woods and the ill-fated picnic are the parts that stick with me most... then the Christmas party night with Izzie in her huge pink merenguie dress (and who could forget the little initials carved into the oak: "WS"). I will have to find a copy of this one to ad to the favorites shelf!
This one is off on the road to kymberlie who I hope finds it a good recuperative read :) THANKS, DrBrown!!
Received yesterday - thanks, lightwavz! Going to get to this as soon as I can. Thanks for the opportunity to read this!
Just wanted to let everyone know that I still have this and I plan on reading it and sending it on as soon as possible. Sorry for the delay in the ring!