- Paperback: 128 pages
- Publisher: Puffin Books; New edition edition (28 Jan 1988)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140322922
- ISBN-13: 978-0140322927
- Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 11 x 1 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,575,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Publisher: Puffin
Date of Publication: 1988
Binding: soft cover
Edition:
Condition: Near Fine
Description:
Date of Publication: 1988
Binding: soft cover
Edition:
Condition: Near Fine
Description:
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1 review
A Foray into Death's Garden [3.5 Stars]
8 May 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
There were many things I loved about this slim book, but there were some problems, too.
Young Maurice's parents and baby sister are off to the Middle East where his father has taken a new job. Because of Maurice's asthma (and, more so, his disagreeable nature), he's sent to stay finish his school term with his aunt and uncle who then shuttle him away to live with his great aunt Ada in a huge house steeped in mystery.
While in her charge, he puts a wedge between himself and just about everyone around him, and finds comfort by visiting the cemetery he must cut through on his way to school and back home. In the cemetery he meets a strange little girl who calls herself Bird.
And the more he hangs out in the cemetery, the stranger things get--when he falls asleep, he has strange dreams about people from a past he never lived. Bird warns him against this (don't pick the flowers in King Death's Garden), but he doesn't listen until it's almost too late.
There were some truly great moments in the writing. For instance, these passages made me smile widely:
"[Maurice] couldn't believe [mum] would leave him. But she did. He detested baby Tabitha, for being so portable."
--pg. 10
"[Tabitha] wasn't a bad baby, she showed signs of intelligence. He had been hoping to develop her to read books and so on eventually, before Mum's influence could turn her into a sporting idiot."
--pg. 11
"...sometimes Maurice would find a colander of fresh vegetables waiting for him, with a note giving instructions such as 'boil 5 mins'--in an unknown strong and curling handwriting. There was a washing machine too, and his dirty clothes began to disappear mysteriously.
"Maurice wasn't curious. It seemed quite reasonable that there should be an invisible person living in this shadowy house."
--pg. 19
The book is filled with such gems which both helped set the scene and offer tidbits about Maurice's personality. And through the book, we can see as Maurice learns and grows from his experiences staying with aunt Ada.
While the angle surrounding Maurice's strange "dreams" while visiting the cemetery was a nice deviation from the common supernatural fare, the ending was a bit too tidied up. In fact, the ending seemed like a rushed attempt to finish up the book and that was the book's only failing for me.
The characters were well drawn, with the exception of aunt Ada (never did get a beat on her though she does make appearances in the story somewhat regularly), and the writing flowed well and the story was creepy without being frightening. And buried somewhere beneath it all was a good message about respecting other people and opening up to the people who care about you.
Young Maurice's parents and baby sister are off to the Middle East where his father has taken a new job. Because of Maurice's asthma (and, more so, his disagreeable nature), he's sent to stay finish his school term with his aunt and uncle who then shuttle him away to live with his great aunt Ada in a huge house steeped in mystery.
While in her charge, he puts a wedge between himself and just about everyone around him, and finds comfort by visiting the cemetery he must cut through on his way to school and back home. In the cemetery he meets a strange little girl who calls herself Bird.
And the more he hangs out in the cemetery, the stranger things get--when he falls asleep, he has strange dreams about people from a past he never lived. Bird warns him against this (don't pick the flowers in King Death's Garden), but he doesn't listen until it's almost too late.
There were some truly great moments in the writing. For instance, these passages made me smile widely:
"[Maurice] couldn't believe [mum] would leave him. But she did. He detested baby Tabitha, for being so portable."
--pg. 10
"[Tabitha] wasn't a bad baby, she showed signs of intelligence. He had been hoping to develop her to read books and so on eventually, before Mum's influence could turn her into a sporting idiot."
--pg. 11
"...sometimes Maurice would find a colander of fresh vegetables waiting for him, with a note giving instructions such as 'boil 5 mins'--in an unknown strong and curling handwriting. There was a washing machine too, and his dirty clothes began to disappear mysteriously.
"Maurice wasn't curious. It seemed quite reasonable that there should be an invisible person living in this shadowy house."
--pg. 19
The book is filled with such gems which both helped set the scene and offer tidbits about Maurice's personality. And through the book, we can see as Maurice learns and grows from his experiences staying with aunt Ada.
While the angle surrounding Maurice's strange "dreams" while visiting the cemetery was a nice deviation from the common supernatural fare, the ending was a bit too tidied up. In fact, the ending seemed like a rushed attempt to finish up the book and that was the book's only failing for me.
The characters were well drawn, with the exception of aunt Ada (never did get a beat on her though she does make appearances in the story somewhat regularly), and the writing flowed well and the story was creepy without being frightening. And buried somewhere beneath it all was a good message about respecting other people and opening up to the people who care about you.
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