Ken picked this book up from a co-worker who was cleaning out her bookshelves. I thought it would be fun to read a random and obscure young adult fantasy novel from Germany! But when my dad saw the title, he asked, "Isn't that a movie?" It turns out, Inkheart is a well-known book that has already been made into a movie starring Brendan Fraser and Helen Mirren! Ha. Anyway, it's a light and easy read. I liked that 12-year-old Meggie, though a central character, is not the only protagonist, and that she is accompanied by several adults. Too many young adult fantasy novels feature pre-teen or early teenage children who are strangely free of parental supervision.
Inkheart emphasizes the sentimental value of books and the joy of reading, and books in general are put on a pedestal. In this way, it actually reminded me of The Shadow of the Wind, even though otherwise the books are quite different, and I think Inkheart did a better, less heavy-handed job of praising books.
The story itself is a good conceit, but throughout the entire book I couldn't help but continuously wonder, "Where does this gift come from? Why do these people have it?" Unfortunately, these questions weren't addressed at all, though I am hopeful that maybe one of the two sequels will provide some answers.
Some characters were over-the-top, but I guess that was the idea, since they originated in a storybook. Dustfinger is an interesting character, but I didn't really get him, and sometimes I just didn't understand his motivations.
Finally, each chapter starts with a quote from a well-known children's book, and other books are frequently referenced in the story. Now I am inspired to read some stories that I somehow never got around to reading before. I guess I'll add them to my Goodreads to-read list!
No comments:
Post a Comment