An enchanting story about immortality, but it left me feeling sad, maybe even philosophical (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but unexpected from a children's book). There was no real resolution. What will happen to the Tucks? How does one really go on living forever? Even vampires and the Highlander can die in one horrific way each - via a stake through the heart, or a beheading, respectively. Are the Tucks truly immortal, unless maybe they are struck by lightning (as suggested at the very end)?
While beautifully written, the story started too quickly for my taste. In one broad sweep, I both met the Tucks and saw their impending doom. All at once, we were introduced to the Tucks, Winnie, and the creepy stranger. I think I could have felt even more invested in the Tucks' plight if we had seen a bit more of their carefree yet lonely days before meeting Winnie. And I could have better understood Winnie's love for the Tucks if she had spent more than just one night with them, if she had even had a few encounters over a few days, before the creepy stranger showed up.
I actually thought the book was kind of intellectually and emotionally heavy for a kids' book. First and foremost, the idea that the Tucks live forever isn't treated lightly, like a fairy tale enchantment. Angus Tuck earnestly tries to impart to the 10-year-old Winnie the lesson that life is a circle of birth and death, and that life without death isn't really living, but just being. That even if you don't want to die, to live forever - especially in secret - is not something you would want, either, if you really understood what it meant. Is immortality a blessing? Or a curse? Maybe it depends on the person, but by the time you find out how you really feel, it may be too late. Beyond that, there's also a murder and talk about gallows. Of course, none of that fazed Isabelle. She liked the book just fine.
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