Sometimes Peter Abrahams seems to get to the end of a book and just say “fuck it”. This is one of those times. I read this in 2 nights, couldn't wait to see what happened, and then just as things got really interesting, it was all tied up in 2 pages with a long list of unanswered questions. I gave it 3 stars for the first 290 pages, but the final 4 get a zero point zero.
This book is very well written in terms of dialogue and character, as well as atmosphere, but I saw the ending coming 1/5 of the way through.
I've heard this title mentioned in the periphery for years, and now I fully understand why. I was just talking to my wife earlier this week about how difficult it is for me to be emotionally effected by a book, as opposed to a performance of a story in a play, film, or television show. The last 2 pages of this book made me cry and smile with delight simultaneously. I can't believe this is a children's book. Beautiful.
Utter waste of time
I kept waiting for something of substance to occur in this meandering, disconnected series of meaningless quests. I almost gave up several times, but was encouraged to continue by reviews mentioning the last 2 chapters as being a payoff. The “twists” of those chapters are cheap, and without any character development of those they involve, hollow and meaningless.
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