Extraordinary book, really special.Story about the seven dwarves made me laugh :-)Magical book! I have my eyes on Nocturnes now of Connolly.

Rumpelstiltskin…aka “the Crooked Man” is one seriously scary and diabolical CREEPSTER. Trust me, after reading this book, the above image of a sadistic, powerful, child-slaughtering MOFO will forever displace your previous perception of old Rumpy being nothing more than a half pint, mischievous prankster with ethical deficiencies… …a Disney tale this is not. …a light, comforting “happily ever after” children’s story this is not. However, what this story is….is beautifully written, richly

Part fairy tale and part psychological study, I found this to be an engrossing and powerful book. Recommend to everybody, particularly those who have used reading and books to get themselves through difficult times, especially in childhood.I don't look at this book the way some readers apparently have: as sci-fi or fantasy, but instead see it as showing the redemptive power of books and stories in children's and adults' lives. And as an account of one boy's inner life and imagination.I'm not sur...

This is kind of a deceptive book. It seems like it could be young adult in tone at first but it is NOT young adult. It's an adult urban fantasy starring a child. Very cool and immersive, and a bit dark. Hell, a LOT dark sometimes, haha. The lore is very cool, you can tell that the author really loves folklore and all the elements of the world are interesting and believable. Worth checking out if you like magical realism and a lot of bite to your fairy tales.

*Didn't like this book as much but it did motivate me to sketch*Take all your favourite fairy tales from your childhood(from odd mixture of Wizard of Oz to Labyrinth to The Never Ending Story to the most sadistic part of Grimm's Fairy Tales), now throw in some well known poems and mix together with a story of a child coming to terms with the death of a parent. And you've pretty much got this. But did it work? This books is rather dichotomous. There were some really wonderful bits, and there were...

Fugue state, formally Dissociative Fugue... usually involves unplanned travel or wandering, and is sometimes accompanied by the establishment of a new identity. Fugues are usually precipitated by a stressful episode.in world war 2-era england, young David loses his mother after a lingering illness and begins to experience strange dissociative episodes, often involving the sounds of books whispering to him and usually ending with him falling into unconsciousness. soon enough, his father finds a n...

NOTICE (Please read this first): I'm happy to discuss my opinion of this book with you if you had a different take, but if your intent is merely to attack my opinion, I'm not interested. Since I posted this way back in 2008, a (very) small minority of this book's fans have taken my review personally and have written some very long, very insulting responses telling me why I'm wrong. So please allow me to clarify something - This is my opinion of the book. It will undoubtedly differ from yours bec...

Held within this book are not the fairy tales I heard as a child. They surely would have messed me up if I had. Connolly creates something wholly fresh by weaving a new fantasy with old tales placed in the mix – with a twist that is twisted mind you. It is the story of David lost in another land, and his journey to find a way home.4 stars for scaring the child in me…for making me wonder, cringe and also laugh as an adult reader…for the adventure of it, and the heartfelt story inside all of this....

“For in every adult there dwells the child that was, and in every child there lies the adult that will be.” ― John Connolly, I love the cover of this book, isn't it so gorgeous ??This book is my favorite book of all time. I love getting back to it every once in a while and reread few passages, i feel it pulling me back in, tempting me to dive in its beautiful world of adventures once again. so finally i decided to post my thoughts about it.One thing you should know about me, is that I LOVE

The only Lost Thing is my interest in this book unfortunately...

"I think the act of reading imbues the reader with a sensitivity toward the outside world that people who don't read can sometimes lack. I know it seems like a contradiction in terms; after all reading is such a solitary, internalizing act that it appears to represent a disengagement from day-to-day life. But reading, and particularly the reading of fiction, encourages us to view the world in new and challenging ways...It allows us to inhabit the consciousness of another which is a precursor to

This is definitely not a young adult book. If you should try, with best intentions, after reading numerous glowing reviews and having heard Connolly's name bandied about the bookish world, to gift this one to a ten-year-old, expect stern words and doubts of judgement. And for pity's sakes, don't give it to any girls, because it's even less friendly to the female person than Grimms' Fairytales. In fact, it does bear a strong resemblance to the writing of the dear Brothers, which is not a been a b...

“For in every adult there dwells the child that was, and in every child there lies the adult that will be.” This turned out to be a lot darker and crueller than I expected it to be. But in a good way.Now, if you consider reading this with or to your children: don't. If I had to set an age limit I would say 13 years, at least. This is some real twisted Coraline shit. Don't mistake it for anything else.It starts off promising but without any hint where it is going. It could have been a historical

Fable like, but not YA.John Connolly’s 2006 revisionist fantasy will draw many comparisons due to it’s fable / mythical themes. Most notably will be a comparison to CS Lewis’ Narnia books since this is set in England during WWII and our young protagonist finds his way into an alternate world. It’s alternate fairy tales will also draw comparison to both Gregory Maguire and L. Frank Baum. The urban fantasy parts made me also think of Charles de Lint’s fine work.Because of the youthful hero and the...

4 stars to John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things. I added this to my "To Read" list sometime in 2015 as it reminded me a little bit of the "Once Upon a Time" TV series which I love. And it didn't disappoint! Story A young adult novel focusing on a young boy's quest to fit in his earthly world and survive in his fantasy world in 1940's England. Young David (around 10) has suffered a lot as a boy. His mother dies early, his father remarries quickly. He is shy and doesn't venture much out of hi...

“For in every adult there dwells the child that was, and in every child there lies the adult that will be.” John Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things is a tale that reflects everyone’s story of growing up. Some would say that it’s a story of losing one’s innocence, but are we ever really innocent? Through time we have come to develop feelings of grief, rage, hatred, and jealousy. These are some of the things that eat the pure off of us. At some point, we have all become the things w

Coming off from reading Lord of The Flies, I can definitely see some underlining similarities in both of them in the sense that both authors chose to use children to get their points across in a dark deeply disturbing way. Both backgrounds were hostile and unnerving and some imagery will stay with me for a while. “For in every adult there dwells the child that was, and in every child there lies the adult that will be.” The book follows David a young boy who is trying to cope with a family trag...

While many refer to this book as dark fantasy, I don't think it's particularly dark. So, I'm more inclined to include it with other fairy tale re-tellings. While the story in itself is original, it does follow the classic kidnapping-rescue format of fairy tales involving boogies and other members of the Unseely Court (the mischievous or just plain evil side of the faery family). Moreover, as the narrative advances, new explanations and interpretations are given to traditional tales hence creatin...

I stayed up till 1 last night to finish this book. I REGRET NOTHING.Recently I've taken quite a fancy to fairy tale re-tellings. You can go right ahead and blame Gail Carson Levine for that. The Book of Lost things belongs to that genre, albeit a bit LOT more darker.The book begins by introducing us to 12-year old David who has just lost his mum. He finds out that his dad is getting remarried and pretty soon finds himself with a baby brother, whom he hates on sight. Deep in his depression, he be...

I am as surprised as anyone about my rating - I genuinely thought I would adore this book. So much in fact that I kept putting off reading it to ensure I'd get the most of it. On the surface, this book is perfect for me as it combines many of my favourite things: fairy tales, hidden worlds, adult books with children as the lenses through which to see these hidden worlds, re-tellings, a sibling relationship that feels real, imaginative world building and and and.Don't get me wrong, this book was