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Lois Lowry，The Willoughbys
[url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0385737769/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link] [/url]
[b]Editorial ReviewsFrom Publishers Weekly [/b]
Starred Review. SignatureReviewed by Lemony SnicketLois Lowry, who casts
her noble and enviable shadow wide across the landscape of children's
literature, from fantasy to realism, here turns her quick, sly gaze to
parody, a word which in this case means "a short novel mocking the
conventions of old-fashioned children's books stuffed with orphans,
nannies and long-lost heirs." These clichés are ripe if familiar
targets, but Ms. Lowry knocks off these barrel-dwelling fish with
admirable aplomb in The Willoughbys, in which two wicked parents cannot
wait to rid themselves of their four precocious children, and vice
versa, and vice versa versa, and so on. The nanny adds a spoonful of
sugar and a neighboring candy magnate a side order of Dahl, if you
follow me, as the book's lightning pace traipses through the hallmarks
of classic orphan literature helpfully listed in the bibliography, from
the baby on the doorstep to the tardy yet timely arrival of a crucial
piece of correspondence. The characters, too, find these tropes
familiar-"What would good old-fashioned people do in this situation?"
one asks-as does the omniscient, woolgathery narrator, who begins with
"Once upon a time" and announces an epilogue with "Oh, what is there to
say at the happy conclusion of an old-fashioned story?" This critic even
vaguely recognizes the stratagem of a glossary, in which the more
toothsome words are defined unreliably and digressively. (He cannot put
his finger on it, at least not in public.) Never you mind. The novel
does make a few gambits for anachronistic musings ("Oh goodness, do we
have to walk them into a dark forest? I don't have the right shoes for
that") and even wry commentary ("That is how we billionaires exist,"
says the man who is not Willy Wonka. "We profit on the misfortune of
others") but mostly the book plays us for laughs, closer to the Brothers
Zucker than the Brothers Grimm, and by my count the hits (mock German
dialogue, e.g., "It makesch me vant to womit") far outnumber the misses
(an infant named Baby Ruth, oy). There are those who will find that this
novel pales in comparison to Ms. Lowry's more straight-faced efforts,
such as The Giver. Such people are invited to take tea with the Bobbsey
Twins. Ms. Lowry and I will be across town downing something stronger
mixed by Anastasia Krupnik, whom one suspects of sneaking sips of Ms.
Lowry's bewitching brew. Tchin-tchin!Lemony Snicket is the author of A
Series of Unfortunate Events.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
[b]From School Library Journal [/b]
Grade 4–7—Lois Lowry's hilarious novel (Houghton Mifflin, 2008) is a
parody of "old-fashioned" children's books and features the requisite
uncaring and self-centered parents, orphans, nanny, and the like.
Timothy, the oldest of the Willoughby children, makes all the decisions
and the youngest, Jane, just wants to be more assertive. Twins Barnaby A
and Barnaby B, the middle children, are so alike that their parents
can't tell them apart even if they bothered to try. When the youngsters
find a beastly baby on their doorstep, they leave it at a rich
neighbor's house to get rid of it. The melancholy candy maker tycoon who
lives there adopts the baby and his life becomes happy after years of
grieving over the death of his wife and son in an avalanche in
Switzerland. Meanwhile, the Willoughby children concoct a plot to get
rid of their insufferable parents and turn themselves into orphans by
sending them on a dangerous trip. The nanny who comes to take care of
them turns out to be just what they need to bring out the best in their
personalities. The two stories intertwine when the children and the
nanny must find a new place to live and the long-lost son of the tycoon
makes his way home. A lengthy and humorous glossary at the end defines
old-fashioned words in the story (lugubrious, affable, etc.) with
examples and hints for proper use. Arte Johnson does a wonderful job of
narrating all the characters' diverse voices, enhancing the comedic
elements of the tale. This is a clever parody on classics such as James
and the Giant Peach and Pollyanna with wonderfully imperfect orphans and
memorable characters. Teresa Wittmann, Westgate Elementary School,
Edmonds, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or
unavailable edition of this title. |
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发表于 2013-7-10 07:30:18