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Post by Mary on Mar 13, 2006 20:46:03 GMT -5
This is a title that was suggested to me as a worthwhile addition to the Mock Newbery reading list. I think it will be a fun book to discuss. Has anyone else read it? What do you think?
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Post by HA on Apr 10, 2006 14:08:35 GMT -5
I have read it and I think it would be a great book to add to the Mock list. I finished it last night and have been thinking about it on and off all day. Lowry is brilliant, I can't believe the things that she comes up with to write about. Gossamer handles tough issues in a way that I haven't seen before. Two thumbs up!
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Tess
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Post by Tess on May 15, 2006 22:27:51 GMT -5
This is a good read and one that is thought-provoking, especially when Littlest learns what they are. I was truly taken aback by Thin Elderly/Lowry's answer. I don't want to say too much until more people have a chance to read it. It will definitely make for an interesting discussion.
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Post by Interested Reader on May 15, 2006 22:54:32 GMT -5
Wow! I'm going to have to go back and reread this book! I thought it was an interesting read, but was not nearly as struck by it as many of you seem to be. Thanks for your comments!
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Tess
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Post by Tess on May 19, 2006 12:56:42 GMT -5
It was a good read, Interested Reader, but I don't feel that it is Newbery caliber. The part I'm interested in discussing has to do more with metafiction, the conversation that Lowry puts in between Littlest and Thin Elderly about what they are. I felt yanked out of the story in the section and into an adult conversation about the role of story in life. I think that's interesting, and I'd love to discuss it further.
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Post by DiannaB on Jul 5, 2006 16:43:49 GMT -5
I was intrigued by Lowery's Gossamer, also. I actually found it frightening that 'something/someone' might have power over my dreams. Spoiler here: I really liked how Gossamer named herself, in the end. It's a good book of hope and patience. It's her best stuff since "The Giver", and possibly Newbery worthy, in my opinion. She takes a common piece of life and twists and turns it so that it is way more interesting than in reality.
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Post by SarahJane on Jul 20, 2006 13:51:08 GMT -5
Although I thought "Gossamer" had a really intriguing plot--the idea of outside forces having control over our dreams--I didn't think this book was Newbery material. There were portions of the narrative where Lowry really drew me in with her vivid descriptions (such as the scenes where the Sinisteeds and Hordes come blasting through the walls of the house), but much of the book left me waiting around for those colorful descriptions that Lowry usually grabs my attention with. I felt like John's storyline (the foster-child) was a bit too predictable as well.
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martha
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Post by martha on Sept 24, 2006 19:58:24 GMT -5
I just finished reading this. I, too, thought it had an intriguing and unique premise, but I thought the story wasn't fleshed-out enough. Why did some of the Bestowers (I don't know what else to call them) become Sinisteeds? When Rotund was mentioned as one who had gone over to the dark side (Holy Darth Vader, Batman!) I expected that particular character to make an apprearance, but none of the Sinisteeds are ever named. I expected John to be OK in the end, but it did seem to happen awfully fast. His mother's struggle was told in more detail, and thus was more believable. And did John's foster mother have any prior experience in caring for at-risk kids? I didn't think so, and she seemed to always know just the right thing to say for someone who probably never had childen. In summary, I think the characterization was too skimpy for all but the title character, and the story needed more development to convince me.
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Post by ReaderMom on Oct 28, 2006 10:08:27 GMT -5
I agree with several reviewers who felt that the plot was too quickly and nicely tied up at the end. Don't get me wrong, I started off really loving it -- especially the idea of the whole thing. But the end ruined those positives, with its fake-feeling happy ending that made me start to question everything. Why was such a big deal made about the big horde threat -- since it never really materialized - three nights of bad dreams was it?? Also, the "why" about the Sinisteeds was never answered. For example, why would feeling my family's picture "too deeply" make a fairy evil and hateful? Why would knowing our human pain make these creatures turn on us, as opposed to feeling sympathy for us? How does a child who has been abused for eight years resolve all his problems in less than a week, how does a battered wife and mother, who has been an accomplice in the abuse of her child, suddenly turn her life around in a few weeks? And this control freak abusive father? He very nicely just disappears -- as opposed to real life, where it is so hard to get rid of these men -- and is no threat at all for anyone! How nice! How fake!
Adults have pointed out that it has a happy, quick ending because kids can't handle the truth about the lasting effects of parental abuse and this is, after all, a children's book and not an adult's book. However, I think it trivializes the lasting trauma of abuse. This book infers that all you need is a "grandma" with a dog - there, all better! If dealing truthfully with this subject matter is too intense for children's literature, then perhaps it shouldn't be written about for children to read at all.
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deba
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Post by deba on Oct 31, 2006 8:11:45 GMT -5
Lowry has such a gift for "bestowing" ideas that leave the reader pondering/wondering long after the book has been closed. I will never think about dreams or nightmares the same way again! This book is not one where you find yourself saying at a later point, "Oh - Gossamer! What was that book about again? I can't remember." That said, I don't feel that it is as powerful as The Giver. Characterizations, with the exception of "littlest," are not as rich, and the plotlines a little too tidy in spots. Still, an excellent choice for discussion and another winner by Lowry.
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Post by Bill on Mar 13, 2009 16:58:50 GMT -5
Good Points __________________________ gaming |
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Post by SEO on Mar 30, 2009 1:19:32 GMT -5
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Post by SEO on Mar 31, 2009 23:02:25 GMT -5
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Post by SEO on Apr 12, 2009 7:42:58 GMT -5
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