Sunday 27 July 2008

Sunday Salon and My Thoughts on Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson


England has been so sunny and hot this week, as its the first week of the summer holidays I've been able to go out sunbathing, go to the beach and spend time in many beer gardens working on my tan, and I've also managed to get some books read. I finished this week: Stuart: A Life Backwards, Persepoilis 2, The Unabridged Pocketbook of Lightning, The Secrets We Keep and Journey to the River Sea (see below for my thoughts). The heat has definately gone to my head as I also joined 3! challenges!!!

In this coming week I need to finish a couple of bookrings and try and start reading some Joyce Carol Oates stuff.


Journey to the River Sea has been one of those kids books I have wanted to read since it came out as it has a gorgeous cover, won the Smarties Gold Awards and got great reviews.

The book is abpout an orphan who has to move to Brazil to live with her family over there. As with most orphans in books (and there are loads) the adopted family is mean and has taken on the orphan as a way to swindle money. Being set in Brazil we are promised adventures up the Amazon River, and with the two new friends she meets also orphans).

I'm not sure if I expected to much but I just thought this book was okay, it started off fairly slowly and I never got a sense of tension and adventure. I like kids books to take me back to being a kid, but this one didn't do this. If you want adventure in the Amazon you would do far better to read City of the Beasts bu Isabel Allende.


Challenges:




If you have reviewed this book please leave a link to your review here and I'll tag it on.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think Ibbotson is possibly an acquired taste and I would suggest you try something else and see what you think as you get to know her better. 'The Star of Kazan' draws a wonderful picture of turn of the century Vienna.

John (@bookdreamer) said...

Stuart: A Life Backwards:BBC 2 did a programme on it starring Tom Hardy,and Benedict Cumberbatch

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gautami tripathy said...

Eva Ibbotson seems like someone I should read!

Thanks!

Here is my SS post