Puppet Master

by Joanne Owen

From riches to rags, Milena is growing up in the city of Prague at the turn of the twentieth century. Her parents' once prosperous theatre lies in disrepair and her life seems to be in ruins, and has been since that fateful night her father died in a tragic accident and Milena's beautiful, talented Mother went missing. No trace of her has been found. But Milena has never lost hope that she will come back. The day she meets the flamboyant Puppet Master and his menacing proteges, the twins Zdenko and Zdenka, under the shadow of Prague's famous Astronomical Clock in the Old Town square is, coincidentally, the date of her mother's birthday. And it's the day Milena's grandmother chooses to reveal to her the story of her ancestors... and of her legacy. Or perhaps it's not such a coincidence. Joanne Owen's debut novel skilfully mingles the legends of Bohemia in a story rich in the traditions of circus, theatre and magic, all set in a city waiting to lay bare a myriad of secrets.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Unfinished, Middle Grade

232 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2008

About the author

Joanne Owen was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and studied Anthropology, Archaeology and Social Sciences at St. John's College, Cambridge. She has worked in children's bookselling and publishing ever since. Joanne plays bass guitar and accordion in a band and lives in London.

Reviews

[tamarack · Rating 3 out of 5]

a beautifully printed, quirky fairy-tale children's paperback. it's creepy and full of puppets and folklore. relatively simple plot; probably good for around 10 years old.

[Niki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only have one thing to say about this, and that thing is that the book is painfully middle grade.

I don't know what that means to you, but to me it means that the book was very simple. Simple language, predictable plot, convenient events, nothing really resolved in the end, but the book had to end sometime so everything happened quickly and wrapped up in a neat little bow.

(I'm not saying that ALL middle grade is like that, but that has mostly been my -highly subjective- experience with the genre- me, an adult who is most definitely NOT in the target group)

Oh, I did like Zdenko and Zdenka! I love it when characters are always seen together and always scheming together like that.

[poppyshake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book written for older children so it was an easy read. Set in nineteenth century Prague and woven through with lots of ancient Bohemian myths and fables .. this felt like reading the old fairy stories/fables that I'd read as a child.
When we join the story Milena is living with her Grandmother ... her Father (who runs a puppet theatre) is dead and her Mother missing. A new travelling puppet theatre comes to town .. run by the 'Puppet Master' and his evil twin sidekicks Zdenka and Zdenko. He has evil plans (obviously) and Milena is the key he needs to put these plans into action.
Thankfully Milena has Aunts who are mistresses of magic (phew) and an ancestry linking her to some of the most powerful women in Prague including the great Queen Libuse.
Still, the puppet master is evil, his sidekicks are foul and his marionettes are surprisingly lifelike!
I really enjoyed this tale, it's beautifully written and beautifully illustrated .. not in the conventional way but with images on nearly every page .. sometimes drawings and sometimes letters, roomplans .. pages from books .. that kind of thing .. enchanting.

[ΑΝΝΑ]

Καταρχάς να πω ότι δόξα-το-θεό που επιτέλους ένα βιβλίο κυκλοφορεί στα ελληνικά με το ίδιο εξώφυλλο που κυκλοφορεί στην αρχική γλώσσα στην οποία γράφτηκε. Και ο τίτλος που παρέμεινε ο ίδιος - σχεδόν - χωρίς άλλα αντί άλλων στην μετάφραση.
Πάμε παρακάτω.
Η πολύ απλοϊκή του γραφή, το κάνει εύκολα αναγνώσιμο από μικρές μέχρι μεγάλες ηλικίες.
Η μίξη που έκανε των τσέχικων θρύλων και της δικιάς της πινελιάς -για χάρη της ιστορίας, όπως την είχε στο μυαλό της- ήταν συμπαθητική. Θα μπορούσε να είναι και καλύτερη.
Η πλοκή είναι εντελώς πρόχειρη και γρήγορη. Θα μπορούσε να έχει μια επική μάχη κλείσιμο, αλλά το πυροτέχνημα ήταν τζούφιο.
Καλό για να περάσεις την ώρα στα μέσα, όταν το μυαλό είναι πουρές, γενικά μια επιλογή μη απαιτητική.

[Amaya B. · Rating 1 out of 5]

No wonder that this book was her first book it was so bad no offence. The mother has disappeared for 3 years and NO ONE seemed happy when she arrived - the book was just weird and I had high hopes for it. I liked the usage of the phrase dancing corpse and that was it. There should have been more emphasis on the love triangle

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

A tweenage fantasy that manages to get the spirit of Middle Europe on to every page, but to not great effect. Some naive writing, some awful proof-reading in my original hardback, and a lack of engagement with the characters all help negate the wonderful design and production work.

[Rain Lecter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sonunu çok beğenmedim aceleye getirilmiş gibiydi ama yazar gerçekten ülkeye ve kültürüne ait kapsamlı bir araştırma yapmış, tebrik ediyorum. Çok bir şey beklemeyin çerez niyetine okuyun geçin.

[Karmelka000 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luv

[Larissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast ending. But loved the side stories

[Jos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein Buch über Legenden und Mythen, über die Macht der Fantasie über Magie und altes Wissen…

Milenas Vater, ein berühmter Marionettenspieler Prags, ist vor einiger Zeit gestorben. Am gleichen Abend verschwindet auch ihre Mutter spurlos und so wächst sie bei ihrer Großmutter auf. Doch Milena kann ihre Eltern und die Puppen ihres Vaters nicht vergessen, vor allem seine Geschichten sind ihr noch lebhaft in Erinnerung. Als eines Tages Marionettenspieler in die Stadt kommen, ist sie Feuer und Flamme. Sie weiß nicht, in welche große Gefahr sie sich begibt, denn der “Meister der Marionetten” verfolgt einen finsteren Plan und dafür braucht er Milena.

Owen verknüpft in dieser Geschichten alte tschechische Mythen und Sagen mit Märchenelementen und einer Prise Fantasy – ein zauberhaftes Buch in jeder Hinsicht. Eigentlich ein Jugendbuch, doch auch Erwachsene werden ihre Freude daran haben, sie werden Nuancen herauslesen, die Kindern entgehen werden. Für sie ist es einfach eine spannende Geschichte.

Das Buch ist zudem ein kleines Schmuckstück im Regal, es ist schwer, reich bebildert und erinnert ein wenig an ganz alte Bücher, die es “damals” noch gab. Fazit: lesenswert!

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

milena prochazkova lives in prague, with her grandmother, baba, and two aunts, katerina and tereza. her father, a puppeteer, had died years ago in a tragic accident where he fell from a ladder while trying to adjust a puppet for his theatre, the house of delights. her mother dissappeared that night and milena's life has never been the same ever since. she still beleives that her mother is alive and that she will come back some day, and on that day they shall re-open her father's beloved theatre. meanwhile a puppeteer arrives in prague with his show which he claims is the greatest in the world. but there is more to the show than he tells and milena must find out what it is bfore it's too late.


a brilliant book that mixes the czech folklore and present day so well you feel like you're walking through a dream, reading this book. it's told in that hypnotic fairytale like manner where your senses are lulled. i absoluely loved it.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

In historical, magical Prague one cold winter, orphan Milenka and her friend Lukas meet The Puppet Master, a hypnotist of extraordinary skill assisted by some of the creepiest sidekicks children's literature has seen since the Child Catcher. When an invitation to the masters opening night performance arrives alongside a perfectly craved doll of her mother, Milenka can't resist the call to the show...

Joanne Owen takes traditional Czech folk legend about the founding of Prague and mixes in hypnotism, herbalism and the famous Bohemian marionettes to create a fantastical fairytale with a feminist touch. The story sweeps you along, entrancing with its twists and turns yet somehow keeping you grounded via Baba's mouth-watering home-cooking! Well worth a read - particularly for anyone with an interest in traditional myth and legend.

[Ceyda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitabın konusunu, hikayenin başlangıç ve gelişimini, illüstrasyonları, karakterleri ve araya serpiştirilmiş ayrıntıları (yemek tarifleri, otların özellikleri vb.) çok sevdim. Hikaye içinde hikaye şeklinde anlatılan efsaneler ise kitabın en çok sevdiğim bölümleriydi.
Ama kitabın yarısını geçip de sonlara yaklaştıkça birden hikayenin inandırıcılığı azalmaya başladı. Sonun bağlanışını zayıf buldum. Telaş ve heyecan olması gereken yerlerde karakterler bu duygulardan yoksun gibiydi. belki bu yüzden bende heyecanlanamadım.
Başlangıcı böylesine güzel olan hikayenin sonu da ona uygun olabilseydi keşke. İlginç konusuyla okuduğum en güzel kitaplardan olabilecekken ortalarda yerini aldı sonuç olarak.

[Toni · Rating 2 out of 5]

We start off the book with milena in the town square then all of a sudden the events occur almost straight away. The chapters were incredibly short, giving the illusion that I've read a lot even though its only 200 odd pages long. The master spoke with a wide vocabulary and every time he spoke I never payed much I attention as a lot of the things he said was a complete ramble. He annoyed me a lot. The story line wasn't the greatest and I found it dragged in a lot of the places. Also, I found t went really quickly near the end. There was no final battle or amazing fight scene, just a hunch of dolls pushing the man off the cliff... This is owen's first novel and hopefully her last

[Nadine Rose Larter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awesome book to pick up for a quick undemanding read. I love books like this because "quick and undemanding" usually translates to "romance novel" and while there's obviously nothing wrong with the genre, it's not my favourite. I love little books like this that are just a cute story without being too in depth, because my glory all this being a grownup with kids and work and life can get a little hectic so something simple does wonders for this busy reader's soul. If none of that made sense then I truly apologise. Sleep deprivation...or something... Sanity deprivation....

[Nicole Rimensberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never been someone to be embarrassed to be caught reading children's books in public, so I can say without a doubt, that this was a wonderful little diversion. I loved the dark, somewhat sinister old-world Prague this book created. It really brought to mind Gothic churches and creepy puppets. And there's just something about children's literature that lets you slip away completely and really, truly suspend your disbelief!

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the little pictures and photos on almost every page. However, I lost interest about 2/3 the way through the book. I gave up because I had other books waiting for me at the library. If I didn't have other, more exciting prospects, I might have finished this one.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked up to read because the hardback is so well packaged and because the book was recommended by Wendy Cooling.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesomely creepy and atmospheric and made me really interested in Czech history! I loved the ending too, how it left things open for a possible sequel.

[Oli James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing its witty shocking an odd, interesting, underdeveloped little book with some nice atmosphere although the writting is a little odd still a great book none the less

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to visit Prague SO bad after reading this book, I really think I might save up for a trip one day.

[Enola · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the idea and the setting but the execution didn't live up to my expectations. The language was awkward at times and I felt the story lacked consistency.

[Harriet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I throuroughly enjoyed this book! I loved the whole element of the fables and herbal remodies etc. Love the storyline too!

[Kaari Uninvited · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the story and idea.

At times it was a bit choppy by things happening in the dialogue and not explained how or what exactly happened....

[Christine ARGYROPOULOU · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,8⭐️

[Naia Pard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that every book gathers in itself the reflection of their author's passions, in that way that their books become a form of expression destined to communicate a core belief or idea(don't roll you eyes, yet). On this basis I am inclined to affirm that Joanne Owen is very passionate when it comes to myths and legends, the author likes the settings in deep historical towns (here Prague) and has a writing style that depicts hastiness and an overflow of information.



Now, I am not making this up for my personal entertainment, but that was the entire book for me: historical facts, wrapped in folds of myths and layers of legends, quickly swallowed. For example, the book starts with this orphaned girl in a mystical town, just to jump (right away!) in the second chapter at the girl discovering that she has powers and an archenemy, out of the blue. I shrugged, I said ,,ok…?” and went on, but guess what? That hurried pace was a constant throught the entire book. Surprise, surprise.
I am not saying it’s a quick read because you can read it fast, as in understanding everything that happens and all the action just flows because is so well done, no(!!!). The narration dose't let you to take one breath of air and you just have to keep it up even if you didn't get a real explanation, on why for example she had to travel from point B to point A just for the point C to suddenly appear in between. This work seems, to me, to be a Happy Meal, rewarding your boldness of eating the entire "happiness" of that meal with a toy, that here is the imaginary of the book. I have to admit that it had some beautiful parts of description that could have easily found their place in a volume of poetry.
Also,what I can see as being somehow cute is the way in the first part it's emphasized the relevance of the puppets, just they to be deemed as almost invaluable in the last chapters. Cute.


Content

I found in the Puppet Master a perfume of the XIX century, of dust, lavender and some spices gathered together in the closed fist of a hopeful girl from Prague. Prague. Because of this book I know have some mild ideas about the legends of the town's founding, but unfortunately not that much for the details were scarce and barely there.
First of all I had no time(on page) to find more about Milena (she is the main character, the orphaned girl) that lives with her many aunts in Prague, loving the puppet shows that are occasionally held in the theaters there. Something happens in one of this shows that had just come in town. Something nefarious. I don't remember exactly what, and I believe neither Milena knew why she was running around Prague like her dress was on fire. There was an evil man. That one was clear. Her aunts are called whiches, because they are doing things with some herbs. (And at this point I was just rolling with it) and a grandmother that knows more than she lets on (or that should have been the case, but with the second chapter she is sppiling the beans like there is no tomorrow,) C`mon.


Conclusion
It was a quiet read. It is confusing like that, looking back not much was happening in it, from that regard I can say was a "quiet" read, but otherwise I was running in the long distance marathon. You can read it if you whant to try some middle school recommendation, I mean you can read it anyways I am not imposing a thing to you.

With that being said,
Happy reading, happy living.