This book... how can I begin to describe it? I started reading it, by chance, a week away from my high school graduation. Quickly, I read the first two parts. I loved every character, each seen through the eyes of Joel. Gertrude, Simon, Samuel, Sara... They were all dear to me, and in my heart I felt like I loved them as much as Joel did.
Then came the third book. In this one, Joel is growing up. He starts leaving his childish things behind. Gertrude, the dog, the imaginations.. he wants to be tough, to travel, to see the world. Whereas before he was content with his local world, the river, the bridge, the people, he grows restless, not unlike Mother Jenny must have been.
Throughout the books, like life, there were many things left unresolved. Sometimes in life we start stories, but they never find closure, like in The Neverending Story. However, it is never done in an unsatisfactory way, it's just life.
The last book... well, let's just say it hit home. I am moving soon, after living most of my life with my single mother. Looking at Joel's journey is a lot like looking at my past, and a little into my future. I'm not going to be a sailor, that's for sure, but, like him, I hanker to see the world, and live in it.
This book means, for me, much more than the story of four years of Joel's life. It means the journey through childhood... perhaps even through life. If you read this book, be prepared to read a slow story. No magic, except that of childhood. No romance, except that of foolish teenagers kissing in a dark theater. But a lot of growing up, and a lot of life.