What do you think?
Rate this book
הילד של המכשפה
לילד של המְכַשֵׁפָה קוראים גוּש. הוא מכוער כל-כך, עד שרבים חושבים שהוא גוֹבְּלִין, לא ילד אנושי. כשהיה תינוק מישהו נטש אותו והביא אותו אל המְכַשֵׁפָה. היא היתה עסוקה בענייניה ולכן מסרה את הטיפול בו לידי דוּבָּה ששימשה כאומנת, ואת לימודיו הפקידה בידי ג'ין שהיה נתון למרותה. חבריו היחידים למשחק היו חיות היער, שבשפתן הוא למד לדבר.
אבל כשהגיע רגע המפגש של גוּש עם בני אנוש, התמימות שלו לא הותירה לו סיכוי מול עוצמת האכזריות שלהם, שהפכה את לבו לאבן והציתה בקִרבּוֹ תאוות נקם אשר הציבה אותו ואת אמו המְכַשֵׁפָה בסכנת מוות. אך האסונות שנפלו בחלקו של גוּש גם חישלו אותו וגילו לו רבות על עצמו. במסעותיו הוא הגיע אל מקומות מופלאים במעמקי האדמה, ואל מחוזות מכושפים שבני-תמותה אינם מעלים על דעתם את קיומם.
בספר המרתק הזה, יצירת הביכורים שלו בתחום הפנטזיה, יצר מייקל גרובר עולם שבמבט ראשון נראה מוּכר, אך כשמתמעקים בו מגלים כי הוא מדהים במקוריותו. עולם של אכזריות, יופי, אגדה, אמת, ומעל הכול: קסם. גרובר שילב בספר גרסאות חדשות בתכלית של אגדות מוכרות, שמשתלבות להפליא בסיפור שלא ייאמן על ילד שגדל אצל מְכַשֵׁפָה, חתול, דוּבָּה ושֵד.
אבל כשהגיע רגע המפגש של גוּש עם בני אנוש, התמימות שלו לא הותירה לו סיכוי מול עוצמת האכזריות שלהם, שהפכה את לבו לאבן והציתה בקִרבּוֹ תאוות נקם אשר הציבה אותו ואת אמו המְכַשֵׁפָה בסכנת מוות. אך האסונות שנפלו בחלקו של גוּש גם חישלו אותו וגילו לו רבות על עצמו. במסעותיו הוא הגיע אל מקומות מופלאים במעמקי האדמה, ואל מחוזות מכושפים שבני-תמותה אינם מעלים על דעתם את קיומם.
בספר המרתק הזה, יצירת הביכורים שלו בתחום הפנטזיה, יצר מייקל גרובר עולם שבמבט ראשון נראה מוּכר, אך כשמתמעקים בו מגלים כי הוא מדהים במקוריותו. עולם של אכזריות, יופי, אגדה, אמת, ומעל הכול: קסם. גרובר שילב בספר גרסאות חדשות בתכלית של אגדות מוכרות, שמשתלבות להפליא בסיפור שלא ייאמן על ילד שגדל אצל מְכַשֵׁפָה, חתול, דוּבָּה ושֵד.
303 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2010
27 people are currently reading
1010 people want to read
About the author
Michael Gruber
43 books310 followersMichael Gruber is an author living in Seattle, Washington. He attended Columbia University and received his Ph.D. in biology from the University of Miami. He worked as a cook, a marine biologist, a speech writer, a policy advisor for the Jimmy Carter White House, and a bureaucrat for the EPA before becoming a novelist.
He is generally acknowledged to be the ghostwriter of the popular Robert K. Tanenbaum series of Butch Karp novels starting with No Lesser Plea and ending with Resolved. After the partnership with Tanenbaum ended, Gruber began publishing his own novels under William Morrow and HarperCollins.
Gruber's "Jimmy Paz" trilogy, while critically acclaimed, did not sell at the same levels as the Butch Karp series in the United States. The Book of Air and Shadows became a national bestseller shortly after its release in March of 2007, however.
Series:
* Jimmy Paz
He is generally acknowledged to be the ghostwriter of the popular Robert K. Tanenbaum series of Butch Karp novels starting with No Lesser Plea and ending with Resolved. After the partnership with Tanenbaum ended, Gruber began publishing his own novels under William Morrow and HarperCollins.
Gruber's "Jimmy Paz" trilogy, while critically acclaimed, did not sell at the same levels as the Butch Karp series in the United States. The Book of Air and Shadows became a national bestseller shortly after its release in March of 2007, however.
Series:
* Jimmy Paz
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
February 6, 2017
Not as eerie as the cover implied to me. But still wise. Mostly fairly light, but with some exciting bits and some intense ideas. I was very pleasantly surprised by the 'take' that Gruber implies is the 'real' version of the original fairy tales, clever and a whole 'nother point of view.
The mother is *not* uncaring. The boy is *not* a Chosen One. His quest is personal, her life is her own. Good is quite nice, evil is quite wicked, but the fate of the world doesn't hang on anybody's shoulders... rather, life goes on, just like it does irl.
A motto/ saying among cats is, apparently, "Cuff and cuddle cats the kittens," which means little ones need both love and discipline to grow up well.
We of the common earth have our own magic: "We have birth and death, sorrow and joy. We have art and industry; we have poetry and love. We have pity and we have mercy. They [the fay] have none.... In the world of men it is remarkable that a cat turns into a man; here it is just as remarkable for a kitten to turn into a cat."
While not vegetarian friendly, the book is nonetheless respectful of nature and the dignities of all life. A special meal calls for a goose: "The woman returned, carrying a large gray goose in her arms. She took it into a quiet corner and spoke to it, and listened while the goose spoke to her, and then she killed it, swiftly and gently."
The mother is *not* uncaring. The boy is *not* a Chosen One. His quest is personal, her life is her own. Good is quite nice, evil is quite wicked, but the fate of the world doesn't hang on anybody's shoulders... rather, life goes on, just like it does irl.
A motto/ saying among cats is, apparently, "Cuff and cuddle cats the kittens," which means little ones need both love and discipline to grow up well.
We of the common earth have our own magic: "We have birth and death, sorrow and joy. We have art and industry; we have poetry and love. We have pity and we have mercy. They [the fay] have none.... In the world of men it is remarkable that a cat turns into a man; here it is just as remarkable for a kitten to turn into a cat."
While not vegetarian friendly, the book is nonetheless respectful of nature and the dignities of all life. A special meal calls for a goose: "The woman returned, carrying a large gray goose in her arms. She took it into a quiet corner and spoke to it, and listened while the goose spoke to her, and then she killed it, swiftly and gently."
July 17, 2013
A tall twisted brew of a story, a mix of fairy tales, from Little Red Riding Hood, to Hansel and Gretel, to Pinocchio, to Rapunzel, to Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk, all mixed against the background of a Rumpelstiltskin, THE WITCH'S BOY takes you on a journey from a witch's house in the woods, to Faeryland, to medieval towns and squares, to places full of gems under the earth, to the sea, and back around again. There are bear nurses, and cat men, and kings and queens and the like, and the matter-of-fact story telling style, with people dying and falling in love or out of love and into throngs of hate in a single paragraph. I thought of the book as a kaleidoscope of images and scenes. There is something of Brothers Grimm's tales, some of poetry of Virginia Woolf's Orlando, even some darkness of Patrick Süskind's Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. And all along, dry humor proclaiming witches being mostly old feeble women out of their minds and the bears running away from ugly one-eyed Goldilocks and not the other way around, not mentioning the dismantlement of all traditional fairy tale ideas into real nitty gritty of life. I will admit, the book was too slow for me at times, but I kept reading for the ride of this exquisite porridge.
The story is about Lump, a little baby boy who is being tossed at the door step of a witch's house. She takes him in and decides to raise him, which will change her life forever, and perhaps not in the most pleasant of ways. Like any proper witch, she has a cat, but here is where the typical storyline ends and the atypical begins, starting from an afrit worthy of One Thousand and One Nights and going haywire from there, producing the most unlikeable character that the baby could turn into, and yet gracefully finishing his journey into adulthood at the very end. And underneath it all, there is deep wisdom of humanity, of how we shun that which we do not understand and how we all yearn for one things only - love.
The story is about Lump, a little baby boy who is being tossed at the door step of a witch's house. She takes him in and decides to raise him, which will change her life forever, and perhaps not in the most pleasant of ways. Like any proper witch, she has a cat, but here is where the typical storyline ends and the atypical begins, starting from an afrit worthy of One Thousand and One Nights and going haywire from there, producing the most unlikeable character that the baby could turn into, and yet gracefully finishing his journey into adulthood at the very end. And underneath it all, there is deep wisdom of humanity, of how we shun that which we do not understand and how we all yearn for one things only - love.
January 25, 2009
This is the story of a very unlikely family, and what happens when best intentions aren't quite enough.
Returning home one day, a witch finds a boy left in a basket with a note. Though it is against her nature, she decides to take it home, and once she gets him there, she decides to keep him, despite the advice from her familiar Falance not to do so. She calls the bear Ysul to be his nurse, and the afreet Bagordax to build his nursery and be his teacher. And so Lump grows up with the ability to speak to animals, with imaginary friends in far off lands he can see through his windows, and without any real human contact. When settlements start encroaching into the forest, disaster strikes.
Lump thinks to make friends with the children he has spied on his walks. He sneaks off to watch them, and eventually works up the courage to approach one. Believing himself normal, and these other children not, he doesn't understand when they scream and run and attack. When he is caught and chained and put on show, only then does he realize his understanding of the world is flawed. Rescued by Ysul, he demands vengeance from his mother, who will not grant it. Instead, he turns to Bagordax, who convinces Lump to free him, which he does, and then rains down death and destruction on the family who held Lump prisoner. Combined with the destrcution of a large part of their own house, Lump and the witch have no choice but to flee.
With some quick magic, Falance is turned from cat to man, and carriage much like Cinderella's is conjured. The trio rides hard and non-stop until they reach a clearing. Beyond it lies the realm of magic. Within, the witch is stripped of her powers, Lump watches the Faeries dance, and both are forever changed.
Back in the world of men, the new family takes up the life of Mountebanks, with Falance and the witch turning tricks. With the assisstance of a retired artiste, they learn how to make their show prosper, and head for the Cold Fair in a nearby Kingdom. Things go well for a time. But when the father of the girl Lump has fallen in love with is stricked down in a fencing practice, and he runs for his mother to save him, the man's son, who had plotted his demise, turns Mrs. Forest in for a witch for saving him. She and Falance must run, and Lump is meant to find them through a message to be sent through friends. Only the friends also have been captured, by the time he returns, and he himself must flee as he is recognized as being the Witch's Boy.
Eventually he makes a life for himself with the help of an honest jeweler, who pays Lump fairly for all of the "stones" he found in his underground travels. After a couple of years spent brewing a story of himself, Lump returns to the Kingdom under the name Lum-po, claiming to be a Prince of Cathay. He hopes to win the hand of Aude, with all his riches and jewels. But while she revels in his gifts, she cares naught for him, and her father plans for her to wed the King, which she does. Lump then appears to her as himself, coming through the wall upon spying her crying, and helps her through her predicament in trade for her first born child. He then spends a year preparing for this child, only to make a new deal when the year comes, and end up losing the child instead.
Lost, uncovered, and no longer wealthy, Lump doesn't know what to do. His magic betrays him, and he spends 10 years buried undear the earth, neither alive nor dead. Only when he comes to grips with who he is and what has happened to him, and allows himself to feel, is he set free.
Unsure where he is, Lump follows the sounds of singing and finds himself in a garden, admiring a beautiful girl. And here his true path begins.
Returning home one day, a witch finds a boy left in a basket with a note. Though it is against her nature, she decides to take it home, and once she gets him there, she decides to keep him, despite the advice from her familiar Falance not to do so. She calls the bear Ysul to be his nurse, and the afreet Bagordax to build his nursery and be his teacher. And so Lump grows up with the ability to speak to animals, with imaginary friends in far off lands he can see through his windows, and without any real human contact. When settlements start encroaching into the forest, disaster strikes.
Lump thinks to make friends with the children he has spied on his walks. He sneaks off to watch them, and eventually works up the courage to approach one. Believing himself normal, and these other children not, he doesn't understand when they scream and run and attack. When he is caught and chained and put on show, only then does he realize his understanding of the world is flawed. Rescued by Ysul, he demands vengeance from his mother, who will not grant it. Instead, he turns to Bagordax, who convinces Lump to free him, which he does, and then rains down death and destruction on the family who held Lump prisoner. Combined with the destrcution of a large part of their own house, Lump and the witch have no choice but to flee.
With some quick magic, Falance is turned from cat to man, and carriage much like Cinderella's is conjured. The trio rides hard and non-stop until they reach a clearing. Beyond it lies the realm of magic. Within, the witch is stripped of her powers, Lump watches the Faeries dance, and both are forever changed.
Back in the world of men, the new family takes up the life of Mountebanks, with Falance and the witch turning tricks. With the assisstance of a retired artiste, they learn how to make their show prosper, and head for the Cold Fair in a nearby Kingdom. Things go well for a time. But when the father of the girl Lump has fallen in love with is stricked down in a fencing practice, and he runs for his mother to save him, the man's son, who had plotted his demise, turns Mrs. Forest in for a witch for saving him. She and Falance must run, and Lump is meant to find them through a message to be sent through friends. Only the friends also have been captured, by the time he returns, and he himself must flee as he is recognized as being the Witch's Boy.
Eventually he makes a life for himself with the help of an honest jeweler, who pays Lump fairly for all of the "stones" he found in his underground travels. After a couple of years spent brewing a story of himself, Lump returns to the Kingdom under the name Lum-po, claiming to be a Prince of Cathay. He hopes to win the hand of Aude, with all his riches and jewels. But while she revels in his gifts, she cares naught for him, and her father plans for her to wed the King, which she does. Lump then appears to her as himself, coming through the wall upon spying her crying, and helps her through her predicament in trade for her first born child. He then spends a year preparing for this child, only to make a new deal when the year comes, and end up losing the child instead.
Lost, uncovered, and no longer wealthy, Lump doesn't know what to do. His magic betrays him, and he spends 10 years buried undear the earth, neither alive nor dead. Only when he comes to grips with who he is and what has happened to him, and allows himself to feel, is he set free.
Unsure where he is, Lump follows the sounds of singing and finds himself in a garden, admiring a beautiful girl. And here his true path begins.
May 1, 2012
I bought this for the astoundingly beautiful cover and for the opening: "Once upon a time, in a faraway country, there was a woman who lived by herself in the middle of a great forest. She had a little cottage and kept a garden and a large gray cat. In appearance, she was neither fair nor ugly, neither young nor old, and she dressed herself modestly in the colours of stones. None of the folk who lived nearby (not the oldest of them) could tell how long she had dwelt in that place."
Gruber plays with any number of fairy tales, with incidents and characters wandering in and out of the plot, some central, others only winks or nudges to the well-read reader. He takes a risk by having Lump, the ugly goblin-like child that the witch absently adopts like a stray kitten, be as damaged, angry and selfish as he is, but when I fell out of sympathy with Lump, the other characters kept me involved, from the cat who becomes a man (a mercenary soldier, because 'he does so love killing') to the grown-up Hansel and Gretel, a cheerful and resilient pair through all their fortunes and misfortunes, to the daughter of Bluebeard and his last wife, who drove him to his death by her utter lack of interest in his locked and Bloody Chamber.
What I particularly loved about this book was that Gruber doesn't seem to feel the need to prove himself superior to his source material, but uses the fairy tale motifs and characters with respect and affection, instead of gutting and 'subverting' them (John Connolly, I'm looking at you here).
Gruber plays with any number of fairy tales, with incidents and characters wandering in and out of the plot, some central, others only winks or nudges to the well-read reader. He takes a risk by having Lump, the ugly goblin-like child that the witch absently adopts like a stray kitten, be as damaged, angry and selfish as he is, but when I fell out of sympathy with Lump, the other characters kept me involved, from the cat who becomes a man (a mercenary soldier, because 'he does so love killing') to the grown-up Hansel and Gretel, a cheerful and resilient pair through all their fortunes and misfortunes, to the daughter of Bluebeard and his last wife, who drove him to his death by her utter lack of interest in his locked and Bloody Chamber.
What I particularly loved about this book was that Gruber doesn't seem to feel the need to prove himself superior to his source material, but uses the fairy tale motifs and characters with respect and affection, instead of gutting and 'subverting' them (John Connolly, I'm looking at you here).
August 13, 2007
I didn't like this one much. I didn't like any of the characters. In the end, I think Gruber just tried to work too many fairy tales in, which just didn't work, because they felt crammed in, not like they belonged. Also, the ending felt really rushed.
What it does have going to for it is the fact that it's a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, and how often do you see that? And, it's more of a "boy book" than most fairy tales re-tellings are. If Gruber had stuck just to Rumpelstiltskin and didn't try to work in every other fairy tale in the Western cannon, I think the book would have been a lot tighter and then the ending wouldn't have to rush so much. Gruber adds a lot of very interesting detail to Rumpelstiltskin's story-- to the point where I didn't realize it was actually a fairy tale retelling and that's where it was going until really deep into the book.
Also, the fact that I didn't like the characters is not the fault of faulty writing-- I wasn't supposed to. On the other hand, if you have a cast of unlikeable people, there has to be something else going on to make me want to finish your book. Lolita has great prose that kept me going, this one... I don't know. The cover's pretty cool though.
What it does have going to for it is the fact that it's a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, and how often do you see that? And, it's more of a "boy book" than most fairy tales re-tellings are. If Gruber had stuck just to Rumpelstiltskin and didn't try to work in every other fairy tale in the Western cannon, I think the book would have been a lot tighter and then the ending wouldn't have to rush so much. Gruber adds a lot of very interesting detail to Rumpelstiltskin's story-- to the point where I didn't realize it was actually a fairy tale retelling and that's where it was going until really deep into the book.
Also, the fact that I didn't like the characters is not the fault of faulty writing-- I wasn't supposed to. On the other hand, if you have a cast of unlikeable people, there has to be something else going on to make me want to finish your book. Lolita has great prose that kept me going, this one... I don't know. The cover's pretty cool though.
September 5, 2021
This book has a really captivating storytelling. I found the way the author retelling the popular tales so amusing. It is a kind of book which I would love to recommend little fellas.
March 22, 2007
Many fairy tales are woven throughout this book in a witty and cunning style. Important life issues are confronted that will leave you in laughter and tears. Magic is afoot, and mother nature is alive!! Loved this one!
July 5, 2012
I enjoyed this book, I am very amused by the thought it brings me to - what kind of fairytales would a witch tell her children?
I think this would be a good book to write, the bedtime stories of a witch to her child.
I think this would be a good book to write, the bedtime stories of a witch to her child.
April 2, 2023
I absolutely loved this book. I liked the way the author incorporated several different fairy tales into the story. Great book. Quick read. I liked it so much I've read it twice.
July 30, 2018
I have a somewhat funny story that goes with this book. A few years ago I was at my boyfriend's house and, having finished the book I was reading, he offered me The Witch's Boy which was a childhood favourite of his. I took it home with me and put it on my bedside table where it sat for the next TWO YEARS!
I finally picked it up this month because I was in the mood for a middle grade and I quite enjoyed most of it.
The ending was really lovely and had me feeling all the feels. However I found Lump horrifyingly frustrating throughout the book. His characterisation ended up making a lot of sense and I appreciate what was done, but it was hard to get into the story with him being a little shit of a protagonist all the time.
What I did really love about the story were the fairytales woven throughout, they were twisted slightly and I quite liked it. I did see the twist at the end coming just before it happened but I enjoyed it regardless.
This was a fun book. Not my favourite thing ever, but still a nice and easy and enjoyable read.
I finally picked it up this month because I was in the mood for a middle grade and I quite enjoyed most of it.
The ending was really lovely and had me feeling all the feels. However I found Lump horrifyingly frustrating throughout the book. His characterisation ended up making a lot of sense and I appreciate what was done, but it was hard to get into the story with him being a little shit of a protagonist all the time.
What I did really love about the story were the fairytales woven throughout, they were twisted slightly and I quite liked it. I did see the twist at the end coming just before it happened but I enjoyed it regardless.
This was a fun book. Not my favourite thing ever, but still a nice and easy and enjoyable read.
August 12, 2016
When a witch finds an exceptionally ugly baby left in a basket--accompanied by a note that reads "the devil's child for the devil's wife"--she takes him in against her better judgement. Raised by a witch, a bear, and a djinn, destined to become a fairy tale legend himself, Lump's story is one of love and the birth of wickedness. The Witch's Boy is one of the books you pick up to read for ten minutes, and then put down an hour later. Its constant sense of discovery and forward motion are what make it so compelling: The world that Gruber creates isn't wholly original, but it's sufficiently inventive and colorful that it always offers another secret to uncover--but never edges towards twee, which is good because that would do Lump's story no favors. Lump's story isn't the only one in The Witch's Boy (his mother in particular is fantastic, and it's the depth of her character--and thus her relationship with and impact on Lump--that brings the book to life), but it's a remarkably well-realized tale, a detailed, realistic, painfully honest story of personal corruption, and what it is that makes someone bad. It doesn't wallow in the fact, but this is a surprisingly dark book. It's rare to sympathize and dislike simultaneously and completely, and heartbreaking, and an admirable accomplishment.
But The Witch's Boy has its weaknesses. It's ostensibly a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, but when it finally reaches recognizable aspects of that tale they're hurried and fairly plain. Lump's redemption, which ends the book, is likewise. Thankfully his isn't quite an instantaneous fix, but what makes the rest of the book remarkable is the well-paced, realistically rendered growth of Lump's character. Redemption wouldn't defy his wickedness if it were given the same care--but as it's not, it makes for a weak ending to a book that's otherwise strong. Thankfully, the ending alone doesn't ruin the book and--given the reader's well-fostered interest in the cast's well-being--the happy ending is emotionally satisfying. And so much of the rest of the book is worth reading, creative and compelling, utterly engaging, realistic and true, and presented in fluid, half-transparent, half wryly insightful prose, that I still enjoyed and recommend it. I don't want to oversell this book, it's not my new favorite, but I'd never heard of it until finding it at a used bookstore and it was an unexpected delight that I'd love to pass on to others. It has numerous flaws, but there's plenty to defy them and make The Witch's Boy a clever and engaging read.
But The Witch's Boy has its weaknesses. It's ostensibly a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, but when it finally reaches recognizable aspects of that tale they're hurried and fairly plain. Lump's redemption, which ends the book, is likewise. Thankfully his isn't quite an instantaneous fix, but what makes the rest of the book remarkable is the well-paced, realistically rendered growth of Lump's character. Redemption wouldn't defy his wickedness if it were given the same care--but as it's not, it makes for a weak ending to a book that's otherwise strong. Thankfully, the ending alone doesn't ruin the book and--given the reader's well-fostered interest in the cast's well-being--the happy ending is emotionally satisfying. And so much of the rest of the book is worth reading, creative and compelling, utterly engaging, realistic and true, and presented in fluid, half-transparent, half wryly insightful prose, that I still enjoyed and recommend it. I don't want to oversell this book, it's not my new favorite, but I'd never heard of it until finding it at a used bookstore and it was an unexpected delight that I'd love to pass on to others. It has numerous flaws, but there's plenty to defy them and make The Witch's Boy a clever and engaging read.
August 20, 2010
could have been a lot better. It had promise but I found all the characters to be boring and, well, I didn't like any of them. disapointing.
January 12, 2015
Her ne kadar Yumru'ya buyudukce sinir olsam da masallara farkli acilardan bakmak guzeldi, bastan sona büyülü tam bir cadı öyküsü. :3
October 13, 2018
Three of my favorite components to any story include snarky prose, fairy-talishness, and redemptive themes. This book, The Witch's Boy, relies heavily on all three and yet I did not love it. In fact, I did not even like it.
The snarky prose dissipates into plain darkness after a few chapters. The incorporation of various classic fairy-tales and characters feels clunky and forced. Nor did I care enough about the title character to celebrate his ultimate redemption.
There is no clear line between good and evil, which rarely sits well with me. Witches are presented as predominantly good. But what is good, here? A pair of characters based on Hansel and Gretel are "good", too. It is revealed that they basically cannibalized their own father, but hey. He was a jerk, so I guess that makes it alright.
The author attempts a number of things that are hard to pull off just right— a talking cat, for instance, and a blend of lightheartedness and dark themes— and, well... he doesn't pull them off. He also attempts to turn the classic roles of hero/heroine and villain on their heads. This works in stories like Neil Gaiman's The Sleeper & The Spindle. Again, I'm afraid, not so here. Perhaps had the focus been narrowed, The Witch's Boy would have fared better in my esteem.
Then again... maybe not.
The snarky prose dissipates into plain darkness after a few chapters. The incorporation of various classic fairy-tales and characters feels clunky and forced. Nor did I care enough about the title character to celebrate his ultimate redemption.
There is no clear line between good and evil, which rarely sits well with me. Witches are presented as predominantly good. But what is good, here? A pair of characters based on Hansel and Gretel are "good", too. It is revealed that they basically cannibalized their own father, but hey. He was a jerk, so I guess that makes it alright.
The author attempts a number of things that are hard to pull off just right— a talking cat, for instance, and a blend of lightheartedness and dark themes— and, well... he doesn't pull them off. He also attempts to turn the classic roles of hero/heroine and villain on their heads. This works in stories like Neil Gaiman's The Sleeper & The Spindle. Again, I'm afraid, not so here. Perhaps had the focus been narrowed, The Witch's Boy would have fared better in my esteem.
Then again... maybe not.
October 17, 2020
TRIGGER WARNING: ANIMAL ABUSE
I like the premise.
I like the retellings with their little twists.
It was easy to read, well told story.
But I hate Lump. After he walked from Ysul, it was all tainted. To that point, he could have been redeemed. After that, nothing could redeem him. His "happy ending" costed too much. It left a very bitter taste to my mouth.
I like the premise.
I like the retellings with their little twists.
It was easy to read, well told story.
But I hate Lump. After he walked from Ysul, it was all tainted. To that point, he could have been redeemed. After that, nothing could redeem him. His "happy ending" costed too much. It left a very bitter taste to my mouth.
January 11, 2021
Sürükleyici bir hikaye,sade bir anlatım ve içerisinde barındırdığı farklı bakış açıları sayesinde sizi sorgulayacağınız fantastik bir dünyaya itiyor.
‘En büyük zorbalar işkence görenlerdir.’
‘Nefreti en iyi yıkılan düşlerin kalıntıları besler.’
‘En büyük zorbalar işkence görenlerdir.’
‘Nefreti en iyi yıkılan düşlerin kalıntıları besler.’
December 19, 2020
That was an absolute gem. Not only like the ones that Lump found beneath the earth, but also one that he has found above earth in the end. His heart's desire.
February 10, 2017
Generally excellent and thought provoking. The story, to my mind at least, draws its power from the love that the witch in the title has for Lump, an extraordinarily ugly child according to the novel's description. There is much more to this story than the love she bears for him. Others love him too. I particularly like the character of Ysul the bear, who cares for Lump when he is of nursing age. Lump's journey is a very interesting, and often tragic, one and at times he is very easy not to like. Love in this story saves the day in the end, but it's not a simplistic, fairy-tale love. Everything about this book is complex and that plays well with this reader.
November 12, 2013
I am, by no means, a good literary critic. I mostly rate books by how they make me feel while I read them. I know many of you can appreciate a book for more than that, but it has to be
really
good for me to give a high rating while still making me feel awful.
That being said, this book was very well written. I'm certain some of you would enjoy reading it for that alone. But I had a hard time with this one. It was sad. Its hard for me to get behind a character that is so negative. I felt bad for him, but it carried over into my life. I just felt depressed during the course of my reading it... which thankfully, wasn't too long. I kept going to the end for a couple reasons 1) in hope that there might be some resolution to all the negativity and 2) I had no idea where the story was going and wanted to at least get that resolved.
There were things I did like about it. As I said, it was very well written. The supporting cast was awesome (you know me, I love a story driven by characters), the author did a great job of making them (all the characters) honest, genuine, believable. I enjoyed the sprinkled in retelling of various fairy tales, although they were very far removed from the stories we know and love. And the resolution was nice.
I just can't give it a higher rating because of how negative it made me feel.
That being said, this book was very well written. I'm certain some of you would enjoy reading it for that alone. But I had a hard time with this one. It was sad. Its hard for me to get behind a character that is so negative. I felt bad for him, but it carried over into my life. I just felt depressed during the course of my reading it... which thankfully, wasn't too long. I kept going to the end for a couple reasons 1) in hope that there might be some resolution to all the negativity and 2) I had no idea where the story was going and wanted to at least get that resolved.
There were things I did like about it. As I said, it was very well written. The supporting cast was awesome (you know me, I love a story driven by characters), the author did a great job of making them (all the characters) honest, genuine, believable. I enjoyed the sprinkled in retelling of various fairy tales, although they were very far removed from the stories we know and love. And the resolution was nice.
I just can't give it a higher rating because of how negative it made me feel.
August 15, 2018
Brief premise: An ugly and misshapen baby is abandoned at a powerful witch's cottage. For reasons unclear to herself, she raises the baby as her son... well, more like Ysul (a bear) raises Lump and is tutored by an afreet. Lump is spoilt, bratty, yearning to learn magic (though he shows no promise of any), and for friends.
Lump's desire for friends ends up with him being mistaken for a goblin and subsequently captured by a woodcutter's family. The torment he suffers at the hands of the children turns into rage and hatred.
His actions thereafter endangers his family's lives, as he hardens his heart and cares only for himself.
~~~~~~
While Lump had me banging my head on the proverbial table for his wilful and selfish ways, the story is well-written and with, I thought, cleverly woven recognisable fairy tales - some with a twist.
It also made me think if I was like that when I was a kid - demanding for what I want and be damned to the consequences.
The book is segmented into the different stages of Lump's life, though most of it was of him being bratty and self-centered... sometimes cruel and lots of the time unfeeling.
Ah, Ysul's fate broke my heart... T_T
And I quite liked Falance's fierce devotion and dry wit. =)
Pace was fairly slow at the beginning but soon picked up.
Lump's desire for friends ends up with him being mistaken for a goblin and subsequently captured by a woodcutter's family. The torment he suffers at the hands of the children turns into rage and hatred.
His actions thereafter endangers his family's lives, as he hardens his heart and cares only for himself.
~~~~~~
While Lump had me banging my head on the proverbial table for his wilful and selfish ways, the story is well-written and with, I thought, cleverly woven recognisable fairy tales - some with a twist.
It also made me think if I was like that when I was a kid - demanding for what I want and be damned to the consequences.
The book is segmented into the different stages of Lump's life, though most of it was of him being bratty and self-centered... sometimes cruel and lots of the time unfeeling.
Ah, Ysul's fate broke my heart... T_T
And I quite liked Falance's fierce devotion and dry wit. =)
Pace was fairly slow at the beginning but soon picked up.
August 13, 2012
Still not sure how I feel about this book.
There were elements that I loved: the set up, the nursery with the windows on foreign lands, the cradle that whispered bedtime stories. But once the story began to kick in it seemed mostly concerned with how not to raise a child. I can't say I disagreed with any of the points made, but I really wasn't expecting to be lectured on child rearing, and I found that it raised my hackles a little. Similarly when the author goes off on a lecture about the dangers of self pity I found his tone a bit hectoring.
The other problem of course is that the titular protagonist is not at all likeable.
I was also unsure what to make of the author's attitude towards women. In the early sections I disliked his portrayal of the useless, conflicted working mother. But the rest of the book seemed to have a fairly strong feminist persepective on most things, particularly the alt versions of classic fairy tales.
All in all, a bit of an oddity. The ending went some way to redeeming the earlier problems. The book was very readable. But it was hard to empathise much with such a flawed character. Also it was told in that quite objective fairy tale way where you never get real POV stuff - just omniscient narrator stuff.
I'm undecided between three and four stars, so I'm afraid I'm going to be stingy and give it three.
There were elements that I loved: the set up, the nursery with the windows on foreign lands, the cradle that whispered bedtime stories. But once the story began to kick in it seemed mostly concerned with how not to raise a child. I can't say I disagreed with any of the points made, but I really wasn't expecting to be lectured on child rearing, and I found that it raised my hackles a little. Similarly when the author goes off on a lecture about the dangers of self pity I found his tone a bit hectoring.
The other problem of course is that the titular protagonist is not at all likeable.
I was also unsure what to make of the author's attitude towards women. In the early sections I disliked his portrayal of the useless, conflicted working mother. But the rest of the book seemed to have a fairly strong feminist persepective on most things, particularly the alt versions of classic fairy tales.
All in all, a bit of an oddity. The ending went some way to redeeming the earlier problems. The book was very readable. But it was hard to empathise much with such a flawed character. Also it was told in that quite objective fairy tale way where you never get real POV stuff - just omniscient narrator stuff.
I'm undecided between three and four stars, so I'm afraid I'm going to be stingy and give it three.
January 22, 2012
After reading Gruber's mostly brilliant Detective Paz series (beginning with "Tropic of Night"), this was my first other sampling of his work, and with mixed results. Marketed towards what is probably the 10 to 14 age range, this is indeed an inventive story (the same strength as the aforementioned trilogy). It also infuses some revised versions of many fairy tales throughout the story. Sometimes these are clever, like Cinderella actually being a bratty girl who took advantage of her stepmother, lending alternate motives to everything else she did, or the true danger to Red Riding Hood being sold by the wolf into a domestic partnership where all she can do is cook, clean and have babies. No more wandering in the woods for her. Other times (Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), the fairy tales are more intrusive and clumsy.
What ultimately keeps the book from being great are the frustrating characters who take over two-thirds the book to finally become anything resembling sympathetic. I personally like where the story ends up going, but there were so many times along the way I would have quit any book with a less creative plot.
What ultimately keeps the book from being great are the frustrating characters who take over two-thirds the book to finally become anything resembling sympathetic. I personally like where the story ends up going, but there were so many times along the way I would have quit any book with a less creative plot.
September 27, 2011
I wish I could give it 3.5 stars.
I quite liked this book. Parts of it were a little bit clunky, but Gruber is a great writer and that helped ease the plot along a little better than had it been written by a less skilled writer. The retelling of fairytales throughout is at times dubious, he manages to pull one off really well and then fall a little flat with the others. Lump is supposed to be a very unlovable character, and though I don't believe he fully redeems himself in the end (kind of like a Disnified case of too little too late for my liking) I would have preferred it if he hadn't been redeemed at all. (But that is a personal opinion and not a gripe about the story itself)
Despite my disappointment in the parts of the book, (not only were bits of the plot a little clunky but they were also a little slow in places) my overall love of Falance and they way Gruber writes meant shortcomings aside, I quite enjoyed the read.
child #3 (who is 9) really loved this book.
child #2 (who is 13) Liked it a lot, he thinks.
Child #1(who is 15) Thought the book was fantastic. She loved the retelling of familiar fairytales with the fairytale.
I quite liked this book. Parts of it were a little bit clunky, but Gruber is a great writer and that helped ease the plot along a little better than had it been written by a less skilled writer. The retelling of fairytales throughout is at times dubious, he manages to pull one off really well and then fall a little flat with the others. Lump is supposed to be a very unlovable character, and though I don't believe he fully redeems himself in the end (kind of like a Disnified case of too little too late for my liking) I would have preferred it if he hadn't been redeemed at all. (But that is a personal opinion and not a gripe about the story itself)
Despite my disappointment in the parts of the book, (not only were bits of the plot a little clunky but they were also a little slow in places) my overall love of Falance and they way Gruber writes meant shortcomings aside, I quite enjoyed the read.
child #3 (who is 9) really loved this book.
child #2 (who is 13) Liked it a lot, he thinks.
Child #1(who is 15) Thought the book was fantastic. She loved the retelling of familiar fairytales with the fairytale.
October 9, 2012
"Witch's Boy" is a fantasy novel that incorporates the fairy tales we know into a new world. It is about a deformed boy named Lump who is found and raised by a good witch of the forest. He has a magical childhood, but never knows that he is ugly. When he encounters human children for the first time, they capture him, beat him, and display him as a goblin in an attempt to make money. From then on, he is a bitter young boy who turns into a bitter young man, and eventually does evil acts that ruin his life, his family, and his heart. In the end, we learn that everyone deserves a happily ever after - and we discover Lump's heart's desire.
I was skeptical about this book, but intrigued by the idea. I love stories that play on the fables and myths that we know, and this one brings in lots of twists that create a page-turning book. I enjoyed the character and his development from naive young boy, to angry bitter young man (like many angsty teenagers), to humble and loving man who receives a happily ever after. I thought it was a fun read and a good introduction for young adults into novels with deeper meaning. I enjoyed it quite a bit. (Speculative - Fantasy)
I was skeptical about this book, but intrigued by the idea. I love stories that play on the fables and myths that we know, and this one brings in lots of twists that create a page-turning book. I enjoyed the character and his development from naive young boy, to angry bitter young man (like many angsty teenagers), to humble and loving man who receives a happily ever after. I thought it was a fun read and a good introduction for young adults into novels with deeper meaning. I enjoyed it quite a bit. (Speculative - Fantasy)
March 2, 2014
This book was okay, however, the plot was really unclear. I guess it's about this boy named Lump who grows up with a witch, and how that all turns out. The story was kind of depressing as Lump acts really ungrateful for all the goodness in his life. Yes, his life was very weird, and he is stolen and beaten because he looks like a goblin. His life becomes good behind a mask, because when his Mother lost her magic, she gave one of her gifts that weren't taken for her beloved Lump, and he just uses this power to spy on pompous girls who don't care for him. It really frustrated me that it took him a long time to actually care for his mother and the gifts he was given. This story takes most fairy tales that you learn as a child, and give then a different spin. It's surprising who Lump was, and how he isn't the villain. I'm happy that Lump ended up with a happy and humble wife who care for him, that he finally expresses his love for his mother, and that the final magical gift that his mother gave to him was for his blind wife to see.
This wasn't the best book, but it was okay. That's my opinion, and my opinion alone. You may like it, I don't know. We're all different right?
This wasn't the best book, but it was okay. That's my opinion, and my opinion alone. You may like it, I don't know. We're all different right?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2021
I loved this story, although I’m sure it had some hidden meaning that I just don’t get. It was a story about a baby who had a very ugly face, a pig’s nose, grey, mottled skin and pointed little ears. Someone left him in a tree stump for the witch of the forest to find. In this book the fairy tales we all know and love turn out to be other tales that we don’t really know. Fairy Tales covered were Rumplestilskin (Lump’s Name), Little Red Riding Hood (who grew up to be the Witch, Lump’s mother), Cinderella, Hansel & Gretl, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Repunzel and Goldilocks. It took all of these fairy tales and added a little twist to them. This story was about an ugly, lonely little boy who never felt loved. He grew up to be bitter and so became enchanted and buried in the ground until his heart unfroze. He married someone with a kind heart (Bluebeard’s daughter) who was blind. Even after she gained her sight back with the help of Lump’s mother, she still loved Lump and that made all the difference in the world.
January 6, 2013
The first 20 pages or so utterly enraptured me. They felt like everything a fairy tale should be. And the re-tellings of Fairy Tales sprinkled throughout the book were refreshing and intriguing. But the central theme of the book-- that a child raised by a talking bear, a magical cat, a petty trapped demon, and a witch losing her humanity should be a good child and a good man and is inherently flawed and bad if he isn't-- rubbed me the wrong way. On the other hand, Lump does earn his humanity and there is a happy (if pat) ending.
There's a lot of magic in this book, both literal and otherwise. It's well written and engaging. The characters are interesting. It's just... kind of a weird message that someone who grew up without love in his life, longing for love, should know love and be able to love and is inherently bad if they don't, and bad for not appreciating that the people who raised them didn't leave them to die and fed them regularly. Kids/humans need more than the bare minimum.
There's a lot of magic in this book, both literal and otherwise. It's well written and engaging. The characters are interesting. It's just... kind of a weird message that someone who grew up without love in his life, longing for love, should know love and be able to love and is inherently bad if they don't, and bad for not appreciating that the people who raised them didn't leave them to die and fed them regularly. Kids/humans need more than the bare minimum.
July 23, 2008
There's nothing I didn't like in this book, and everything to love. It's chock full of fairy lore and fairy tales. (I think of fairy lore as those tales of fairies under the hill, magic, and witches, and fairy tales as those we know from the Brothers G and HCA.) The fairy tales are turned inside out from our usual knowledge of them, for instance the parents were bad, the witch was good in Hansel and Gretel. Just what tale corresponds to the story of the witch's boy isn't immediately apparent. The other tales are anecdotes dropped here and there about acquaintances and distant news.
For all that rich detail, the core story doesn't get lost. It is a story of love, and of a boy growing up and experiencing the tension between love for mother and love for a girl. He's raised by a witch with the help of magic, a bear, and a djinni who can't be trusted. Neither he nor his mother are perfect, and there is where the depth of the story can be found.
For all that rich detail, the core story doesn't get lost. It is a story of love, and of a boy growing up and experiencing the tension between love for mother and love for a girl. He's raised by a witch with the help of magic, a bear, and a djinni who can't be trusted. Neither he nor his mother are perfect, and there is where the depth of the story can be found.
September 9, 2016
Between 2 and 3 stars.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was well-written, and Gruber incorporated fairy tales in interesting ways most of the time (although sometimes I got the feeling that he was patting himself on the back about how clever his incorporation or inversion of a particular fairy tale was). I also appreciated that it was darker in theme in a way that is reminiscent of Grimm's Fairy tales, and the emotional complexity of the novel.
However, I just didn't find this book engaging at all. The main character, Lump was unlikeable for nearly the entire book; he was spoiled, selfish, self-absorbed and petulant until he suddenly saw the error of his ways. I would've thought that Lump's redemption would've made him more appealing and interesting, but the last 30 or so pages when he "learned his lesson" were even more boring than the previous 300+ pages. I also don't think that this would be particularly appealing to younger readers.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was well-written, and Gruber incorporated fairy tales in interesting ways most of the time (although sometimes I got the feeling that he was patting himself on the back about how clever his incorporation or inversion of a particular fairy tale was). I also appreciated that it was darker in theme in a way that is reminiscent of Grimm's Fairy tales, and the emotional complexity of the novel.
However, I just didn't find this book engaging at all. The main character, Lump was unlikeable for nearly the entire book; he was spoiled, selfish, self-absorbed and petulant until he suddenly saw the error of his ways. I would've thought that Lump's redemption would've made him more appealing and interesting, but the last 30 or so pages when he "learned his lesson" were even more boring than the previous 300+ pages. I also don't think that this would be particularly appealing to younger readers.
March 22, 2016
This book started out as a wonderful fairy-tale kind of story, but it also had gritty and realistic parts. By the end, though, it had become a fairy-tale trope. As the book concluded, I think the author did more telling than showing, which was disappointing. A strong start and a weak finish.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews