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The Hapless Child
This sorry tale of petite Charlotte Sophia's catastrophic, short life is classic Gorey. The poor child is orphaned and treated mercilessly by schoolmates and ruffians alike, and only barely survives--for a time, anyway--by the skin of her baby teeth. Even her doll suffers a gruesome end. The Hapless Child is widely regarded as one of Gorey's best books; happily it is now back in print after an absence of many years, so that we can all enjoy weeping for Charlotte Sophia again...and again, and again.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1961
About the author
Edward Gorey
484 books2,062 followersBorn in Chicago, Gorey came from a colourful family; his parents, Helen Dunham Garvey and Edward Lee Gorey, divorced in 1936 when he was 11, then remarried in 1952 when he was 27. One of his step-mothers was Corinna Mura, a cabaret singer who had a brief role in the classic film Casablanca. His father was briefly a journalist. Gorey's maternal great-grandmother, Helen St. John Garvey, was a popular 19th century greeting card writer/artist, from whom he claimed to have inherited his talents. He attended a variety of local grade schools and then the Francis W. Parker School. He spent 1944–1946 in the Army at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, and then attended Harvard University from 1946 to 1950, where he studied French and roomed with future poet Frank O'Hara.
Although he would frequently state that his formal art training was "negligible", Gorey studied art for one semester at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 1943, eventually becoming a professional illustrator. From 1953 to 1960, he lived in New York City and worked for the Art Department of Doubleday Anchor, illustrating book covers and in some cases adding illustrations to the text. He has illustrated works as diverse as Dracula by Bram Stoker, The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, and Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. In later years he illustrated many children's books by John Bellairs, as well as books in several series begun by Bellairs and continued by other authors after his death.
Although he would frequently state that his formal art training was "negligible", Gorey studied art for one semester at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 1943, eventually becoming a professional illustrator. From 1953 to 1960, he lived in New York City and worked for the Art Department of Doubleday Anchor, illustrating book covers and in some cases adding illustrations to the text. He has illustrated works as diverse as Dracula by Bram Stoker, The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, and Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. In later years he illustrated many children's books by John Bellairs, as well as books in several series begun by Bellairs and continued by other authors after his death.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
October 21, 2018
Unhappy Halloween to you, heh heh heh.
One of Gorey’s best works, in a beautiful hardcover production featuring Gorey’s hilariously morose sense of humor and exquisitely macabre pen and ink drawings about a little (hapless) girl for whom nothings works out: Father (apparently) killed in the war, mother commits suicide because she's so depressed, uncle dies from a brick falling on his head, she is bullied, robbed, sold into slavery to a drunk, goes blind, stumbles into the street and gets run over by her (actually) alive father who doesn't even remember what his child looked like. Gruesome? Yep. Outrageously so.
It would seem to be a kind of response to Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess, where a girl’s father dies and she is left destitute, demeaned, abused, but whose fortune is in The Nick of Time reversed, hurrah, through pluck and luck optimism: “If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside.”
But Gorey will have none of this; he darkly, but hilariously, contends that a princess in rags and tatters can indeed have an unhappy ending, and, crushed by fortune, most often would! A tale of woe especially for Halloween.
Surely Lemony Snicket had this in mind somewhere (or let's say ,Gorey's work in general) when he wrote An Unfortunate Series of Events.
A musical version of The Hapless Child by Michael Mantler and company:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr3Bd...
One of Gorey’s best works, in a beautiful hardcover production featuring Gorey’s hilariously morose sense of humor and exquisitely macabre pen and ink drawings about a little (hapless) girl for whom nothings works out: Father (apparently) killed in the war, mother commits suicide because she's so depressed, uncle dies from a brick falling on his head, she is bullied, robbed, sold into slavery to a drunk, goes blind, stumbles into the street and gets run over by her (actually) alive father who doesn't even remember what his child looked like. Gruesome? Yep. Outrageously so.
It would seem to be a kind of response to Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess, where a girl’s father dies and she is left destitute, demeaned, abused, but whose fortune is in The Nick of Time reversed, hurrah, through pluck and luck optimism: “If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside.”
But Gorey will have none of this; he darkly, but hilariously, contends that a princess in rags and tatters can indeed have an unhappy ending, and, crushed by fortune, most often would! A tale of woe especially for Halloween.
Surely Lemony Snicket had this in mind somewhere (or let's say ,Gorey's work in general) when he wrote An Unfortunate Series of Events.
A musical version of The Hapless Child by Michael Mantler and company:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr3Bd...
April 22, 2018
Wow. This is super Morbid and it made me so sad. It did not have a happy ending. I would say this is mature material for mature people. I did not find the funny. Still, the art is amazing - so Gorey and the story is every horrible thing that can happen to a person does and life goes from amazing to a showcase of horrors.
August 31, 2011
This is the perfect book to read to your child when they are going through one of their whiney "It's not faaaaaaaaair" phases. Really? You want to see unfair? Here, let me tell you a little story about poor Charlotte Sophia. If that doesn't shut them up...
May 7, 2018
Bueno, no es precisamente un cuento de hadas, la verdad es una historia muy triste (la piba no pega una). Gorey es uno de mis artistas favoritos de toda la vida, cada cuento suyo que leo es una caricia a mi oscuro corazoncito.
June 9, 2013
A rather macabre version of "A Little Princess" by Francis Hodgson Burnett
Charlotte Sophia had a charmed life with loving "well to do" parents. Her blissful existence ends when her father is called to fight in Africa. When she learns of his death, Charlotte's mother falls into a fatal decline and she is left orphaned.
The family layer ships her off to boarding school where she punished by teachers and bullied by fellow classmates.
Charlotte eventually escapes from the miserable place but things don't improve much. The locket containing her parents pictures is stolen and she is sold to a drunken brute who makes her work for scraps off food.
She changes so much that her father, who, as it happens is not actually dead (you wimped out Gorey!!) doesn't even recognise her limp lifeless body lying in the street.
Jesus, that was depressing. I need to go out in the sun now...
February 8, 2013
A Little Princess as told by Gorey... he doesn't believe in happily ever afters...
May 29, 2023
Some of Gorey's best artwork here. Each image is accompanied with one line of text. The story is about a poor young girl Charlotte Sophia who is left homeless as her dad is said to have died in the war. He eventually comes back and is in search of Charlotte.. but ends up running her over! And because of her worsened condition, he can't even recognize her.
September 25, 2011
My favorite parts were the weird little monsters in most of the panels. The bat in the panel where she gets sold to a drunken brute is adorable!
May 30, 2019
Possibly the dreariest children's story ever, I could picture Morticia reading this to little Wednesday. It also features some of the most detailed and stunning art I've seen yet from Gorey.
July 11, 2008
Gorey's specialty is writing horrific stories about the bad things that happen to unfortunate children. His books seem designed to give little kids nightmares, and I have a hunch that they are often successful. They are sick, deadpan, mean-spirited and often hilarious. This is one of my very favorites.
'Tis the story of a young child who has a tragic and very brief life, every page packing on another misery for the little tyke to deal with, culminating in the child's unceremonious and highly ironic death. Death, abuse, sickness, fear and suffering are the major ingredients of the child's life, and the story is brought to life through Gorey's marvellous illustrations. I'm not giving any of the details because that would just take the fun out of it.
This is one of my very favorite Gorey books and would be a good starting place for someone new to him. But, if you don't like your humor black as the blackest black that ever blacked, perhaps "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" would be a better starting place: it's more overtly funny, while this one has such a tragic end that you have to be pretty twisted to laugh at it. That didn't stop me, of course.
'Tis the story of a young child who has a tragic and very brief life, every page packing on another misery for the little tyke to deal with, culminating in the child's unceremonious and highly ironic death. Death, abuse, sickness, fear and suffering are the major ingredients of the child's life, and the story is brought to life through Gorey's marvellous illustrations. I'm not giving any of the details because that would just take the fun out of it.
This is one of my very favorite Gorey books and would be a good starting place for someone new to him. But, if you don't like your humor black as the blackest black that ever blacked, perhaps "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" would be a better starting place: it's more overtly funny, while this one has such a tragic end that you have to be pretty twisted to laugh at it. That didn't stop me, of course.
December 29, 2015
This is the only one of the 'kids die' stories in Amphigorey that didn't improve significantly on a reread for me. Although I did find the little lizard critter in each pane, and that was enjoyable. So there's that. Maybe if I had read A Little Princess at some point I would enjoy it more. I will revisit if I happen to read that one.
(Reread in Amphigorey; reviewing separately.)
(Reread in Amphigorey; reviewing separately.)
October 2, 2017
The most depressing and harrowing "children's book" I've ever read. Father killed in war, mother (presumably) commits suicide because she's so depressed, the uncle dies from a brick falling on his head, the child is bullied, robbed, sold in the white slavery/sex work to a drunk, goes blind, stumbles into the street and gets run over by her actually alive father who doesn't even remember what his child looked like. The art is creepy and beautiful. The story is succinct and powerful. But the audience for this book can't possibly be children? I found it in the children's section of the library, but this is just too much. I wonder if it is creepier than original Grimm tales.
March 5, 2010
Ack!
April 21, 2010
Reminded me of Justine
August 4, 2023
El libro funciona para mostrar el arte de Gorey, las pequeñas frases por pagina dan lugar a pensar que llevaría algún tipo de rima, ritmo o valor poético en su idioma original, pero no es el caso en la versión en español. La historia es macabra como la mayor parte de estas obras, pero no creo que le de ningún valor adicional a lo que son las imágenes en si mismas.
Esta bien como una pequeña curiosidad, pero no se le puede esperar ningún valor en cuanto a narración o historia.
Esta bien como una pequeña curiosidad, pero no se le puede esperar ningún valor en cuanto a narración o historia.
July 13, 2026
Man, this is DARK! Even for Edward Gorey. Amazing illustrations as usual, with little creepy creatures lurking in corners and from behind furniture. I wouldn't read it to a child though, this is strictly adult content. Poor Charlotte Sophia.
September 27, 2024
Mi historia favorita de la biblioteca macabra
January 17, 2024
There's a twist where I thought there would be a happy ending, but then I remembered I was reading Gorey. I'm probably going to hell for how hard I laughed; I was literally in tears. This fella was a genius.
February 23, 2025
the story of a young girl named charlotte, who really encounters every bad thing that could happen to a person in a really short period.
reminded me a lot of "little princess", but without the heartwarming characters and events between the injustice, poor charlotte here gets nothing but misery.
reminded me a lot of "little princess", but without the heartwarming characters and events between the injustice, poor charlotte here gets nothing but misery.
July 21, 2026
The story is told in a matter of fact voice. Essentially each page is a Gorey illustration and then a line or two of text that is more caption than anything else. The dark humor stems from the passive reporting of these increasingly tragic events.
The book comes to its tragic conclusion in brick joke fashion. The dead father is the brick. The bucket is the car he's driving — rushing to rescue her from her tragic life. Only to run her over and not recognize her as his own daughter.
https://pussreboots.com/blog/2026/com...
Orphan City Maze FF00CC
The book comes to its tragic conclusion in brick joke fashion. The dead father is the brick. The bucket is the car he's driving — rushing to rescue her from her tragic life. Only to run her over and not recognize her as his own daughter.
https://pussreboots.com/blog/2026/com...
Orphan City Maze FF00CC
January 30, 2009
A grimly ironic tale by Edward Gorey, wherein a young child is orphaned, and in the antithesis of "A Little Princess," endures great hardships without the happy ending.
The real interest in Gorey's work isn't so much the story as the morbid artwork. He's well-known for his sketch-like drawings. It was Gorey who did the much-loved introduction to PBS' Mystery!
Gorey couldn't have been much of a child-lover, if his stories were anything to go on. But they're amusing, and rather timely.
The real interest in Gorey's work isn't so much the story as the morbid artwork. He's well-known for his sketch-like drawings. It was Gorey who did the much-loved introduction to PBS' Mystery!
Gorey couldn't have been much of a child-lover, if his stories were anything to go on. But they're amusing, and rather timely.
November 2, 2010
I bought a bunch of Edward Gorey books for a dollar at a library sale. I thought they were for kids. Not so. I didn't know who Gorey was at the time and then later found out how much people worship him for being so ironic and creepy. Whatever. I'm selling them.
November 9, 2012
That story was very sad, but the signature matter-of-fact tone which Gorey uses to present the story adds charm? (if you can find a book in which a child suffers charming) One of the better Gorey books, in my opinion.
November 17, 2012
Like Oscar Wilde said of the Little Nell story: "One would have to have a heart of stone not to laugh at it."
Likewise, the Hapless Child.
Would have reviewed when I read it, but they didn't have a reading social network at the time.
Likewise, the Hapless Child.
Would have reviewed when I read it, but they didn't have a reading social network at the time.
January 13, 2014
It is a very interesting book .short and sweet ..but the poor girl doesn't have a happy ending ..Edward Gorey is a very unique author ..Am going to read some of his other works . For those who do not know him ..He is the artist of the drawings that were shown at the start of Mystery Theater on PBS.
March 26, 2016
At some point Edward Gorey sat down and thought to himself, "Frances Hodgson Burnett and Charles Dickens ... those two were too lighthearted with their children's stories."
This is like "The Iron Tonic: But With A Tiny Child."
This is like "The Iron Tonic: But With A Tiny Child."
April 13, 2020
This has to be the bleakest Gorey I have read so far. The story of Charlotte Sophia's short and dreadfully shocking life; Gorey takes you on a journey which gets continually worse. The art, obviously, perfectly accompanies the story and leaves you feeling a little lost and broken inside.
September 6, 2007
Gloriously Gorey. Favorite part: when her uncle is "brained by a brick."
October 8, 2008
depessing, with great illustrations
September 21, 2009
The most despair-inducing children's story I have read this year.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews