Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

A carnival rolls in sometime after the midnight hour on a chill Midwestern October eve, ushering in Halloween a week before its time. A calliope's shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two inquisitive boys standing precariously on the brink of adulthood will soon discover the secret of the satanic raree-show's smoke, mazes, and mirrors, as they learn all too well the heavy cost of wishes - and the stuff of nightmare.

Enjoy!!

I am in for this one! 😨

Me too! I have a vintage copy I must have bought a while back. Didn't even know I owned it HAHA!

A gift from the universe Patrick.

I got this today, so will start reading it one day soon.

I made a discovery today, so I’m sharing it here for anyone else in the UK. HMV are currently selling some paperbacks of modern classics, on offer at 2 for £5 (or £3.99 each instead of the cover price around £8.99). They include books by Bradbury, Steinbeck, Herbert... I was lucky, got 2 books I wanted much cheaper than the Kindle versions.

I will be starting the book this weekend. I really like Bradbury's writing but I hope this isn't too scary. I loved Dandelion Wine.

Which HMV shop is it Trisha?

Bernard wrote: "Which HMV shop is it Trisha?"

Any branch, as far as I know, but the book offer doesn’t apply to online orders. If you google “hmv store” you can then enter a location to find stores within your chosen area.

Thanks Trisha. I found a reference to it online, but unfortunately it says there that the offer has ended. But if I go near an HMV shop I will look on the off chance. Of course there are not as many of them as there were .....

Bernard wrote: "Thanks Trisha. I found a reference to it online, but unfortunately it says there that the offer has ended. But if I go near an HMV shop I will look on the off chance. Of course there are not as man..."

That’s a shame - I must have been very lucky. I only went in HMV to look for something else & found a reasonable selection of books. A real surprise, as it’s only a couple of shops away from a branch of Waterstones!

I re-read this a year or two ago. I loved the atmosphere of autumn in this book and the writing. It’s creepy but not that scary.

Sounds interesting - just bought a copy for my kindle so plan to start in the next few days.

Chapter 1- the lightning rod seller Tom Fury gives Jim Nightshade a free lightening rod to protect his house from the coming storm--ominous!

Haha yeah I thought that was weird too.

I didn't realize until I started reading the book that it has the same characters as in Dandelion Wine, which is a lyrical summer book.
I think this book will have a different mood.

Will and Jim are born two minutes apart. Will on October 30 and Jim Nightshade on Halloween. I have a feeling Jim's name and birthday will have major significance in this story.

As an aside, I am glad the boys like going to the library.

Chapter 12:
That is one mysterious train and carnival tent. Something very odd is going on.

What was the point of the "most beautiful woman in the world" thing?

I thought that was odd too, Book Nerd.

Book Nerd wrote: “What was the point of the “most beautiful woman in the world” thing?”

I think it goes back to carnivals showing off “the fattest man in the world” or “the tallest man in the world” and so on. But the beauty is a deception here.

I reread this a few years ago and I liked it better than I did when I first read it as a teenager. I think this is as much a book for the middle-aged as for the adolescent.

My full review is here.

I have finished 18 chapters. That carnival is definitely bad news!

I have just finished part 1. This book is getting freakier and freakier!

I finished the book today and really enjoyed most of it, maybe even the really creepy parts too, after reading the whole thing. And there were some really creepy parts!

I started this today. The writing is beautiful, though I’m not sure what’s happening which is rather disconcerting!

Finished it today! It was very strange, not sure that I understood it, but it was a book I couldn’t put down & wanted to keep reading to see what happened. But I thought Fahrenheit 451 was much better than this one, possibly because it seemed closer to real life & so was more scary.

I'm glad you found it interesting Trisha! I on the other hand will finish it sometime this week. I've been slacking haha.

Patrick wrote: "I'm glad you found it interesting Trisha! I on the other hand will finish it sometime this week. I've been slacking haha."

Sometimes life gets in the way of reading! But I read masses at the weekend because I had planned to do gardening but it rained hard & the ground was much too wet to plant anything.

Re: But I thought Fahrenheit 451 was much better than this one, possibly because it seemed closer to real life & so was more scary.

451 has a more conventional SF theme, but Wicked has a most effective atmosphere, which I think is one of Rays strengths.

I guess it’s just a personal preference, Bernard.

I really like the way Bradbury writes. I found some of the paragraphs in Something... to be poetic and lyrical, which worked to counteract some of the creepiness.

Rosemarie wrote: "I really like the way Bradbury writes. I found some of the paragraphs in Something... to be poetic and lyrical, which worked to counteract some of the creepiness."

I agree, Rosemarie. His writing is wonderful. I didn’t find this book as creepy as I had expected, though wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. The scariest scene, I thought, was when the boys were hidden under the grille...

I agree, Trisha. I was really worried that they would get discovered.

Rosemarie wrote: "I really like the way Bradbury writes. I found some of the paragraphs in Something... to be poetic and lyrical, which worked to counteract some of the creepiness."

Counteract??? For me, the creepiness is the best bit!

It is very poetic creepiness! But then, I am not a big fan of carnivals and side shows.

Indeed! I have never been to a carny, but I have seen them on tv. I think Ray conveys the atmosphere expertly.

Almost finished, the book is written so poetically, the writing is lovely, the story is terrifying. This is the second Bradbury book I have read (Fahrenheit 451) and so far there has not been one decent female character, which is really disappointing.

I WILL finish it this month lol. Got sidetracked and read The Haunting of Hill House. Back to SWTWC!

Glad everyone is enjoying it so far!

Audrey wrote: "I think it goes back to carnivals showing off “the fattest man in the world” or “the tallest man in the world” and so on. But the beauty is a deception here."
It just seemed to have nothing to do with anything. (view spoiler)[She was apparently frozen in a block of ice then thawed and had nothing else to do with the story. (hide spoiler)]

Overall I thought the poeticness of it distracted from a pretty simple story.

Book Nerd wrote: "What was the point of the "most beautiful woman in the world" thing?"

My take on this was that (view spoiler)[ it was another example of the carny trapping people through their desires. With Miss Foley and the boys it was wanting to be younger/older, with the Lightning rod salesman it was the most beautiful woman in the world - he felt he could melt the ice, entered the empty shop with the ice block and the door closed behind him - next time we meet him he is the dwarf and part of the carnival misfits. (hide spoiler)]

I enjoyed the novel - my first Ray Bradbury read - agree with Trisha that the boys hidden under the grille is one of the best bits, along with the library scene that comes just after that.

I’ve read a few Ray Bradbury books. The Martian Chronicles was his best I think. Fahrenheit 451 is good too. All his stuff is on the frightening side lol.

Dandelion Wine by Bradbury is not spooky, but their is an aura of mystery around some of the events, in a lyrical nostalgic kind of way.

Tony wrote: "Book Nerd wrote: "What was the point of the "most beautiful woman in the world" thing?"

My take on this was that [spoilers removed]"
Yeah, that makes sense.

Adrianaa wrote: "Almost finished, the book is written so poetically, the writing is lovely, the story is terrifying. This is the second Bradbury book I have read (Fahrenheit 451) and so far there has not been one d..."

An interesting point, which I missed while reading this book. My only other Bradbury read so far was Fahrenheit 451. I remember reading a criticism of that book which referred to it being male-dominated. It didn’t bother me, as I assumed then that the fire service anywhere had very few, if any, female firefighters when the book was written. It’s something I will consider when I read another of his books.

I honestly hope firefighting is male dominated. If my house is on fire and I’m trapped I hope a big buff dude breaks in and carries my 6’4”, 230lb body out quick! When it comes to highly physical jobs like that I hope it’s male dominated. I mean no offense.

Patrick wrote: "I honestly hope firefighting is male dominated. If my house is on fire and I’m trapped I hope a big buff dude breaks in and carries my 6’4”, 230lb body out quick! When it comes to highly physical j..."

I understand completely, Patrick. I believe in equal opportunities, but think there are situations where different people have more appropriate skills than others. I think that is being realistic, though I apologise if anyone is offended by it.

I don’t get offended lol. Just making conversation is all.

We have female firefighters in Toronto and they look like strong women. Realistically, tasks are assigned to people who are able to do them, hopefully in all workplaces, not just the fire department.

Rosemarie wrote: "We have female firefighters in Toronto and they look like strong women. Realistically, tasks are assigned to people who are able to do them, hopefully in all workplaces, not just the fire department."

Agreed, Rosemarie. We have a number in London too. I admire everyone who does a dangerous job to help others - & their families too, it must be very difficult waiting for loved ones to return home just hoping that they are safe.

In Fahrenheit 451 firefighters didn't rescue people out of buildings, it's crazy to me that in a dystopian gender inequality can't be critiqued. @Patrick there are requisite levels of fitness and strength to qualify as a firefighter. It's rarely one firefighter that will be carrying someone out, so to deny half of the population that as a career option is pretty offensive actually.