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What are readers saying about The Book of Lost Things?
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-22 10:21:05.
(Language: English)
  
This book was both a fairy-tale story and a disturbingly dark tale. All-in-all, I really enjoyed it, but I would not recommend it for the young or maybe even many young adults. Some of the scenes described were quite disturbing. That, however, was a very small part of the book and it did actually add to your abhorrence of the bad guy. It was also deeply psychological. For this reason, I thought there might be some good re-reading value in it. I have almost never re-read a book in my life, but this one might be worth it. I shelved it for that reason. 
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-09-26 11:00:28.
(Language: English)
What a book! Is is fairytale, is it novel? Where did it come from? Different, but once you started, you can't stop...
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-17 05:07:14.
(Language: English)
I loved this book. It was truly moving. It made me sad (to the point of tears), scared, joyous, and in the end wonderstruck. It is so bittersweet and has such hope woven through that by the end you want to reread it right away. Thus far, I am halfway through it, and it is a wonderfully written story. What a wonderful book! Truly magical, sensitive, touching, scary, and suspensful- all in one story. My favorite quote, one that my father used to say to me before he died- "...a man is always his father's child no matter how old he is or how long they have been apart." My other favorite quote is "...each man dreams his own heaven."
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-03-02 06:18:09.
(Language: English)
OH I really like this book my sister gave it to me and every time i set it down as soon as i can pick it back up i'm totally engrossed again while in the book the lines of fairytale and real cross and i become aware of the college studies i took over 30 plus years ago that all came after while in the story i was not taking notes i was enjoying and Connollys writing style held me captive till he was finished.Then when it was over and now i am reading all he added at the end explaining the stuff he wrote and why.
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Chihoe posted a review at 2010-04-11 07:51:12.
(Language: English)
This was just the book I needed to rebound from the disappointing one I read before this. John Connolly spins a fairytale in its own right, building from some of the traditional fairytales we know so well and adding great ideas of his own. Even with its imaginative fantasy, the plot remains real and grounded. The language is simple and the story starts of that way so much so that I thought it was miscategorized as an adult fiction rather than teen fiction. The fairytales become more sinister as the story delves deeper into a child's journey into adulthood, learning to put behind his grief, fears and insecurities, while embracing new emotions and morals that will save him from the distorted world of darkness. It does not matter where it is shelved or what age you are, so long as you and others read it. A movie adaptation (or better still, one that stays 100% true to the book) that will not suck, please?!
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-09-05 01:36:24.
(Language: English)
Could not put it down. Fantastic novel. Very scary in parts.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-04-06 06:23:14.
(Language: English)
This was probably the deepest, most meaningful piece of fantasy fiction I've ever read. There were so many symbolic aspects to this, and I was so grateful for the author's notes in the back of the book to fully point out and explain them. But even if you're not looking for something deep, this book is an incredible (though quite graphic) read. I loved the characters, and found that David in particular was someone I could relate to very strongly. A well-planned, thoroughly thought through novel. PLEASE READ IT!
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Katie posted a review at 2010-08-06 09:10:22.
(Language: English)
If you like the novels that twist up fairy tales -- like Wicked or Mirror Mirror or The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (the wolf's side of the story), you will enjoy this. It's in that genre (not a cookie cutter stamp-out -- it's original), but more dark and twisted.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-01-27 05:44:19.
(Language: English)
This is a book of the same genre as "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman: Fiction written for adults but in prose that recalls fairy-tale-esque beauty. The story of a boy who enters a fantastic realm in a quest to find his dead mother is infused with a degree of sadness, but carries its stories with an obvious relish of the darker side of fairy tales (in a Pan's Labyrinthine way, I suppose). It is beautifully written for the most part, though the replacement of 80% of all instances of the word "on" with "upon" is a grating and ill-conceived way to make the language sound more quaint. I enjoyed it, but it's nowhere near the beauty of Stardust, and not nearly as child-friendly as Cornelia Funke's Inkheart. A good book, but not a great one.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-09-30 01:35:04.
(Language: English)
Super creepy! I will find more from this author for certain!
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Julie posted a review at 2010-07-10 01:06:17.
(Language: English)
Suspend your adult cynicism for a little while and splash feet first into this little taste of childhood adventure and some of the magical fairy tales you had forgotten will be re-threaded into a new tapestry. This book doesn't have as much of the rich imagery of "bad men" but will keep you entertained at a gentle pace from start to finish.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-30 09:54:02.
(Language: English)
Reading this book transported me to the feeling of reading great fairy tales as a child. I felt swept up and transported to another place from page one. The author brings books to life as the main character is able to hear books speaking from the bookshelves. p. 32 "A great book that claimed the end of the world, based on a close examination of the Bible, would occur in 1783, had largely retreated into madness, refusing to believe that the present date was any later than 1782, for to do so would be to admit that its contents were wrong and that its existence therefore had no purpose beyond that of a mere curiosity."
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Lee posted a review at 2010-11-05 10:22:32.
(Language: English)
It's hard to beat Angela Carter's potent re-imaginings of traditional fairytales but Connolly has a pretty good go. The young hero's struggle with his step-family under the shadow of The Blitz is realistic and heartfelt but the pace flounders during a flabby mid-section inspired by medieval quest romances. Connolly's work suffers under too many influences; Narnia, Oz, Wonderland, Labyrinth and even The Box of Delights are all thrown into the mix. Focus is restored in a dramatic ending which is surprisingly horrific considering the overall "kidult" tone. TBOLT may have possessed more depth if freed from the influence of so many other contemporary retellings of old tales. When Connolly finds his own voice the story soars.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-30 09:01:32.
(Language: English)
An interesting take on classic fairy tales. It's set during World War I in London. A little boy, David, loses his mother who loved to read to him. After her death he starts hearing whispers coming from the books. When his father remarries, David starts having "attacks" where he blacks out and can't remember things. The books are talking louder than ever now. With the coming of his Baby Brother, George, David becomes ever more resentful of the infant and his step-mother. That's when he starts seeing a creepy figure of a man with a crooked nose and a pointy hat. David is taken into another world where he is forced to face his fears and grow up. I really enjoyed this book, one because of the dark twist it put on some classic fairytales we all grew up reading (and having read to us). Another thing I enjoyed was the lack of physical description to the characters. We were given a vague idea of what each character looked liked (some more detailed than others) but for the most part not much was said...David's father never even had a name. It left it up to the reader to envision what David and his father looked like, or Roland and the king...or the Loups... I also enjoyed the message the story brought. That as children, we often act with out thought about what consequences lay before us. But, as adults (hopefully) we act more carefully, thinking about the consequences first. I loved this book. The title alone intrigued me enough to pick it up, and after reading it, it is now part of my classic library. Great read!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-11-17 02:12:12.
(Language: English)
I really enjoyed this book. It’s very different from his other works in its tone, imagery and overall narrative. Connolly describes this as a book about childhood but is definitely not for children. I find that incredibly true. It has the narrative voice of a childrens story and borrows greatly from fairytales and little from mythology. It had a great deal of resonance for me because most of the stories were important to me growing up. Each fairytale used is tweaked or twisted so that it’s different and darker so that it better applies to the stories and characters. At the start of the novel, David (the protagonist) hears books talking and relating to one another. This becomes relevant throughout the course of the novel and is a spooky and vivid plot device typical of Connolly. The novel also deals with issues almost every person has faced while growing up; overcoming obstacles, grief, loss, change, adversity, and the impact of our choices. I don’t want to tell too much or give anything away but I completely understood the motivations of the lead character and where he was coming from. While he was an imperfect protagonist, he was a familiar one in a sense. It was incredibly engaging and very difficult to put down. It was like a fairytale for grown-ups which was very refreshing. It’s lighter than other things I have read by him because the story deals with lose of innocence. It also has several chapters at the end which go into the history and interpretations of the fairytales and then repeats the story from the most historically or literary recognized telling.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-23 01:33:40.
(Language: English)
Judging from its cover (oops, we aren't meant to, are we?) I totally did not expect the book to be as dark as it turned out. Connolly doesn't throw needless gore at you (although there are a few moments in the book you can totally visualise in Hollywood) but slowly unsettles you, playing on the fears of the characters and keeping you guessing all the way along. I'm not a great fan of horror but that is probably by virtue of it being effective in what it's meant to achieve.
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Shannon posted a review at 2010-08-11 04:38:57.
(Language: English)
This was a stellar book. It read well, and the plot was a very interesting concept. I loved there-telling of old fairy-tales, that was one of the best parts for me. Everything in it was just steeped in fairy-tale elements with a little twist. The characters in the book were also very well developed. I could really relate to the main character (although I am not, and have never been a twelve year old boy). Reading The Book of Lost Things was just a treat. Something to note, however: This book is very, very dark. If dark stories disturb you, you might not want to read it. Also, it's definitely not a book for kids. At all. There is a lot of violence and sexual suggestions, and just disturbing stuff. I'm usually not bothered by darker tales, but some of the things in the book were unsettling for me. However, it didn't detract from how much I loved the book. I think if I had expected it going in I would have been better prepared mentally.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-24 07:19:05.
(Language: English)
We begin the story by meeting 12 year old David who has just lost his beloved mother. During his struggles to come to terms with his loss, his dad re-marries, he has a new brother and a would-be-mother. This is all very traumatic for David and he takes refuge in his books containing myths and fairy tales.... And thats when the troubles start ... he finds the real world and the fantasy world begin to blend. Thats when the bad things start to happen, that is when the Crooked Man comes. And David is violently propelled into a land populated by heroes, wolves and monsters, and witches .... his quest ... to find the legendary Book of Lost Things. I loved this book, it was by absolute chance I bought it and chose to take it on holiday with me. Although the writer normally writes for children this book is very much to be enjoyed by both children and adults. It is dark, twisted and yet hilariously funny and heartwarmingly life-affirming. It takes all the stories from brothers grimm etc and keeping the characters but changing their relationships with one-another ... often in piss you pants funny ways. I'm not going to tell you too much about the story because half the fun with this book is discovering the twists and tales for yourself. But it is definitely one to check out.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-09-24 03:54:18.
(Language: English)
Read~September 15, 2010 Um....O K A Y!! Weird book! There were parts that I really enjoyed, parts that were REALLY gross and parts that I didn't like (the end, for example, fell a little flat for me. Maybe I need to re-read that part). --------I have had time to think about this book more. And I have discovered that I liked this book. Didn't love it. But liked it quite a bit. It really stays with you. That said, it was still VERY weird. And some of the parts were REALLY gross. But the main part of the story was really good. And there were many lessons to be learned both by the reader AND by the young boy David. And you are also reminded that there are consequences to every action and decision~good OR bad!!! Would I read this again? No. Would I recommend it to people? Absolutely. Will it stay with me for a really long time? For sure, I can answer YES!
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-05-13 02:29:29.
(Language: English)
This was a beautifully written book filled with fairy tales and horror. Certainly not for young people, but a coming-of-age novel that would be hard to replicate. Yet again, it's "writers writing about writing," but it's done so perfectly that I'll withhold my standard complaint about that. It blatantly includes several fairy tale characters, most notably a re-tooled Snow White who will make any mother-of-young-daughters laugh out loud, and a Rumpelstiltskin who belongs in an episode of CSI. It reminded me a lot of "Dune" -- I would be surprised if the author wasn't giving a nod to that book, particularly with the horrific monsters he describes in the latter half of the book.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-14 06:29:02.
(Language: English)
I first came across this book while browsing the bookstore. As tempting as it looked, I didn't get it. However, I decided that I just got to read this one when an ex-colleague was facebooking about it. This is my first John Connolly outing. This is the tale of a twelve year-old boy called David, who loves his books, stories and fairy tales. He mourns his recently departed mother, and now has to deal with the remarriage of his father (and the addition of a little step-brother). All this makes him bitter and angry. Then the books started whispering to him and the Crooked Man made its appearance. Before David knows it, he was in a whole strange new world, one that is filled with myths and stories (think fairy tales gone awry). There he met the Woodsman and Roland (such a knightly name), and battled (and fooled) trolls, wolves including mutated ones, the huntress, the Beast, the Enchantress... It is David's journey from childhood into adulthood, from a timid boy to a courageous young man. He is indeed true to his name David, just as the biblical David had bravely battled Goliath.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-11-15 05:11:56.
(Language: English)
Excellent book,if you imagine someone taking all the fairy stories and tweeking the endings, but not always in a good way. David needs to find his father and ends up in an underworld, the entrance to which is in his back garden. Once there he meets a number of people and goes on a fantastical journey where he meets unbelieveable people who do not always have his best interests at heart. It is a coming of age story.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-12 06:04:05.
(Language: English)
Twelve year old David, while mourning the loss of his mother in a house with his dad's new wife and their newborn son together, finds solace in the books he reads. When David starts experiencing black outs, he can hear books speaking among themselves. He sees a hole in the garden wall of the house and goes through it one night after a fight with his father over his new step-mother. He finds himself in a new world, where his favorite fairy tales have come to life, but with a twist. Where a King is loosing control of his kingdom as he dies. David is heading to the castle to find The Book of Lost Things that belongs to the King and is said to tell him how to get back to his own world. He encounters many people along the way, is being stalked by a herd of half human wolves who want to take over the kingdom and his every step is followed by the Crooked Man who has plans of his own. I loved this book. Even if you don't read it, pick it up in the store or library and just read the two chapters about Snow White and the 7 Dwarves, it is absolutely hysterical. I wish more fairy tales had been incorporated into the story, but the way it is written I felt like I was right there along side David, and it was a great adventure. Beautiful ending that gave me chills and made me smile. A must read.
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Helen posted a review at 2009-09-27 01:44:49.
(Language: English)
An interesting concept of a boy who is confused and sad after his mothers death. When his father remarries and produces a new sibling for him he becomes overcome with jealousy and resentment which leads him to a hidden world of gruesome fairytales. I thought the beginning chapters were really good, a very realistic insight into a child's mind. However once we leave reality the book failed to grab me and it took me longer than normal to read purely because I wasn't compelled to keep picking it up. I didn't particularly like the book but did like the concept of David having to use his wits and his memory of childhood tales to overcome some pretty gruesome dangers and adult themes. And, like all traditional stories...it has a moral.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-11 08:36:12.
(Language: English)
In WWII England, a teenage boy is having a hard time coping with his mother's death. In the nights following a close call with a fighter plane crash, he thinks he hears his mother calling him for help. Investigating further takes him into a world of folklore that is anything but fairy-tale. Soooo good. Pays tribute to "original" versions of medieval European folktales that were designed to scare the crap out of kids, so they'd be more obedient. Not the happy-ending Disney versions. An often violent, gloomy fantasy about the loss of youthful innocence, disguised in an adventure that is superior to anything with a dragon or magic wand on the cover.
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