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astroneatly's review
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I have only read this book twice. 🤥 My other sister was explaining to me that for a children’s book, it’s pretty dark. So I guess in a sense it is Dantesque. When he’s swallowed by a dogfish it has resemblances of the biblical story, Jonah. Similarly, the puppet was saved from being skinned as a donkey, when he once again became the wooden boy that he was and should’ve stayed. Because the whole story he sets out on a quest to change 4 gold pieces into thousands, as if by way of eluding his studies he could be all the richer. And he does it for his Pa, though his father is sad that he ran away from home.
The time must come for every boy to leave home and set out on a grand adventure! The cat and the fox are of course cunning, and tell him a tree will sprout where he plants them, and they both make off with it. Though they had lied to him, they told him,
“We work solely to enrich others.”
And that would be a lesson for Pinocchio, if he was a gentleman and didn’t imagine things. Because of his hard wood, his skin is impregnable. But it won’t save him from being cooked by a tenacious fishermen who mistakes him for a fish.
Unfortunately he neglects his studies to go be a vagabond! Maybe he was walking through the inferno, that’s what makes sense to me… he even goes to the land of boobies, but I guess since he can’t grow up, there’s no throbbing ladies in waiting there for him at all! That’s a timber. 🪵 So maybe he’s a real boy, and can see old age, he’ll find the REAL land of boobies. But this is a kids book and that’s just speculation.
He decides to come home. His father greets him with the reminder that “All illusions my boy!” And maybe in fact everything is an illusion. We ourselves are the wandering bodies of vagabonds, that traverse our own destinies on the path of enlightenment. Not all of us, are looking for that. But a few of us can’t stop looking for the the incredible lightness of being, which stirs a ember in me that can never be extinguished!
The time must come for every boy to leave home and set out on a grand adventure! The cat and the fox are of course cunning, and tell him a tree will sprout where he plants them, and they both make off with it. Though they had lied to him, they told him,
“We work solely to enrich others.”
And that would be a lesson for Pinocchio, if he was a gentleman and didn’t imagine things. Because of his hard wood, his skin is impregnable. But it won’t save him from being cooked by a tenacious fishermen who mistakes him for a fish.
Unfortunately he neglects his studies to go be a vagabond! Maybe he was walking through the inferno, that’s what makes sense to me… he even goes to the land of boobies, but I guess since he can’t grow up, there’s no throbbing ladies in waiting there for him at all! That’s a timber. 🪵 So maybe he’s a real boy, and can see old age, he’ll find the REAL land of boobies. But this is a kids book and that’s just speculation.
He decides to come home. His father greets him with the reminder that “All illusions my boy!” And maybe in fact everything is an illusion. We ourselves are the wandering bodies of vagabonds, that traverse our own destinies on the path of enlightenment. Not all of us, are looking for that. But a few of us can’t stop looking for the the incredible lightness of being, which stirs a ember in me that can never be extinguished!
sidharthvardhan's review against another edition
4.0
Pinocchio, leaping around with his long nose, making promises to be better and running away on first distraction; Pinocchio is just perfect caricature of a boy. He is a puppet - something that could be lead around; and he is in fact lead by others through out the story. The book is funny and could had been better had it not been so clearly written with motive of teaching children.
bickleyhouse's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Everyone's familiar with Pinocchio, right? The cautionary tale of the puppet who would be a real boy. Some are more familiar with the Disney-fied version of the story. A few weeks ago, I watched Guillermo del Toro's new production of the story, which was delightful. After watching that, I decided that I needed to read the original story to see how del Toro and Disney differed from it.
I was actually surprised to see how much del Toro varied from the original. I'm never surprised to see how much Disney varies. But it appears that Disney's version may have actually been closer to the original than del Toro's.
At any rate, it is a fantastic (and by that, I mean "fantasy") story of an old man who wants to make a puppet. The original piece of wood was picked up by someone else, but every time that person tried to do something with it, it talked to him. He wound up giving it to Geppetto, who then carved it into Pinocchio. In the book, the puppet is not given life by a fairy or witch, it is simply alive from the beginning. And contrary and precocious, as well. Pinocchio constantly veers off of the path he is supposed to be following, only to bemoan the consequences, saying, "If only I had obeyed! If only I hadn't done _________!" This happens constantly, throughout the tale. And, of course, every time he gets rescued, he determines that he is never going to do that again.
But he does.
There were some details in the story that weren't included in either del Toro's or Disney's version. In one scenario, Pinocchio is forced to act like a guard dog, as punishment for sneaking into a farmer's land to try to steal some food. And he does such a good job of it, that the farmer releases him. The giant fish that swallows Geppetto and Pinocchio (a dogfish in Disney's) is a shark in the book. A very, very large shark (one character says it is a kilometer!).
Del Toro's version includes a lot of material involving Mussolini, who is not at all mentioned in Collodi's original tale. And, in del Toro's version, rather than getting enticed to go to Toyland, Pinocchio travels with a puppet show, and never turns into a donkey (which is included in the Disney version). The fairy does turn up in the book, but in the middle of the story, and promises Pinocchio that he can, in fact, become a real boy. Oh, and the Talking Cricket (which is all he is called in the book) is killed off (or so we think) early in the book, and appears in later chapter as a ghost (or so we think).
It was a fun read for me, though, and quick. The version I read had 170 pages, but had many full-page color illustrations in it, a very pretty volume. This volume was originally published in 2009, and the original story was published in 1882. By the way, Mussolini wasn't even born until 1883.
I was actually surprised to see how much del Toro varied from the original. I'm never surprised to see how much Disney varies. But it appears that Disney's version may have actually been closer to the original than del Toro's.
At any rate, it is a fantastic (and by that, I mean "fantasy") story of an old man who wants to make a puppet. The original piece of wood was picked up by someone else, but every time that person tried to do something with it, it talked to him. He wound up giving it to Geppetto, who then carved it into Pinocchio. In the book, the puppet is not given life by a fairy or witch, it is simply alive from the beginning. And contrary and precocious, as well. Pinocchio constantly veers off of the path he is supposed to be following, only to bemoan the consequences, saying, "If only I had obeyed! If only I hadn't done _________!" This happens constantly, throughout the tale. And, of course, every time he gets rescued, he determines that he is never going to do that again.
But he does.
There were some details in the story that weren't included in either del Toro's or Disney's version. In one scenario, Pinocchio is forced to act like a guard dog, as punishment for sneaking into a farmer's land to try to steal some food. And he does such a good job of it, that the farmer releases him. The giant fish that swallows Geppetto and Pinocchio (a dogfish in Disney's) is a shark in the book. A very, very large shark (one character says it is a kilometer!).
Del Toro's version includes a lot of material involving Mussolini, who is not at all mentioned in Collodi's original tale. And, in del Toro's version, rather than getting enticed to go to Toyland, Pinocchio travels with a puppet show, and never turns into a donkey (which is included in the Disney version). The fairy does turn up in the book, but in the middle of the story, and promises Pinocchio that he can, in fact, become a real boy. Oh, and the Talking Cricket (which is all he is called in the book) is killed off (or so we think) early in the book, and appears in later chapter as a ghost (or so we think).
It was a fun read for me, though, and quick. The version I read had 170 pages, but had many full-page color illustrations in it, a very pretty volume. This volume was originally published in 2009, and the original story was published in 1882. By the way, Mussolini wasn't even born until 1883.
lara_reading's review against another edition
4.0
Esta es una lectura obligatoria para mi examen final de italiano y es, probablemente, el que más me ha gustado entre los pocos libros obligatorios de la asignatura.
Ha sido una lectura rara, pero la he disfrutado bastante. "Rara" en el sentido de que mientras leĂa no paraba de imaginarme la peli de Disney y no sabĂ©is lo perturbadora que me parecĂa cuando era peque (aĂşn tengo miedo) y, por otra parte, la he disfrutado porque es una historia muy corta y amena; y fácil de seguir porque lo he leĂdo en italiano que ni siquiera es mi idioma principal en la carrera.
Evidentemente hay cambios entre el libro y la peli, pero no son nada exagerados y los pocos que hay ni me han molestado.
Probablemente lo volveré a leer en un futuro porque ha sido una buena experiencia.
Pregate per passare il corso, per favore.
Ha sido una lectura rara, pero la he disfrutado bastante. "Rara" en el sentido de que mientras leĂa no paraba de imaginarme la peli de Disney y no sabĂ©is lo perturbadora que me parecĂa cuando era peque (aĂşn tengo miedo) y, por otra parte, la he disfrutado porque es una historia muy corta y amena; y fácil de seguir porque lo he leĂdo en italiano que ni siquiera es mi idioma principal en la carrera.
Evidentemente hay cambios entre el libro y la peli, pero no son nada exagerados y los pocos que hay ni me han molestado.
Probablemente lo volveré a leer en un futuro porque ha sido una buena experiencia.
Pregate per passare il corso, per favore.
prusche's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
sakibat's review against another edition
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
caitriona_w's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0