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eriynali's review against another edition
5.0
recommended by steven isserlis - and he's never been wrong. wish i had the means to look at the original edition, but the 1975 version was ok. i'm sure the original is even better, i can only imagine the difference in illustrations and editing. what entertainment! We read it aloud as a family right after finishing reading rene bull's arabian nights.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
3.0
A very old fashioned (not in an entirely good way) fantasy. I love the truly fantastic bits, but there's an awful lot of cultural appropriation and downright racism that makes me very uncomfortable.
ladynigelia's review
5.0
I grew up listening to this reading of The Land of Green Ginger - as a cassette tape recorded from the vinyl record. I was thrilled to find that the original radio station recording was available for download:
http://fromthevaultradio.org/home/2014/04/25/ftv-415-the-land-of-green-ginger-by-noel-langley/
The rebroadcast also includes tidbits about the history of the recording and the book itself. I did not know how old the story was or that it had gone through so many revisions!
Now that I'm an adult that regularly listens to audiobooks, I have enough information to make judgements on reader quality, and I realize just how spoiled we were to have this amazing reading of this story. Langley really gives an outstanding performance with absurd characters and delightful ditties. I'll be indoctrinating my (future) kids on this story as well.
http://fromthevaultradio.org/home/2014/04/25/ftv-415-the-land-of-green-ginger-by-noel-langley/
The rebroadcast also includes tidbits about the history of the recording and the book itself. I did not know how old the story was or that it had gone through so many revisions!
Now that I'm an adult that regularly listens to audiobooks, I have enough information to make judgements on reader quality, and I realize just how spoiled we were to have this amazing reading of this story. Langley really gives an outstanding performance with absurd characters and delightful ditties. I'll be indoctrinating my (future) kids on this story as well.
narflet's review
5.0
I managed to obtain a tattered and falling apart copy of the 1966 paperback from ebay, for just over £5. Might sound a lot for a falling apart paperback, but considering that the only other copy I've found for sale (of the 1966 text) is listed at £40 then I think it was a bargain.
I've also got a copy of the 1975 text for comparative reading, but I doubt I'll be able to get a hold of a copy of the original 1937 text without considerable expense. Having glanced at the 1975 version after finishing this one, and from reading comments online, I get the gist that the 75 version is basically a stripped-down version of the 66 text with a few modifications. I also understand, from what I've found online, that the 66 version expands on, and greatly adds humour to, the original 37 text. The 66 version seems to be the most highly regarded of the three versions by those who've had the great fortune to read all 3 versions. I'd love to be able to read the original text someday.
As for the story itself, I'm unsure if I've read it before, if I've ever had it read to me, or if I've just known about it for so long that I feel like I must've read it. It's a fantastic story, full of wit and charm. I kept thinking, while reading it, that it'd be great if Aardman got their hands on this and made a film of it, it's full of that classic English kind of humour. There's action and adventure, and plenty of magic. I loved it.
The only part of it that I didn't like so much, was the Overdoing of the Capitalisation. I'm all for a bit of emphatic capitilising, but I'd rather it was used sparingly (like A. A. Milne does in Winnie-the-Pooh). For me, the near constant capitilisation of words made them just become a bit of a blur and lose the impact that it was intended to have. But that's really the only thing I didn't like, and it's quite easily forgiven when the rest of the book is so very clever.
I've also got a copy of the 1975 text for comparative reading, but I doubt I'll be able to get a hold of a copy of the original 1937 text without considerable expense. Having glanced at the 1975 version after finishing this one, and from reading comments online, I get the gist that the 75 version is basically a stripped-down version of the 66 text with a few modifications. I also understand, from what I've found online, that the 66 version expands on, and greatly adds humour to, the original 37 text. The 66 version seems to be the most highly regarded of the three versions by those who've had the great fortune to read all 3 versions. I'd love to be able to read the original text someday.
As for the story itself, I'm unsure if I've read it before, if I've ever had it read to me, or if I've just known about it for so long that I feel like I must've read it. It's a fantastic story, full of wit and charm. I kept thinking, while reading it, that it'd be great if Aardman got their hands on this and made a film of it, it's full of that classic English kind of humour. There's action and adventure, and plenty of magic. I loved it.
The only part of it that I didn't like so much, was the Overdoing of the Capitalisation. I'm all for a bit of emphatic capitilising, but I'd rather it was used sparingly (like A. A. Milne does in Winnie-the-Pooh). For me, the near constant capitilisation of words made them just become a bit of a blur and lose the impact that it was intended to have. But that's really the only thing I didn't like, and it's quite easily forgiven when the rest of the book is so very clever.
tree_star's review against another edition
5.0
This book was totally amazing! The art was cute, the prose is very well written and clever. Flying carpets, mischievous villains, dragons, a damsel in distress, talking animals, and a button-nosed tortoise-once magician. What's not to love?
cmbohn's review against another edition
4.0
Themes: fairy tales, adventure, magic, love, friendship
Setting: China, Istanbul, and the Land of Green Ginger
Aladdin is enjoying being emperor of China and celebrating the birth of his son, when his newborn son starts talking. This is rather a shock, so Aladdin summons the genie again to ask what to do. Turns out little Abu Ali is going to set off on an adventure to discover the location of The Land of Green Ginger and save the magician who lives there. As soon as Abu Ali turns 18, he sets off on his journey. And if he happens to rescue the most beautiful girl in the world, make friends with a mouse and a genie, confront a couple of Evil Princes, and escape prison, so much the better.
This was written back in the 1930s, so I don't know why I never heard of it until this year, but it was a wonderful read. It would be a great story to read out loud. Lots of fun.
Setting: China, Istanbul, and the Land of Green Ginger
Aladdin is enjoying being emperor of China and celebrating the birth of his son, when his newborn son starts talking. This is rather a shock, so Aladdin summons the genie again to ask what to do. Turns out little Abu Ali is going to set off on an adventure to discover the location of The Land of Green Ginger and save the magician who lives there. As soon as Abu Ali turns 18, he sets off on his journey. And if he happens to rescue the most beautiful girl in the world, make friends with a mouse and a genie, confront a couple of Evil Princes, and escape prison, so much the better.
This was written back in the 1930s, so I don't know why I never heard of it until this year, but it was a wonderful read. It would be a great story to read out loud. Lots of fun.
erine's review against another edition
3.0
This was a cute little story about Aladdin once he's married and has a baby. The baby, Abu Ali, has to rescue a button-nosed tortoise (who's really a magician) by finding the flying kitchen garden called The Land of Green Ginger. In the meantime, he also wins the hand of the beautiful princess (she might not actually be a princess, but is the daughter of a wealthy man). Abu Ali has to compete with other suitors and use his wits and his trusty djinn to get him out of some serious scrapes. While the female lead wasn't a strong character, the story itself was charming and reminded me of the style of the Narnia stories.
Those who are looking for a pretty traditional fairy tale with some little twists should get along well with this book. The style is a little old-fashioned, but the story is engaging, so it should have a fairly wide appeal within the fantasy lovers.
Uses the wicked suitors to makes fun of Asian-sounding names (Sulkpot Ben Nagnag).
Those who are looking for a pretty traditional fairy tale with some little twists should get along well with this book. The style is a little old-fashioned, but the story is engaging, so it should have a fairly wide appeal within the fantasy lovers.
Uses the wicked suitors to makes fun of Asian-sounding names (Sulkpot Ben Nagnag).
munyapenny's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
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