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lorathelibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
A beautiful children's book. A lovely fantasy with amazing characters, each with distinct personalities that the reader grows very attached to.
This is a heartwarming adventure that if filled with color and magic and whimsy.
This is a heartwarming adventure that if filled with color and magic and whimsy.
mnemex's review against another edition
1.0
Updated? Really?
Decidedly not updated enough.
The Flint Heart in this book has 4 bearers in this book -- and -all- of them are males who are married to gentle women, each hurt horribly by their husband's turn into callous ambition. Oh, and then there's the fairy king (who is stern, powerful, and largely uncompromising) and the fairy queen (who knew--full of mercy and similar feelings)! Hello, Pattersons--1910 called, and they want their book back; meanwhile, if you're going to update something for the 21st century, it would be nice if you actually updated the things that needed updating, like not ramming 1910s ideas of sexual mores and roles down the throats of modern kids! The worst thing here is that the writing is itself delightful; if they'd just gotten rid of the outdated gender roles it would have been a great updating!
As it is, I would -never- want a child I had any influence on reading this book; it teaches that women are kind and weak, that only men can (or should) be ambitious, and that all men and women (of whatever species) grow up and get married to someone of the opposite gender!
Decidedly not updated enough.
The Flint Heart in this book has 4 bearers in this book -- and -all- of them are males who are married to gentle women, each hurt horribly by their husband's turn into callous ambition. Oh, and then there's the fairy king (who is stern, powerful, and largely uncompromising) and the fairy queen (who knew--full of mercy and similar feelings)! Hello, Pattersons--1910 called, and they want their book back; meanwhile, if you're going to update something for the 21st century, it would be nice if you actually updated the things that needed updating, like not ramming 1910s ideas of sexual mores and roles down the throats of modern kids! The worst thing here is that the writing is itself delightful; if they'd just gotten rid of the outdated gender roles it would have been a great updating!
As it is, I would -never- want a child I had any influence on reading this book; it teaches that women are kind and weak, that only men can (or should) be ambitious, and that all men and women (of whatever species) grow up and get married to someone of the opposite gender!
i_will_papercut_a_bish's review against another edition
3.0
I was excited to read this book, being a Katherine Paterson fan.
Unfortunately, the story was disjointed and didn't really seem to have a clear audience in mind. The plot seemed to jump around from new character to new character without pausing to invest much in any of them. The random tidbits where interesting, but I eventually became discouraged by the lack of direction. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, as is the language. I only wish I'd had a better reason to invest emotionally.
Unfortunately, the story was disjointed and didn't really seem to have a clear audience in mind. The plot seemed to jump around from new character to new character without pausing to invest much in any of them. The random tidbits where interesting, but I eventually became discouraged by the lack of direction. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, as is the language. I only wish I'd had a better reason to invest emotionally.
kkop12's review against another edition
4.0
Kate and I read this together. We really liked it. I'm not sure what to write about it. Creative, lots of long words (that Kate wanted defined immediately), beautiful pictures that supplemented our imagination, great characters (especially the hot water bottle Bismark)…I think the thing that says it best was that when we finished we immediately looked to see if there was a list of other books she had written :-)
pwbalto's review against another edition
4.0
My family read this, and they all seemed to like it:
Z: There seemed to be a point of the story but I wouldn't quite call it a moral. I think the point was like "Don't try to take things that you think will make you stronger just so you can be stronger than other people." And as for the first part, about the Stone Age in Dartmoor, don't try to pursue things that aren't yours.
Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/2011/11/catching-up-on-middle-grade-chapter-books.html
Z: There seemed to be a point of the story but I wouldn't quite call it a moral. I think the point was like "Don't try to take things that you think will make you stronger just so you can be stronger than other people." And as for the first part, about the Stone Age in Dartmoor, don't try to pursue things that aren't yours.
Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/2011/11/catching-up-on-middle-grade-chapter-books.html
theybedax's review against another edition
4.0
The random bits of artwork were absolutely lovely. The story was slightly repetitive and definitely showcased how slow we truly are at learning from our mistakes. All in all this was mostly just adorable.
kittarlin's review against another edition
I think I just wasn't in the right mood for this one...
tami_provencher's review against another edition
1.0
I want to begin by saying that I think Katherine Patterson is enormously talented author and her book The Great Gilly Hopkins is one of my all-time favorites. It is precisely because of my past experience with Patterson’s work that I was anxious to read The Flint Heart.
Unfortunately, The Flint Heart was a disappointment for me. I probably would not have actually finished the book had I not been confident that Patterson’s extraordinary gifts would eventually break through. For me, at least, this was not the case.
The story is a retelling of an old tale about a heart, or amulet-like stone, made from flint which leeches the goodness from whomever possesses it, replacing it with cold ruthlessness. The first couple of chapters relate the creation of the flint heart for a warrior who is determined to take over as chieftain of his tribe. By the end of the second chapter the stage seems to be set for the good vs. evil saga of the flint heart.
What actually occurs, however, is just a chain of events that exist without any well-developed characters to motivate the reader to care about them. Centuries after its creation a once kind, loving father finds the “heart” and is transformed into a cruel man bearing no resemblance to the father beloved by his children. His son, Charles, determined to help return his father to his original state, seeks help from the magical underground world of Pixies.
It is at this point that the story begins its surprising descent into the banal. Too much time is spent describing the trappings of fairy banquets and not enough on Charles and his younger sister. The story gets too bogged down in the external language trappings of folkloric tradition without ever connecting with the reader on a personal level. We are never motivated to identify with or care about Charles to any substantial degree. The characters are lost in fairy banquet descriptions and so is the reader’s stake in the resolution of the story.
Although I highly recommend most of Ms. Patterson’s other work, I did not enjoy The Flint Heart and would not recommend it as either a read-aloud or an independent reading selection.
Unfortunately, The Flint Heart was a disappointment for me. I probably would not have actually finished the book had I not been confident that Patterson’s extraordinary gifts would eventually break through. For me, at least, this was not the case.
The story is a retelling of an old tale about a heart, or amulet-like stone, made from flint which leeches the goodness from whomever possesses it, replacing it with cold ruthlessness. The first couple of chapters relate the creation of the flint heart for a warrior who is determined to take over as chieftain of his tribe. By the end of the second chapter the stage seems to be set for the good vs. evil saga of the flint heart.
What actually occurs, however, is just a chain of events that exist without any well-developed characters to motivate the reader to care about them. Centuries after its creation a once kind, loving father finds the “heart” and is transformed into a cruel man bearing no resemblance to the father beloved by his children. His son, Charles, determined to help return his father to his original state, seeks help from the magical underground world of Pixies.
It is at this point that the story begins its surprising descent into the banal. Too much time is spent describing the trappings of fairy banquets and not enough on Charles and his younger sister. The story gets too bogged down in the external language trappings of folkloric tradition without ever connecting with the reader on a personal level. We are never motivated to identify with or care about Charles to any substantial degree. The characters are lost in fairy banquet descriptions and so is the reader’s stake in the resolution of the story.
Although I highly recommend most of Ms. Patterson’s other work, I did not enjoy The Flint Heart and would not recommend it as either a read-aloud or an independent reading selection.
ccaterer's review against another edition
3.0
For those who think a Katherine Paterson book will be like the breathtaking [b:Bridge to Terabithia|2839|Bridge to Terabithia|Katherine Paterson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327880087s/2839.jpg|2237401], this book will disappoint. That's not to say it isn't a great book, but The Flint Heart is just a straight-ahead, middle-grade fantasy, and a very fun one at that. John Rocco's brilliant illustrations come frequently and are pleasingly large and colorful (no black and whites here!). The story is based firmly in the land of faeries and talking animals, and surely yours truly is no one to scoff at that. The Flint Heart itself is an ancient stone heart that corrupts whoever wears it, and it's hero Charles's job to take it wherever it can do no harm. Fun characters like the Fairy King and the Jacky Toads make this a real joy to read.
jillcd's review against another edition
4.0
Deliciously adorable with fun, feisty, and delightful characters. Watch out for the flint heart, you never know where it will turn up next!