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hawksrye's review against another edition
[sarcasm:] good old brownface shenanigans, fun for the kids.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cultural appropriation
Minor: Death of parent and Misogyny
pizzamyheart's review against another edition
5.0
Did you enjoy Peter Pan, The Secret Garden, a Little Princess, or Winnie the pooh? If no, skip this book. If yes, pick this up.
This is a wonderful children's book. It follows 4 children who find a magic ring. It was written in the early 1900s and will be difficult for modern children to follow. Not impossible, but it will be a bit of a challenge. There are British phrases and the language is very posh. But underneath it all is still the joys of childhood and a fun summer at a large estate.
This is a wonderful children's book. It follows 4 children who find a magic ring. It was written in the early 1900s and will be difficult for modern children to follow. Not impossible, but it will be a bit of a challenge. There are British phrases and the language is very posh. But underneath it all is still the joys of childhood and a fun summer at a large estate.
bookishpip's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
kraley's review against another edition
4.0
This reminds me of a story you might make up while playing in the woods outside. Or one your dad made up and told you each night before bed. I like to think of Tolkien and CS Lewis reading this to their children. It seems like this story could have planted a seed that later flourished. Enjoyable.
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
3.0
The Enchanted Castle is a classic. I love a good classic so I jumped onboard. It’s a little dumb compared to some others I’ve read. There is a charm to it that most old books I have. That charm is why I read them.
Three kids find a magical castle. Shenanigans ensue. That’s the plot.
It’s a classic so I can’t technically hold this against it, but it was still unpleasant to read: there is a wildly racist instance of black/brownface , where one of the kids paints himself in some black substance and puts on a turban to dress up as an Indian ‘conjurer’.
Other than that it’s a pretty average book for its era. It’s kind of fun so I can see why kids would have enjoyed it. I had a decent time though it's not so special that I remember a lot of what happens.
Three kids find a magical castle. Shenanigans ensue. That’s the plot.
It’s a classic so I can’t technically hold this against it, but it was still unpleasant to read: there is a wildly racist instance of black/brownface , where one of the kids paints himself in some black substance and puts on a turban to dress up as an Indian ‘conjurer’.
Other than that it’s a pretty average book for its era. It’s kind of fun so I can see why kids would have enjoyed it. I had a decent time though it's not so special that I remember a lot of what happens.
carmenelyse's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
jenzbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Four English children discover the magic of a ring, a castle, true love, and many adventures. How amazing that over 100 years later this story still enchants children and adults alike. The mix of magic with everyday life is brilliant! My children and I enjoyed reading this story that inspired other fabulous authors like C.S. Lewis. We're grateful for Nesbit's creativity that not only kept us spellbound, but also opened the way for many of the modern fantasy books that we love.
daniel_ov's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite books I read this year. I love Edith Nesbit's narration style, even if it occasionally feels a bit dated. And the various wishes and rules surrounding the magic were so fun to read. The ending did let me down a little bit because it felt too poetic after the more narrative pace it had up to that point, but overall a great read!
ehays84's review against another edition
4.0
Whenever I have chosen to read an E. Nesbit, I have always been rewarded. This book is no exception. Sure, it's not very polished, but it was very fun. A lot of the magic of it definitely inspired the Edward Eager Half-Magic books (which he readily admits), and those were favorites of mine growing up as my mom read them to us. But I also wonder how much all of the ring magic Tolkien was aware of when he wrote The Hobbit. Of course, ring magic goes back a long ways in Norse and Anglo-Saxon tales, but I wonder if anyone has a way of finding out how much Nesbit Tolkien or Lewis for that matter ever read.
Lots of parts of this book were very funny, and Jackson often laughed out loud as I was reading it to him. Ironically, we sort of started reading this on a whim because it was on my kindle when we were on a trip, but Jackson ended up telling me several times that he really wanted to push on and finish reading this book, and I am very glad that we did.
Gerald was such a memorable character, with all of his panache and schemes. Mademoiselle was also a great character, and the children's relationship with her, which sort of explores how much magin can transcend the world of children, was very well done. Jackson reminds me that the elements with 7 and the magic of the ring were interesting and kept you guessing at what would happen next. Jackson says his favorite part was with the ugly-wuglies, and while that part did start out kind of startling, it ended up being really funny.
One last interesting thought: at least in the kindle version I picked up free at some point in some sort of collected works of E. Nesbit, the word I would spell clue was spelled clew. I wonder if British spelling of that has changed over at all.
Lots of parts of this book were very funny, and Jackson often laughed out loud as I was reading it to him. Ironically, we sort of started reading this on a whim because it was on my kindle when we were on a trip, but Jackson ended up telling me several times that he really wanted to push on and finish reading this book, and I am very glad that we did.
Gerald was such a memorable character, with all of his panache and schemes. Mademoiselle was also a great character, and the children's relationship with her, which sort of explores how much magin can transcend the world of children, was very well done. Jackson reminds me that the elements with 7 and the magic of the ring were interesting and kept you guessing at what would happen next. Jackson says his favorite part was with the ugly-wuglies, and while that part did start out kind of startling, it ended up being really funny.
One last interesting thought: at least in the kindle version I picked up free at some point in some sort of collected works of E. Nesbit, the word I would spell clue was spelled clew. I wonder if British spelling of that has changed over at all.
zoeyy's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25