Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

9 reviews

afostinis's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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sassmistress's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

Wow. I'd heard good things about this book, but I was not expecting this. It's absolutely beautiful, and I definitely need to buy a copy for my personal library to treasure for years to come. That said, it is also unexpectedly heavy. I went from the first few chapters going "NEXT READALOUD YES" to "ooof, might have to wait a few years". While the overall message is one of hope and love, this book is not for sensitive children or anyone who hates sad books. There are some visceral descriptions of feelings of grief, loss, and heart-hardening. It's very emotional, and you're probably going to cry once or twice while reading it to your kids. There's a happy, hopeful ending, bringing fullness of relief. If you're familiar with the term "eucatastrophe", this book fully embodies the term.

Also, it gives major Velveteen Rabbit vibes, if you love that book.

It would be hard to find good stopping points for a bedtime read, because the middle is full of so much sad and melancholy.

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Child death

Minor: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts

- Edward (the china rabbit) is lost and scared several times, once at the bottom of the ocean and once buried in the dump. He loses hope several times, or walls off his heart because loving and losing hurts too much.

- A fairy tale is told in which a witch turns a princess into a hog. The woman to told the story is likened to the witch.

- He is renamed with each new owner, once called Susanna and put in a dress. He's moderately offended, but compared to being lost at the bottom of the ocean, wearing a dress isn't so bad.

- An absent, alcoholic father is shown berating his children and slaps a young boy. He shattered the last doll in anger and says the very sick girl doesn't need one because "she don't need nothing because she ain't gonna live". Obviously misplaced grief--their mother "used to" X, so reading between the lines we assume she died.

SPOILERS:

- The girl sickens over months, begins coughing up blood, and one day stops breathing. The family cries, the father buries her alone when the brother isn't ready, and the brother runs away.

- The rabbit is thrown to the ground and his head is broken into 16 pieces. There's 4 pages of dream sequence where he meets all the people he's loved and lost. He wants to see the girl who died, but they tell him he has to go outside to see her. They point to a constellation. He wishes he had wings to fly to her, then notices his wings and takes off. The others catch him and say he can't go yet. "Stay with us." He wakes up to see a doll mender who fixed him.

- Another doll tells Edward that "someone always comes," and spurs him to hope. However, briefly in that conversation, she tells him he might as well throw himself off the shelf if he's given up, and asks if he wants to be pushed. She's showing him how ridiculous he's being, but still.

- "I am done with loving. It is too painful."
"Don't let yourself believe it. But it was too late. *Someone will come for you.* The china rabbit's great had begun, again, to open."

monalyisha's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Tomorrow, I host the first meeting of a brand-new book club for adults at my library called “The Young at Heart Book Club.” Each month, we’ll read and discuss a different children’s book. Edward Tulane was exactly the right choice for an introductory text, if I do say so myself! It’s a lyrical parable about the importance of love — and especially of hope.

I’m with Natalie Babbitt when it comes to her definition of Children’s Literature, so this is perfect! In 1970, she wrote that what distinguishes the children's story from adult literature is the happy ending…not that all ends are tied up, all problems solved…but simply that there is a final sense of promise and possibility, "something which turns a story ultimately toward hope rather than resignation.” This is the quintessential lesson that Edward learns on his miraculous journey: that “we should be awash in hope.”

I’m so happy that not only was Edward mended, his rabbit-fur ears and rabbit-fur tail restored to their original splendor, but that he finally got his wings, as well. “Hope is the thing with feathers,” after all.

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razorfangz's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Read this one as a kid and it still holds up. It's so precious.

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lynxpardinus's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad

5.0

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suddenlyjamie's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

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tessazip's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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aleesquer's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Working with a student recently, I recommended that she read Ann Patchett's essay on revisiting the work of Kate DiCamillo. And in doing so, I was inspired by Patchett to do the very same. I breezed through Edward Tulane last night in an hour, and what a glorious sixty minutes that was. To be loved and to be open to love -- life's greatest gifts.

If you haven't read this classic yet, you are missing out. And if you have but not in a long while, take it from me: it's worth the re-read!

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