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A review by narflet
The Land of Green Ginger by Noel Langley
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.