I have to knock this off in a hurry because I have an evening class today. Let's see what kind of godawful editing error I can make and have to correct first thing tomorrow morning.
I finished The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett, which I did like. Love them wee free men. But I did think that without the wee free men the book would be...kind of run-of-the-mill.
I'm a Reading Fool said in a comment that her reading group felt the last third of the book took a strange turn. I think what she might have meant is that at that point The Wee Free Men turns into one of those alternate world books with hidden doorways and people passing back and forth. Dreams and controlling dreams begin to figure prominently in the mix. It's sort of formula stuff.
Except for the wee free men.
I'm not a fan of the alternate world scenario. For one thing, I always get confused. For instance, in The Wee Free Men when Tiffany makes Granny turn up in a shepherdess outfit--what was that about? Granny didn't seem to do anything. And the doorways between worlds always seem a little mumbo jumboish to me.
But the wee free men saved the book for me.
I do have a question about the audience for the Tiffany Aching Adventures. In this first book, she's only nine years old. But, come on. She doesn't act nine by a long shot. Do nine-year-olds get this? Will teenagers read it when the main character is only nine years old?
I'll certainly continue reading, for the sake of those wee free men. But I do wonder how kids respond to these books.
Tiffany's a very mature nine year old - which isn't that uncommon. I never acted nine when I was nine, either !
ReplyDeleteAs for Granny Aching turning up in the shepherdess outfit, I think that was a manifestation of Tiffany's unconscious that helped her to deal with the storm - she summoned the image of the two dogs, but knew in her heart that they wouldn't really respond to her, only to Granny Aching, so Granny was there to command the dogs.
Yup. It was entering the dream world part where Pratchett pretty much lost us. The whole tone of the book changed at that point, and things got rather convoluted. And yes, the wee free men were sorely missed!
ReplyDeleteAnd I also agree that Tiffany never felt like a nine-year-old to me. I wondered if teens would read about someone her age, and I do think that maybe a few of them do put it down when they see that. But many of them don't seem to mind. But I'm glad that Tiffany does get a little older in the next couple of books.
Reading more of Pratchett you will find characters who act out of... character. I love Tiffany. She only gets better. And crankier.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I've already read Wintersmith because it was a Cybils nominee last fall. I did like the book and Tiffany (though it did have its mystical point toward the end) and certainly the wee free men, which led me to the first book in the series. I'll be looking for the second book.
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