 "Everyone should read this book" | 2009-09-24 |
| - Reviewed By User: ABSD11YEJPSCC |
A tale for kids, but /
any who reads it will be /
a better person |
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| "favorite book from my childhood" | 2009-09-22 |
| - Reviewed By User: ASVXMZ1EFYQK6 |
This is a great book for an adult who likes the idea of reading to kids, but finds the average kids' book vapid or badly written. As morals go,it's hard to object to the ones here: Wisdom requires Rhyme and Reason, as well as words and numbers. Words and numbers are both valuable. Life is full of interesting things if you keep your eyes open. There are a lot of ways to get sidetracked into a life that is neither useful nor rewarding. Even bright people can be small-minded. You can sometimes do the impossible, if you don't know that it is impossible beforehand.
The amazing thing is that the book is light and sparklingly verbally and conceptually playful, despite having these lessons tucked into it. I read it again last night, and chuckled aloud, yet again.
If you don't have a kid, buy a copy for yourself. Or for someone else's kid. The illustrations by Jules Feiffer add the perfect touch. |
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| "Great Read, Great Memories" | 2009-09-21 |
| - Reviewed By games_for_gamers |
I read this book in middle school, and it's still my favorite book.
I've read all of the 1 star reviews, and I really think that the people who didn't enjoy this book need to give it another chance. Open your minds, and suspend your disbelief. Obviously, a child wouldn't just drive through a tollbooth he found in his room. In fact, he wouldn't find a tollbooth in his room at all. If you're looking for 100% realism, then you need to separate yourself from pretty much every piece of fiction ever made, because almost every one takes liberties with human nature and reality. But if you're willing to broaden your horizons and accept and analyze what's written, then you're guaranteed to find one of the most clever, original, and creative pieces of fiction ever written. |
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| "Even for adults" | 2009-08-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1IN0MXLH3T8H0 |
| As much as I loved this book as a child, I think it ought to be on every adult's reading list. I overlooked or simply did not understand so may of the references when I was younger. I was unaware of how applicable the life lessons presented throughout the book truly are. Encountering, among others, the overbearing know-it-all, the Gorgons of hate and malice and the threadbare excuse in his quest to rescue rhyme and reason, Milo learns countless lessons along the way. Most importantly, Milo recognizes that he doesn't have to imagine in order to have fun; life itself holds some prety exciting adventures. I'm as guilty of anyone of living vicariously through my books. I oftentimes am as content to live out the dreams of Anna Karenina or even Bridget Jones as I am to do anything with my own. Maybe rereading Phantom Tollbooth will encourage me to follow my own dreams, and I hope it encourages others to do so as well. |
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| "Where's my tollbooth?" | 2009-08-01 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1ATOR8BMLN5LW |
I didn't know what to expect when picking up The Phantom Tollbooth.
Sure, I had read it and loved it when I was younger. And the names Milo and Tock seemed vaguely familiar to me. But reading it again begged the question: Would I love it again?
The answer? Hell yes.
The premise of The Phantom Tollbooth is that a young boy, Milo, is too busy going places and doing things to live life. When the Tollbooth mysteriously arrives in his bedroom, he hops in his car and soon finds himself on a deserted road in the Kingdom of Wisdom. He soon meets Tock, a watchdog who ticks, the Humbug who is usually mistaken, and a cast of characters that are like no other. When discovering the lands make no sense without Rhyme and Reason, the princesses who have been banished, he undertakes a mission to save the kingdom of Wisdom.
Without being overtly educational, the book strives to highlight all the things we humans are too busy doing to acknowledge. Milo journeys through the lands of Digitopolis (ruled by the Mathemagician), Dictionopolis (ruled by the Mathemagician's brother, King Azaz), the Mountains of Ignorance, the Island of Conclusions, the Valley of Sound, and the Forest of Sight to save the Princesses. Each land has a corresponding character (or several) that emphasize the importance of appreciating the world around Milo, and indirectly, the reader.
I was quite impressed with the cleverness of Norton Juster, as he managed to create so many characters that epitomized their individual lands and lessons. Chroma resides within the Forest of Sight where he conducts a colorful symphony daily that teach Milo just how amazing the world can be when displayed in technicolor. Chroma's rendition of the world is played out on a daily basis by his orchestra, which Milo soon finds out is much more complicated than it seems. Later, when Milo arrives in the Valley of Sound, he learns the Soundkeeper has forbidden any sort of noise, wanting to teach the residents the importance of silence. Yet a withheld "But" on the tip of Milo's tongue restores sound to the Valley, and reminds Milo of the beauty of noise. Likewise, Juster plays upon conventional wit by having Milo, Tock, and the Humbug absconded to the Island of Conclusions when they make an assumption that proves to be incorrect.
What I loved most about The Phantom Tollbooth is that these were characters I wanted to befriend, to spend a day with, to learn from. Yet in a way, we all have. We've all dealt with the Terrible Trivium, "demon of petty tasks and worthless jobs, ogre of wasted effort, and monster of habit." Similarly, we've all dealt with the Senses Taker - anyone who's ever worked in retail knows exactly what I mean. At the same time, we've been comforted by Rhyme and Reason, who in this book are anthropomorphized by the two banished Princesses. Juster's ability to take a fictional world and translate it so closely to a world that we all live in and sometimes forget to appreciate is what makes the Phantom Tollbooth such a successful modern fairy tale.
Though it is meant to be a children's book, there are lessons every child and adult can learn and relearn, while enjoying the fabulous whimsy of The Phantom Tollbooth. Now, to figure out how to get my own Tollbooth, so I can go hang out with Tock... |
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