Customer Reviews
More a thesis than a memoir - By: Archy, 14 Jun 2008 
Though I like the idea of an adult bookworm going back over the books he enjoyed as a child, the reality of this book is that it reads more like some kind of idiosyncratic analysis of children's literature than the memoir it's advertised as. When it's about the author's life it's interesting; when he describes his reactions to the various books it can be engrossing. But much of the book is cerebral philosophising, sometimes on the nature of literature, sometimes on the nature of language itself. This wouldn't be so bad if it werein a more accessible style, but unfortunately the prose is often as dry & imprenetrable as the early 'Forest' chapter, which was a real struggle to get through.
If you have a fascination for language & the psychology of children's literature you might enjoy all this, but if you're looking for a memoir of a boy who retreated into books, I would look elsewhere, for this isn't it!
superb study, highly recommended - By: , 22 Oct 2003 
I am surprised to learn that anyone who enjoys reading has failed to enjoy this book. Both as a memoir & as a study of how children's literature affects us it is strikingly original.The author's passion for reading began as an escape from a childhood skewed by his sister's illness, but once he read The Hobbit he embarked on the life of a bookworm. His descriptions of what it feels like to read are spot-on, & his studies of particular children's authors illuminating. Highly recommended.
Huge disappointment - By: Chief Examiner, 04 Sep 2003 
I had read glowing reviews of this book, & noted that the author had read many of the same books as me. So I bought it hoping that I could identify with the author's own experiences & maybe some new light could be shed on old classics. Unfortunately, rather than revisiting booksin any great depth, the pages are filled with pretentious waffle & very spurious pseudo-science. The second chapter on The Forest for example is virtually unreadable, & is only made half-bearable by the unintentional hilarity caused by Spufford's scientific naivity when he chooses to describe what's obviously a crackpot scientific theory with unflinching belief. Pretty dire I'm afraid.
Fascinating, nostalgic and thought-provoking - By: , 20 Apr 2003 
Ignore all the mediocre reviews of this book which other people have posted. If you love books & recall with fondness your childhood reading, then you will enjoy Spufford's elegant & wide-ranging exploration of the ways reading helps a child to create his or her sense of self.
Spufford was a voracious reader as a child, finding an escape from his family's heartrending & guilt-inducing medical problems behind the printed lines on a page. While writing this memoir of childhood reading, he reread all the books he had loved--from Where The Wild Things Are to Narnia & Little House on the Prairie, & attempted to find out just why he had read so catatonically, & how it had shaped him.
There's a great deal of pleasure to be foundin reminiscing along with Spufford about your own first reading of The Hobbit, but he offers far more than a simple nostalgia-fest. He also discusses the theories of child psychologists on the importance of reading & the waysin which it can teach a child about language & the patternsin the world. Some people seem to have found this too dry & academic--and it isn't as interesting as the sections dealing with his own life--but stick with it! Spufford is discussing something very important: WHY is it better for your child to spend 3 hours reading than 3 hours on the Playstation?--and believe me, this proves that it is!
The rest of the book discusses Spufford's adolescence; the years when Narnia had lost its magic, but the world of adult books hadn't yet opened its doors. There are some great insights into sci-fi--The Left Hand of Darkness gets special mention & praise. Also interesting is his consideration of the root which many teenagers follow, walking out of childhood via the classics; Austen or the Brontes bridge that gap which he calls 'The Hole'.
I've always loved books about books & reading, & I recommend this to anyone who feels the same. Not quite as enjoyable or loveable as Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris (highly recommended) but this is a great, entertaining & educating read. One of the most unusual & moving books of the year.
!!IGNORE THE 3 STARS!! - By: james carter, 18 Mar 2003 This book is worthy of infinite stars - I have never read a book that is so cerebral yet so passionate. And what a topic - a writer re-assessing his own reading as a child. Could not recommend it more highly!
