The Present


There's no time like NOW to review The Present! 

THREE PROS
*Plenty of books out there use the "I wonder what's inside" template, but this one seems to find a way to put a little more meat on that bone  
*Each guess the boy made at what his present could be was written in a voice that truly felt like the rationalization process that takes place inside a young lad's mind
*Something about having the colorful wrapping paper surrounded by a sea of grey items inside a closet was really eyecatching

THREE CONS 
*No, no, no - why did you end the story that way Bob Gill 
*Could have chopped out at least four of the potential presents to limit the overwhelming dragging-on sensation 
*The first sentence ("This is a story about a boy named Arthur.") is the literary equivalent of opening an empty box on your birthday

ONE DAD'S OPINION
It's actually a minor miracle that I even have the chance to review this book in the first place.  This thing has been hidden under our love seat for at least six months.  Needless to say, it felt a little like Christmas morning when my wife told me she had found it two days ago.  Anybody else seeing the irony here?  Too bad the contents of this gift lacked the excitement of the buildup we created by misplacing it.  I cannot stress enough what a letdown the ending was, despite the positive message it tried to deliver.  All I could think after reading it that first time was "I hope this came with a gift receipt!"  Sounds like a true Donate response to me...
    

Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy



2 comments:

Ali B said...

Hmm....I guess I'll just sit and read this one at the bookstore.

mysteryguy said...

Good call.