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Laddar... A kid for two farthings (urspr publ 1953; utgåvan 2009)av Wolf Mankowitz
VerksinformationEn killing för en styver av Wolf Mankowitz (1953)
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Gå med i LibraryThing för att få reda på om du skulle tycka om den här boken. Det finns inga diskussioner på LibraryThing om den här boken. 'He held...a piece of tattered string, and at the end of the string a small unicorn' By sally tarbox on 3 Oct. 2012 Format: Paperback Whimsical little story set among the Jewish community of London's East End of the 30s. Vivid descriptions transport you to a very different world- the markets, the struggling clothing manufacturers, the wrestling matches... The hero of the book, 6 year old Joe, lives with his mother (his father is away in Africa on unspecified business) over Mr Kandinsky's tailor shop. While his mother works at a milliner's, Joe spends most of his time with the tailor, and a bond grows between them. Mr Kandinsky tells Joe about unicorns, a wonderful description combining magic and pragmatism: 'Every animal when it was made by the Almighty was given one extra-special present...But the unicorn got the most special present of all. He was given a magic horn...It could grant anybody's wish- straight off. And this horn consequently was worth £10,000 cash on sight'. So when Joe sees a unicorn (a small deformed goat) going for five bob, he has to have it. Whether it manages to grant the wishes of Joe's friends (a victory in the wrestling ring for Shmule, a trouser press for Mr Kandinsky and the return of his father from Africa), you will have to see. Although targeted at an adult audience by Bloomsbury Press, I have another edition which is certainly a children's book with illustrations; I would say it could be enjoyed by either group. I've never met a book that was more like... a kitten. It comes at you with wide-eyed affection and a single-minded determination to snuggle down on your lap and purr. Mankowitz tells a robustly sentimental story in which the wonder of childhood meets harsh reality, but comes through intact because it's been responsibly protected, preserved. - Adam I can still hear these people talk; the characters are that real. It’s a street in London, but it could be a street in NYC in the middle of the last century. Six-year-old Joe finds a unicorn for sale and he buys him in the hopes that the unicorn can satisfy some wishes. I like how this all works out in a way that is both fantastical and realistic. This was not a bad book but not too memorable either. The book nicely evokes the mid-20th century working-class Jewish community in London. Characters were somewhat undeveloped and the prose, while effective with its slangy, casual feel, was not to my liking. Six year old Joe lives in a boarding house with his mother and their friend Mr. Kandinsky, a trousers maker. His mother worries about his father who is away on business. Mr. Kandinsky tells Joe stories about unicorns, prompting Joe to buy one at the market – a kid goat. He takes care of his goat and observes the conflicts of the adults around him. Mr. Kandinsky wants a patent steam press for his shop and his assistant Shmule wants to win his big wrestling match and buy a ring for his fiancée Sonia. Joe also observes the employees of his mother’s shop, the men at the Tailors’ Union, various transients and the spectators at the wrestling ring. The book is more about daily life than plot- or character- driven. inga recensioner | lägg till en recension
Uppmärksammade listor
Six year-old Joe knows a unicorn when he sees one. His downstairs neighbour Mr Kandinsky has told him all about these mythical creatures, and there isn't anything in the world that this wise tailor doesn't know. So when Joe sees a little white goat amidst the singing birds, salted herrings and hokey-pokey ices of a Whitechapel market he has to have him. He knows it's just a matter of time before the tiny bump on the unicorn's head becomes the magic horn to grant his every wish. For in the embattled working-class community of 1950s East End London, there are plenty of people in need of good fortune. The only thing Mr Kandinsky wants is a steam press for his shop; his assistant Shmule, a wrestler, just needs to buy a ring for his girl; and all Joe and his mother wish for, more than anything, is to join his father in Africa. But maybe, just maybe, Joe's unicorn can sprinkle enough luck on all his friends for their humble dreams to come true. A Kid for Two Farthings is part of The Bloomsbury Group, a new library of books from the early twentieth-century chosen by readers for readers. Inga biblioteksbeskrivningar kunde hittas. |
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A cute-enough story, but it hasn't aged well. ( )