A Very Near Miss--But Worth Reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             Having read both "Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore," and "Bored Of The Rings," before "The Book Of Lost Things," one might think this is going to be my Fantasy Year.  I don't think so, darlings; as I have stated, I am not a Tolkien groupie, and fantasy goes a long way with me.  I can enjoy it, but, with the exceptions of the Harry Potter and Lemony Snickett series, there is not much out there I can say I honestly savor.

                                             "The Book Of Lost Things" is an interesting amalgamation.  It starts out with a 12-year-old boy named David, whose mother dies, and is replaced by a woman I hated called Rose.  The hate came from a place I know--losing a mother--and the hate from knowing nothing Rose does  is going to appease this child.  And the father's behavior is highly questionable--Rose was a nurse at the hospital where David's terminally ill mother was dying!!!!!!!! So, when did she and Daddy first kick in?

                                              Because, less than six months after the mother's death, Rose and Daddy are married--and she is knocked up!  She gives birth to a child, a boy named Georgie, whom both seem to dote on more than David.

                                                These are the realistic aspects that back up the fantasy and adventure to follow.  Having moved, after marriage, into Rose's house, David discovers she has a sunken garden in the back yard, and one day descends into a hole within, not unlike Alice, and finds himself in some sort of world.  All I can say is that, with a series of quest adventures, aided by friends and enemies, and full of references to fairy tales, which are expanded upon in the book's 130 page academic survey, following the novel's end, David undergoes a metaphorical journey, transforming him from child to adult, once he emerges from the garden, enabling him to be more accepting of those around him.  Which he becomes, and is all the more loving for it.  If this sounds a bit like Dorothy from Oz, I am sure Connolly had her on his mind, while writing this.

                                                   The story is marvelous, the course explanation is too tedious, even for older children, who might read this.  I found it fascinating.  I liked Connolly enough as a writer to try some of his other books, which are not fantasy.

                                                     But, as a once in a while indulgence, it was more satisfying than "Mr. Penumbra's 23 Hour Bookstore."