Title: Tuck Everlasting
Author: Natalie Babbitt
ISBN: 978-0-312-36981-1
Story Length: 136 pages
Genre: Children 10+

Is eternal life a blessing or a curse? That is what young Winnie Foster must decide when she discovers a spring on her family’s property whose waters grant immortality. Members of the Tuck family, having drunk from the spring, tell Winnie of their experiences watching life go by and never rowing older.

But then Winnie must decide whether or not to keep Tuck’s secret—and whether or not to join them on their never-ending journey.

Three Quick Points About Tuck Everlasting

• Point 1: Pensive. If I were to sum up this book in one word, that would be it.
• Point 2: Ethereal. If I were to sum up this book in another word, that would be it.
• Point 3: Bittersweet. If I were to sum up this book in one final word, that would be it.

My Thoughts on Tuck Everlasting

(Below are my thoughts on the book. If you want a full run down, you can read the story summary, which includes spoilers.)

I am terribly in love with this book, despite its melancholy.

First, there is the writing itself. On the surface, it looks simple, but there is an elegance in that simplicity. The descriptions are painted with an ethereal quality, quite like a daydream, and it has a steady undercurrent not unlike drifting lazily down a stream.

Next is the characters. Each one seems to have a life outside the pages of this book. Even when I finished reading, I could still imagine these people in miniature size continuing to live out their lives.

Winnie Foster was a bright, curious, and mature young girl, but she was still a little girl who did little girl things. Jesse Tuck was the epitome of impetuous youth, despite 104 years of experience. Miles Tuck was a weathered and pensive man, quite possibly due to his lot in life. Mae Tuck was a jubilant woman who somehow made me smile every few seconds. Angus Tuck was a wise, and sometimes persnickety, man who, more than anything, was ready to leave this world.

And the man in the yellow suit…what can I say about him? It’s been a long while since I remember disliking a character so swiftly as him. A true villain indeed. He was greed incarnate. But I did end up pitying him a bit at the end.

Then there is the story. A young girl tired of her life of confinement sets out on a mission of adventure, and finds exactly that—in an unexpected way. There’s plenty of tension—being held captive in a strange place with strange people; plenty of growth—what it means to truly live; and plenty of learning—what it means to do the right thing.

Finally, the message. There are so many nuanced messages woven in the story, including tolerance, greed, procrastination, choice, but the one recurring theme is that of life and death. Specifically, what does it really mean to live? And when you have immortality bestowed on you, do you continue to live at all?

Some parts of this book made me laugh and some parts choked me up. For instance, there’s a section where Tuck takes Winnie out in the rowboat and lodges it on a fallen tree trunk to illustrate his point:

“It goes on,” Tuck repeated, “to the ocean. But this rowboat now, it’s stuck. If we didn’t move it out ourself, it would stay here forever, trying to get loose, but stuck. That’s what us Tucks are, Winnie. Stuck so’s we can’t move on. We ain’t part of the wheel no more. Dropped off, Winnie. Left behind. And everywhere around us, things is moving and growing and changing. You, for instance. A child now, but someday a woman. And after that, moving on to make room for the new children.”

Winnie blinked, and all at once her mind was drowned with understanding of what he was saying. For she—yes, even she—would go out of the world willy-nilly someday. Just go out, like the flame of a candle, and no use protesting. It was a certainty. She would try very hard not to think of it, but sometimes, as now, it would be forced upon her. She raged against it, helpless and insulted, and blurted at last, “I don’t want to die.”

“No,” said Tuck calmly. “Not now. Your time’s not now. But dying’s part of the wheel, right there next to being born. You can’t pick out the pieces you like and leave the rest. Being part of the whole thing, that’s the blessing. But it’s passing us by, us Tucks. Living’s heavy work, but off to one side, the way we are, it’s useless, too. It don’t make sense. If I knowed how to climb back on the wheel, I’d do it in a minute. You can’t have living without dying. So you can’t call it living, what we got. We just are, we just be, like rocks beside the road.” –pg 63-4

That was the moment that my heart broke for the Tucks. That was the moment I finally drank in all that it meant for them to live forever because forever is a long time to watch the world drift by.

But ultimately, the lesson is: life is what you make of it, regardless of how long you’re given.

This is a book I wish I’d read as a child, and it’s a book I will certainly read again, multiple times (and to my future children). A beautiful story, though bittersweet.

Rating: Required Reading [A] (?)

Back Cover of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age

Fitzgerald’s talent for short fiction is on display in this selection of four of his finest tales, chosen from two collections: Flappers and Philosophers (1920) and Tales of the Jazz Age (1922). Included are “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” a fantasy whose protagonist is born an old man and ages in reverse; “Bernice Bobs Her Hair,” a coming-of-age story about a daring young flapper; “The Jelly-Bean,” a story of disillusionment and love lost; and “Dalyrimple Goes Wrong,” a case of a character torn between self and society.

Three Quick Points About The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age

• Point 1: Another era. Not gonna lie, Fitzgerald’s language caught me off guard a couple of times, but it certainly reminded that he was writing in another era.
• Point 2: Life can be frustrating. It seems that your time line doesn’t matter, you’ll still come up against obstacles; they’ll only be slightly different.
• Point 3: Sad. That’s what I felt when the story of Benjamin Button ended.

Full Review of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age

Let me be upfront and say that this is more of a short story review than an entire book review. I’ve only read the cover story, which was my reason for purchasing the book in the first place. However, if you have no interest in owning the book, you can read the entire story of Benjamin Button for free online.

As time progresses, I’m sure that I will read the remaining stories in the book, but right now, it’s all about Benjamin. So, without further ado…

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age Synopsis

This is a short story (roughly 31 pages) of a man named Benjamin Button who was born an old man one morning in a Baltimore hospital.  His birth was enough to make everyone uneasy, especially his father Roger Button, who tried everything in his power to make Benjamin seem more acceptable.

He forced Benjamin to wear short pants, cut his long white beard, dye his hair, and try to play with children his own age. Unfortunately, for a man of threescore and ten, romping around with young children wasn’t going to happen, especially since he needed a cane to get around. During that time, Benjamin spent his time smoking cigars and passing time with his grandfather, who was roughly the same age.

When Benjamin turns twelve, chronologically, and realizes that he’s growing younger, he declares that he’s grown and demands his father let him wear long trousers. After a bit of discourse, and agreeing to maintain the facade of youth by dying his hair and trimming his whiskers and not wearing his glasses or carrying a cane on the street, his wish is granted.

At the age of eighteen, and physically fifty, Benjamin was shipped off to Yale to attend university. After the registrar caught sight of him, he was laughed off the campus, quite literally.

Soon, he began keeping the company of his father, who was of the same age—people often remarked that they two looked like brothers. While attending a social affair, Benjamin met his future wife; it was a case of love at first sight. Despite protests in the community, the two were wed and eventually had a child, who they named Roscoe.

Benjamin continued to age backwards as his family continued to age normally. Soon, his wife (who he’d lost interest in) and son became frustrated with him and assumed that he was the cause of his strange predicament. That was enough for Benjamin to join the military.

After becoming a decorated soldier and veteran of the Spanish-American war, it was time to go back to school. This time around, he looked roughly the right age, though a little large for a freshman, and he attended Harvard. But, the last two years wasn’t a cake walk because he continued to get younger and soon, people thought he was some sort of child prodigy who received early admission.

From there, life only continued to seem more difficult and painful for Benjamin until eventually, regressing until he was no more.

Final Thoughts On The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age

The story itself is timeless, but it’s made apparent that it was written in a different era; the language is one you don’t see used too often in this day and age.

In the opening scene, when Roger Button learns of his predicament and while playing the scenario of taking Benjamin home in his head, he passes a slave market and for a dark instant Mr. Button wished passionately that his son was black.

There’s nothing that seems maliciously racial in the story; however someone going into the story without a mindset for the setting (circa late 19th century) might be knocked off kilter to read such plain references to slavery.

And as I did with Island of the Blue Dolphins, I felt a slight pang when I came across the word gay used for its original meaning, to be happy and carefree, and wondered how it would be construed today. Would the story be rendered gay as a result?

In context, however, the story was an enjoyable read. There were instances I found myself having a good chuckle out loud:

“See here,” the old man announced suddenly, “if you think I’m going to walk home in this blanket, you’re entirely mistaken.”

“Babies always have blankets.”

With a malicious crackle the old man held up a small white swaddling garment. “Look!” he quavered. “This is what they had ready for me.”

“Babies always wear those,” said the nurse primly.

“Well,” said the old man, “this baby’s not going to wear anything in about two minutes. This blanket itches. They might at least have given me a sheet.”

“Keep it on! Keep it on!” said Mr. Button hurriedly.

At the beginning of the story, I found Benjamin to be quite an agreeable character. It wasn’t until he had grown to his early twenties (i.e. in his fifties chronologically) that I began to have some discourse with him, specifically around the time he began to lose interest in his wife because she was getting older and slowing down while he was growing younger and speeding up.

When they had met, his wife was the one who dragged him about to social gatherings and when the roles were reversed, it seemed as though Benjamin shirked his duties. Of course, it’s understandable when you begin to see that his mind is also regressing as his body does.

Yes, he maintains his experiences and memories, but it became obvious when he went to Harvard and suddenly found the studies difficult in his junior and senior years. That’s when the point was driven home: he was living his life in reverse. Reconciling his memories and experiences mentally with his chronological and physical age must have been tremendously difficult. Coupled with the reactions, especially from his family (grandfather, father, mother, wife, and son), and scandals only added another ton weight to his shoulders.

That’s what made the ending so bittersweet. On one hand, I was glad that Benjamin was out of his misery (and trust me, toward the end, it must have been misery), but it was also sad to see all those memories and experiences just fade away. Poof. Part of me is left wondering if that’s what it’s like to grow into the winter of one’s life.

This story is rather thought provoking, and even after you finish reading the last word, you’ll continue turning the possibilities over and over in your head. Now, I simply must go and see the movie (which I’ve heard is spectacular).

Rating: Required Reading (?)

Get The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age at Amazon

From the Back Cover of Coraline

When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous. But there’s another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Coraline will have to fight with all her wits and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life.

Three Quick Points About Coraline

• Point 1: This book is absolutely riveting. Who knew I’d ever use the term riveting to describe a short novel penned for third-graders?
• Point 2: I’m sure some children will wind up with nightmares after reading it (or having it read to them). I can’t deny that I’m a huge fan of horror and creepy stories; my library as a youth (and even today) tells this tale. But, reading Coraline definitely sent a few chills up my spine…more so than some of the adult novels I’ve read.
• Point 3: Coraline is a splendid reminder that we (children and adults alike) are all capable of great courage. Coraline has a real child’s personality–not some fantasized version of one–which made her courageous adventures incredibly relatable. I was able to see much of myself, when I was a child, in her and watching her dig deep to find her courage made me want to dig deep and rediscover my own.

Full Review of Coraline

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

Coraline Synopsis

A young lady named Coraline (not Caroline. Coraline) Jones, having just moved into a new flat with her parents, found herself embarking on a frightening and exciting adventure.

Since her parents usually found themselves preoccupied, Coraline took it upon herself to explore the new house and its grounds. While exploring, she meets the occupants of the other flats in the house (Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, two older ladies who enjoy tea and talks about their previous escapades as theatre actresses; the crazy old man that lives upstairs who’s training his mice to play instruments) and takes note of the abandoned tennis court and the covered well.

One afternoon, however, it’s pouring down rain, so she cannot go and explore outside and her parents are preoccupied, as usual, and Coraline is bored. Her father suggests that she explore her flat and that’s when Coraline finds a locked door. When her mother opened the door, she discovered that it was a brick wall which was separating her current flat from the empty flat next to them.

The following day, when Coraline finds herself bored again, she manages to get the key and open up the door. This time, instead of a brick wall, it opened into a dark corridor. Wanting to see what the other empty flat would look like, she follows it and finds herself in a room that looked very much like her own–furniture and all. In this world, she discovers that she had an other mother and other father. In fact, this world–at first sight–seemed much more interesting and fun than her real world.

But, Coraline soon discovered that things weren’t as they appeared in that other world and she suddenly found herself fighting for her life, the life of her real parents, and three souls which had been trapped. With a gift from Miss Spinks and Miss Forcible, some advice from the mice of the crazy old man who lives upstairs, the guidance of a haughty black cat, and Coraline’s own wits and courage, she manages to take us all on a wonderful journey while learning a few good life lessons along the way.

Final Thoughts On Coraline

It would be quite easy to finish Coraline in a single sitting and not necessarily because of its short length, but because the story pushes you forward. You constantly want to know which new adventure she’ll discover, which new creature will jump from the shadows, and how she’ll get herself out of the nightmare she’s in.

Although this book doesn’t get deeply into gory details (there are a few droplets of blood, but nothing worse than a child would see if she were to watch a stray cat hunting a mouse or bird in the field), it’s certainly creepy enough to make you want to put the lights on if you’re reading it in the dark.

The book built suspense…

"[The other mother] picked Coraline up and pushed her into the dim space behind the mirror. A fragment of beetle was sticking to her lower lip, and there was no expression at all in her black button eyes.

Then she swung the mirror door closed, and left Coraline in darkness."

…and deposited paranoid thoughts in the corner of your mind (was that a shadow I just saw crawling along the wainscoting? or I could have sworn something just moved behind the chair.). But, not only that, it showed the reader that all of the frightful creatures and circumstances could be handled effectively with some measure of wit and courage.

This story was masterfully told with subtle undertones. For instance, Gaiman never tells us explicitly what creature Coraline is facing, but it’s alluded to. (Hint: Pay attention to the cat’s narration.)  Coraline’s mother and father, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, the crazy old man that lives upstairs (he does have a name, but I don’t want to spoil the story by giving it away), the black cat, and Coraline herself are all crafted with care. They each display distinct, unique, and sometimes fanciful, but believable personalities.

Although there were illustrations throughout, they didn’t all speak to me. For the most part, they did add to the chilling effect of the story, but a few seemed misplaced. Frankly, the story would have been just as good without the illustrations, but they were a nice touch–especially for younger readers.

Coraline certainly is the type of book that could get more kids involved with reading. It appeals to their curious spirit, wild imagination, and it delivers the message that the things that go bump in the night can be conquered.

Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.

–G. K. Chesterton

Rating: Required reading (?)

I nabbed this book at the thrift store because the cover looked interesting and because it was only a quarter. However, it looks as though there’s a newer edition of the book available on Amazon. Not sure what the differences are, so unless you feel like splurging, I’d suggest going with the mass market paperback that’s part of the 4 for 3 deal.

In a wickedly funny and sexy literary debut, we meet the beguiling, beautiful Dora, whose unique voice combines a wry wit and vulnerability as she navigates the road between reality and fiction. Dora, named for Eudora Welty, is an indiscriminate book junkie – from Tolstoy to Twin, from Flaubert to bodice rippers – whose life has fallen apart. She’s coping with a painful separation from her husband, scraping the bottom of a dwindling inheritance, and attracted to an aspiring playwright who seems to embody all that literature has to offer – intelligent ideas, romance, and an escape from her problems.

Joining Dora in her odyssey is an assortment of memorable characters, including an elderly society hair-brusher, a heartbroken young girl, a hilarious off-the-wall female teamster, and Dora’s apologetic mother, an ex-alcoholic now on the wagon, trying to make amends. Along the way, Dora faces some powerful choices. Between two irresistible men. Between idleness and work. And most of all between the joy of well-chosen words and the untidiness of real people and real life.”

Ms. Bookish’s Quick Take:

Shortly after I finished reading Literacy and Longing in L.A., as I was rummaging around in one of my to-be-read piles, I discovered another, pristine, copy of the book, which goes to show the idea behind it really appealed to me. My quick take? This is one of those books where I didn’t want the story to end – I wanted to follow Dora as she moved into a new era of her life. If you love books, feel like you’re in heaven the moment you step into a bookstore or a library, and you love funny, quirky and literate protagonists, this book is a Must Read, worth five stars here at Today I Read.

The Full Review of Literacy and Longing in L.A.

As the book begins, we don’t exactly catch Dora at her best; she’s immersed in depression and when she’s depressed, she embarks on a book-binge. She stays in her bathtub, reading book after book, and the rest of the world can just stay out there, where they belong.

But even in the depths of depression, Dora’s very engaging. And after all, what book lover hasn’t been enticed by the thought of going into seclusion with a huge pile of books?

We follow Dora as she embarks on a new relationship, a very sexy one that manages to pull her back into the world. We also learn about the shambles of her marriage with Palmer; it’s a relationship that she clearly hasn’t gotten over.

If there’s one flaw in the book it’s that from the moment we meet Palmer, who is one of those “one in a million” guys, with good lucks, prestigious job, and mega bucks, we can’t help wondering why the marriage broke up. Not that we don’t get the answer to this – we do, but it feels a little too neatly tied up.

On the other hand, it’s a good thing that Dora isn’t with Palmer throughout the book. As we follow along on her adventures, we see her grow and change; she effortlessly draws us into her world. It’s hard not to come to love her, and identify with her quest for meaning in her life. We’ve all been there, I imagine, wondering if the answers might come in the pages of the next great read.

The literary references sprinkled liberally throughout the book are great fun, too. It made me want to search through my bookshelves for some of my tried and true classics (although I don’t agree with Dora’s assessment of Jane Austen, despite what Mark Twain thought).

All in all, this is a book that goes down smoothly, in one beautiful glorious reading. I was sad when it ended, not because it has a sad ending (it doesn’t), but because I wanted to continue along with Dora and see how she experiences the next stage of her life. Literacy and Longing in L.A. is a Must Read. After reading this book, I’m definitely adding A Version of Truth, Jennifer Kaufman’s and Karen Mack’s latest joint effort, to my To Buy pile.

Ms. Bookish fell in love with book reviewing through her guest reviews here at Today I Read, and currently blogs about and reviews blogs at Ms Bookish Reviews.