Advance Booking

INKY HEARTBEATS

I finished Brisingr, but I thought I'd put off reviewing it until I re-read Eragon and Eldest (I've forgotten most of the backstory). Instead, I decided to review Inkheart, a book I've heard a lot about and have been wanting to read for a really long time.

Inkheart tells the tale of twelve-year old Meggie Folchart, whose father is a skilled book-binder. Meggie loves books and rues the fact that her father has never read aloud to her. One dark night, when a stranger called Dustfinger knocks at their door, she finds out why. Meggie's father, Mo, has a special gift, he can make characters from books come alive with the magic of his voice. One evening, when he was reading aloud to Meggie's mother from a book called Inkheart, he read Dustfinger, along with the black-hearted Capricorn and Basta, out, while Meggie's mother accidentally went in. Capricorn is now after Mo's talent, and Mo, Meggie and her irritable bibliophile grand-aunt Elinor have to figure out how to destroy him.

I loved this book for several reasons. One, all the characters love books. How can I not love a book about books and reading?Also, the names of the characters-Dustfinger, Capricorn, Fenoglio, are really cool, and give that enchanting touch. And the quotes from various books that open each chapter give a hint as to what lies ahead, and I discovered books I hadn't heard of at all. Ms Funke's writing style is clear; her words build visual images and appeal to young and old alike. But I found a couple of loopholes in the plot: How come Darius was able to read Resa out of the book even though she wasn't written in the original story? And how could Mo suddenly read the right way at the right time with the Shadow, though he tried unsuccessfully for so many years with Meggie's mother and Dustfinger? Hopefully she'll explain how the power works in the next book. Anyway, I think the best thing about this book is that it brought on a flurry of reading, though my choice of books weren't that...never mind. I think the main purpose of the book was served: to share the love of reading.

I'll leave you with this totally awesome quote from the book.

Some books should be tasted
some devoured
but only a few
should be chewed and digested thoroughly


Update: I watched the movie too. I liked it and I thought Brendan Fraser was really cool as Mo. But the movie suffers the problem all book-turned-into-movies suffer: condensation of 500-odd pages into 90 minutes of screentime. Watch the movie for the cast, but don't expect it to rival Lord of the Rings.

Read another review at: things mean a lot
Becky's Book Reviews
A Striped Armchair
The Written World