Monday, November 17, 2008

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

I first read the Westing Game in my sixth grade English class. I remember loving it. To me at the time, it didn't seem "classic" or boring. I loved mysteries so I just thought it was fun. It didn't seem like work to read it like some other things you have to read for school. I've been wanting to read it again and was excited to pick up a copy at our library book sale.

Hmmm....reading it as an adult, I didn't like it quite so much. I still enjoyed parts of it. But it jumped around a bit for me and seemed a little disjointed. I think this was purposeful on the author's part. Maybe she wanted the reader to feel as lost as the characters did, just grabbing at tidbits of information as they came to you to try and figure out the puzzle. I really did enjoy the last third of the book though. I liked the epilogue and was satisfied with how the characters ended up.

There are some books (like Catcher in the Rye) that I read when I was younger that I just LOVED. I'm a little leery about rereading some of those because I'm afraid as an adult I won't like them as much. I sort of like hanging on to the memory of how much I did enjoy them. So sometimes I'm torn about whether to reread childhood favorites.

Also reviewed here: Blogging for a Good Book, A Reader's Journal, and The Hidden Side of a Leaf.

3 comments:

Tasha said...

I have had similar experiences with childhood books. Stuart Little, for example. Now I'm nervous to re-read Charlotte's Web, because I held it in such high esteem as a kid.

Lisa said...

I did not read this one as a kid, but I did not enjoy it so much as an adult. I read it last year and reviewed it on my blog and was pretty eh.

Ms. Yingling said...

There are some students who love it, but I also found it confusing as an adult. I haven't reread The House with a Clock in Its Walls or The Court of Stone Children for this reason!