le book review number fifty-two~ the cardturner

Wednesday 11 July 2012

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title: the cardturner: a novel about a king, a queen, and a joker
author: louis sachar
series/ standalone: standalone
personal star rating: 4.5/5 stars

from the back cover:
"My mother walked into the kitchen where I was standing. Her eyes were filled with delight. She placed her hand over the phone and whispered, 'It's Mrs. Mahoney. She wants you to play cards with Uncle Lester on Saturday. He and Toni Casteneda got into a big fight!'
I brought the phone to my ear. 'Hello?'
'Do you know the difference between a king and a jack?' asked a gruff voice that did not belong to Mrs. Mahoney.
'Uh, yes, sir,' I said.
My mother's eyes widened when she realized whom I was talking to. 'Tell him he's your favorite uncle.' she urged.
'Do you know how to play bridge?' asked my uncle.
I didn't, but thought that maybe I could fake it.
'Tell him you love him,' said my mother.
'No,' I said to my uncle (and to my mother).
'Good!' barked my uncle. 'It's better that way!'
'Well?' my mother asked, once I'd hung up.
'I'm supposed to take him to his club on Saturday and play bridge with him.'
My mother put her hands on my shoulders, looked me straight in the eye, and gave me her best motherly advice.
'Don't screw it up, Alton.'


first sentence:
"Ever since I was a little kid, I've had it drilled into me that my uncle Lester was my favorite uncle."

thoughts on the cover:
I can honestly say the cover was a big draw for me. It's simple, in a thought-provoking way. It doesn't really tie in the with book, but the streamlined blue train behind a mysterious person definitely made me pick it up. I'll admit, I was going to buy this book a long time before I actually did and it took even longer for me to actually read. Although the concept was interesting, I had other books that came first. However, despite the fact I didn't pick it up, the book itself looked intriguing and I kept it on the top of a pile so I could look at it. So the cover was large factor for me picking it up, and combined with the description, they were equal in making me pick this book up.

review:
After reading Holes in grade four (or five), I was expecting a lot from this author. And I wasn't disappointed. It of course could have been a little better, but I wasn't let down with an interesting concept that was portrayed well. This book was very different from anything I'd read - but it's uniqueness was maybe what made me love it. there were a few drawbacks, but they were very minor. I would have liked to know the characters a little more, I'd have liked it to be a bit more memorable overall rather than several instances. Although these several instances were worth it. As for it's impact though, I definitely have the desire to learn Bridge. Although I don't know people offhand who would teach me. I liked the descriptions that were used and the word choices were very creative and unique. A novel about bonding, bridge, and becoming someone else really leaves you with a lasting impression and a new perspective.

As for characters, Alton was decent and interesting. He was a bit plain but he managed to have good moments. Lester (or Trapp, as he was more commonly referred to) was hilarious. He would say something insightful, or something cynical, or something else entirely that just made you pause and think about it. Toni was very interesting. Her personality was a bit hard to get at. Cliff was very typical, and our descriptions of Katie are very limited and biased. Leslie was amazing. I liked her a lot. Alton's mother was a piece of work. And Alton's father was also the same way.

I found this book to be worth the read, and very insightful. I recommend it.

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