Inkheart (book 1)
At the start of Inkheart, we meet Meggie, a 12-year-old girl living contentedly with her father, Mo - whom she loves fiercely. Mo's special trade as a rare books "doctor" provides a logical reason for their frequent moves, and as far as Meggie's concerned, if she has Mo and her favorite books with her, she's home. But the sudden appearance of Dustfinger and his strange horned marten, Gwin, reveal long-kept secrets and deadly enemies that Meggie never imagined could exist outside of books.
Although the action is almost nonstop at times, I found the characters to be just as fascinating. Who were your favorites? Did you find yourself identifying with Meggie the most? Do you think she felt betrayed by her father's secret-keeping, or would her love allow her to forgive almost anything? What about Dustfinger? Was his act of betrayal justified or not - and did he manage to redeem himself? And Elinor - did she even know she was lonely before Mo, Meggie, Resa and Darius entered her life, which had been almost entirely focused on books? What role will Farid take in Meggie's world? And who, among all the villains, was the scariest?
I love this book but had a really hard time watching the movie. It seemed so very different somehow!
Posted by: Lisa | 08/12/2009 at 12:44 PM
I found myself more interested in Dustfinger than in Meggie. His character, his betrayal and yearning to get back home was more interesting to me than her story. There was so little information about his past, that I really wanted to learn more and understand his story. Meggie's apparent lack of interest in her mother seemed odd to me, and rather unlikely. Perhaps that was one of the reasons I never really identified with her as a character. Now I want to read the next book, Inkdeath, to learn what happened to Fenoglio.
One other thing I loved was the quotations from other pieces of literature at the beginning of each chapter. What a wonderful way to encourage your reader to read other books!
Posted by: Denise Peterson | 08/23/2009 at 08:41 PM
I also found Dustfinger to be a very intriguing character. Read _Inkspell_ next and then _Inkdeath_. For some reason, I ripped through the second book, but then it took awhile for me to get hooked by the third. Still, I think you won't be disappointed!
Posted by: Geri Cupery | 09/08/2009 at 12:59 PM
The movie was in theaters for such a short while that I missed it! But I'm really curious as to how the book was translated into film. A friend told me that he thought the movie was "a mess" - although, it did make him think that the book might be worth reading.
Posted by: Geri Cupery | 09/08/2009 at 01:18 PM