Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... The Story of the Amulet (1906)by E. Nesbit
Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. When Cyril, Robert, Anthea and Jane rescue the magic sand-fairy from a pet shop, they have no idea of the astonishing adventures to come! This one is a bit darker than the others. After all, mother is sick and father is going off to war (it sounds like WWI). It was interesting to see the growth in the boys and the conflict between them and Anthea. I was absolutely disgusted with Jane, who seems to have regressed in age and behavior, but then I decided that it was part of the genius of Nesbit for, after all, don't children react that way when they become stressed? It didn't really change my irritation at her, but I tolerated her whining after that. I think the end was a bit interesting, different than her others. Was that a sly jab at magical tricks? It was a nice ending to a clever series. This time the children from "Five Children and It" and "The Phoenix and the Carpet" are traveling through time with the help of a magic amulet. As always, E. Nesbit is a wonderful storyteller, and the children's adventures are interesting and amusing. They travel back 8000 years, visit Babylon, see the destruction of Atlantis, meet Julius Caesar, as well as other adventures, all in order to get their heart's desire, which was the quick return of their parents from a trip away from home. A lovely book.
In The Story of the Amulet Nesbit's powers of invention are at their best. It is a time machine story, only the device is not a machine but an Egyptian amulet whose other half is lost in the past. By saying certain powerful words, the amulet becomes a gate through which the children are able to visit the past or future. Pharaonic Egypt, Babylon (whose dotty queen comes back to London with them and tries to get her personal possessions out of the British Museum), Caesar's Britain: they visit them all in the search for the missing part of the amulet. Nesbit's history is good. And there is even a look at a Utopian future, which turns out to be everything a good Fabian might have hoped for. Ultimately, the amulet's other half is found, and a story of considerable beauty is concluded in a most unexpected way.
Classic Literature.
Fantasy.
Juvenile Fiction.
HTML: The final novel in the beloved series about the adventure-seeking Bastable children, The Story of the Amulet follows the group as they are sent away to live at a boarding house while their parents are abroad. There, the children discover a mysterious charm that enables them to travel back in history. This magical tale will delight readers young and old alike. .No library descriptions found.
|
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.8Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Victorian period 1837-1900LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. Penguin AustraliaAn edition of this book was published by Penguin Australia. |