The Willowdale Handcar: or the Return of the Black Doll

What a ramblingly odd little story. I'm not sure that I see the point of it.

Three protagonists set off via handcar (how very Victorian), because they think that their lives in Willowdale are just too dull. Little do they realize, but dramatic things are happening all around them! A young woman has run away from her beau, a baby is left on a mail hook, a man is seen lurking at the scene of a previous explosion, and another is seen abandoning himself to the swamp. It is almost a relief when our protagonists enter a cave never to return; one can only assume that they have mistaken the endless darkness inside for the endless drearieness of their lives and not realized that they should exit their locale...

Three unobservant chums from the turn of the 20th century — Edna, Sam, and Harry — decide on a lark to leave their village of Willowdale and travel the surrounding countryside by handcar. Despite some pretty alarming things going on around them that the reader will pick up on, our clueless trio never becomes alarmed because they never catch on that some pretty nefarious doings are afoot. I guess their cluelessness is supposed to be part of the fun, but I was just befuddled by it all.

Still, the illustrations are wonderful — what did you expect? It’s Edward Gorey! Gorey poses that “the discerning Reader discovers Meaning in their Progress.” Well, that sure wasn’t me! Perhaps readers more clever than I can solve the mysteries show more involving their luckless friend Nellie Flim and the fabulously wealthy financier Titus W. Blotter. show less

Edward Gorey always leaves me wanting more. This genius of a man forces you to think for yourself, he never feels the need to "sew up" the loose ends.. This story is about three friends discovering that life is a journey not a destination. Have Fun!

"Little Grace Sprocket, playing in a home-made mud puddle, watched them go by with longing",, October 22, 2014

This review is from: The Willowdale Handcar: or the Return of the Black Doll (Hardcover)
Still a turn-of-the-century setting, but this time most definitely set in USA, this follows three young people who take a handcar for a spin, and their adventures, including a visit to
"Edna's cousins, the Zeph Claggs. He showed them a few of the prizes from his collection of over 7,000 glass telephone-pole insulators."
There's a strange (deliberate) lack of flow to the events. A "frantic face" at a window of a passing train...it's a few pages till the individual is mentioned again, this time tied to the track. How? Why? (could it be anything show more to do with her wonderfully-named fiance, Dick Hammerclaw?)
Very weird, wonderful illustrations. show less

A beautifully drawn macabre tale of three friends who find a railway handcart and go on a long journey of discovery aboard it to an uncertain end. Typically Goreyesque !

When I was a tot, my parents owned two volumes of Edgar Gorey's work. This was one. As a child I admired the ink work, with its heavy shading, and puzzled over the plot, which doesn't particularly exist. This was probably my first exposure to non-standard literature, and it probably had a lot to do with how I turned out.

Three friends discover a railway handcart and embark on an epic journey, during which they encounter old friends. Dark, deep and superbly drawn.