The Story Box
by Monica Hughes
On This Page
Description
Imagine a faraway land, a long time ago, in which dreams must die before they are spoken, imagination is forbidden and stories are banished. This is the island of Ariban, held prisoner by the vastness of the sea and its people's credo that the only world is the here and now, a small and protected universe of spinning and weaving, fishing and shepherding. Nothing more and nothing less.This is the newest and most richly imagined world of Monica Hughes, an author known internationally for her show more fantastical adventures and realistic characters. It is the world of Colin, a 15year-old Ariban boy, who fears for his younger sister, Etta. Etta has dreams that wake her in the night, frightening dreams of beasts with scales and long teeth. And she has been known to have forbidden flights of imagination. Will their father send Etta to the elders, to be banished ... or worse? But Colin's fear grows pale when, in an early morning walk along the storm-wracked beach, he comes upon a beautiful, barely alive young woman from a strange land. In her tiny hands she clutches a small chest, exquisitely carved, bound with bands of pure brass. Its contents are more precious than silver or gold, for this, she tells the horrified Colin, is The Story Box ... show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Member Reviews
This book has been part of my collection since I was a child, but I have almost zero memory of its actual plot… time for a re-read and re-evaluation in the name of weeding the collection or remembering an old favourite. Monica Hughes tells a story set on an island isolated from the world, one in which its citizens live small, dreamless lives as either fishermen or shepherds (and their wives). You can pretty much guess what happens next… The unexpected arrival of a washed up girl with a penchant for tales shakes the reality of first the boy who finds her and then of the whole community. While the story has great themes about society and the rules that bind us (or not), I didn’t find Hughes’ storytelling to be that compelling as show more an adult. I can see how as a younger reader the book would have appealed (yes, simple, rail against the system and strive to keep dreaming), but her characters are a touch too shallow and the language isn’t quite lyrical enough to keep my adult-self engaged. show less
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
39+ Works 2,852 Members
Monica Hughes was born in Liverpool, England on November 3, 1925. Before joining the Women's Royal Naval Service, she lived in Egypt as a child and went to school in Scotland. During World War II, she worked on breaking German codes. In 1952, she immigrated to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and began working at Ottawa's National Research Council. She show more started writing survival stories and science fiction novels for young adults. Her works include the Isis trilogy and Hunter in the Dark. She won numerous awards including the Phoenix Award for literary merit. She was named to the Order of Canada in 2002. She died from a stroke on March 7, 2003 at the age of 77. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 26
- Popularity
- 1,040,791
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.75)
- Languages
- English, French
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 5
