The King in the Window

The wonderful part about this book is the feel of Paris and the presence of the past in the present. Racine, Molière, and Richelieu (still adjusting his mayonnaise) are here, and Versailles is really a portal to a different world. The plot is fine, but what I remember is Paris, the dinner with Mrs. Pearson, the clochards, and all the windows.

I think the first half of the book was more satisfying and that it loses itself a bit when the American startup guy enters the story. Maybe New York authors just can’t write convincing Silicon Valley stereotypes. But that is a nit on a fun story with a nice bit of depth. My son didn’t see anything wrong with it. For me, catching myself reflected in the café window isn’t quite the same anymore.

I discovered this book by accident. The Friends of the Ann Arbor Area District Library, as part of their efforts to help fund the library, sell books donated to the library for just a few dollars. I, and many others, regularly check their shelves to see if there are any books I might be interested in. I recognized the author, Adam Gopnik, whose book, From Paris to the Moon, I read many years ago. Even though I barely remember any of the book, I do remember enjoying reading it. I trusted my gut and bought the book. I'm glad I took a chance. It's a great book.

I was a little put off when I saw it was published by a publisher of children's books. Then I realized the Harry Potter books were published by a publisher of children's books. show more Maybe I should not be concerned by that. I persisted. I'm glad I did.

The main characters are kids, 12-13 year olds. And like the Harry Potter books, they are on a mission to save the world from a force of evil determined to rule the world. Clearly a good vs evil story, not much unusual there. And like the Harry Potter stories, they are in a world where things work differently than normal. Powers exist which they need to understand and figure out how to deal with. Suspension of disbelief is part of what makes this work. This isn't the reality we are familiar with.

This book is grounded in another way. Paris. There are numerous references to well-known landmarks, Versailles, The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, The Seine, Luxembourg Gardens, The Paris metro, Gare du Nord, Notre Dame, The Mona Lisa and many more. There are also references to lesser known landmarks which made me wish I knew Paris better. In addition there are well known historical figures such as Moliere, Racine, Richelieu, and Nostradamus who appear as characters, and symbols such as fleur-de-lis. Everything is distinctly French.

In some sense this book is an updated version of Lewis Carroll's Alice Through the Looking Glass. the main character, Oliver, seeks the help of a famous literary critic, Mrs. Pearson, He eventually realizes that she is actually Alice's granddaughter. The connections gets more and more concreate. There's conflict between windows and mirrors. To get to world were most of these characters exist Oliver needs, like Alice, to go through the Looking Glass. Most mirrors reverse the image, but going though it you get to a world where everything is reversed, hard is soft, and time travel is just a matter to thinking yourself to another time, but moving is hard. But there are very rare true mirrors which do not reverse images. Those are on Oliver's list of need to find items. Oliver also needs to solve Nostradamus' riddles. There's even a quantum computer which is about to be demonstrated but it is fueled by souls that have been ripped from people when they admired themselves in mirrors, somewhat like Soylent Green. Yikes.

Bottom line lots of things to figure out. If this intrigues you I highly recommend the book. show less

This is a book about a war in Paris between the Windows and the Mirrors and an average boy who is selected as the king of the Window Wraiths. The story shows real character development in the boy, which is interesting and has some higher principles of ethics and physics were engaging. I read this with my son. It was a very slow start, but we persevered and it paid off. There are some good messages in this book, but it is not preachy. The book shows that they boy can learn to think critically and solve problems. I also like the setting and the freedom that the parents give their son.

The King in the Window is about a boy named Oliver who lives in France with his parents and is suddenly hailed as king by the window wraiths. They need him to defeat their enemy, the One with None, who lives in mirrors and steals people's souls as they gaze at themselves. The war between windows and mirrors has been going on for centuries, and Oliver must enter the Way (the world behind mirrors) to confront his enemies. He gets help from his landlord's daughter Neige, his friend Charlie Gronek, and Mrs. Pearson, who just happens to be the granddaughter of the Alice who visited Wonderland through the looking-glass. Paris' clochards (who are really men who have sworn off mirrors entirely, in order to keep their souls pure) and the window show more wraiths also join in the fight. But it isn't all done with swords and bubble wands — Oliver must think, harder than he ever has before, if he wants to defeat his enemy. And he will need all the clear thoughts he can get, because the One with None is planning a new method of stealing people's souls. He will use computer screens, as soon as he can unveil his latest invention to an applauding and unsuspecting world.

Mixed up in all this is Nostradamus. Alice in Wonderland, quantum computers, soul-stealers, French philosophers and poets like Moliére and Racine, champagne, and Oliver's father whose soul has been stolen by the One with None, the Master of Mirrors. It sounds as if it would be a heady brew, but to me it felt as if these disparate elements were thrown together randomly wherever the author thought they would sound clever.

The premise is interesting and the writing tolerable, but somehow it failed to grab me. It moved slowly and was rather predictable. Oliver was slightly annoying at times and his friend Charlie much more so. I really only finished the book because I started it. I can't really recommend it very highly. show less

I think I'd describe this as mindboggling AND superb. I found Adam Gopnik's The King in the Window a fascinating read.

The book starts out normally enough- a young boy, Oliver, and his family, living in Paris. However, when he puts on a crown that came courtesy of a cake from a bakery, he sees a reflection in the window that looks like him...but isn't him. And so begins a insane and thrilling and quirky journey.

I read this a while ago but from what I recall, Gopnik blends fantasy and adventure and technology and so much more, into a wonderful book. There are so many elements going on in this book, and I really loved how Gopnik invokes characters from classic stories (not going to spoiler-ify this though, so I'll keep mum) into his show more plot. There is a alternate universe(-ish) reminiscent of China Mieville's Un Lun Dun, and the concepts that Gopnik introduced made me really think. It's definitely a journey of self-discovery for Oliver- oh, and along the way, he saves the world!

Overall, an good, imaginative book. show less

first line: "If Oliver had simply smiled and joked with his parents while he was wearing the gold paper crown, or if he had just remembered to take it off after dinner, as he had always done before, the window wraiths might never have mistaken him for royalty."

I liked this but didn't love it. The story is whimsical and entertaining, like Carroll's Wonderland books, which feature prominently in Gopnik's novel. Unfortunately, I think the world of The King in the Window would actually have been much stronger if it weren't so closely intertwined with Carroll's creation as to seem dependent upon it.

Really enjoyed the unique fantasy element. Short summary: Oliver accidentally becomes the King in the Window, King of the window wraiths, and is expected to lead the final battle against the Mirror Master, also called The One with None.