Tuck Everlasting

I listened to the audiobook, beautifully narrated by Alexis Bledel with an introduction by Gabrielle Zevin, and it was such a moving experience. Bledel’s gentle, expressive voice perfectly matches the poetic style of Natalie Babbitt’s writing and captures Winnie’s innocence and curiosity. The story of the Tuck family, forever changed by the magic spring, feels even more haunting and thought-provoking when told aloud. I loved how the narration highlighted both the adventure and the melancholy of immortality, prompting me to reflect on what it really means to live. Zevin’s introduction provides context and emphasizes why this novel continues to resonate. A timeless, heartfelt classic that works beautifully in audio, highly show more recommended for both young readers and adults. show less

First published a little more than forty years ago, Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting is a classic of modern children's literature, one which engrosses the reader wholly and (I suspect) haunts them long afterward. Opening in the first week of August - described in the opening passage as hanging "at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year" - it concerns the adventures of ten-year-old Winifred Foster, who meets the immortal Tuck family and, in an astonishing three days of knowing them, is awakened to complex questions about the nature of life and time, and the joy and grief of making choices. Having drunk from a spring which grants eternal life, the Tucks have been wandering for more than eighty years, returning every once show more in a while to the spring - now located in a wood belonging to Winnie's family - that began it all. Determined to protect the secret, the Tucks must take Winnie into their confidence when she discovers the spring, hoping to convince her that it would be a disaster if the world discovered its waters. But as these events unfold, a sinister man in a yellow suit is pursuing the Tucks, and their secret, determined to profit from the spring, and to enact his own vision of eternal life...

A book I have long meant to read - I've owned a copy for over a decade - Tuck Everlasting is a story that a wish I had read first as a child, not because I failed to appreciate it now, as an adult - indeed, it is the sort of book that rewards readers of all ages, simple enough for those looking for an engaging story, complex enough for those interested in more philosophical questions - but because I suspect it would have been a great favorite, read and reread many times over the years. I regret the missed opportunity of having grown up with this story, but then, as is amply demonstrated in Babbitt's narrative, all choices have consequences. The language here is beautiful, richly descriptive and immensely evocative, and the story thought-provoking. The idea of time as a wheel, something which 'book-ends' the story, is fascinating, as is the overall premise that everlasting life is not entirely a blessing. I was struck, upon finishing the story, by how different the perspective offered here is, compared to the ubiquitous vampire-romance novels that depict joining loved ones in eternal life as self-evidently desirable. This is just a lovely, lovely story, one I will be pondering for some time. I am glad to have finally read it - prompted by the fact that I will shortly be attending the musical production made from it, here in New York - and hope to read more of the author's work. show less

This is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. Short but very sweet. Packed full of lessons without feeling as if that is what you are reading for.

Living forever sounds great, doesn't it? In this beautifully prosaic book Ms. Babbitt explores, through story, the possibility that it might not be such a great thing.

Winnie Foster feels trapped by her overprotective mother. Her life is forever changed when she stumbles upon Jesse Tuck drinking water from a spring beneath a giant oak tree. Jesse prevents Winnie from drinking from the spring; he knows that the water is the key to eternal life on earth. Not knowing what to do next Jesse takes Winnie back to his family's cabin where she learns enough to determine for herself show more whether eternal life on earth might really not be the blessing most would think.

This book has been made into a film by Disney. I'll admit that I enjoyed the film although it was several years ago. I saw the film before having the chance to read the book. Of course, I am certain the book is better than the film. It is a rare film that ends up being better than the book from which it is derived.

Tuck Everlasting is the most beautifully written book I think I have ever read. Babbitt's words evoke stunning imagery not easily matched.

My favorite quote:

"Don't be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don't have to live forever, you just have to live." show less

Near perfect, as far as I'm concerned. Small in scope -- the bulk of the story occurs over a few days -- but intensely engaged with the themes of immortality, mortality, obsessions, and youth. I loved Tuck's the non-explanatory theory for the spring of immortality -- that it was a small piece of an alternate plan for the world that was abandoned and somehow overlooked. I loved how the child was the center of the story throughout but we still saw a bit inside the nature of every family member.

Highly recommended.

Highly praised, well-known, filmed twice (I believe), but I'd never come across it.

It's a tale for young readers about the perilous gift of an earthly, eternal life. If it was offered to you, should you take it? And would you?

The narrative has little by way of twist or turn, and being put before us with a gentle simplicity, also resolves simply, but the reader is drawn into the tale by its artful naivety. I liked it - perhaps not as much as other world favourite tales, but well enough to recommend it to you.

However, what remains with me is less the dilemma of the choice as the question of whether this secret of life is worth killing for, the culture shock when you encounter a family happier than your own, the morality of kidnapping and show more absconding, the loneliness of longevity and the whimsey of the toad. For these extra byways, I'm glad I read it. show less

Although I can readily see that Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt would be an enchanting and magical story for young readers I’m afraid I am too old to fall completely under it’s spell. It is a stylistic and well written story about living forever and the complications that being immortal can bring.

The ten year old heroine of the story meets a family that are immortal and is offered the choice of becoming immortal herself (after she grows to be at least 17) and while her decision is not given much importance in the story, the author still manages to get her point across that no matter how beautiful life is, it is better to let it unfold naturally and have a beginning, a middle and an ending.

Tuck Everlasting deals with the themes show more of friendship, caring and responsibility but ultimately I felt that the book’s strongest message was that of love of family and respect for oneself. I could definitely see that this book could lay the groundwork for much classroom discussion and it certainly deserves the many awards it has won. I wish I had read it at a much earlier age. show less

Thought-provoking tale with not-so-subtle themes on the meaning of life and death, immortality, and even freedom. I’d include this on any recommended reading list for children and teens. Although listed as a children’s book, this is one many adults enjoy. Still, I found this cautionary tale to be too short and would have preferred more emotional writing, even when I was of the intended age. Of course, if everyone lived indefinitely it would spell disaster, but it’s easier to see how it would be worse for the people in the book, then perhaps for someone with greater aspirations in a more modern world. A bittersweet read that doesn’t pack such a punch when we’ve moved so far away from a time when horses are the only means of show more transport. I couldn’t help thinking of vampire stories where they’ve had to invest their money, return as a distant relative to claim their own fortunes. In another scenario, eternal life might not be a curse for some, especially if it was possible to end it at a time of one’s choosing. Therefore, the warning here holds true, but not entirely, though it leaves the question of what you would do when Winnie is confronted with the offer at the end of the book. show less