レビュー要約

• 反応は二分される。寓話的な発想や Miss M. の独白の独自性を高く評価する声がある一方で、長さや陰影の濃い展開を重く感じる読者もいる。

レビュー

• This book is quite fascinating, as I expected it would be. By about page 100 the reader begins to understand what is unique in Miss M. Because of her small size she goes through life somewhat as a child would, yet mentally she develops normally. Thus she is a magical creature who can see the world afresh while still mentally mature – the dream of every poet. Also, the smaller you are, the more detail you can notice. Others are of “the common size” – this is meant somewhat derogatorily, as appears when Miss M. corrects it to “the ordinary size” when she meets Dr. Phelps. Miss M. is rather contemptuous of normal humanity – “Forty feeding like one” (Wordsworth). She notes that giants are usually stupid, therefore, she … perfects the conditional. I was well into the book and was still waiting for the surrealism. It is always a mysterious book in the sense that I, at least, am never quite sure what is going on in the interpersonal relationships, but that may be just me. But on p. 214 we get: “I wonder what the listener thought of this little challenge, not what Mr. Crimble did.” Miss M. and Mr. Crimble are alone in the room. "The Listeners" (1912) is de la Mare’s best-known poem, indeed the one I read first. I suspect de la Mare’s "listeners" are readers of life’s books, including those that haven’t been written yet.

• A wonderfully bonkers book I loved it ! I bought this copy for my 12 year old neice I will update with her thoughts !

• ...though few enough people will ever read it, because this book languishes in undeserved obscurity. This novel is a fascinating look into a life which is unimaginable to most of us--this life of a tiny, delicate midget, whose heart and soul are as large as she is small. This is not a book to be picked up for an idle afternoon's reading (though it is not difficult to read), because it is truly like entering...well, a fairyland. If you are a reader of high fiction, you will love it. And, though I'm evidently the only person in the world who knows this, it would make a world-beating animated film.

• very good item and service

• Amazon.com sent me the corrected, updated version of Memoirs of a Midget today (thank you, thank you!), and it works fine on my Kindle (at last)! The book itself is a masterpiece, and I am so glad to have some Walter de la Mare works available for my Kindle now. His prose stories are generally hard to find, and unaccountably obscure. And it is a pity, because he was a unique, amazing writer and poet. His lyrical, haunting style is unmatched, and quite enchanting. His poetry is truly fine, but I really love his prose works best. They read like prose, but engage your imagination like poetry! The language is beautiful.

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