Yes! I thought it was excellent. I had no idea what to expect. The only Bradbury I’d read before was Fahrenheit 451. Very different but equally compelling.
Very interesting as ever Joel. One thing that niggled and gnawed as I read your insights is that sadly "the freaks" in the real travelling circuses o f the day we're societies "misfits". By that I dont mean that there was anything inherently wrong in each person, rather that society was so without the stretch of tenderness to include those of us who don't fit the bell curve. I would be very interested to read the book and feel all the layers you have brought out. I know the UK is quite advanced in their understanding of social disability as opposed to medical disability and I wonder if that can be felt in the novel. (I've worked in human services for years particularly around disability advocacy) so might just be on my own little passionate tangent in the corner.
Way too long since I've read this one, and I need to revisit it soon. Hadn't run across the Augustine quote before; one of these eons I'll have to look at St. A's Confessions.
Joel, if you haven't read Bradbury's short fiction, you're missing a treat. There are two big collections available, THE STORIES OF RAY BRADBURY and BRADBURY STORIES, that gather just about all of his best short work. Highly recommended.
Brilliant review of a novel that gets better with every rereading. Dandelion Wine is a gentler story involving Will and his friends, and I recommend it highly.
Perfect timing for a review of Ray Bradbury’s insightful & creepy story and I highly recommend so many of his other pieces. I generally dislike “horror” as a genre, but Bradbury and Shirley Jackson are also keen interpreters of the darkness in the human soul. And yes, many of those stories are both clever and disturbing! Good luck with Middlemarch… I read it decades ago and loved it, but it’s a bit of heavy lifting at times…
Love Bradbury! If you liked this, I also recommend his short story collections The Illustrated Man and The Martian Chronicles.
The Illustrated Man is sort of the same character as in Something Wicked, but he serves as more of a narrative device than a character in the collection.
"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes." Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 1.
In his book, Bradbury illustrates what happens in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have hidden desires, disordered loves, as Augustine might say, which rise to the surface and take control of their lives. This is what has happened to the circus characters in SWTWC, also. Brilliant.
But did you enjoy it? Why or why not? 👀 just curious 😊
Yes! I thought it was excellent. I had no idea what to expect. The only Bradbury I’d read before was Fahrenheit 451. Very different but equally compelling.
Thanks, I’ll give it a try for Hallows Eve 🎃🎃
I bet you’ll dig it. It’s incredibly well written.
Not the storyline I would have expected from a “scary book.” Thanks for another compelling review!
Perfect for All Hallows Eve. I think I enjoyed this more than reading it (I have a dim memory of reading it fifty or more years ago maybe).
Interesting read. I had no idea Bradbury wrote this sort of thing. Reads like a more modern, agnostic version of Pilgrim's Progress.
Am I the only one who saw an echo of Peter Sellers in Ray Bradbury’s photograph? I loved that book btw. One of the greats.
Very interesting as ever Joel. One thing that niggled and gnawed as I read your insights is that sadly "the freaks" in the real travelling circuses o f the day we're societies "misfits". By that I dont mean that there was anything inherently wrong in each person, rather that society was so without the stretch of tenderness to include those of us who don't fit the bell curve. I would be very interested to read the book and feel all the layers you have brought out. I know the UK is quite advanced in their understanding of social disability as opposed to medical disability and I wonder if that can be felt in the novel. (I've worked in human services for years particularly around disability advocacy) so might just be on my own little passionate tangent in the corner.
Way too long since I've read this one, and I need to revisit it soon. Hadn't run across the Augustine quote before; one of these eons I'll have to look at St. A's Confessions.
Joel, if you haven't read Bradbury's short fiction, you're missing a treat. There are two big collections available, THE STORIES OF RAY BRADBURY and BRADBURY STORIES, that gather just about all of his best short work. Highly recommended.
Such a creepy story!
Brilliant review of a novel that gets better with every rereading. Dandelion Wine is a gentler story involving Will and his friends, and I recommend it highly.
Love this! I’ve recently reread this too! I think I may take your stance on reading and rereading classics in January! Thanks Joel!
Perfect timing for a review of Ray Bradbury’s insightful & creepy story and I highly recommend so many of his other pieces. I generally dislike “horror” as a genre, but Bradbury and Shirley Jackson are also keen interpreters of the darkness in the human soul. And yes, many of those stories are both clever and disturbing! Good luck with Middlemarch… I read it decades ago and loved it, but it’s a bit of heavy lifting at times…
Love Bradbury! If you liked this, I also recommend his short story collections The Illustrated Man and The Martian Chronicles.
The Illustrated Man is sort of the same character as in Something Wicked, but he serves as more of a narrative device than a character in the collection.
"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes." Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 1.
In his book, Bradbury illustrates what happens in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have hidden desires, disordered loves, as Augustine might say, which rise to the surface and take control of their lives. This is what has happened to the circus characters in SWTWC, also. Brilliant.