Tanglewreck

Tanglewreck is a thoroughly engaging book. It's a page turner and for most readers, especially for those for whom this book is intended, a bit of a mind-bender. The story is suspenseful and just complicated enough, the names are wonderfully bestowed upon each character, and Winterson takes the reader to wonderful and amazing times and places. I did not catch the condescending tone mentioned by another reviewer. But then, I'm not a kid anymore. That same reviewer mentioned Pullman's Golden Compass and I was reminded of that book frequently while reading this one. There's no doubt in my mind that Pullman is a genius and if Tanglewreck isn't quite on that level yet, I do think it's a marvelous read and one that will be enjoyed by many kids (and adults who love YA lit) over the years. Read it!

Time is not behaving itself. Trains stall in time, then rush ahead as if to catch up, pyramids appear in London, a school bus gets sucked into a Time Tornado and vanishes, and there have been woolly mammoth sightings in the park. Most people can't make any sense of it, and it's getting worse. And the people who do understand it, well, they might be the most dangerous of all. Silver is an eleven-year-old orphan, alone in the world. Well, not completely alone. She has Mrs. Rockabye, the aunt who mysteriously appeared after the death (or maybe disappearance) of Silver's family. Silver thinks that she'd rather be alone than with Mrs. Rockabye, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen any time soon. For now Silver's greatest comfort is her house, Tanglewreck. It comforts her, soothes her, and even speaks to her. She knows about the strangeness of time, but as long as she can stay at Tanglewreck, she doesn't seem to be too concerned. Abel Darkwater knows about time, and he understands why it's behaving strangely. Abel is sure that time can be controlled, and that whoever controls time will control the universe. Abel intends to be that person. He's sure that all he needs is the Timekeeper. And he's positive that Silver knows where it is. After all, Silver's dad was bringing it to Abel on the day the family died. Silver is in a race against time, literally, to keep the Timekeeper safe. If only she knew where it was. Or what it was. With the help of her strange, new, old friend, Gabriel, Silver will have to travel to unknown places and times on a quest for something she's never seen. I've always loved time travel stories, and this one is no exception. This is the first story I've read that has dealt with the actual alteration of time as opposed to the adjustments of the main character inside a particular time. Although that's in here, too. And, I have to say that this is the closest I've ever come to understanding Quantum Theory. (Something I'm sure would be very disappointing to all of the science teachers I've ever had.) Don't let that intimidate you though. Previous knowledge is (obviously) not required. Whether or not you come away with an understanding of that is not really even the point, though a nice side benefit. The point is that this is a very good, interesting, and well-written story. Plain and simple. You should read it. Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

Something frightening is happening to time: a 'time tornado' rips through London and a house called Tanglewood, home to eleven-year-old Silver and her aunt, are at the heart of the disturbance. For the clock known as the Timekeeper in their house controls all time - a clock Silver has guarded until its disappearance. Silver's journey to regain the clock before it ends the world results in a compelling adventure nearly impossible to put down. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

Silver is a young red haired, green-eyed eleven year old living in a vast house that dates back to the 1500's. Her parents and her sister, Buddleia, have been dead (or as Silver believes it missing) for four years. This means that Silver has to be taken care of by her Aunt Mrs. Rokabye, a woman who looks after her own interests. One day a man named Abel Darkwater comes into their lives, searching for an item called the timekeeper. Whatever this device does Silver is unaware, but it is plain that Darkwater wants it and will do anything to get it. After a trip to London and bizarre occurrences with Darkwater forces Silver to flee she is aided by a young man, more precisely a young man belonging to a race of underground dwelling people called the Throwbacks. As Silver stays with them she learns they were once all patients at an asylum called Bedlam where Darkwater performed nefarious experiments on them. Into the mix is also mentioned a woman named Maria Prophetessa , who has an unusual connection to a woman named Regalia Mason, an executive at a corporation called Quanta, who has succeeded in the manufacturing of extracting time from people who have far too much of it and the selling it off to people who have too little. Also on Silver's trail is a couple of questionable men named Thugger and Fisty, who also seem as if they are interested in the fabled timekeeper. Silver and Gabriel, the throwback, are now in a race with all of these people to find the legendary timekeeper. Unaware that Mrs. Rokabye has managed to acquire a piece of it from Silver's duffel bag they set of on a quest to secure the device, skirting Time Tornadoes, one-dimensional travel, black holes, starvation, and temptation from those who are their friends to ally themselves to the dark side. But can Silver and Gabriel succeed in their endeavors and manage to save all existence as they know it? Sound confusing? In a way it is. The plot is fairly straight forward. Girl discovers an evil force threatening mankind, girl finds out she can stop evil force, girl meets boy, girl likes boy, girl must avoid questionable dark forces trying to cause harm, etc. etc. Fairly typical plot development for a fantasy book. Where it takes a turn from typical to confusing is in the method in which Winterson delivers the ideas and the way she crafts the story. For one thing she develops these short chapters, many only 5 to 10 pages long that are broken up into these random short paragraphs that make up different plot developments in the story. For instance, one paragraph may be only 6 sentences long, the sentences only containing 6 or 7 words each, then there is a break and the story either switches to something completely different (and usually right back) or it will continue with the story from the same paragraph just with a break for emphasis. What this technique does is it breaks up the story into this very frenetic telling of a story, like a movie does, or as if the story was dissolving

This book is a real treat for Winterson fans. Very different from her other work and yet retains all of the elements of Winterson's unique style. Characters from or very similar to her adult novel "Lighthousekeeping" reappear (Silver, Abel Darkwater; and Mrs. Rockabye bears a striking resemblance to Miss Pinch) and many of Winterson's usual themes (the place of science (or reason) and religion (or mnagic) in our world; the healing/rescuing power of love; the families we create vs. the one we are born in to)as well as her usual dazzling use of language/storytelling (stories within stories) and a great adventure to boot! Many may feel that it's a bit much for children to take in but don't sell them short. There are important lessons to be learned and those lessons are taught well here. It's a provocative book and a fun read! For Winterson fans it shows real growth for the author who admits "A beginning, a middle and end is the proper way to tell a story. But I have problems with that method;" Winterson succedes admirably with this plot-driven page turner! And the cast of characters (the ones mentioned before; the loveable Gabriel the Throwback and friend Toby; the hilarious Thugger and Fisty; the deceptive and despicable Regalia Mason; the pirate Roger Rover)are some of the most well-developed of Winterson's career (characterization is another of Winterson's weaknesses). Obviously, once she's dispensed with the desire to impress with her cleverness, Winterson can still amaze. It has its flaws, of course; references to the real world are jarring in the context of such a richly drawn imagined world; things happen that are a bit too convenient (The telepathy of the Throwbacks, for example; Gabriel's escape from the Black Hole)or not entirely explained (Why, for example, is Gabriel suddenly able to live above ground in the light when Throwbacks cannot live in the light?). But these are small things far outweighed by the many things there are to love about this book. We can only hope that either Silver's adventures continue or at least Winterson continues to write for children.