The Cardturner

It is not a brilliant observation to say that I would have little knowledge or interest in the game of bridge had Lois Sachar's //The Cardturner// not come along. //The Cardturner// is no exception to the Sachar legacy, and although centered around an out-of-date topic, it revives bridge and gives the game new life. Alton Richards is a normal seventeen-year-old with a family of oddities and a tendency to attract bad luck. His mother has pushed him all his life to be kind to his Uncle Lester, a rich, aged hermit who has an affinity for bridge. Currently job-less (and girlfriend-less), Alton accepts the offer of being Uncle Lester's, or as he prefers to be called, Trapp's cardturner in the bridge game. During his biweekly visits to the bridge club, Alton tries to prove himself in the eyes of his uncle who sees him as little more than a glorified monkey. Alton, however, discovers that the Richards family is not the only contender for favorable position in inheriting Trapp's fortune. The Castaneda family has powerful influence over Trapp, and regularly makes visits, usually in the form of the pretty Toni Castaneda. Alton struggles with his growing feelings for Toni and jealousy of her; Toni is looked upon by Trapp as an actual individual with opinions. As Alton continues to make the visits, he realizes that the relationship between Trapp and the Castaneda families lies farther back in a dark history of abuse, lies, and deceit that all started with the game of bridge. There really is no way to overstate the genius of //The Cardturner//. It is a well-layered, sophisticated book that keeps in touch with the sarcastic teen narrator but appeals to a much wider audience -- the epitome of brilliance. Well played! Reviewed by Alex Masri

I saw this book on the new releases table at Books a Million. It was the kids table and I thought it was a poker book (never judge a book by its cover). I thumbed through it and realized that Bridge was the theme of the book. I remember as a kid (I'm 40) seeing the Bridge puzzles in the newspapers and was intrigued. I liked the tone of the writing and picked it up. I finished the book in two sittings and really liked it. The story is good and the Bridge comes at you pretty quickly. I will probably have to reread it a few times before I totally understand it. I am now looking for a good Bridge book and didn't realize what an interesting card game it is!

This is one of the most enjoyable books I've read this year. I was initially skeptical about a book with so much bridge in it. I've never played bridge, a mathematical, complex card game that seems to only be played by British characters in books. But I'm a fan of Louis Sacher, writer of _Sideways Stories from Wayside School_ and the Newbery-winning _Holes_, so I picked it up. I found myself interested in bridge as a game, and riveted by the underlying story about a rich uncle, an inheritance, and a woman who went mad under mysterious circumstances in the past. Sacher's skills as a storyteller and polish as a writer only continue to grow. His treatment of Alton's feelings about his friendships and his family is gentle and skillful (and about his family, Alton's parents are hilariously awful and his sister is great). Sacher has kept the sense of humor and his imagination that distinguished his earlier books, but added to it a psychological subtlety that made it an exceptionally pleasing reading experience.

It's hard not to feel sorry for seventeen-year-old Alton Richards when his parents rope him into driving his cranky, blind, great-Uncle Lester to his bridge club four times a week - during summer vacation, no less. Even worse: Alton must be Uncle Lester's eyes during this old-fashioned game; his cardturner. As the summer wears on, Alton, in turn, learns the game of bridge requires players to look beyond the surface, which extends to the way he perceives his uncle. Despite his blindness, Uncle Lester is quite insightful. The Cardturner by Louis Sachar is a wholly original story that breaks so many rules of what should be an interesting book for teens. It's about bridge - a game for old people and not even parent old, more like grandparent old. I can assure you, the author manages to make the subject not only a good read, but you may even consider playing bridge because the book provides some "how to" tips as a bonus. In his Newbery Award winning Holes, Mr. Sachar broke a few rules, too. And I, for one, hope that he continues to be his wonderful non-conformist self , writing about whatever subject or story moves him. -- Reviewed by Michelle Delisle

Alton Richards (not Richard Alton like some of his teachers call him) has always known that wealthy Lester Trapp is his favorite uncle. He loves him. At least, that's what his mother tells him to say every time Trapp and Alton talk on the phone. But when Trapp's health problems lead to his blindness and Alton is roped into being the old man's "cardturner" at his bridge club...Alton has to decide his feelings for himself--along with his feelings for Toni Castaneda, Trapp's niece by marriage and former cardturner according to most, contender for the fortune according to Alton's mom. But he soon learns that Toni might not be as crazy as his mom says, that bridge may not be as boring as he thought, and that not all coincidences are mere coincidences. Ok, this time I'm skipping all the educated, literary-sounding praise. Getting straight to the point: I loved The Cardturner. Like Sachar's previous masterpiece, Holes, The Cardturner hides layer upon layer of meaning with the utmost subtlety...yet is so straightforward about it all that you will trust the narrator implicitly. I know my summary is slightly convoluted; a more simple way to put it is that this book is all about bridges. Yeah, the game bridge of course, which you will find delightfully, surprisingly exciting, but so much more... The bridges we build from one person to another...one idea to another... to friends, strangers, God, our own subconscious minds. Ok, and if anyone suddenly has a strong desire to start up a bridge club after reading this (it wouldn't surprise me), I so want to be in on it.