Amber's Reviews > Dandelion Wine

I agree on the review! I thought the book was crazy!

Glad I'm not the only one!

I'm actually upset. I've always considered this one of the most universally well liked books ever. I've never met a single person that wasn't enchanted. Which isn't to say that you are wrong, there is a sloppiness to the prose and the structure. I just... didn't mind. Even the Lonely One chapter? That didn't do anything for you?

You don't read poetry or like it either, right?

How does one "hear himself write" exactly? Was that intended to be poetic?

I have loved this book so dearly. I love the beauty of the prose, that is always bordering on poetry. And yes, it has a storyline. And huge character developement. Douglas has a purpose. He has character. The theme is one you should easily recognize. Growing up, and the loss of childhood. I have reread this book multitudes of times. I love it dearly, and as far as just "putting those word dumps" together? It is a collection of short stories. He said that himself.

I agree with Kristen above.
The way I see it, most books just don't get any better than "Dandelion Wine." In fact they can't touch this beautifully written classic.

So sorry that you did not enjoy it at all...

Did you even read the whole book? I mean depending on your age, I can see why you wouldn't like it, but that doesn't apply to everyone. I'm 15 and I loved it. It has a lot of wonderful themes, ideas and imagery...

I agree with the review. While Bradbury is an incredible writer, he can at times come across as overly-wordy and a bit pretentious. I am not even going to rate or review this book because it bored me so intensely. I am glad someone finally came out and flat out stated that--even if only rarely--Bradbury could suck as much as the rest.

relatability still does not mean a book is good or not. sure, the book touches on a lot of themes that are interesting, and all that. But it was still a long-winded book with too much nostalgia.

is it so impossible that some people simply would dislike this book? Why does it have to be an issue with their level of comprehension? I understood the book perfectly, as I am sure Amber did as well, and I am sticking to my original idea that the book just wasn't that good. Bradbury can kick major ass when he wants to, I just don't think he did it here.

I so totally agree with Amber. I admit I haven't finished it. Am about half way through and really considering not continuing, even though I ALWAYS finish my book club books. The language is poetic, but somehow just too much. I cannot connect with the characters, and it is going nowhere... If this were Bradbury's first book, I don't think it would ever have been published.

Books aren't always about plot. Sometimes they are about ideas, awareness, feeling, spiritual awakening. For many of us, this book puts words to feelings and thoughts we've experienced but never articulated. I first read it as a teenager and thought yes! How does Bradbury understand just how I experience the world? Reading it again at age 57, I re-experience that sensibility. If you approach the book expecting a plot, you will be disappointed - it is just not that kind of book. Maybe you simply don't like books that are not plot-based. I don't like goat cheese, so I won't presume to judge the quality of any goat cheese you serve me. Maybe best not to judge a book that is simply not the genre you enjoy.

I'm not even rating this book because I couldn't get past the first 20 pages. But it's so universally liked that I almost feel guilty about it. I grew up in a small town and love it still, but there's a limit to how idyllic a scene can be.

I can understand your opinion. It is difficult for me to get adjusted to his writing style sometimes, but as someone pointed out above, when you do, you see he has created some facinating imagery. Also, it brings back memories for me as a boy. Not so much the sentimentality, but the fact that I can remember thinking thoughts much like the kids in this novel. Adults don't think like that, but we can still remember when we did.

I find it interesting how these comments progress... In particular how the most recent are axioms of self-important pretentious ridicule, but I digress.

I first read this story when I was 11 or 12 and it stayed with me to this day and I am nearly 51 at the time I write this. I concede Ray Bradbury is without contest my lifelong favorite story teller. I was a book nerd kid and I read voraciously... I loved books and would ride my bike to the public libray on a Saturday and spend all day there. I only wish I had the time to read now like I did then. Though when I do have the opportunity to read for pleasure these days I find myself going back to those books that have had lifelong impact on me... Dandelion Wine is one of them.

My first child, my beautiful daughter is named Myndelae; Korean for Dandelion and yes it has everything to do with this story.

Calling this story bad, or slandering the writing, or being critical in a derogatory way only elucidates a weak passive aggressive self - importance. If you don't get it then you don't get it. If you don't like it then you don't like it... there is exactly zero reason to be disparaging. It does not elevate anyones intellect, it in fact deflates the intellect and betrays an over indulgent underdeveloped ego.

Nonetheless, Dandelion Wine is classic and timeless coming of age story told in a profoundly moving prose that never ceases to intoxicate my imagination... Perhaps it may for your as well, and what could it hurt to read it and see?

I love it. I hope that you might ad well. The stories of Ray Bradbury without doubt influenced my character for the better... that is not say he can do that for everyone, but then that is the inherent beauty of literature, is it not?

Judge not lest ye be judged. No matter how much of a pretentious hipster you contrive to appear.

...and therein lies the rub: if you don't like it, it is because you are a self-important pretentious hipster.
It must be so.There is no other explanation. You cannot simply dislike something because you ACTUALLY do not like it.
No.
You dislike it because you are trying to sound smart, or passive-aggressive and self-important.
Heaven forbid someone might just hate it because they think it sucks.

It's very typical of modern American lit, written stream of consciousness style. If you didn't like Dandelion Wine, you probably shouldn't major in English, because this is what the modern movement is (or was--I think we're in post modern now?). Find another genre. Oddly enough, Dandelion Wine is the only Bradbury book I actually enjoyed.

Don't we all have our own personal feelings and connections to a book? Just because many people view a particular book as good or bad doesn't mean that everyone must share that opinion. It does not reflect on a reader's character or intelligence, feelings about books are personal and visceral. Voicing an opinion in a book review on Goodreads is not slandering, it is just expressing your personal response to the book. I value reading reviews both by people that enjoyed a book and by those that did not. Everyone has interesting insights and perspectives, and reading reviews across the whole range of ratings provides much insight.

I couldn't agree more.This book was awful. It's like he had to write so many words & just filled a book with a bunch of adjectives & forgot to write a story. "Classic-a book which people praise and don't read"-Mark Twain

While the lack of plot can be irritating in this book, I think it adds to the meaning behind it. I believe that the lack of plot was entirely intentional when Bradbury wrote it. If the author is trying to direct attention away from the plot of the book, it’s probably because he wants the focus to be on something that he believes to be more important. The novel is divided up into a collection of short stories that happen over the period of a summer. This summer also happens to be the summer where the main character, Douglas, loses some of his childish views of the world around him. Each section of the book is meant to convey a lesson that Douglas has to learn in order to grow up. He starts with learning “I am alive” and finally realizes that one day he will die too. It’s not meant to be action-packed; it’s meant to show how to grow up. And, I think the reason that this particular novel, of all the ones he has written, had to be filled with imagery and extensive detail to prove the point that life is beautiful. I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong. I didn’t write it, but that’s what I got out of it.

Thank you Amber! You described it just right- he word-dumped (maybe while in the bathroom taking a dump) and then strung the assorted dumps together so he could "hear himself write." Bradbury could have done better than this (and frequently did).

The story line wasn't in the stories, it was in the interpretations of Doug. From the realization of "living" to an understanding the time we have here as a window, to death. Yes, it was a series of unrelated stories that requires reading between the lines to catch.

Umm... you don't have a clue. Did you actually have a childhood at all? Are you so extremely female you can't even begin to empathize with or recall what a summer is for a young boy? This is a wonderful book written more for young readers than soccer moms. Why in the world did you read it in the first place?!

Why the hell does every book need to have a 'plot'? Answer: it doesn't; at least not in the sense of nearly every other generic novel or novella, or even short story. Our minds are not simply vehicles for linear thought at all times. Just as films by Jodorowsky, Antonioni and Godard made films that discarded filmmaking only inside "the box', so can authors.

Roxey wrote: "I agree on the review! I thought the book was crazy!"
You don't have a clue, either. Did you actually have a childhood at all? Are you so extremely female you can't even begin to empathize with or recall what a summer is for a young boy? This is a wonderful book written more for young readers than soccer moms. Why in the world did you read it in the first place?!

The reason it sounds like that to you (and anyone who agreed with the review) is because you don't hear the "music" of the book. This is not an insult or an illness or anything, it's just that some people do, and some people don't. These two kinds of people tend to have different tastes, as you can see. The "music" of the book consists of how the words flow, how they sound in your mind. How the sentences link together and smoothly trickle through your brain. How they the words dance on the page and how they feel on your tongue as you are saying them. (I'm sorry if got to poetic there, but I have no other way to describe it.) you simply don't hear these things, and thus you prefer other qualities in a book: maybe lots of twists, maybe more character development, maybe lots of action, or maybe something else! It's not a bad thing to not hear this. It's kind of like tone deafness, in the same sense that you can't hear the music, but not in the sense that it is bad and you shouldn't be reading because of it. Anyways, what I'm ting to say is, anybody who insulted the reviewer or agreed with them, here's my explanation. Bradbury's main quality is writing with music, as if he was writing poetry. Some people don't hear this music or don't like it, and thus don't like the book on a whole because that's the moan component of the book. Some people do hear it and/or do like it, and thus adore the book to bits because of how good it sounds. I myself am one of the latter, but I do not agree with anyone who says your review is wrong. It's not. It's a different view on things.

Hi Amber,
i think this is a book you either love or hate. it is one of my all-tome favorite books, but I know some people who feel the way you do. It just resonated with me. I read it to my third grade class one year. One of my kids ended up being the first youth poet laureate for Los Angeles. she attributed this book for her love of words. I have read books that I hated and everyone else seemed to love. it's just a matter of taste. :)

while I can see what you mean and understand it, I do think you should go back and re-read it. Try to uderstand what he's saying, I loved the discriptive word filled paragraphs. I found it easy to follow, then again I am more of a "show don't tell" writer myself so perhaps I'm just used to it.

I hear your criticism about lack of story line, distinctive voice, and character development, but I would argue that there is a point. The point is to feel alive, and to live. Part of the discovery of life involves looking at multiple perspectives, childish ones, dying ones, loving ones, aging ones. And though you may not experience it, when I read Bradbury he helps to remind me of the beauty of being alive.

I was bored by it.

cause you dont get it dear :)

Agreed. This is the first book I've ever given up on after getting over halfway through. I tried to push through it. I made a genuine effort. But the writing is muddy and scrambled, and each character is pretty much identical to the rest. You could substitute any one character in one short story for any other character in another and not even notice a difference or find it unbelievable. It's equal parts sappy and pretentious.

Maybe you have some unresolved issues which give you a sense of self-importance? Maybe you should stick to soap opera 'Valley' novels about shopping, celebrities and hairstyles. :-)

there is a certain reading comprehension and intelligence requirement to enjoy this book. its not very high, but the book not going to be as accessible as the Hunger Games or the DaVinci code.

This is probably one of the most beautiful things i have read. The pages just glow with warmth and feeling. The bittersweet is so bittersweet.

I just wrote an update saying as much! I don't understand the great reviews!

I agree. It is heavy on description, it meanders, it's lacking in structure and drive. Words that sound pretty is one thing, but it takes so much more than that to make a great novel.

I'm struggling with it and not only halfway through. I feel like I'm wasting my time reading it, that it's not going to get any better. Very boring. Maybe the words are beautiful, but I've never much cared for poetry. Not even sure where this recommendation came from.

I struggled at first, and then I sort of realized that every chapter is a short story set in the same town. Separating them like that made it a lot easier, and by the end I came to love it.

Don't worry, you're exactly right. My wife asked me about this book. I said it was one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. Then she asked me what it was about. I said I don't know. This is the most boring book I have ever read in my entire life, and I still can't figure out what it's about. Old people? Children? Who knows. The words are pretty though.

I agree 100%. I couldn't get through the first disc (audiobook). I kept asking myself, "what is he talking about?" and thought maybe it was a story about a kid with schizophrenic tendencies.

Agree. I read only to the point where this 12-year-old realized "I'm alive!“ which was also the point where I realized Ray Bradbury was never a 12-yr-old boy himself, also the point where I threw the book at the wall and went downstairs to eat some ice cream.

It was a terrible book. Totally agree with you. I kept waiting for something to happen for it to have those 4/5 stars.. .nothing.

Wow. You people missed out.

It is five years since I read this book and truthfully I barely remember reading it. But I LOVE the passion behind all of your comments... even when you call me a hipster, an brainless amateur, a ridiculous poser, an idiot. Or when you reference the Hunger Games and Davinci Code - and imply that it’s the highest literary level I’ve ever reached 😂 - your passion and vehemence for this book makes me want to give it a pair of fresh eyes. Xoxo

Amber wrote: "It is five years since I read this book and truthfully I barely remember reading it. But I LOVE the passion behind all of your comments... even when you call me a hipster, an brainless amateur, a r..."

haha! Love this!

Honest!

It's funny how people here write that "there is a certain reading comprehension and intelligence requirement to enjoy this book" etc, but then show their own lack of intelligence by insulting the person who didn't like what they like.

Why every book has to have character developmenr now?In real life people do not change from day to day.

It breaks my heart for you that you didn't enjoy this book. I am truly sorry for those who are unable to find appreciation in such beautiful literature.