Brian's Reviews > The Phoenix and the Carpet

Don't read this expecting fantasy. It is more like farce or a comic, but Nesbit never fails to invent human characters and that is primarily what I really get out of her books. Even when including such an exotic animal as the Phoenix, she imbues him with a humorous sense of dignity and ceremony that causes no end of trouble for the children.

Every once in a while Nesbit writes a gem. One of my favorite insightful and thought-provoking ones was: "He felt that he was a blot on the smart beauty of the family, and he hoped the Phoenix knew what he was suffering for its sake. Of course, we are all pleased to suffer for the sake of others, but we like them to know it unless we are the very best and noblest kind of people, and Robert was just ordinary."

The stories are fairly self-contained, but also very funny. The ending to the Two Bazaars was nothing short of brilliant and The Temple is buckets of laughter. The Mews From Persia is a bit too painful and realistic to be funny at times. A lot of this book is quite memorable and the clergymen come off quite nice.

Oh, and 'Whirling Worlds' is the game where you swing the baby round and round by his hands. Good thing to know.