Lady in the Water: A Bedtime Story by M. Night Shyamalan Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $17.50 You Save: $0.49 (3%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $2.90 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Lady in the Water: A Bedtime Story
Book Review: Disappointment
Summary: 1 Stars
This is the most bizarre "children's book"/"bedtime story" I've ever read. Shyamalan is a great director...I love his movies, I'm anxious to see this movie...but I wish he'd stick to movie making and leave children's books to the experts.Book Review: Do your child a favor, and introduce them to the Grimm Bros instead
Summary: 2 Stars
I grabbed a copy of the Lady in the Water while at the local bookstore. I originally didn't want to read it, because being the geek I am, I was still fearful of spoiling a movie I only had a modicum of interest seeing. The geek runs deep in me.
Not to fear. The children's book will not spoil the movie for you. In fact, so very little happens in the book that I can't imagine any child will be interested in it. We're given a cliff's notes version of the story behind the movie. We learn of Narfs and Scrunts and other animals that exist in this fragile fairytale world, along with the powers they possess. I wish I could say, and THEN the plot kicked in. But no, there is no plot. There is some treacly sentiment instilled in the children. "You will do something important one day," says the book, but unfortunately for the book, no one IN the book does anything.
Having been surrounded by children's literature for over a decade, I see where M. Night was headed. He didn't include a character, because the main character is the reader. Fair enough. It's a traditional children's story stand-by. But there's nothing in this book to let the reader connect to. You never truly meet a Narf, or a Scrunt. You never see what these fairy tale creatures are capable of. Instead, the reader is given the backstory, told they will do something important one day, and so endeth the book. It feels like there needs to be a sequel.
And sadly, that sequel is probably the movie. It's the tie-in to end all tie-ins. Buy your kid the book, and they'll be desperate to see the movie, just to find out what all these fantastical creatures are capable of. It rubs me the wrong way. The book should be able to stand on its own, which it fails to do. Instead it feels more like a prologue to the movie. Maybe he wanted to include it in the movie but had to cut it for time, ultimately leading to this book.
On the upside, the illustrations are beautiful. The artist, Crash McCreery, is actually a visual fx guru, working on such films like Lost World of PoTC: Curse of the Black Pearl. His illustrations seem almost translucent and ghost-like, perfectly capturing the fragile nature of the fairy tale as it balances the world between real and make believe.
I know I'm not the target audience, but I still head to the picture book section first thing when I hit a bookstore. Never is book as art more evident in that section. I think having to "pretend to be a child" is M. Night's way of saying, "Leave your brain at the door. You're not allowed to judge this, because it's 'for kids'!" And that just seems insulting to kids everywhere.
Book Review: Enchanting
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is a beautiful story and the illistrations are visual masterpieces. A must for everyone to read. I enjoyed the movie as well, a great companion set for every age.Book Review: Enchantment is NOT dead!
Summary: 5 Stars
A phenomenal bedtime story. A classic that's in a league of its own. I strongly encourage all parents to read this to their youngsters. It captures the imagination and appeals to more than just children. My wife and I have read it to each other at bedtime. Ooooh, talk about bumps in the night! After all,true fairytales were often very spooky, if not down right frightening! So,if you have nurtured even an ounce of your youth (innocent curiousity) you will not be disappointed. A compelling story that transcends human boundaries. Reminds us to listen...especially to ourselves.Book Review: Excelent! NOT THE SAME PLOT AS THE MOVIE!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Purchased this for my younger daughter and we read it together. It is one of the best children's books I have seen! The story is written in charming prose and coveys a complex message in suppressing brevity. The illustrations are both clever and beautiful and do an excellent job of conveying the mystery surrounding the story! I strongly recommend this book to young and old alike. I think I got more out of it than my daughter!
***THIS book has a plot ENTIRELY SEPERATE of the movie. This is about a kid's back yard pool, while the movie is about a pool at a motel. They are only similar in that they share the same kind of creature, a water nymph. This book DOES NOT reveal the plot of the movie!