The It-Doesn't-Matter Suit [Hardcover]

Sylvia Plath (Author), Rotraut Susanne Berner (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1996

Living with his parents and six brothers in the small village of Winkelburg, Max Nix, a little boy, dreams of wearing a suit just like the rest of his family, and, one day, a mysterious package is delivered to his home. By the author of The Bell Jar.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Plath (1932-1963) produced at least two upbeat manuscripts for children?The Bed Book (Harper & Row, 1976) and this never-before-published tale?but she evidently poured her real passion into pessimism. She musters only bland hopefulness in this story of Max Nix, who covets a "woolly whiskery brand-new mustard-yellow suit" that arrives at his home in a mysterious brown box. Max's father and his six older brothers, in descending order, reject the dandelion-gold garment after extended trial periods. Finally Mrs. Nix alters it to fit her youngest son. Max, delighted, finds that "it doesn't matter" whether he wears this ideal suit in the snow, the rain or the barn because the wool keeps him warm, dry and clean. (Max's name, in fact, plays on "es macht nichts," or "it doesn't matter.") Plath could have made do with fewer Nix kids, for her repetition becomes tedious. Nevertheless, the poet offers some clever phrases: the dogs and cats follow Max, "purring and grrring with admiration" at his attire. Berner's Euro-flavored cartoons, styled to match the story's Bavarian setting, recall the imagery of Olof and Lena Landstrom's similarly sweet-if-insubstantial "Will" books. Painting in rich primary and secondary colors against white negative space, she envisions the Nix boys as ruddy-cheeked Alpine types wearing overalls, milking cows and skiing. Doubtless Plath's name spurred this book's publication, but Berner's lively visual treatment is its strongest suit. All ages.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile

Discovered 33 years after Plath's death, this fable tells of the desire of Max Nix to get a suit of clothes. Not an ordinary, workaday suit, but a suit for doing everything. Then, one day a mysterious parcel arrives, and Max sees a chance to get his wish. A British cast of adults and children gives a spirited presentation of this charming fable, making clear its patterns and repetition, as well as its poetic language, which will appeal to young listeners. P.B.J. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 41 pages
• Publisher: St. Martins Press; 1st edition (June 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312141890
• ISBN-13: 978-0312141899
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #323,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A charming, whimsical tale, January 8, 2004

By 

annulla "annulla" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It-Doesn't-Matter Suit (Paperback)

Surprisingly, Sylvia Plath, generally known as "that talented, unhappy poet who killed herself," produced this thoroughly charming, whimsical children's tale. The manuscript lay neglected and forgotten among the author's papers for decades and was first published 33 years after her death.

At first glance, the book appears to be a retelling of an old German or Scandinavian tale, but it is actually a completely original work. Many, many details of the story - the names of the characters (Emil, Otto, Hugo, Johann, etc.), their interests (skiing, tobagganning, ice fishing), their clothing (leather knickers with carved bone buttons, a green felt hat with a turkey feather in it, blue or red ski suits embroidered with snowflakes or edelweiss) - as well as the illustrations, give the book an old-fashioned, Mittle European feel.

More than simply a literary curiosity, The It-Doesn't-Matter Suit is a delightful surprise, sweet without sentimentality, and revealing a side of Plath that has rarely been seen before.