Customer Reviews

The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My daughter and I have been fans of Lloyd Alexander for over ten years. We fell in love with Taran and the Companions of Prydain. We have read and reread all five books of the series. My daughter has corresponded with Mr. Alexander. When we received news of his recent passing, we both cried. We were relieved to know that we could look forward to one last book: The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio.

This book is not Prydain. There wasn't time for that kind of character development.

But Lloyd is present. His humor and his carefully hidden nuggets of wisdom are evident. The book moves with great, choppy speed. The language shifts and causes you to be off-kilter at times. But Lloyd gathers his companions deftly without you even realizing what is happening. He brings all of these wild and unconnected people together and creates this wonderful community. And you don't want to leave. On the whole the story is delightful. The book was too short, and should not to be compared to his writing in Taran Wanderer and The High King.

I don't want to say goodbye to Mr. Alexander, but he has left me satisfied.

This is the last novel of Lloyd Alexander, author of The Chronicles of Prydain. I was both excited and worried about reading this book. I loved the Chronicles of Prydain as a kid, but was afraid this book would be awful in comparison. Thankfully, this was not the case.

This story is about a young man named Carlo Chuchio, a character who is not as appealing as that lovable assistant pig-keeper Taran, but still interesting nonetheless. Carlo "the chooch" sets off on an adventure seeking great treasure and is accompanied by a fast-talking but lazy flatterer, a beautiful girl with a wild streak, and an eccentric genius. Their journey is filled with danger and excitement while the travelers encounter storytellers, brigands, and dream merchants, in a dazzlingly romantic fantasy world that seems to be intentionally reminiscent of the Arabian Nights.

While the story at time seems rambling, with random events happening one after the other, the reader is still left with an amazement at Alexander's storytelling abilities. I would not recommend going into this tale hoping for a grand-sweeping epic fantasy novel, but rather for a satisfying travel/adventure story, much like the stories of Sinbad the sailor.

If you read one book this fall, this should be the one! It moves constantly forward with funny, fascinating characters and alternating humorous/dangerous encounters. The adventures and places are so alive and interesting, you get totally caught up in Carlo's fascinating road trip, and without even realizing it you become tangled as well in the character's stories and the philosphy of what it means to be human in any world. Funny, heartwarming, rollicking and glorious! You won't be able to put it down!

Alexander, Lloyd, The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio, Henry Holt and Company, 2007

When Carlo Chuchio finds a map in a book that purports to detail where a royal treasure is located, he embarks on a long journey to look for it. As he travels the "legendary Road of Golden Dreams", he hooks up with a young woman who has escaped from her captors, battles with some terrible robbers, and encounters some dangerous warlords. This engaging first person narrative is rich in descriptive language, unusual characters and humor. Will he find the treasure and what is it? This is a thoughtful story in the vein of his earlier gem, "The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen (Dutton Children's Books, 1991).

It's hard to review anything else by Lloyd Alexander without comparing it to his Prydain Chronicles. In this case, the obvious similarities make it impossible. Like them, this is set in an imaginary realm based more or less on some real one---in this case, the world of the Arabian Nights rather than Welsh mythology. And this too follows a young adventurer on a quest with a ragtag band of companions.

Of course, there are also many differences. This seems to be written for a slightly older audience, at least than The Book of Three, as the story is somewhat more complex than in those books, at least taken individually. Unfortunately, in other ways it doesn't stand up well to the comparison---the story isn't quite as memorable, the characters not quite as engaging, the ending a bit more of a disappointment. Still, this is a decent adventure story, and I think most kids would enjoy it.

Three and a half stars.

and now 40 yrs later and your last book is published!

Im so glad i met you 20 yrs ago and have all 5 of my Prydain books autographed...when i brought in my original ripped and yellow paged copies you looked at me so touched and said..."thank you..this is why i write"

No, thank you!...i am a better person because of you and the true wisdom you wrote so profoundly simple, that a kid could understand it.

I loved this book... Thanks so much for writing so many great books. Lloyd Alexander is forever in my heart!

I listenend to this book on CD and it was incredible. Having read the Chronicles of Prydain 3 times as a teenager, I have loved Lloyd Alexander's writings. This book was no different. It had a flavor to is (maybe it was my narrator's accent) that made it seem exotic and adventurous. But the thing I love about Lloyd Alexander's writings are the golden nuggets of wisdom and insight that he throws in. They make you ponder and reflect on the way you see the world, and how people's interactions can have a great impact on things. I wasn't aware that he had passed away until I read one of these reviews. That is a sad thing. But his books will let him live on. I hope that more young readers discover his books. They make you wiser than you were before you read them.

Carlo Chuchio's adventure is a fun one to follow. He seems to be a big goof ball at first, but as the story unfolds, he matures and learns from his mistakes (slowly) and finally seems to find the treasure that he was meant to in the end. As always, the treasure is not the one that he sets out to find. But I think that is just what Lloyd Alexander wants us to learn.

This book is a gem. It is a tale of friendship and love and adventure. It is also a time machine which gives a hint as to what Marco Polo's world must have felt like from the inside. While the setting is supposedly fictional it contains a number of shout outs to the real life Silk Road that a historian can catch. It shows what the Medieval world was like from the eyes of a Medieval person; when the world was large and one could still say of some places "Here there be dragons." The imagination shown is splendid.

It is not a tale of kingdoms like the Prydain Chronicles. It is a tale of ordinary wanderers who are just a small spot in the thousands of people who traveled about the world. It is also a rather "low fantasy"; magic is not blatant like in some fantasies. In a way that adds to the mystery and wonder, and you feel it a part of the world.

A well-written book and worthy of your time.

While I adore the depth a capable author can offer a reader with a serial story there is something to be said for the concise tale limited to one volume. This was a wonderful story with suspense, humor and romance - we enjoyed it very much!