Customer Reviews

Holding Wonder

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...it's the name of one of the stories, but it could just as well describe all of Zenna henderson's work. The stories in Holding Wonder are of all sorts--fantasy, science fiction, religious, even one of her famous "People stories"--but they're all populated with unforgettable characters. Her style has no verbal pyrotechnics, but it's got a good-natured, almost wry humor to it even in the most serious stories. They have a friendly tone, that makes you feel that Zenna Henderson is one of your friends. I regret to say that she isn't one of mine; but this book is.

I don't understand at all why the bulk of Zenna Henderson's work is no longer in print. If I could choose five speculative fiction authors that I believe should be sitting on everyone's shelf, then her name would be in the top three. I discovered her work as a child, with Anything Box and quickly went on to read everything that I could find that she had written. Sadly, most of those books passed out of my hands in my young adult years, so I have been slowly finding and collecting them again as I can.

Holding Wonder is a collection of short stories. There is one story of The People (Henderson's most famous group of characters). The rest follow themes that are very typical for her work-- complex ideas of survival, acceptance and disaster worked out through the eyes of a school teacher and her charges-- allowing room for miracles: the effectiveness of prayer, for instance-- the sheer strength of people, particularly children, when faced with extreme situations. Oz fans will get a particular bonus in the story "The Believing Kind" about a little girl who figures out how to pronounce the word PYRZQXGL.

What I like so much about Henderson has something to do with her diction, and her eye for wonder in the commonplace. Her voice is quite humble, and she presents you with her work as though it were a tray of cookies. But for all her homey style, I'd stack her up against the big bombastic early scifi/fantasy writers any day. I think that I'd most compare her work to Theodore Sturgeon (particularly his short stories) or Clifford D. Simak.

Since this volume is out of print, I'm providing a list of the stories. I've starred my personal favorites:

The Indelible Kind (*)
J-Line to Nowhere
You Know What, Teacher? (*)
The Effectives
Loo Ree (*)
The Closest School
Three-Cornered and Secure
The Taste of Aunt Sophronia
The Believing Child (*)
Through a Glass- Darkly
As Simple As That (*)
Swept and Garnished
One of Them
Sharing Time
Ad Astra
Incident After
The Walls
Crowning Glory
Boona on Scancia
Love Every Third Stir

HOLDING WONDER contains one of the most powerful stories I've ever read. It is called "You Know What, Teacher?" and it is a rare venture for Zenna Henderson outside of fantasy (it was originally published in "Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine"). But the setting is in a children's classroom, Miss Henderson's specialty. The ending takes my breath away whenever I re-read it--which is frequently. All of Zenna Henderson's books have at least one story worth the price of the book.

It is a series of short stories that are great, mostly about kids and adult authority figures. Not a lot about the People in this book. Just thinking of the book brings to mind the cover of the paperback -- a little girl holding a glowing box, "Holding Wonder"! Any Zenna Henderson title is a favorite of mine!

THE BELIEVING KIND

Here are children who "Believe" - but what they believe and how they can realize their beliefs is only half the story...

Dismey, for example, believes she's a magician. Two little boys who teased her can prove it. But they can't tell = she's turned them into rocks!

And how do you explain an amazing child who believes in attending school - but is hundreds of years old? The explanation is simple... if you believe!

This book is a wonderful one. I read it in junior high school (a few years ago) and really enjoyed it then. My mother also read it, and felt that it was relevant for adults, too.

My mom had been searching for this book for many years as she'd loaned it out in the 1970s and it was never returned. The seller was quick to ship, the product was in fine shape, and it made my Mom's day. Thank you!

The book I received was in better condition than I had expected. It was an addition to a collection I want to leave my children and grandchildren so they can enjoy the beauty and imagination of the author.Thanks again for helping me find this out of date book.