Customer Reviews

House of Dolls

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

 

 

Don't let appearances deceive you. This is not a book for very young readers. The themes handled in this short story about a young girl and her house full of dolls are not going to be understood by your average 7 or 8 year old, and they will no doubt find the book confusing and boring. The author attempts to cram everything but the kitchen sink into just a few pages and for the most part she succeeds. There is jealousy, pain, love, loss and war here. All handled with a deft touch and a gift for metaphor. This book just left me with an odd feeling. I find the ending less inspiring than puzzling. More Twilight Zone than warm and fuzzy. I can't really recommend it because I can't think of what kind of reader might enjoy this story. An older reader (12-14) will probably be able to gather all the meaning but is unlikely to pick it up because of it's appearance. It's an okay little tale, just be forewarned that it's not your typical doll story. These dolls might have small lives, but along with their owner, they worry about very large things. Very strange.

While I agree with much of the Booklist Starred review for this one, and I do love the heavy issues dealt with so delicately, I have to wonder: for what age would I recommend this book? Booklist says that the dollhouse-story facet makes it work for younger children, but I disagree. This book requires more maturity of the reader; well, more than *I* had when I was in my dollhouse stage. Still, the issues raised are so pertinent, so valid, that this book must be read! I would recommend it for upper-elementary and tweens, with the caveat that, hey, this is NOT a little-kid book about dolls! Excellent handling of some difficult themes, such as jealousy; neglect; emotional pain AND physical pain; war; loneliness; separation; and finally, reconciliation.
STUNNING illustrations, Ms. McClintock! So rich and detailed! I spent a long time over each one, and loved it.

I always have adored this author. This book came on time, in good quality. Simple easy read. Read it in about 30 minutes. I am sure some day I will read it again :)

I'm a big Francesca Lia Block fan and have been for years now.

I agree with the other reviews regarding the very delicate way that the subjects are addressed in this book. And I would be tempted to say that unless you're a big FLB fan or perhaps a tween, it might be too simplistic to really enjoy. In this case I would recommend a number of other FLB books as introductions, such as Dangerous Angels (The Weetzie Bat Books) or if one wants to go darker, the breathtaking Echo or Wasteland. My biggest beef with this book is that though the subjects are dealt with so delicately, I have to wonder if it's too delicate and may be best for a younger audience. In that case, it's not really a critique of the quality of the story.

That being said, FLB does manage to weave a short tale that leaves one curious. I wonder a lot about Madison, the little girl who owns the dollhouse and all the dolls inside. To me it feels as though the story wraps up too neatly as I feel there is more going on there with her. However, there is so much to unravel when you really think about what FLB is saying with the characters and therefore there is a great deal of depth.

Overall, I think this book succeeds in introducing some pretty deep concepts to a younger reader, and maybe even expands the minds of some of us older readers. The illustrations are beautiful as well.

Block satisfies yet again in this beautiful little book about the secret life of a dollhouse. The story sucks you in along with the lovely illustrations--and how can one not love a book with a character named Madison Blackberry?

In a cool and clean apartment in a modern high-rise building sits an old-fashioned dollhouse, luxuriously furnished and surrounded by a yard with real moss and a bonsai tree. The house belongs to Madison Blackberry, "a tall-for-her-age, sour-faced girl" who wishes she could live in the warm and cozy house with the dolls. At the same time, the house makes her feel lonely because the family of dolls inside seem happier and closer than her own family. HOUSE OF DOLLS, written by Francesca Lia Block and illustrated by Barbara McClintock, introduces readers to Madison and her beautiful dollhouse, a toy that becomes a symbol for what is happening in her own home and the hope that things can be so much better than they are.

Inside the house live Wildflower, Rockstar and Miss Selene, along with Wildflower's boyfriend Guy and Rockstar's boyfriend B. Friend. Wildflower had belonged to Madison's grandmother, who still made clothes and household items for her and the other dolls. They are dressed in the fanciest dresses imaginable: a lemon-yellow satin dress and a mermaid evening gown, blue feather poncho and a lavender and gold silk kimono dress with butterfly-wing sleeves. Madison is jealous of the attention the dolls receive from Grandmother and disappointed by Rockstar's bookishness (her name is meant to be ironic). She is jealous of Wildflower's relationship with Guy and forces him to go to "war." She is jealous of Rockstar's relationship with B. Friend, and so she fails to rescue him from violence and neglect at the hands of her younger brother. And she is especially upset by Miss Selene, whose loss and emptiness are too much a reflection of her own.

As Madison grows both bored and angrier with her family, she takes it out on the dolls. After Guy and B. Friend are sent away, she takes away all the beautiful clothes and leaves the dolls lying on the floor of the house. When Wildflower finds Miss Selene sitting naked, crying by an empty cradle, she knows something must be done. She pens tiny notes to Grandmother, hoping she can communicate what needs to be done. The first simply reads "dress." Finally Grandmother figures out what Wildflower is trying to tell her, and soon Grandmother, Madison, her family and her dolls are on their way to becoming, by the smallest and simplest (and most meaningful) steps, a whole and happy family.

Block's story is short and powerful. In under 60 pages of text, she describes a girl so sad and needy and her magical and fantastic healing. The tale can be read a number of ways. Are the dolls alive, or is it all in Madison's head? It hardly matters though because readers young and old will be moved by the story. McClintock's black and white illustrations perfectly capture the details of the doll's house, the emotions of Madison and the joy of imagination.

HOUSE OF DOLLS is lovely to read and look at, but it packs a powerful emotional punch. The happiness and security family is meant to give is contrasted with the fear and loneliness of war. When Guy returns to his true love, Wildflower, she asks him what it was like. His answer is a crucial moment in the book: "War is being blinded and locked in a box, unable to see, hear or touch you, my wildflower. War is being reminded that you are completely at the mercy of death at every moment, without the illusion that you are not. Without the distractions that make life worth living." As Madison's family comes together, perhaps realizing that their love for each other is what makes life worth living, they settle into an essential state of peace.

I bought the book for my granddaughter and I'm sure she will like the story. For me, the illustrations make the book. They are fantastic!

With one exception, I've pretty much been disappointed in the books Block has been publishing the past few years but this book has restored my faith in her ability to share a simple story with deep meaning. Written for a younger audience than most of her books, she never condescends to her reader. This is, in fact, the perfect book for tweens who are at an age where metaphor and symbolism begin to have greater meaning. The illustrations are lovely and work well to complement the text. A lovely story. I hope that this is a sign of more good things to come.