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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Charming novel about natural disaster,
By
This review is from: The Little Ark (Hardcover)
Most Americans know about the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina and similar storms in this country, but we often forget that Europeans have been subject to such natural disasters as well. I was only vaguely aware of the 1953 floods that devastated parts of the Netherlands, Belgium and Britain, leaving more than 2,000 dead and thousands more homeless. That castastrophe is the background for this rather charming novel, de Hartog's third to be published in the United States.
"Charming," because de Hartog chose to relate this tale of death and heroism through the eyes of a child, 10-year-old Jan, the adopted son of a Dutch clergyman. When a major storm threatens the dike that protects their town from the sea, Jan and his adopted sister, Adinda, are sent to the church belfrey, kept company by their puppy Bussy, a kitten named Noisette, a rabbit called Ko, and a disagreeable old rooster named Prince. From there, their adventure begins and takes them through the course of the storm and the efforts by rescue workers to reunite the children with their family. Despite the focus on Jan and his sister, THE LITTLE ARK is not a "children's book." Though not without humor, de Hartog does not sugarcoat the reality of the catastrophe, and one is left to wonder how the children will be affected by their experiences. Though it does take a few pages to get going, THE LITTLE ARK pulls the reader along and is generally a good, quick read. I can't say it's a particularly essential novel, nor even one of de Hartog's essential works, but for an evening's entertainment -- and a vivid portrayal of this historic event -- one could do much worse.
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