Customer Reviews

Noah Barleywater Runs Away

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Noah Barleywater Runs Away" is a charming and didactic tale. The author deftly captures the thought processes of the 8 year old main character, allowing even an adult reader to experience the adventures described through younger eyes. The book deals with difficult subject matter, facing fears, death and dying among others, and accomplishes the delivery of its core messages without beating the reader over the head, but allowing the reader to come to the "right" conclusion on their own. I think that this book is great for all ages, though I imagine it would be a wonderful book to read along with a child as it will surely prompt discussion and the examination of some tough topics.

Noah Barleywater is like many of us. When things get too tough to face, we want to run away from them. Noah is only eight years old when he decides to run away, leaving his mom and dad. He is not very prepared for what the world has in store for him. By the time he has gone two towns over and through the woods, he is experiencing a touch of doubt and a rather large hunger. Guided by a talking donkey and an equally loquacious dachshund, he finds a ramshackle cottage that doubles as a toy store. Noah is at first nervous when he meets the old man who owns the shop. It doesn't take long to see that the shop is full of many unexpected surprises included talking clocks and walking doors. Noah is most intrigued by a chest full of puppets that were carved by the old man's father. The tale behind the puppets recounts the life of the old man when he was a young lad. It is a story that Noah finds has many lessons which can be applied to his own life. The book is very charming. The lessons Noah learns will have a heartfelt meaning for many children. Younger readers may miss some of the subtleties of the tale, but young and old will relate to the revelations at the end of this captivating story. This book provided for review by the well read folks at David Fickling Books and Random House Children's Books.

I received an ARC of this book from the Amazon Vine program, in return for an honest review.

From the back of the book:

Eight-year-old Noah's problems seem easier to deal with if he doesn't think about them. So he runs away, taking an untrodden path through the forest. Before long he comes across a shop. But this is no ordinary shop. It is a toy shop, full of the most amazing toys and brimming with the most wonderful magic. And here Noah meets a very unusual toymaker. The toymaker has a story to tell and it's a a story of adventure and wonder, and broken promises. He takes Noah on a journey. A journey that will change his life. And it could change yours too.

I had a rather strange reaction to this book. I both liked and disliked this book. When I first started reading it I decided it was not my cup of tea, but I as I kept reading I found myself drawn into the story. There are a lot of hints at just what Noah is running away from and just who the toymaker really is. I kept reading to see if my guesses were right. They were. But I'm still not sure I liked this book.

What I liked about the book: The writing is very colorful and imaginative. Boyne paints some wonderful word pictures. I enjoyed revisiting an old childhood favorite. (If you want to know what fairy tale reappears in this book, you will need to read it for yourself, I don't want to spoil it for you.)

What I didn't like about the book: Though the writing was imaginative, it was also rather strange. It's a truly fractured retelling of a childhood favorite. It's also gloomy. Amazon lists the reading level as 9-12, but I'm not convinced this is really a kids book. Even though the story is about an eight year old boy, it really feels more like an adult novel.

Mrs. Archer's rating: 3 of 5.

This is creative and imaginative, and to its credit does not "write down" to a young reader. It will expect them to make the connections on their own, and the foreshadowing is generally subtle.

The subtitle is "A Fairy Tale," and that's important. John Boyne does not spend any time preparing the reader for the "world" the book is taking place in. So strange, fantasical things start happening without any preparation or much set-up. That's fine, but it does get a little confusing because the reader has no frame of reference yet. The biggest flaw is the narrative does not build as it goes, so it never seems like its building to a clear climax. Each chapter feels a bit the same. Creative and interesting, but repititious.

Still, the writing and situations should be fun and entertaining for a young reader, but they'll need to be patient early on and not let any confusion get the best of them.

For an adult reader, this is actually a decent read too, though it's certainly not marketed that way.

I read to my son every night- and even though he's perfectly capable of reading himself, we both enjoy it. We've read dozens of children's lit novels, but this one just didn't keep his interest- and it has been a really long time since we read one that he didn't want to finish.

The story begins with Noah Barleywater (obviously) running away. We follow him through several villages, where odd things happen which seem vaguely reminicent of the Wizard of Oz. Eventually he ends up at a toy shop, and the owner befriends him. The shop owner tells stories of his own life and gradually draws Noah's story out as well.

Noah's reason for flight is unexplained but heavily foreshadowed throughout the book. His first few adventures were enjoyable, but after a while, my son didn't care. I suspect that foreshadowing leading up to the revelation at the end is a plot device better suited to adult novels than children's lit.

This novel by John Boyne is well written with inventive ideas and appealing characters. It tackles an issue that perhaps some kids experience sometime in their childhood...running away. It poses lots of questions, some too deep for small kids, I think, but weaves a tree, an old man and a toy shop into a fairy tale style story that keeps the reader wanting to know more.

The descriptions throughout, supplemented with child-like style drawings, and realistic dialogue, also keep the reader pulled into the story. However, I have problems with fantasy/fairy tale stories sometimes, so I wasn't so enthralled with the strong emphasis on an imaginary adventure. One part that I did like very much was the toy shop and the old man because those parts deal with the deep themes of life in this book. I was fond of the ending, since it brought all the issues and themes together well.

Issues like bullying or being bullied, running away from those you love, and discovering loneliness in unexpected places are great current topics for today's kids, but I just felt the depth of this story was too much for young kids unless the story is read aloud with an adult who could pose questions and clarify some of the perhaps confusing ideas. Nicely written, but I think it's for mature or upper elementary school kids.

I have an 8 year old Grandson so we read this together. It is rare that he will lose interest when we read but he did with

Noah Barleywater Runsaway. I found it a bit difficult to follow. It felt like the author did not prepare the reader , give the reader some sense of continuity. We did manage to finish this book and I asked my Grandson if he liked it and he said it was okay.

I have been trying to finish this book for weeks and weeks. I'm giving up. No one should have to try this hard to enjoy a book. I had not read author John Boyne's previous work but The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was so enthusiastically acclaimed that I thought Noah Barleywater Runs Away would be a great read. It may be a good book, but it's not to my taste. Honestly, it bored me.

I did enjoy Noah's stories about his mother, although they were tinged with more than a little sadness. But I couldn't make a connection with the toymaker and that sort of ruined the whole thing for me. I'm not sure it would fit the taste of most children either. The plot moves a little slowly, with Noah and the Toymaker trading stories.

Before reading this book, I'd suggest checking Amazon's listing of similar items found on the product page. If you don't see anything you like, move on to something else. If you see books you have enjoyed or books that appeal to you, Noah Barleywater Runs Away may be a good match for you.

My son and I read every night before bed, and when I saw this book and the great reviews, I couldn't wait to receive it in the mail. As we sat down to read, I realized this book is indeed well-written and beautifully done - but in my opinion, it deals with concepts too advanced for a 9-12 year old (I don't want to spoil the ending, but to me the issues at the crux of the book are more suited to an adult).

I found the dialogue and descriptions involving and entertaining. My son loved the talking dachsund and hungry donkey in the early middle of the book, as Noah enters the third village after accidentally assaulting an apple tree out for its morning constitutional. Noah's internal running commentary and his views on his world are written (to me) much like any 8-year old would think. The illustrations were also well received by my son.

Towards the end of the book my son lost interest, and I finished it on my own. As we (very thankfully) have not yet had to deal with loss and injustice, I was relieved that I had finished it on my own prior to reading it to my son.

Overall I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to other adults. Children ages 9-12... maybe.

I loved John Boyne's "Boy in the Striped Pajamas" so I had high hopes for this one. While at first, I was a little confused by the magical events, the story moved quickly and when Noah Barleywater meets the Old Man, I couldn't put the book down. It's a wonderful story about family and friends and the events that shape us. I don't want to give away any more to the story because there is a little surprise at the end.

It seems to be his style to reveal things as the story progresses so that the reader isn't quite sure what his going on until the very end. (Adult readers will probably figure it out sooner.) The ideas may be a little complex for most young readers so I would recommend reading with an adult or make sure one is close by so there can be some discussion. I think it will make it an even better read.