Customer Reviews

The Orange Girl

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book less than 4 days ago, and I have already finished reading it. The first 60 or 70 pages, you just cant put the book down, the author is building to the climax of the story, about to reveal what it is all about (I wont go into details, I hate spoiling the book for future readers).. once you get to page 90, that is when everything falls into place...

This is a touching story, with lots of meaning, it talks about life, about choices, and about death. The way the book ends could not have been better, honestly I spent the enrite day with a smile on my face because of that ending. I will share it with you, but once you read the book, it will make much more sense.

"life is like a huge lottery in which only the winning tickets are visible. You who are reading this book are one of those winning tickets. Lucky you!"

This is a must read, so enjoy.

I was sad to come to the end of Sophie's World nine years ago. The same can be said for The Orange Girl. I became so engrossed in Gaardner's writing, that I lost all track of time. What a wonderful feeling. He gets it....he gets life and that is a truly marvelous thing to read.

A smooth and short fairy tale with a twinge of thrill that becomes engaging both for teens as for adults. It is an entertaining and easy to read story with its undelaying big questions about the meaning of life and the universe. A positive thinking tale, of those that leave a thoughtful smile on ones mouth when turning the last page.

Jostein Gaarder is a masterful storyteller. One of his trademarks is telling a story within a story, and doing so in a winding, and enthralling way. This book is no exception. My attentionw as caught from page one, and I finished reading the book within three days (a rare feat amidts final papers and exams). It's a short and wonderful read. Of course like Gaarders other books its also very thought provoking. Pick it up!

The Orange Girl is the first book I read by Gaarder and I was wonderfully surprised. This book reads like one that was co-written by a father and his young teenage son, so the language varies depending on whose words you are reading. The backround story is of the meeting of a young man and woman, and their love for one another. It is also the story of the death of the man when his son was four years old, and his need to write him a letter to be read later in life. Gaarder's book is rather like a "dialogue" between father and son, through the words in the letter and their impact of his teenage son about ten years later. Wow -it is powerful book!

This book is special. I would also like to recommend it to those who have lost a loved one and still need to grieve. The Orange Girl will help you grieve.

I wish more people knew about this book. It's a simple, sweet little story told in a clear conversational tone that sucks you in. My adolescent daughter isn't a big reader, but she got swept up in the story and read half of it in one sitting. There a moments of real truth, poignant scenes that are somehow both existential and life-affirming. There are no complex intricacies of plot here, no fancy devices, just a straightforward story about life and love. Read it. Give it as a gift.

Jostein Gaarder has a knack for crafting fantastical stories that ask the big questions and make readers think, all the while drawing them into beautifully written stories. Even though "The Orange Girl" is intended for a younger audience, sixth through ninth grade students, it is a novel that adults can enjoy and appreciate. It is a quick, lyrically written modern fairy tale that asks readers to consider their purpose in life and the role they play in the greater universe.

Fifteen-year-old Georg Reed is writing a book with his father, quite a feat considering his father died when he was four. He accomplishes this because he has a recently discovered letter his father wrote to him on the eve of his death that tells Georg the fantastic story: of how he fell in love with Georg's mother and with the universe around him and with the little boy he was going to have to leave all too soon. Not only does he have a story to share with his son, he also has a weighty question to ask him that he asks of readers too (allowing them to answer for themselves just as Georg does).

Gaarder made a name for himself in the literary world with "Sophie's World" a brilliant novel and ode to philosophy and the way we understand our lives. His works are definitely not for everyone and may be a little highbrow for a younger audience. "The Orange Girl" is a sweet, heartfelt examination of life and love and loss that will leave readers wondering what story they will one day leave behind as their legacy.

This was magical to read, such a beautiful, heartfelt story. I love the way the Hubble telescope is described - it's hard to put into words for me how much I love this book; I strongly recommend you read this author's words.

A father, who is dying of cancer, writes a letter to his 4-year-old son, Georg. Actually he writes to the "older Georg", the boy who he'll never meet. After 11 years, Georg is handed a big envelope from his grandmother. That envelop holds the story of his father and a mysterious "orange girl".
This books raises questions about life, the meaning of life and death: it's bittersweet and poignant.

Excellent, heart warming story! once more, Jostein Gaarder impresses me with his creativity and noble heart.
A book for adults but also for kids giving a great lesson of life and death meaning.