Sir Gibbie [Hardcover]

George MacDonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2003

For more reasons than one, Fergus judged it prudent to tell not even auntie Jean of his intention; but, waiting until the house was quiet, stole softly from his room and repaired to the kitchen --at the other end of the long straggling house, where he sat down, and taking his book, an annual of the beginning of the century, began to read the story of Kathed and Eurelia. Having finished it, he read another. He read and read, but no brownie came. His candle burned into the socket. He lighted another, and read again. Still no brownie appeared, and, hard and straight as was the wooden chair on which he sat, be began to doze. Presently he started wide awake, fancying he heard a noise; but nothing was there.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

George MacDonald's 1870s' Sir Gibbie, about a destitute Scottish orphan, was reportedly a favorite of C.S. Lewis's. An edition of the novel, prepared by Kathryn Lindskoog, inaugurates a Classics for Young Readers series, while a companion, Sir Gibbie: A Guide for Teachers and Students by Ranelda Mack Hunsicker, is available for teachers, students and home-schoolers. In the Guide, Hunsicker contends that Sir Gibbie served as a source for Huckleberry Finn, although Mark Twain (a friend of MacDonald's) upended MacDonald's religious message. Noting that previous editions of Gibbie "cut out much of MacDonald's Christian teaching," Hunsicker adds that Lindskoog's goal was "to restore [the book] to its original Christ-centered plot."

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

SIR GIBBIE is, I think, at once the most direct and most beautiful of all George MacDonalds novels... Children as much delight in its magic as they cherish the enchantment of his fairy tales. -- Greville MacDonald, author of GEORGE MACDONALD AND HIS WIFE --Publisher Comments --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 468 pages
• Publisher: IndyPublish.com (November 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414208782
• ISBN-13: 978-1414208787
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sir Gibbie by George Macdonald:exquisite book!, April 3, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Sir Gibbie (George Macdonald Original Works) (Hardcover)

Sir Gibbie by George Macdonald
The first time I read this book, I found it long, boring, and dull. I didn't understand why everyone else who read it thought it was so excellent. So I really thought hard about it one night, and made up my mind that I would keep reading it until I understood the message. Finally, it came to me, and it was so overpowering that I broke down and cried.
Gibbie is a young, mute boy with an alcoholic father. He has a kind heart and is extremely gentle. His good friend, Sambo, is murdered, and he runs away. Gibbie is just a small boy in a large, cruel world, and he is treated badly by everyone on his journey but one woman, Janet. The variety of places he lived and the things he had to go through really taught me that not everyone has a full roof over their head, or enough clothes to cover more than a few body parts. This book gave me a lot to think about, such as the fact that some children are abused and don't show it at all to anyone. Or that most people just make assumptions about things that they know nothing about. I realize that I am guilty of these things, as everyone else is.
This book was very compelling and I learned a lot about grace and mercy from it. The forgiveness that Gibbie shows his father towards the end is unbelievable, and I thought it was amazing that a tiny, mute boy could show so much more faith, wisdom, and emotion than anyone I have ever met, or read in a book. The story definitely had an impact on my view of how the world treats people and how the smallest child (who isn't even real) could change your life. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone - it is extremely good!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MacDonald's Most Powerful Work And Not A Children's Book!, May 13, 2004

By 

Steve D. Heckenlively (Camarillo, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sir Gibbie (Classics for Young Readers) (Paperback)

Like many people, I read MacDonald's 'Lilith' and 'Phantastes.'
They were superb. I tried a collection of short stories, they
were ok. It seemed the rest of his work, labeled as children's
stories or novels of Scotch pastoral life, would not interest
me.

2 or 3 years later I read Melville's 'Moby Dick' I was casting
about desperately for something even remotely comparable to
Melville's masterpiece. I read Chesterton's 'The Man who was
Thursday.' Very good book. But what next?

Even more desperate, I ordered an unabridged 1927 printing of
Sir Gibbie. About 400 pages of small print, btw. I am amazed.
I'm 3/4 thru it. This is even better than 'Lilith'
or 'Phantastes.' This is MacDonald at the height of his power.
His ideals and his knowledge of the human condition come thru
in prose so rich and powerful that many passages have to be
studied rather than read. Like Melville in 'Moby Dick.'

Yes, if any of this can be conveyed to a child, great. Yes,
Christians may embrace it and seek to make it their own.
MacDonald was a minister and he preaches from the soul here.

But Gibbie as a literary character is a Titan of the same stature
as Melville's Ahab. That comparison is of Light to Dark only
because I don't know of any other fictional Hero of the Light
comparable to Gibbie. Let me underline this: if you won't like
a hero who is entirely good, if you don't believe any character
can embody the universal ideals of humanity, then you won't like
'Sir Gibbie.' MacDonald is utterly uncompromising on this issue.
He wanted a Power of heaven to walk on earth. Gibbie is that
Power.

I believe 'Sir Gibbie' is the work which is at the root of
MacDonald's influence and friendship with other writers.

But let me make clear, the book is not just an exercise in
character development. MacDonald's prose in observing the
nature of the book's many other characters is devastatingly
potent.

One of the most powerful literary works I've ever read.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful Victorian novel, April 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sir Gibbie (The Young Reader's Library) (Paperback)

I love this book so much that I have re-read it many times. It is a beautiful story of overcoming obstacles, increasing one's faith, and the redemption of mean-spirited people as they recognize goodness and truth and leave their unkind ways. It makes one's heart leap for joy with its Christian message. The writings of George MacDonald had a major influence on C.S. Lewis, and you will understand why when you read this Victorian classic. This edition is especially good to read to children as the confusing Scottish dialect has been simplified.