Customer Reviews

Story of the Amulet

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

 

 

E. Nesbit completed her best known trilogy of fantasy books with The story of the Amulet. It returns us to the lives of the brothers and sisters we met in Five Children and It and The Phoenix and the Carpet. But the tone is darker and the freedom from adult observation is due to lonelyness rather than holiday freedoms, as was the case in the earlier novels. The children's parents are in danger of their life, and they find themselves faced with the chance to help when they meet the iracible Psammiad again. It leads them to a time travelling amulet, which might have the power to grant them their hearts desire.

Much of the charm of this book comes from the realism of the children's characters. No matter that they dress in the plus fours and petticoats of the Edwardian age, their bickering and wonder in the face of magical events makes them timeless.

A marvelous book, and a farewell to a familier group of children hovering on the verge of adulthood.

This book is one really fun and exciting adventure. E. Nesbit is one of the best children's authors ever. I suggest that anyone interested start with Five Children and It, which is even better. I would recommend this book to anyone!

I liked "The Story of the Amulet", by Edith Nesbit. It is a well written and thought-provoking book. The children introduced in "The Five Children and It" and seen again in "The Pheonix and the Carpet" are back once more to finish the trio. As in "The Pheonix and the Carpet", this is a travelling book. However in this book the children travel in both time and space to search for the other half of an amulet that, when joined, will give the children their heart's desire. I removed a star for a few reasons. One, out of the five books by Nesbit that I have read, this is ranked 5th. That is not to say that this was a bad book. It's just that I thought the other ones were better. Two, I like the books where the characters are granted wishes best, as in "The Five Children and It". However, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes magical happenings, time travel, and those who liked other Edith Nesbit books.

E. Nesbit's books are to be recommended to every child with spirit and imagination. All her books, including The Story of the Amulet were written at a time when children's vocabularies were assumed to include two and three syllabel words. Readers of modern garbage may stumble over a few long and archaic terms but for a spirited romp full of imagination, courage and magic, these books are indeed magic. Childrens literature at its best.

I loved her books when I was a child in the sixties and I love to think that they have been around for over a hundred years and yet they are still wonderful stories that don't feel at all old-fashioned. The world they are set in is certainly different from ours, which adds to their interest, but the writing is immediate and there is nothing mannered or didactic that one might associate with books from Victorian times. A combination of lively, very real children, with sometimes a little magic thrown in and sometimes just the adventures children have when they're not too closely supervised, the books are fast-paced, humorous and adorably wholesome.

It's too bad more people don't know this author better. It's clear to me that she influenced both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. She is smart, funny, and her stories are endlessly inventive. I actually like this book better than her others (although I like them too). Another really good one is The Book of Dragons, which has great short stories, each one a gem.

I have not read the prequel to this book, but this book is actually pretty good on its own, though it does refer to a few events in the past book. For the time it was written in, this is actually a pretty great book that in some ways was ahead of its time, with a somewhat sci-fi feel in some parts mixed with the magic. One day I'll read the prequel, this book was so good that the other books in this trilogy should be as well!

Edith Nesbit is my personal hero. I read a review once that explained that when a reader first discovers this Victorian authoress, he or she always feels as if come across some revelation.

What a charming children's story! Aimed for kids about 10 and up, including me. Written in 1905 or 6, set in London, but escaping to ancient Tyre, Egypt, England, Babylon, through the magic of the Amulet. It actually tells quite a lot about 1905 London, most of it rather unpleasant. A Good Read.

I like edward eager, who says every1 should reads e nesbit so im gonna.