Customer Reviews

Tricksters (Collins Flamingo)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Margaret Mahy is one of the few (or perhaps the only) world-renowned New Zealand author, whose work has won many awards, as well as the Carnegie Medal for "The Haunting" and "The Changeover". As good as these books are my personal favourite is "The Tricksters", written for a slightly older audience and filled with her trademark New Zealand scenery, supernatural occurrences, family dramas and the awakening of a young person to adulthood. Older readers shouldn't be put off by the claims that this is a "young adult" novel, as any intelligent reader over the age of thirteen should experience Mahy's best work.

The Hamilton family gather at their beach house Carnival's Hide to celebrate Christmas; parents Jack and Naomi, eldest siblings Charlie and Christobel and younger children Benny and Serena. Seventeen-year-old Harry (short for Ariadne) is smack-dab in the centre and suffers the fate of the middle-child, overshadowed by the glamorous Christabel and starved for attention thanks to the younger two. To alleviate her frustration, Harry is writing a story - a wonderful story about dangerous men and voluptuous women that she keeps secret in her attic bedroom.

But there are other things to keep her busy, such as the added presence of Englishman Anthony Hesketh who is to share the family Christmas away from the more traditional winter holiday of his home-country and Christabel's best friend Emma and her young daughter Tibby. Furthermore, the house itself has a strange history of odd happenings concerning the drowning of Teddy Carnival years ago, and Harry herself is privy to a family secret that she knows could destroy her happy, comfortable home.

And then three brothers appear on the scene, claiming to be descendants of Teddy Carnival and charming most of the Hamilton family. But Harry knows there is something strange about Ovid, Felix and Hadfield - something that is deeply connected to the past, the house, her own story and the dynamics of family life. But who are they really? What is this strange connection to Felix that she feels? And do Ovid's threats of ruining her family have any weight? (Watch out reading some of the other reviews, as they give away the secret behind the brothers, something that should not be known till the book reveals it).

Like all good literature, the book is filled with many themes and meanings that demand close and attentive reading. Mahy's language is dense and poetic (reminding me a little of Diana Wynne Jones's adult novels) which involves full participation from the reader to understand what's going on, and will probably require more than one reading to fully appreciate the layering and clue-sprinkling that Mahy spreads throughout the novel. The growth from childhood to womanhood, the power of imagination and storytelling, the secrets and inner-dynamics of a family, the meeting of the supernatural and the mundane, and a creepy ghost/murder mystery - all this is packed into this immensely rich and intriguing novel.

Hopefully this won't come across as an insult to the other reviewers, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that so many of them were non-New Zealanders. When you come from a country that has so few authors of its own, ninety-nine percent of your reading list are from authors overseas and you never really expect your own country's books to be read anywhere other than in New Zealand. So, whether you're from New Zealand, England, Australia, America or anywhere else that Amazon.com ships out books, make sure you read this complex, mysterious, unforgettable novel.

An extraordinary and evocative work of contemporary fantasy that clearly establishes Mahy (when writing for the more mature reader) in the same league as Susan Cooper, William Mayne, Alan Garner, and Peter Dickinson, The Tricksters adds nuanced layer upon layer in its depiction of a girl's sexual and emotional coming of age. I read this book when it first came out, and have returned to it more than once. It is certainly a book that rewards reading at all ages (I'm in my forties now)and I have recommended it successfuly to teenagers, college students, and other adults. It lead me to read Mahy's many other books including Seventeen Kings, Forty-Two Elephants; An Alien in the Family; Memory; The Horribly Haunted School; and The Changeover. These range from picture books to novels, but none fail to deliver a startling, often electric, shock of reappraisal of our individual relationship with the world. In The Tricksters, for example, the three ambiguously identified young men of the title are as palpable or as elusive as the protagonist's own thoughts and feelings are about the role she will play in life, and in her family. The unsettling mixture stirs her longing for innocent childhood with a growing (and appalling) understanding that nothing will be the same again as she grows. Really, a quite remarkable novel... I would most closely compare it with a long overlooked book, Thunder On the Left by Christopher Morley, best known as the author of The Haunted Bookshop. Like Thunder, I foresee that Tricksters will still have devoted readers fifty and seventy-five years from now.

On the surface The Tricksters is a great young adult novel. For the training literary reader who can dig deeper than the simple plot will allow, this book provides so much more than a fun read. It is a book that will haunt you long after you put it down. Drawn in by Harry Hamilton's enthusiasm for writing, I was drawn to her character because she was so much like me. The mysterious air of the ghostly Carnival brothers adds just the right touch of romantic flare that I need. And the brooding, family secret that lurks just below the surface keep me reading until the early hours of the morning. A page turner, if there ever was one!

Harry, real name Ariadne, is the seventeen-year-old bookish, quiet daughter lost in a large family. Most of her excitement comes from secretly writing a torrid romance. One day on holiday, she jokingly marries the sea to entertain herself and her brother. The next day, three mysterious brothers show up at the house, using names that clearly came from the bookshelf (Ovid, Hadfield, and Felix). Notably, they all look like characters from her story. Also, the three men may all be the ghost of the same person, Teddy Carnival - the mysteriously dead son of the original owner of the vacation home.

As Harry and Felix fall in love, Harry begins to realize her own power. "I can seem beautiful," she tells someone who dares to threaten her. Felix gains power from their love as well - and neither of his brothers want that to happen.

THE TRICKSTERS is sexy. Harry and Felix only have implied sex, but a book doesn't need an explicit scene to be sexy. Margaret Mahy knows that, and this coming-of-age tale is all about human sexuality without ever being crass.

Mahy also pulls off a Megan Whalen Turner worthy twist when it comes to the family saga side of things. She hides secrets so well that you don't even know you should be looking for them until they're revealed. This makes subsequent readings richer, as you realize how Mahy shaped the novel, dropping numerous hints while using Harry's narration to direct your attention elsewhere.

Best of all, Mahy trusts her reader's intelligence. THE TRICKSTERS is sometimes confusing, as Mahy rarely explains exactly what's going on. You have to put it together yourself. Often, you have to make your own decision about what happened. Her writing is heavy on character and atmosphere, which keeps things moving smoothly even at the parts when you know you don't understand everything yet. Mahy's best works are rich and decadent feasts. The themes and action of THE TRICKSTERS demand your attention, and if you give it you will be rewarded.

If you're looking for a sexy and intelligent coming-of-age story cum family saga, look no farther than THE TRICKSTERS. If that's not what you're looking for, you should read it anyway.

The Tricksters is an intriguing and challenging novel. It is good for ages 11- adult. You will love this book if you like compelling, thrilling and suspenseful novels.

The book begins at the family's vacation home, Carnival's Hide, where many years ago the tragic death of Teddy Carnival had taken place. Harry, 17, feels out of place in her family. She is not beautiful, like Christobel, her sister. She isn't the youngest, like Benny and Serena, nor the oldest, like Charlie. Harry, is tired of being known as docile and simple.

In her attic bedroom, she writes a romantic novel of a hero named Belen. Early one morning, while out jogging, she finds three brothers, the Tricksters, in their human form. The three brothers hold a threat to the family, but the only one who realizes this fact is Harry.

The Tricksters are the three parts of Teddy Carnival. Harry finds herself in love with the "best part". The other two parts of Teddy Carnival are the real threats.

The two parts have the power of all three. When the third part's strong emotions for Harry overcome the other's powers, reality and the supernatural come together in one horrible moment.

The Tricksters is an intriguing and challenging novel. It is good for ages 11- adult. You will love this book if you like compelling, thrilling and suspenseful novels.

The book began at the family's vacation home, Carnival's Hide, where many years ago the tragic death of Teddy Carnival had taken place. Harry, 17, feels out of place in her family. She is not as beautiful, like Christobel. She isn't the youngest, like Benny and Serena, nor the oldest, like Charlie. Harry, is tired of being known as docile and simple.

In her attic bedroom she writes a romantic novel of a hero named Belen. When early one morning she finds three brothers, the Tricksters, in their human form. The three brothers hold a threat to the family, but the only one who knows is Harry.

The Tricksters are the three parts of Teddy Carnival. Harry finds herself in love with the "best part". The other two parts of Teddy Carnival are the real threats.

The two parts have all the power between them. When the third part's strong emotions for Harry overcome the other's powers, the 'reality and supernatural' comes together in one horrible moment.

Every Christmas, the Hamilton family spends the holiday season at Carnival's Hide, a house built ninety years earlier by but never lived in by Edward Carnival, a prominant forester and gardener, on the shores of New Zealand. Every Christmas, they recount how Edward's son, Teddy, was lost and presumed dead in a diving accident. This Christmas, however, will be different.

Not only do they welcome Anthony, a visitor from England, in taking part in their celebrations, but their second oldest daughter, Harry (short for Ariadne), encounters three strangers on the beach on night. At once intimidating and attractive, the three brothers claim to be descendants of Edward Carnival. Their true origins, however, seep into the world of the unreal and will affect the members of the Hamilton family in many ways, from romance to unrest to family secrets. Are they who they claim to be or, as she believes, manifestations from Harry's private novel? Her own infatuation with one of the brothers could put her family at risk before she discovers the truth.

Margaret Mahy weaves a skillful tale full of intriguing characters and atmosphere in an urban fantasy which is fast paced and suspenseful. Her use of language is clear yet often poetic as she infuses the fantastic with the real as she juggles this family of unique characters and their guests, both welcome and unwelcome.

This books is one of my favourites. Bookish Harry (or Ariadne) really captures the reader`s sympathy from the start. The plot is wonderfully prepared and the blend of past, present; family life and magic is really good. The romance doesn`t hurt either!

If you're looking for a story that's a little out of the ordinary, pick up "The Tricksters" by Margaret Mahy. "The Tricksters" is romance, supernatural phenomena, mystery and family drama all rolled into one book full of rich detail and fully realized characters. Mahy's writing is superb. There is nothing basic about the basic plot of "The Tricksters" buy I'll try to sum it up as briefly as possible: Harry (really Ariadne) is on Christmas vacation at the beach (New Zealand - the seasons are swapped) with her family. The five Hamilton children and their parents have been returning to "Carnivals Hide," their vacation home for several years. The place is a family tradition for them and holds the romance and intrigue of the mysterious past of it's original owners, the Carnivals. The children often retell the story and play pretend games involving young Teddy Carnival, a former resident of the home, who tragically drowned, leaving his poor grieving father to sink further into the seclusion of Carnival's Hide.
This Christmas, Harry and her family are surprised by three unexpected visitors. Ovid and his twin brothers Hadfield and Felix appear on the beach one day. They perform magic tricks and speak in eloquent riddles and tell of a connection to the Carnival family. To Harry, they appear to have been born straight out of her own imagination - the romance novel she is secretly writing - and she suspects they are not the jovial, romantic brothers they portray but a mystery of a more sinister nature. Who and what are the three tricksters and what is there true business at Carnival's Hide and with the Hamilton family? Magically, the answers are teased out in riddles and hints until finally they culminate in the revelations of a family secret.

This book deals with the family conflicts of a New Zealand family, and with the supernatural world that impinges on their lives. Harry, the third child of four, knows a secret that could tear the family apart. She has no temptation to reveal it until the Christmas when her own conflicting needs and the catalyst of three mysterious strangers uncover an older secret and force her to look at the world in a different light. An excellent coming of age book which weaves the supernatural and the natural worlds together with Mahy's deft touch.