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Treacle Walker Hardcover
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- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions5.31 x 0.71 x 8.03 inches
- ISBN-100008477795
- ISBN-13978-0008477790
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Product details
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 0008477795
- ISBN-13 : 978-0008477790
- Item Weight : 8.5 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.31 x 0.71 x 8.03 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #356,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,273 in Biographical Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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The spare writing can be wonderfully evocative and the plot meandering. It’s been over 50 years since I read The Owl Service as a boy not much older than the hero of this book, and I enjoyed revisiting Garner’s world again. But be warned- this is not a straightforward story, and the opacity of the plot can be frustrating.
Genre: Literary Fiction + Fantasy
What was that? I honestly did not understand this novella. I don’t know what is the purpose of its story at all. It started as a charming fantasy, but then it kept going on and on with no goal or particular direction. It ended up going nowhere. This was supposed to be based on English folklore, but I couldn’t compare it with any I know.
All I got from the story is that Treacle Walker is a man who meets a young man called Joe. The two make a trade. Joe ends up with a donkey stone, and then he uses this stone and more nonsense happens. The best thing about this book is that it was short, so it did not require much time invested in it. I don’t think I would have finished it if it was an entire novel. Not only the story, but I also don’t even understand the cover! What is that supposed to be on the cover? A pig? A chicken?
Top reviews from other countries
First of all it's a very quick read - 30 minutes to an hour at most.
There are a lot of ancient words, mostly references from old folklore and to things from a little known play written and performed years ago. I only know this because I was googling them as I read. (Perhaps some explanatory footnotes might have helped). No doubt very highly educated and well read readers won't need to google, as they will understand and appreciate the references, and get the most out of it. (Which probably explains the glowing reviews).
But for me, it felt like I was being held at arm's length by the author. I had the feeling that there was a deeper meaning to the book, but my hope, as I read, of it being revealed or dawning on me were in vain.
There wasn't much of a story, and what with the opaque references and language, I couldn't engage with this book. I finished it with a feeling of 'Is that it?'
I might read it again, in case I missed something first time round, but right now I am very disappointed by it.
I was lucky to be able to enjoy some of these books with my classes at a middle school. I hope they have not forgotten Alderley Edge or The Owl Service. I will never forget my first reading of Red Shift on a train from Leeds to Wareham or the second reading when we got there!
Treacle Walker is a strange tale and a compelling one. If you are a Garner fan it should be right up your street. It would make an excellent introduction to his books, full of surprises, beautifully written and with a beating heart.
Is Joe alive? Dead? Unborn? Has he acquired the Sight by choosing the one magic artefact in Treacle’s bag? Why does the marsh dweller need to be fettered?
Alan Garner is so steeped in the folklore of Britain that he can sound the many chimes of recognisable fairy elements, such as white-stoning the threshold so that magical creatures must ask to enter. The past and the present were linked by the idea of a boy’s comic from which the characters spring into existence in the real world. The Walker is recognisable as a magical guide who helps humans achieve their destined role. Joe seems to gain complete understanding at the end of his allotted task to pin down Thin the water ? spirit.
Apart from these feeble insights (are they true?) I am completely clueless as to the plot, meanings and value to the reader of this book.








