Rate this book

Horton Halfpott: Or, The Fiendish Mystery Of Smugwick Manor; Or, The Loosening Of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset (2011)

by Tom Angleberger(Favorite Author)

3.78 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0810997150 (ISBN13: 9780810997158)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Amulet Books

review 1: If I might add yet another subheading to the title of this most unusual book, it would be “or Whimsical Wit and Lyrical Nonsense,” because those happen to be the two most notable assets of this particular scrap of literature. The story is sort of a whodunit with very stylized characters and a not entirely predictable plot. It’s also a rather meaningless tale with a lot of random details and very little takeaway value aside from entertainment. But it is the very precise placement of well-picked words that make this story noteworthy. It’s rather nonsensical, but it’s whimsical, it’s witty, and it’s lyrical. And that makes the entire thing rather fun.Everything started one morning when M’Lady Luggertuck ordered her corset loosened—an Unprecedented Marvel. T... morehe whole house sensed the Loosening, from the lowliest kitchen boy to the good lady’s son, and the deeds that followed were most unusual. They included thievery, a costume ball, a kidnapping by Shipless Pirates, and the beginnings of true love (on which it’s been decided we shall not dwell). We’re also treated to one young man’s honor, the loyalty of true friends, justice granted, and one young lady’s ability to judge wisely between suitors. All told, a very satisfactory and smile-inducing read.
review 2: A fun little mystery for the middle grade set.At first I thought I might find it a bit irritating, as the author does that talking to the reader thing which often annoys me - especially when calling attention to the fact you're reading a book, such as saying things like "well, that's a lot of characters to keep track of, but this last lot aren't important so we'll just ignore them - at least until chapter 35" - but I didn't mind it as much as I sometimes do. I think it's because the tone is just silly, so it kind of adds to the humor instead of being annoyingly distracting.Anyway -This book is a send-up of Victorian mysteries, with the upstairs/downstairs class lines heavily drawn, but with a few wrenches thrown in in the character of the lovely Celia and the elder Luggertuck. It's mostly just a zany story, with a bumbling detective, snobby aristocrats, ingenious and eloquent stable boys, land-locked pirate, and poor, maligned Horton - hijinks ensure, but the mystery is solved through pluck and cleverness...But while I sometimes lament these zany type stories for being all flash and no substance, Angleberger makes sure he has some strong characters and some moral lessons thrown in.Cute, quick and fun story, definitely written for the MG crowd, but delightful for an adult in the right frame of mind. less

Download links for: Horton Halfpott: or, The Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor; or, The Loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset

Advertising