Or Gulliver?
Will the real Gulliver please stand up?
Is it an authentic Gulliver experience to read the children's picture book?
Or is it a more genuine experience to read it, unedited, without pictures, on a Kindle?
I read both this week. I liked the children's version better. The pictures were fun and the edited text included the best of the original and omitted the extraneous material that seemed irrelevant to the heart of the book.
I'm happy I read the original as well as the edited version. I can see the appeal of this book for readers. Funny. Thoughtful. Gulliver visits places in the world that make his entire worldview shift and crumble and, finally, evolve.
A wonderful book.
I think this is one of those books that we all know but somehow forget to read. I think I've just read a children's version. I also saw a TV version - very true to the book, I believe - that really whetted my appetite. I think it was a lot darker and deeper than I'd realised.
ReplyDeleteI've not read anything from a Kindle yet, but I must say I don't really want to. The idea of not having a page to smell, or turn, seems to take a big piece of reading away from me. However, I liked your comparison, and I do think it's a good idea to stay up with current gadgets. I'll have to look into a Kindle sometime, but for now, I'm glad to have the real book in my hands.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think I'd like a Kindle either, but I must say I do. It travels with me in my purse everywhere I go, so I always have something to read. I have about sixty books on it and most of these were downloaded free as they are classics. I've also downloaded a couple of documents that I've compiled myself (collection of poems, collection of quotes) that are always fun to read through now and then.
ReplyDeleteIt has been very useful during long train rides and during school testing days.
I love your summary of Gulliver!
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried a Kindle, but the idea of it traveling everywhere in my purse is very tempting.
i think the pictures would make a huge difference for a kid's book. reading the story by itself is one thing but it can just come alive with the beautiful illustrations.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine reading a book like that without the illustrations. For kid's picture books I just don't see how a Kindle woudl ever cut it.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Pictures are very slow to come up on a Kindle. Text is fast.
ReplyDeleteI do like having sixty books at my beck and call at all times.