Reviews for Graven Images

The average rating for Graven Images based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-06-03 00:00:00 John Coleman Iii I saw this lying about at the library, and the cover and title (not to mention the Newberry Honor!) prompted me to pick it up and give it a try. I like the short story format if it is done well, and I think it works for this small collection. All three stories are written in a most classical prose that reminds me of a lot of the books I read growing up. In fact, since the book was originally published in 1982, perhaps this style is indicative of the children's literature that was in fashion at the time. Regardless, it is a nice clean prose that works well for the stories. Certain types of plots and writing work best for short stories. The first story (The Binnacle Boy) is a good old-fashioned whodunit with a nice freaky twist at the end. While the plot and characters could have been spun out into a longer tale, it was fairly artfully done and works as a short story. The second is entitled Saint Crispin's Follower and is perfect as a short story in every way. Sweet and light-hearted, the action moves at the perfect pace for a nice little read. The last story is what causes me to rate this as only four stars. The Man of Influence has a lot of potential to be a real soul-searching, chilling tale. However, the effect falls a little flat because the setup and execution is a roughly handled. The main character is too prideful and abrasive for the reader to really relate or sympathize, and the revelations about the figure requesting the statue come too quickly and bluntly to have any deep impact.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-07-25 00:00:00 Jeff Charles I don't understand why this book was picked for an Honor Book for the Newbery Awards. The three stories were not bad, but not all that special.