Amber (The Literary Phoenix)'s Review of Dandelion Wine

Dandelion Wine

The summer of '28 was a vintage season for a growing boy. A summer of green apple trees, mowed lawns, and new sneakers. Of half-burnt firecrackers, of gathering dandelions, of Grandma's belly-busting dinner. It was a summer of sorrows and marvels and gold-fuzzed bees. A magical, timeless summer in the life of a twelve-year-old boy named Douglas Spaulding—remembered forever by the incomparable Ray Bradbury.

The only god living in Green Town, Illinois, that Douglas Spaulding knew of.

The facts about John Huff, aged twelve, are simple and soon stated.

• He could pathfind more trails than any Choctaw or Cherokee since time began.
• Could leap from the sky like a chimpanzee from a vine.
• Could live underwater two minutes and slide fifty yards downstream.
• Could hit baseballs into apple trees, knocking down harvests.
• Could jump six-foot orchard walls.
• Ran laughing.
• Sat easy.
• Was not a bully.
• Was kind.
• Knew the words to all the cowboy songs and would teach you if you asked.
• Knew the names of all the wild flowers and when the moon would rise or set and when the tides came in or out.

He was, in fact, the only god living in the whole of Green Town, Illinois, during the twentieth century that Douglas Spaulding knew of.

“[Ray] Bradbury is an authentic original.”—Time

Ray Bradbury's writing style and command of the English language is incredible.

Dandelion Wine feels like a response to [b:Anne of Green Gables|8127|Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1)|L.M. Montgomery|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390789015s/8127.jpg|3464264], where we follow children as they live their fullest lives and learn what it is to live, breathe, and explode into the universe in a shower of colorful sparks. I loved the lazy summer feel to the whole book, as though it should be served up with lemonade and blueberry cake.

In Dandelion Wine, Bradbury explores the themes of life, death, and what it means to be alive. Through a series of segments shared over the course of a summer by the citizens of Green Town and conducted but brothers Douglas and Tom Spaulding, the little Illinois town comes to life. It makes you think, and it makes you want to remember the things that made you feel like you were on the top of the world. Dandelion Wine makes summer feel eternal.

I absolutely adored this book. I was a little hesitant going in, as [b:Something Wicked This Way Comes|248596|Something Wicked This Way Comes|Ray Bradbury|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1409596011s/248596.jpg|1183550] leaves big shoes to fill, but I needn't have worried. This is just as gripping and magical an adventure as its sequel.

Dandelion Wine

Reviewed by Amber (The Literary Phoenix) on Aug 3, 2018

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