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Splendors and Glooms (Turtleback School & Library)
Splendors and Glooms (Turtleback School & Library) | Laura Amy Schlitz
14 posts | 16 read | 19 to read
WINNER OF A 2013 NEWBERY HONOR! Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz brings her sorcery to a Victorian gothic thriller -- an enthralling, darkly comic tale that would do Dickens proud. The master puppeteer, Gaspare Grisini, is so expert at manipulating his stringed puppets that they appear alive. Clara Wintermute, the only child of a wealthy doctor, is spellbound by Grisini's act and invites him to entertain at her birthday party. Seeing his chance to make a fortune, Grisini accepts and makes a splendidly gaudy entrance with caravan, puppets, and his two orphaned assistants. Lizzie Rose and Parsefall are dazzled by the Wintermute home. Clara seems to have everything they lack -- adoring parents, warmth, and plenty to eat. In fact, Clara's life is shadowed by grief, guilt, and secrets. When Clara vanishes that night, suspicion of kidnapping falls upon the puppeteer and, by association, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall. As they seek to puzzle out Clara's whereabouts, Lizzie and Parse uncover Grisini's criminal past and wake up to his evil intentions. Fleeing London, they find themselves caught in a trap set by Grisini's ancient rival, a witch with a deadly inheritance to shed before it's too late. Newbery Medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz's Victorian gothic is a rich banquet of dark comedy, scorching magic, and the brilliant and bewitching storytelling that is her trademark.
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mrp27
Splendors and Glooms | Laura Amy Schlitz
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#ominousoctober

This story contains a puppeteer with #evil intentions. Naturally I haven‘t read it yet, from my tbr pile.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Sorry pretty 🖤❤️ 2y
Eggs Great photo 🖤📸 ❤️ 2y
24 likes2 comments
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Sweetkokoro
Splendors and Glooms | Laura Amy Schlitz
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Mehso-so

Ugh this started out so interesting and the Puppetry idea used was so intriguing, the way the povs felt like they flowed into one another. Sadly it suffered heavily from unnecessary side stories and a stretched out middle. Also the word “bitch” was so out of left field in this kids book,I‘m use to damn or hell, and in the audiobook the narrator gave it such emphasis that it made me jump, because I wasn‘t expecting it, it was so unsettling.

20 likes1 comment
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RiaWritten
Splendors and Glooms | Laura Amy Schlitz
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Paisley caught me using my Kindle as a bookmark. Oops.

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Aga_reads
Fire Spell | Laura Amy Schlitz
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An older picture I never posted here!

So I‘ll be honest, this was a total cover buy! Whoever designed it, props to you, cause it‘s GORGEOUS! 😍

Has anyone read this one? The idea is really intriguing.

78 likes7 stack adds
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KerriNTurner
Fire Spell | Laura Amy Schlitz
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#lyricalapril #tinydancer A young girl gets taken by a puppeteer and trapped as a dancing marionette. A really good book with a number of very moving themes.

Cinfhen Beautiful book cover😍 8y
15 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Foragingfantasy
Splendors and Glooms | Laura Amy Schlitz
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I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was going to be creepier than it was but it none non the less. Sometimes I just need Davina Porter to read to me. ❤️ if you haven't experienced her voice and reading skills, I suggest you do.

4 likes1 stack add
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Mystic.Archives.Of.Dantalian
Splendors and Glooms | Laura Amy Schlitz
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Pickpick

Laura Amy Schlitz utilizes her fantastical prose to steep us in the wonders of a Victorian child‘s world. Children have the capacity to believe in anything, such is the shape of the magic in this story.

"When he played upon her strings, Clara glimpsed the splendors and glooms that haunted his mind. She shared his appetite for prodigies and wonders, for a world where spangles were stars and skeletons frolicked until their bones fell apart."

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KerriNTurner
Fire Spell | Laura Amy Schlitz
Pickpick

A charming and unusual book about puppetry, curses, and a family that doesn't realise what they have until it is taken away.

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HiddenGemBooks
Splendors and Glooms | Laura Amy Schlitz
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Had to bail Splenders and Glooms, on to this thriller on kindle! I'm excited 😊👍

Onceuponatime I finished Splendors and Glooms, but I didn't love it either. Hope you like this one more! 8y
38 likes1 comment
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HiddenGemBooks
Splendors and Glooms | Laura Amy Schlitz
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60 pages in and Clara is finally missing. It's moving a bit slowly, I hope it speeds up a bit in the near future 😕 🌟🌟2/5 right now.

(No spoiler, the blurb on the back says Clara goes missing)

Em890 I hate when the synopsis gives something like that away. Especially when it takes a while to build up to that point. 8y
34 likes1 comment
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HiddenGemBooks
Splendors and Glooms | Laura Amy Schlitz
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Hard to find time as a year-round college student to read for fun, moments like these are few and far between. 😊📚

SealedWithInk Know how you feel, especially having done a Creative Writing and English Literature degree. I loved the reading that I did for it, but it was really nice when I got the chance to read what I wanted to. 8y
34 likes1 stack add1 comment
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HiddenGemBooks
Splendors and Glooms | Laura Amy Schlitz

The master puppeteer, Gaspare Grisini, is so expert at manipulating his stringed puppets that they appear alive. Clara Wintermute, the only child of a wealthy doctor, is spellbound by Grisini‘s act and invites him to entertain at her birthday party. Seeing his chance to make a fortune, Grisini accepts and makes a splendidly gaudy entrance with caravan, puppets, and his two orphaned assistants.

1 like1 stack add
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Abby2
Pickpick

Great kids story! Very original

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ElizabethAndino
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ElizabethAndino So. Many. Tedious. Details. I loved the story but it really felt weighed down by extraneous conversations and description. 9y
3 likes1 stack add1 comment