Inkheart | Cornelia Funke | Review
Over the years I've had many favourite books, like I'm sure we've all had, and in the future I hope to have many more. Growing up, my favourite books changed a lot. From books like Spot and Dear Zoo, to the Famous Five and The Magic Faraway Tree, to the Edgewood Chronicles and A Series of Unfortunate Events, to The Hobbit and Eragon...and then my favourites more recently. And I still love all these books, but I remember absolutely loving Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke, both when I read it, and years after.
Inkheart is the story of Meggie, a 12 year old girl, who lives with her father, Mo, a bookbinder. Books are at the centre of their lives, and everything they do and are. I like to think that our houses are similar - small and with books piled high on every surface and inch of floor. But I digress...
Despite that fact that Mo is a bookbinder, and that both he and Meggie read like there's no tomorrow, Mo has not read aloud to Meggie since before her mother disappeared, years earlier. One night, a stranger arrives at the house, and the truth starts to emerge. Mo doesn't read aloud to Meggie because every time he does, the characters literally come alive; they step out of the pages of the stories into the real world. When Meggie was 3, Mo read aloud from a book called Inkheart, and on that night, Meggie's mother disappeared into the story...
I won't say too much more, but I will tell you that it is a fantastic book, whether you're a fantasy lover or not. It's a story within a story, and the characters are so creative and extreme that they draw you in even more with every page. There are baddies and goodies, sadness and joy, and a whole heap of awesome.
It was first published in 2003, and since then, Funke has written 3 more books as sequels to Inkheart. I have to be honest, I haven't read them yet, but I'm sure they are just as amazing. There is also a movie that came out in 2008, which I haven't seen. I've heard mixed reviews about the movie...but if this sounds interesting to you, please please please start with the book.
Image from Goodreads
I love the Inktrilogy <3 I've read it 13 times, it's so great <3
ReplyDeleteCornelia Funke has an extremely amazing way of writing and it feels like her stories really come to life just by being read. Thanks for this review, I haven't read Inkheart in years, but this review reminded me of how amazing the books are and that I REALLY have to reread them :)