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The Rope Trick
The Rope Trick
Author: Lloyd Alexander
Lidi is a brilliant magician, able to perform all manner of astonishing illusions. But one trick eludes her, the greatest in the world: the rope trick. And only one person can teach it to her: the legendary magician Ferramondo. On her quest to find him, she joins up with Daniella, an orphan with true prophetic powers; a handsome outlaw with a pr...  more »
PBS Market Price: $8.09 or $4.19+1 credit
ISBN-13: 9780142401194
ISBN-10: 0142401196
Publication Date: 8/19/2004
Pages: 195
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 3

4 stars, based on 3 ratings
Publisher: Puffin
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Rope Trick on + 3352 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
An unusual tale, let your imagination go and you'll come up with all sorts of meanings and ideas.
txladyrah avatar reviewed The Rope Trick on + 180 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
The author has drawn one of his most bewitching heroines. This is a remarkable fantasy that swirls around his character Lidi and is both light and dark, comic and serious, down-to-earth and mystical. He affirms the indomitable human spirit - and the magic in all of us.
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althea avatar reviewed The Rope Trick on + 774 more book reviews
Alexander's Prydain series were second only to the Lord of the Rings in my 'favorites' list when I was a kid, but I never kept up with reading his new books, as they are mostly aimed at younger readers. After this, however, I may go out of my way to get them!
Yeah, this is a kids' book, but it's a really good kids' book. Alexander has a talent of somehow bringing everything to life with a brief, seemingly-simple, but well-turned phrase.
Lidi, a recently orphaned young woman, has decided to keep on with her father's family business as a traveling magic show. Her dream is to find a certain legendary magician and have him teach her his fabled 'rope trick.' Travelling through the provinces of an Italian-esque countryside, picking up a charming ragamuffin fortuneteller and a jack-of-all-trades on the run from the law along the way, she knows her quest is something of a wild goose chase - but feels bound to pursue it all the same. Similarly, her new hired-hand feels bound to pursue revenge against the overseer who murdered his uncle - even though the feelings between Lidi and himself are growing. Both must make decisions about what really is most important to them...
My only complaint with this book is that it ends VERY abruptly. It also seems to give the message that sometimes, the best thing to do about your problems is to run away from them. I've been thinking about this, because it's a sentiment that I actually agree with pretty strongly - but it's rare in fiction, and I think, just because of this rarity, it bothered me. Leaving things not solved but avoided isn't typical of a novel - but I think I liked it.


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