One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde (reviewed by readafew)

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One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde (reviewed by readafew)

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1readafew
Mar 31, 2011, 5:05 pm

Here it is. First draft, let me know if anything is missing or anything else that you might suggest to improve it.

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One of Our Thursdays is Missing is the 6th book in the Thursday Next series. I’ve read all 6 books and after the first in the series this one is my favorite. The series had a little dip in the middle but even the ‘worst’ in the series was still a good fun read. I will say that in my opinion this should not be the first Thursday book you pick up to read. While I think it’s OK as a stand alone novel, to truly enjoy the book you need to have read at least 2 of the previous 5 books. Though if you’re going that far why not read all 5? Jasper does a great job at humor, writes a pretty good mystery and knows tells a compelling story. A word of warning, quite a bit of the humor is meta humor, which Jasper only occasionally points out to the reader (kind of like an example “See how I did that? Now can you find any more?”). I find it fun to read just looking for his play on words.

We start with Thursday, but we’re not really sure which Thursday.. It soon becomes apparent we’re supposedly following the written one. She’s an agent of JAID (the Jurisfiction Accident Investigation Department) and is sent to investigate the litter strewn around Conspiracy from a book that dissolved while traveling overhead. Commander Red Herring would like Thursday to come to a quick and obvious conclusion to her investigation. On her way she runs into a stranger who says ‘One of our Thursdays is Missing’ and shortly after saves Sprockett from a mob, who then becomes her willing butler and side kick. Things just keep getting weirder and weirder. Thursdays missing and she’s supposed to head the peace talks with Racy Novel, the men in plaid seem to be chasing our Thursday around, her man Whitby is having problems and the cast of her book is getting mutinous between the story changes and her constant absences leaving her understudy to do her job. All in all it’s another royal mess in Bookworld and it’s up to the written Thursday to try to fill some big shoes.

2lorax
Mar 31, 2011, 8:26 pm

I'd give a little more detail about who Sprockett is -- the way you refer to him makes me think you'd mentioned him previously. (I thought he was a great character, by the way.) I would also capitalize Men in Plaid, both to be consistent with the book and to emphasize that they aren't just random gents with an odd fashion sense.

I think you do a good job of giving an idea of the plot without spoilers, and of putting it in the context of the series. It's likely to be incomprehensible to people who haven't read the earlier books, but then so is the book. I would perhaps split off the final sentence into a new paragraph.

Grammatical nitpicks: you need an apostrophe in "Thursday's missing and....", and that sentence is a bit of a run-on.

3readafew
Mar 31, 2011, 9:00 pm

Thank you! men in plaid vs. Men in Plaid doh! If my fingers would only do what I tell them...

OK took in lorax's suggestions and made a few more to clean it up (I think).

lorax what do you think now? Also input from anyone who hasn't read the book would be helpful since this one is for the blog and I don't want to completely confuse the readers.

***********************************************************************

One of Our Thursdays is Missing is the 6th book in the Thursday Next series. I’ve read all 6 books and after the first in the series this one is my favorite. The series had a little dip in the middle but even the ‘worst’ in the series was still a good fun read. I will say, in my opinion, this should not be the first Thursday book you pick up to read. While I think it’s OK as a stand alone novel, to truly enjoy the book you need to have read at least 2 of the previous 5 books. Though if you’re going that far why not read all 5? Jasper does a great job at humor, writes a pretty good mystery and tells a compelling story. A word of warning, quite a bit of the humor is meta humor, which Jasper only occasionally points out to the reader (kind of like an saying “See how I did that? Now can you find any more?”). I find it fun to read just looking for his play on words.

We start with Thursday, but we’re not really sure which Thursday.. It soon becomes apparent we’re supposedly following the written one. She’s an agent of JAID (the Jurisfiction Accident Investigation Department) and is sent to investigate the litter strewn around Conspiracy from a book that dissolved while traveling overhead. Commander Red Herring would like Thursday to come to a quick and obvious conclusion to her investigation. On her way she runs into a stranger who says ‘One of our Thursday's is Missing’. Shortly after which she saves Sprockett from a mob, who then becomes her willing butler and side kick. Sprockett is a cogman, a clockwork android, and a butler by trade who can make a martini in no time flat (as long as you keep him wound). Things just keep getting weirder and weirder.

Thursdays missing and she’s supposed to head the peace talks with Racy Novel, the Men in Plaid seem to be chasing our Thursday around, her man Whitby is having problems and the cast of her book is getting mutinous between the story changes and her constant absences leaving her understudy to do her job. All in all it’s another royal mess in Bookworld and it’s up to the written Thursday to try to fill some big shoes.

4tottman
Editado: Abr 1, 2011, 11:47 am

A few critiques. Other than it being your favorite after the first and that it is ok as a stand-alone novel, it's not clear if the rest of the review is talking about the series or the book. (Aside, of course, from the paragraphs describing the plot.) Perhaps a little more about what makes this particular book successful would help. I agree that the plot summary is fine and doesn't seem to contain spoilers.

Second, I've only read the first book in the series, so that makes me curious as to why you feel that is not enough to truly enjoy this one. If there is a lull in the middle of the series, are there 2 in particular you would recommend before tackling this one or just any 2 to give you a better flavor for his writing or to know the characters?

It's not clear to me what "Conspiracy" is in the book description. I assume a town, or company or agency, but clarification might help.

At the beginning of the last paragraph, it looks like when Thursday went missing, she took that pesky apostrophe with her, because it still hasn't appeared:)

5tottman
Abr 1, 2011, 11:52 am

Ahhh. I found the missing apostrophe. It went to the wrong Thursday (the one in the 2nd paragraph instead of the 3rd).

6lorax
Abr 1, 2011, 1:04 pm

4>

It's clear to me what "Conspiracy" is in the book description. I assume a town, or company or agency, but clarification might help.

It's a genre, actually. This is one of those places where not having read the other books makes the review confusing -- you haven't really been introduced to BookWorld yet if you've only read the first.

I disagree about the lull, but I'd say you need to have read at least Lost in a Good Book, to get a handle on BookWorld, and First Among Sequels for the written-Thursday introduction.

7readafew
Abr 1, 2011, 1:43 pm

OK made a few more small changes.

I disagree about the lull Well it wasn't much of one (IMO), I didn't rate any of them below 3.5.

4 > the first paragraph is talking about the book but most can double for the series as well.

Conspiracy - Right it's a genre though the genres are treated kind of like different parts of 'town'.

Also why I think you need at least 2? lorax was right on. So much has happened and been introduced that you need to read at least 2 to have any idea what is going on by this book.

*************************************************​

One of Our Thursdays is Missing is the 6th book in the Thursday Next series. I’ve read all 6 books and after the first in the series this one is my favorite. The series had a little dip in the middle but even the ‘worst’ in the series was still a good fun read. I will say, in my opinion, this should not be the first Thursday book you pick up to read. While I think it’s OK as a stand alone novel, to truly enjoy the book you need to have read at least 2 of the previous 5 books, so much happens a new reader will likely be lost. Though if you’re going that far why not read all 5? Jasper does a great job at humor, writes a pretty good mystery and tells a compelling story. A word of warning, quite a bit of the humor is meta humor, which Jasper only occasionally points out to the reader (kind of like an saying “See how I did that? Now can you find any more?”). I find it fun to read just looking for his play on words.

We start with Thursday, but we’re not really sure which Thursday. It soon becomes apparent we’re supposedly following the written one. She’s an agent of JAID (the Jurisfiction Accident Investigation Department) and is sent to investigate the litter strewn around Conspiracy (the genre) from a book that dissolved while traveling overhead. Commander Red Herring would like Thursday to come to a quick and obvious conclusion to her investigation. On her way she runs into a stranger who says ‘One of our Thursdays is Missing’. Shortly after which she saves Sprockett from a mob, who then becomes her willing butler and side kick. Sprockett is a cogman, a clockwork android, and a butler by trade who can make a mean martini in no time flat (as long as you keep him wound). Things just keep getting weirder and weirder.

Thursday's missing and she’s supposed to head the peace talks with Racy Novel (another genre), the Men in Plaid seem to be chasing our Thursday around, her man Whitby is having problems with his back story, and the cast of her book is getting mutinous between the story changes and her constant absences leaving her understudy to do her job. All in all it’s another royal mess in Bookworld and it’s up to the written Thursday to try to fill some big shoes.

8jseger9000
Abr 3, 2011, 5:23 pm

Hey readafew,

If you don't mind a bit more feedback:

In the parenthesis in the 1st paragraph, 8th sentence: kind of like an saying. is that a mistype?

2nd paragraph, 2nd sentence: the word 'supposedly' seems out of place in that sentence. I understand that it is likely a hint that Thursday is not the Thursday we are lead to believe she is, but 'apparent' and 'supposedly' just do not play nice together to me.

2nd paragraph, 6th sentence: It is still problematic to me. The first use of Sprockett feels like we are supposed to know who he is. I'd suggest taking 'a cogman' from the following sentence and incorporating it into the first mention: ...she saves Sprockett, a cogman, from a mob....

Also, think 'side kick' should be hyphenated.

9readafew
Editado: Abr 3, 2011, 6:53 pm

Thank you. More good catches. How's this?

***************************************************************************
One of Our Thursdays is Missing is the 6th book in the Thursday Next series. I’ve read all 6 books and after the first in the series this one is my favorite. The series had a little dip in the middle but even the ‘worst’ in the series was still a good fun read. I will say, in my opinion, this should not be the first Thursday book you pick up to read. While I think it’s OK as a stand alone novel, to truly enjoy the book you need to have read at least 2 of the previous 5 books, so much happens a new reader will likely be lost. Though if you’re going that far why not read all 5? Jasper does a great job at humor, writes a pretty good mystery and tells a compelling story. A word of warning, quite a bit of the humor is meta humor, which Jasper only occasionally points out to the reader (kind of like saying “See how I did that? Now can you find any more?”). I find it fun to read just looking for his play on words.

We start with Thursday, but we’re not really sure which Thursday. It soon appears we’re supposedly following the written one. She’s an agent of JAID (the Jurisfiction Accident Investigation Department) and is sent to investigate the litter strewn around Conspiracy (the genre) from a book that dissolved while traveling overhead. Commander Red Herring would like Thursday to come to a quick and obvious conclusion to her investigation. On her way she runs into a stranger who says ‘One of our Thursdays is Missing’. Shortly after which she saves Sprockett, a cogman, from a mob. He then becomes her willing butler and side-kick. Sprockett is a clockwork android, and a butler by trade who can make a mean martini in no time flat (as long as you keep him wound). Things just keep getting weirder and weirder.

Thursday's missing and she’s supposed to head the peace talks with Racy Novel (another genre), the Men in Plaid seem to be chasing our Thursday around, her man Whitby is having problems with his back story, and the cast of her book is getting mutinous between the story changes and her constant absences leaving her understudy to do her job. All in all it’s another royal mess in Bookworld and it’s up to the written Thursday to try to fill some big shoes.

10jseger9000
Abr 4, 2011, 10:29 am

I think 'supposedly' could just be removed from the 2nd paragraph, 2nd sentence. Would It soon appears we’re following the written one convey the same meaning for you?

Also, in the 2nd paragraph, 8th sentence: I think you can remove the comma before 'and' and maybe put one after 'trade'.

I'm not commenting on the review itself because I'm pretty lost reading it. It's funny. I got my sister-in-law into reading the Thursday Next books, but haven't read any of them myself.

I say again though, I like that you continue to review books deep into a series. Usually the reviews peter out after the first couple of books and it can be hard to tell if a series takes a nose dive or has some drastic change.

11readafew
Abr 5, 2011, 11:56 am

Thanks for all the help.

I'm glad someone appreciates my reviews farther into series. I suspect they get read a lot less in general than earlier ones in any series. I've been trying to review every book I read since I started reviewing on LT.

*************************************************​
One of Our Thursdays is Missing is the 6th book in the Thursday Next series. I’ve read all 6 books and after the first in the series this one is my favorite. The series had a little dip in the middle but even the ‘worst’ in the series was still a good fun read. I will say, in my opinion, this should not be the first Thursday book you pick up to read. While I think it’s OK as a stand alone novel, to truly enjoy the book you need to have read at least 2 of the previous 5 books, so much happens a new reader will likely be lost. Though if you’re going that far why not read all 5? Jasper does a great job at humor, writes a pretty good mystery and tells a compelling story. A word of warning, quite a bit of the humor is meta humor, which Jasper only occasionally points out to the reader (kind of like saying “See how I did that? Now can you find any more?”). I find it fun to read just looking for his play on words.

We start with Thursday, but we’re not really sure which Thursday. It soon appears we’re following the written one. She’s an agent of JAID (the Jurisfiction Accident Investigation Department) and is sent to investigate the litter strewn around Conspiracy (the genre) from a book that dissolved while traveling overhead. Commander Red Herring would like Thursday to come to a quick and obvious conclusion to her investigation. On her way she runs into a stranger who says ‘One of our Thursdays is Missing’. Shortly after which she saves Sprockett, a cogman, from a mob. He then becomes her willing butler and side-kick. Sprockett is a clockwork android and a butler by trade, who can make a mean martini in no time flat (as long as you keep him wound). Things just keep getting weirder and weirder.

Thursday's missing and she’s supposed to head the peace talks with Racy Novel (another genre), the Men in Plaid seem to be chasing our Thursday around, her man Whitby is having problems with his back story, and the cast of her book is getting mutinous between the story changes and her constant absences leaving her understudy to do her job. All in all it’s another royal mess in Bookworld and it’s up to the written Thursday to try to fill some big shoes.

12Samantha_kathy
Abr 5, 2011, 2:22 pm

I'm a little late and don't have anything to add to the review. It reads great. I just wanted to comment on this:

I'm glad someone appreciates my reviews farther into series. I suspect they get read a lot less in general than earlier ones in any series. I've been trying to review every book I read since I started reviewing on LT.

Yes, reviews further along in a series get read less often, but I do find them very helpful. Aside from knowing when a series takes a nosedive or gets better, sometimes I hear of a book, look it up, then find out through the reviews it's part of a series. Since I like starting series at the beginning, this is actually very helpful. If no one would review later books in a series, how are new readers going to find out about the series?

The only thing I always struggle with when reviewing a book further along in a series is avoiding spoilers for events in previous books. By necessity, reviews for later books become more vague in series that rely heavily on previous events.

13readafew
Abr 5, 2011, 2:43 pm

Well at a certain point in a series such as an epic tale where what came before is very important I eventually warn "I am going to assume you've read the series up to this book".

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