Cormier, Robert Books

The Rag and Bone Shop

Robert Cormier

Amazon Price: $12.76 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Delacorte Books for Young Readers Amazon Marketplace: 92 new & used starting at $0.25

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 70 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

This final novel from the grand master of young-adult fiction is one last jewel in the literary crown of Robert Cormier, who died in November 2000. In it he continues to explore the themes that are so characteristic of his work: guilt and forgiveness, misuse of authority, and the corruption of innocence. But a new book from Cormier is always a surprise, and here he gives us a brilliant evocation of the detective story, in a narrative that centers on the interrogation of a murder suspect.

A 7-year-old girl has been battered to death, and there are no suspects, no leads. The police, under political pressure to make an arrest, bring in Trent, a cold, ambitious professional interrogator who prides himself on his ability to extract confessions. His victim is 12-year-old Jason--the last person to see the girl. We know that Jason is innocent, and halfway through the interrogation Trent realizes it, too, in "a blazing moment." But like a medieval torturer, his goal is confession, not truth, and so he stifles his impulses for good and proceeds with the job, with deeply ironic consequences.

The interrogation itself, which forms the centerpiece of the novel, is dazzling in its elegant thrust-and-parry, its subtle twists and turns, as Jason frantically tries to escape, like a mouse caged with a python. The point of view snaps back and forth so that we are intensely aware of the shifting emotions of both participants in the deadly game. And once again, Cormier has given us an ending that seems provocative and uncomfortable--until we remember that the center of his moral universe was always summed up by the words "if only." (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell

Other Bells for Us to Ring

Robert Cormier

List Price: $4.99 By: Laurel Leaf Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Only the fourth book that ever made me cry. 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I am not religious and I'd rather stay away from religion. When I read the back of 'Other Bells for Us to Ring' I thought: oh know, a sappy religious novel. But I read it anyway, because I trusted Robert Cormier not to disappoint me with a sappy religious novel. Religious it was, sappy it was not! I've never been particularly interested in Catholicism and never knew much about it, but I learned a lot from this book and feel all the better doing so. Both Darcy and Kathleen Mary O'Hara are exceedingly likeable characters, particularly Kathleen Mary, who was in my eyes a younger version of Amy Hertz from Robert Cormier's novel 'I am the Cheese.' I thought there would be a happy ending. I really did. It was happy at first, when I learned that Darcy's father was safe and sound, but in the next chapter when I learned what happened to Kathleen Mary, all my expectations came down with a great and glorious crash. My father, when he saw me weeping, muttered about an 'adolescent mood swing.' I just kept sobbing. Why do good people have to die? Why?

Editorial Review:

Eleven-year-old Darcy hasn't lived in any one place long enough to have a best friend--until her family settles in Frenchtown and she meets Kathleen Mary O'Hara. Darcy is spellbound by Kathleen Mary's vivid tales of Catholicism. She shows Darcy a world beyond Frenchtown: a world of daring games and secrets, of sins and miracles. With Darcy's father off fighting the war somewhere in Europe, Kathleen Mary couldn't have come into her life at a better time.
Then, just as suddenly as they appeared, Kathleen Mary and her family disappear. While Darcy waits to hear from her, she learns that her father is missing in action. Christmas is coming, and Darcy is unsure about the power of God's love. Will the miracle she hopes for really happen?

Chocolate War (G K Hall Large Print Children's Series)

Robert Cormier

List Price: $14.95 By: G K Hall & Co Amazon Marketplace: 3 new & used starting at $4.25

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 377 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

principle before action 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Supposedly, this is a young adult classic, but honestly, I'm not sure why. It's just not very good. Sure, it's controversial (the characters swear and think about masturbation a lot), but that's not a good enough reason for it to keep being assigned in schools.

Also, I think the thing that should make the book controversial is its portrayal of gross cruelty by students and certain teachers. Not that I'm worried that kids will suddenly become cruel just by reading this book (those who are going to be cruel tend to come by it naturally, after all), but if we're worried about exposing children to unsavory things, it ought to cruelty for it's own sake.

But what I really didn't like about this book was that although we're told there's a principle behind the actions of Jerry, who refuses to sell the chocolates, we're never told what the principle is. There's some suggestion that Jerry himself isn't really sure what his principle is, but in the context of the book, that's just not good enough.

It all started when Jerry is "assigned" by the Vigils (the school's student secret society, which doesn't actually seem to be much of a secret to anyone) to refuse to sell the chocolates for 10 days. He does (there's no suggestion that he even thinks about refusing the "assignment") but then continues to refuse to sell the chocolates after the 10 days are up, even after he gets another "assignment" that he start selling the chocolates. But why does he continue to refuse? Is it something about the chocolate sale itself, or is it about defying the Vigils? We don't know. The action of defiance seems to be more important than the principle behind it. I think Cormier got it backward.

Editorial Review:

Does Jerry Renault dare to disturb the universe? You wouldn't think that his refusal to sell chocolates during his school's fundraiser would create such a stir, but it does; it's as if the whole school comes apart at the seams. To some, Jerry is a hero, but to others, he becomes a scapegoat--a target for their pent-up hatred. And Jerry? He's just trying to stand up for what he believes, but perhaps there is no way for him to escape becoming a pawn in this game of control; students are pitted against other students, fighting for honor--or are they fighting for their lives? In 1974, author Robert Cormier dared to disturb our universe when this book was first published. And now, with a new introduction by the celebrated author, The Chocolate War stands ready to shock a new group of teen readers.

In the Middle of the Night (Collins Flamingo)

Robert Cormier

List Price: $10.35 By: CollinsFlamingo Amazon Marketplace: 6 new & used starting at $5.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The sin of the father will be visited upon the son.

On Halloween, eight years before Denny Colbert was born, his father was involved in a tragic accident that killed twenty-two children. And one of those children can't forget.

Sixteen-year-old Denny just wants to be like other kids his age. But he isn't allowed to have a driver's license or answer the telephone, and his family moves so often that he's always the new kid in school. Then there are the phone calls-they start every October, a week or two before the anniversary. Every year, the ringing of the telephone wakes Denny up in the middle of the night. And every year, his father calmly answers the calls, listening to the angry voice on the other end for several minutes before hanging up. But this Halloween is different -- it's been twenty-five years since the accident. Denny and his mother dread the inevitable phone calls, letters. and newspaper articles. But Denny's father is determined that they are not going to disconnect the phone and they are not going to move again.

When Denny defies his parents one afternoon and answers the telephone, he finds himself drawn into a provocative, and potentially deadly, relationship with the mystery caller -- someone called Lulu -- who haunts his days and nights and may haunt yours.

In this chillingly suspenseful novel, Robert Cormier examines the consequences of a young man's rebellion against his father's past.

After the First Death

Robert Cormier

List Price: $2.50 By: Avon Books Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 77 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Happily Surprised!! 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My son had to read this book for his summer reading assigment. I also read this book so I could quiz him on it later. I actually enjoyed reading it. It was in the young adult section of the library and I thought that I would get bored with it. I was surprised. Mr. Cormier knows how to pull his readers in his story, young and not so young. This book was very thought provoking and my 15 year old enjoyed it too. He actually liked dicussing it with me afterwards, which was very surprising.

Another waste of a novel..... 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

As I've stated about The Chocolate War, (and I am biased since I don't care for Robert Cormier) I hated this book. I read it freshman year of high school, and again the author talked too much about male sexual repression and went to great depths to describe a young woman urinating in her dress. I felt no sense of danger for the characters and wanted them all to die so the story would end. If you can't get your readers to identify with any of the characters in some small way, why would they want to read your book? This is just another example of deplorable writing. While some people may consider this kind of garbage good literature, I consider it to be nothing more than the author's way of working out pent up sexual aggression. While I do respect those authors who can examine the darker side of life and human nature, one must create characters that are at least somewhat like-able, and while not all stories have to have a happy ending, there has to be some form of redeeming quality to the tale, and it may be as simple as in the way in which it is told by the author. This title is well worth skipping, and I am venturing out to say that I would gladly skip any of his other work while I'm at it.

Editorial Review:

Who will be the next to die?



They've taken the children. And the son of a general. But that isn't enough.



More horrors must come...

Eight plus one: Stories

Robert Cormier

By: Bantam Books Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $12.90

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We All Fall Down

Robert Cormier

By: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $86.53

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 48 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

His writing sings with the skillful voice of truth. 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The Avenger sees it all. He watches closely as four guys trash Jane Jerome's house, shoving her sister Karen into the basement to do whatever it is they're doing. He isn't going to let it go unavenged.

The Jerome family is fairly new in the neighborhood, having just moved from Monument (where THE CHOCOLATE WAR took place) a short while ago. Being the new kid is bad, but being Judy Jerome, the new kid who people stop talking to because they don't know what to say to a girl whose house gets ransacked and whose sister ends up in the hospital, is worse. Rumors fly. Reputations dive. Revenge ensues.

Suicide, rape, murder, vandalism, and love. All in a young adult book. While Robert Cormier may not be for the faint of heart, his writing sings with the skillful voice of truth. He's never afraid to show darkness and light for what they are, and for that, I commend and recommend him.

-- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens

Editorial Review:

One of a series offering classic and contemporary fiction for schools to suit a range of ages and tastes, this novel is about the effect of wilful destructiveness on people's lives and the part forgiveness can play in piecing things back together.

Fade

Robert Cormier

List Price: $20.50 By: Peter Smith Pub Inc Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $49.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 62 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Truth and fiction 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

What if you had the ability to fade, to dissolves from eyesight, to become invisible? What if you could do whatever you wanted? Steal? Find out peoples' secrets? Take revenge? Paul Moreaux is thirteen and lives in the small New England town of Monument. His family are French Canadian and they live with others of the same background in the ghetto of Frenchtown. They are poor working class people, with repetitive factory jobs, and are looked down upon by the U.S. citizens and called "Canucks" by them. Paul struggles with the normal teenage problems of bullying and emerging sexuality. He is about to get a visit from his uncle Adelard who will reveal a special talent (or is it another problem) that they both share: the ability to become invisible.

This is certainly one of Cormier's best, most creative books. There is plenty in it for those who love his dark social realist style, but the fantasy element adds a dimension to his work that enhances it considerably. explores the question of why there are rules and limitations in life. Invisibility brings total freedom, but total freedom if not managed properly brings inherent evil. But what makes one man succumb to evil while another man resists? And what role does sanity and insanity play in evil? These are familiar subjects to those who read Cormier, but this book considers, also, the question of truth in works of art. In the tradition of the gothic novel consists of manuscripts and manuscripts within manuscripts, has three 'main' characters at the center of three interconnected stories, and is narrated sometimes in the first person and sometimes in the third person. Where does the truth lie in all this written word? Is the story of invisibility a fiction made up by the author Paul to make a point, or are we expected to accept it as reality? We have the Paul of the manuscript, then there is the Paul (the fiction author) that Meredith Martin knew and then there is Cormier himself. Paul writes frequently of events in a New England town called Monument and Cormier, also, often stets his stories in the town of Monument (Now and at the Hour, Little Raw on Monday Mornings, A, Take Me Where the Good Times Are, The Chocolate War and Beyond the Chocolate War). How much of the 'real' Cormier is in the fictional Paul? Is any text ever really a full reflection of 'reality' and, even more, can we ever really know 'reality' or are we all locked in our own little perspectives? Deep philosophical stuff and enough to make the Post-Modernists slaver with glee!

This book certainly has enough in it to make it idea for a high school book report. What is more it is an exciting read that gets better and better as the story goes on. It is not dull old 'art'. This book gets one of my rare five stars.

Editorial Review:

IT IS THE summer of 1938 when young Paul Moreaux discovers he can “fade.” First bewildered, then thrilled with the power of invisibility, Paul experiments. But his “gift” soon shows him shocking secrets and drives him toward a chilling act.

“Imagine what might happen if Holden Caufield stepped into H. G. Wells’ The Invisible Man, and you’ll have an idea how good Fade is. . . . I was absolutely riveted.”—Stephen King

Fade

Robert Cormier

List Price: $20.50 By: Peter Smith Pub Inc Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $49.99

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Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror -> Spine-Chilling Horror

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 62 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Truth and fiction 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

What if you had the ability to fade, to dissolves from eyesight, to become invisible? What if you could do whatever you wanted? Steal? Find out peoples' secrets? Take revenge? Paul Moreaux is thirteen and lives in the small New England town of Monument. His family are French Canadian and they live with others of the same background in the ghetto of Frenchtown. They are poor working class people, with repetitive factory jobs, and are looked down upon by the U.S. citizens and called "Canucks" by them. Paul struggles with the normal teenage problems of bullying and emerging sexuality. He is about to get a visit from his uncle Adelard who will reveal a special talent (or is it another problem) that they both share: the ability to become invisible.

This is certainly one of Cormier's best, most creative books. There is plenty in it for those who love his dark social realist style, but the fantasy element adds a dimension to his work that enhances it considerably. explores the question of why there are rules and limitations in life. Invisibility brings total freedom, but total freedom if not managed properly brings inherent evil. But what makes one man succumb to evil while another man resists? And what role does sanity and insanity play in evil? These are familiar subjects to those who read Cormier, but this book considers, also, the question of truth in works of art. In the tradition of the gothic novel consists of manuscripts and manuscripts within manuscripts, has three 'main' characters at the center of three interconnected stories, and is narrated sometimes in the first person and sometimes in the third person. Where does the truth lie in all this written word? Is the story of invisibility a fiction made up by the author Paul to make a point, or are we expected to accept it as reality? We have the Paul of the manuscript, then there is the Paul (the fiction author) that Meredith Martin knew and then there is Cormier himself. Paul writes frequently of events in a New England town called Monument and Cormier, also, often stets his stories in the town of Monument (Now and at the Hour, Little Raw on Monday Mornings, A, Take Me Where the Good Times Are, The Chocolate War and Beyond the Chocolate War). How much of the 'real' Cormier is in the fictional Paul? Is any text ever really a full reflection of 'reality' and, even more, can we ever really know 'reality' or are we all locked in our own little perspectives? Deep philosophical stuff and enough to make the Post-Modernists slaver with glee!

This book certainly has enough in it to make it idea for a high school book report. What is more it is an exciting read that gets better and better as the story goes on. It is not dull old 'art'. This book gets one of my rare five stars.

Editorial Review:

IT IS THE summer of 1938 when young Paul Moreaux discovers he can “fade.” First bewildered, then thrilled with the power of invisibility, Paul experiments. But his “gift” soon shows him shocking secrets and drives him toward a chilling act.

“Imagine what might happen if Holden Caufield stepped into H. G. Wells’ The Invisible Man, and you’ll have an idea how good Fade is. . . . I was absolutely riveted.”—Stephen King