Sonderbooks Book Review of The Rope Trick

Reviewed December 21, 2002.
Dutton Children’s Books, New York, 2002. 195 pages.

I’m a big fan of Lloyd Alexander’s books, especially the Prydain Chronicles, The Arkadians, and The Iron Ring. The Rope Trick was a good book, but not as outstanding as those others.

I did like the main character. Lidi is a red-haired traveling magician in old-time Italy (Campania), a master of illusions. After her father’s death, she’s on a quest to learn the secret of the Rope Trick. A mysterious magician named Ferramondo is the only person who knows how to do it.

As she journeys, Lidi adds on to her traveling family, collecting a little girl and a young man who are both in trouble. There’s a romance, but we are simply told that they are in love. I didn’t really feel the love growing. They meet many different people on their travels and hear seemingly unrelated stories. The ending attempts to tie them all together, but seemed a bit abrupt and perplexing.

Mind you, this isn’t a bad book. It’s not as outstanding as his others, but it does give an entertaining story.

Reviews of other books by Lloyd Alexander:
The Xanadu Adventure
The Arkadians
Dream-of-Jade, the Emperor's Cat

There are comments about this book posted on the Book Discussion Forum

-top of page-

Book Reviews by Sondra Eklund

****The Rope Trick*

by Lloyd Alexander