- Paperback: 216 pages
- Publisher: COACH HOUSE BOOKS; 1 edition (April 15 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 155245214X
- ISBN-13: 978-1552452141
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 12.4 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 272 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #182,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Quill & Quire
Phin Walsh, the nine-year-old narrator of Carla Gunn’s debut novel, is the kind of kid who could only be described as “sensitive.” Hours spent watching documentaries on the Green Channel have left him better informed than most adults about pollution, the plight of animals being robbed of their habitats, and the burden humans have placed on our rapidly decaying Earth. And he’s suffering for it. Rather than running around outside with friends, exploring the natural world and the creatures he so dearly cherishes, Phin is locked in a state of anxiety. He’s a preteen insomniac watching the world around him disintegrate and feeling helpless to stop it. But there’s much more to Amphibian that tubthumping for the environment. Phin is a symbol of our times – a child so overwhelmed by information that his childhood is being stolen from him. He’s highly intelligent and imaginative, which leads to frustration. Gunn adeptly uses the guilelessness of childhood to highlight some real issues. Phin takes every claim at face value, often leaving the adults in his life scrambling to provide the alternate view, which sometimes involves explanations that don’t make sense to the black-and-white, logical mind of one too young to separate fact from propaganda. The reader actually feels Phin’s anger at the inaction and apathy he encounters, and is left desperately wanting something to happen that will allow him to just be a kid. Gunn alleviates the intensity that threatens to overwhelm the novel with good doses of humour and hope. Amphibian is a polished, engaging book.
Review
'Sometimes you start reading a book and fall in love by page two. That's what happened when I tore through Carla Gunn's novel Amphibian ... Although the loss of innocence is heartbreaking, Amphibian is also hilarious, and contains some of the best and freshest swears I've read in a long time.' — The Coast
'The moral centre of this darkly delightful eco-novel is nine-year-old Phineas, tireless crusader for the ill-used creatures of our fragile Earth. Phin’s voice is irresistible: discerning yet innocent, enraged yet brimming with love. Gunn's story, cutting despair with healing mirth, is his perfect vehicle.' — Globe and Mail
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Original and beautifully crafted,
This review is from: Amphibian (Paperback)
Original and beautifully crafted in the voice of 9 year old Phineas William Walsh, Gunn's novel tells the story of a child dealing with the inconsistencies of human relationships."How do people who love each other one day, no longer love each other the next", asks Phin? "Where does all the good stuff go, the happy times, when somebody dies?" And why do teachers prefer "their" answers to the "right" answers? Phin is a supremely engaging bright child; at turns adorable, frustrating, irritating, sensitive, and demanding. He grieves for a world being destroyed by careless human beings, and he wants desperately to engage other children and adults in the importance of making change while there is still time, and still animals to save. He keeps a list of endangered species and is worried that by the time he grows up, it will be too late. I found myself fearing for Phin, for this intense child overwhelmed with the seeming impossibility of getting adults to pay attention. He is bullied at school and is hurt and angry at the loss of his father through his parent's separation: "Some male primates don't stick around to look after their kids but human fathers are supposed to be more like the marmoset, who does. What the heck's wrong with my father," he asks? The sometimes somber mood, the sense of impending catastrophe as Phin's behaviour becomes more and more difficult is lightened by wonderful bits of Phin curiosity. "Once you are in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?" His relationship with his sensitive, caring, frightened out of her mind for Phin mother is a lesson in creative and meaningful parenting. Kudos to Carla for creating such a wonderful authentic story. I only hope she follows this book with a "Book of Phin Curiosities' geared for other children. Johanna Bertin Author of Don Messer: the Man Behind the Music, Goose Lane Editions, 2009
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book, funny, but with a serious side.,
By
This review is from: Amphibian (Paperback)
Amphibian is a novel about nine year old Phin Walsh. Phin is a geeky kid, too smart for his own good, frustrated with school and finding his teacher's mistakes. He watches the Green Channel on TV and is upset about the state of the environment. His mother sends him to a shrink and they end up banning him from watching the Green Channel. Of course, this does nothing to alleviate his anxiety. The problem is, the environment is in trouble, and this makes it hard to reassure him that everything is ok. I can't help but agree with Phin that he's the one that's in touch with reality and it's the rest of the world that has its head in the sand.That probably sounds way too serious, but the book also has a lighter side and had me chuckling numerous times, for example, when Phin and his best friend "jail break" the school's pet frog.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome!,
By Rik - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Amphibian (Paperback)
I loved this book. It is written from a young person's perspective and although I am many years older, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip into Phineas' mind. His idiosyncratic behaviour was entertaining and his character very very likable. I would highly recommend this book for its plot, character and humour. The book also has an environmental theme, but that theme is far from contrived; it's a story involving a kid who grew up with environmentalism an everyday concern. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!- Rik
4.0 out of 5 stars
original and beautifully crafted,
By Johanna Bertin - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Amphibian (Paperback)
Original, and beautifully crafted in the voice of 9 year old Phineas William Walsh, Gunn's novel tells the story of a child dealing with the inconsistencies of human relationships."How do people who love each other one day, no longer love each other the next", asks Phin? "Where does all the good stuff go, the happy times, when somebody dies?" And why do teachers prefer "their" answers to the "right" answers? Phin is a supremely engaging bright child; at turns adorable, frustrating, irritating, sensitive, and demanding. He grieves for a world being destroyed by careless human beings, and he wants desperately to engage other children and adults in the importance of making change while there is still time, and still animals to save. He keeps a list of endangered species and is worried that by the time he grows up, it will be too late. I found myself fearing for Phin, for this intense child overwhelmed with the seeming impossibility of getting adults to pay attention. He is bullied at school and is hurt and angry at the loss of his father through his parent's separation: "Some male primates don't stick around to look after their kids but human fathers are supposed to be more like the marmoset, who does. What the heck's wrong with my father," he asks? The sometimes somber mood, the sense of impending catastrophe as Phin's behaviour becomes more and more difficult is lightened by wonderful bits of Phin curiosity. "Once you are in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?" His relationship with his sensitive, caring, frightened out of her mind for Phin mother is a lesson in creative and meaningful parenting. Kudos to Carla for creating such a wonderful authentic story. I only hope she follows this book with a "Book of Phin Curiosities' geared for other children. Johanna Bertin Author of Don Messer: the Man Behind the Music, Goose Lane Editions, 2009 |
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