Mae Tuck foils his plans when she clubs him in the head with a shotgun. In the end of the film Winnie helps Mae escape from prison and chooses not to drink from the bottle but instead to die like all other mortals. Winnie Foster is 10 years old in the movie She is sweet, kind and stubborn. Winnie has brunette hair and beautiful blue eyes that complements her personally very well. Winnie chose to a live a mortal life instead of drinking the water from the fountain of youth and waiting for Jesse Tuck to return.
Winnie died at years old in , she died at peace knowing that she helped keep the Tucks and the fountain of youth a secret. Winnie dies from cancer and she did tell her mom but not no one else. Somehow you get accustomed to their charm, and the effect is lost on you.
It's not that beauty itself is lost or diminished, you just aren't startled or awed by it anymore. I think I like the first variant more.
I know, I know. But what does this have to do with the review? Well I thought about it. What if there was snow all year round? What if spring didn't give life, summer didn't celebrate it, autumn didn't kill it, and winter didn't bury it in heaps of white? A life without change.
Everlasting stagnancy. Would that life be as precious? I don't think I'd appreciate nature and the seasons as much, or think them as beautiful. I don't think I'd like it at all. Time and change are all part of the entirety of life. Birth and death, seasons changing, trees lush and barren --it's the circle of life, and nothing is more beautiful.
And that's what this book is trying to saying. So you can't call it living, what we got The Tucks are a family doomed to live an endless life, they bear the curse of immortality.
Ten year old Winnie Foster is a sheltered and miserable girl who longs for freedom and dreams of running away. The lives of the two parties become entwined, and Winnie learns a little about the value of life in the first week of August, in the year But dying's part of the wheel, right there next to being born.
This story, the writing, the message, all of it was just simple and beautiful. A lesson and toast: Here's to dying, but first living. View all 52 comments. Apr 27, Karina rated it it was amazing. What an amazing little book. How can an author say so much and describe so many scenes of nature and a person in a paragraph? Clearly, she was this talented. I still don't know but it's an interesting choice to have. View all 9 comments. Jun 21, Debbie rated it it was amazing Shelves: best-readsthrough , kids-teens-good-bad , fit-for-eliska-age , classics.
Description out the ying yang, and there I was out in nature again, where I risked running into bees and poison ivy while dying of the heat.
And there were other things that normally would chase me away. And that means horse travel! Give me zooming cars any day. Is it simply that where there are horses, there is manure? So a lot of strikes, huh? But first I have to tell you why I was reading it in the first place. It was time for a new one. As I began reading, I knew I was in trouble. My thoughts exactly. Is it okay to change your mind and ditch it? I blame my bad memory for the pickle I found myself in.
I was absolutely sure my daughter Jess had raved about this book in middle school. So after the first less-than-thrilling reading session with Eliska, I called Jess, anxious to brag that I was reading it and determined not to bum her out by telling her it sucked.
I had the wrong book! Why the hell was I reading this slow book fraught with everything I hate? Suddenly I felt okay about ditching it. Then, ding, I remember! Wow, yes, I remember now! I laughed and told Jess, wondering if I should switch out Tuck for Bridge.
She wanted to set me straight so she started naming a bunch of Roald Dahl books she loved; I madly scribbled down the titles, not trusting my memory one iota.
Meanwhile, what to do with Tuck? Do I keep reading? There was a lot of excitement and tension. The book is short; I wanted more. I wanted the book to be everlasting. I actually am shocked that this book got pigeon-holed as YA. I throw 5 stars out into the air as I merrily pogo-stick through the woods no bees or poison ivy in sight.
Highly recommend! View all 38 comments. Jul 22, Julie rated it really liked it Shelves: coming-of-age , thats-show. Natalie Moore was a writer and an illustrator who went on to marry a fellow writer named Samuel Fisher Babbitt.
Bibbity bobbity boo , next thing we knew, Natalie Moore was writing as Natalie Babbitt. And Ms. Babbitt went on to write this famous little book called Tuck Everlasting , a young adult story with a delicious cover and a clever, real writer's name. A name that kept reminding me of someone who'd be related to Bilbo Baggins and Peter Rabbit. And, if you know Beatrix Potter's work, you can rec Natalie Moore was a writer and an illustrator who went on to marry a fellow writer named Samuel Fisher Babbitt.
And, if you know Beatrix Potter's work, you can recognize that Natalie married a man whose two names are also titles of two of Potter's famous tales: Samuel Whiskers and Mr. Jeremy Fisher. Babbitt's writing was so incredibly playful? So magical? I'm not sure, but it is. It made me think of both Beatrix Potter and Lewis Carroll, and the year-old protagonist, Winnie Foster, takes readers on an Alice-esque journey of wonder and questions and confusion. It is the United States, circa ; but you realize quickly that Ms.
Babbitt loved the natural world and liked playing around in a mess of words. Words that work, and are fun. But, in case you get confused and think it's playtime. Babbitt also lets you know that she likes to think really big thoughts. By the end, you and Winnie are left scratching your ears. You wonder. This book is full of wonder. And it's wonderful for readers and writers to be exposed to Ms. Babbitt, who writes like a hobbit. View all 22 comments. Mar 26, Hilary rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Those who love great stories and philosophical ideas.
Shelves: losing-a-loved-one , female-author-or-illustrator , family-stories , friendship , magic , outdoor-play , philosophy , runaways , top-twelve-favourites-of-all-time. We loved this story, we loved the concept, the descriptions of nature, the relationships between the characters. The philosophical ideas were good, we loved thinking about what this storyline suggested and how although it seemed the ideal thing to be granted, the people who had it found it more than a curse than a blessing.
In my naivety I still think it would be ideal as long as those you loved were in on it too, but yes, I can see it would get complicated, and where would it stop? The music bo We loved this story, we loved the concept, the descriptions of nature, the relationships between the characters.
The music box was an interesting part, we really wanted to know what tune it played. We couldn't predict the ending and we enjoyed speculating how this story would be concluded. Despite really enjoying this at the time, I was left with a sad feeling after the story had ended. View all 25 comments. Tuck Everlasting is one of those books everyone should read at a young age.
After all, who hasn't ever thought at least once about how it would be to live eternally, to be free to do everything you want to, to embrace life in all its different facets? The way this short novel deals with eternal life - and raising the question about whether or not that can be considered a blessing or doom - makes it an important addition to the literary world. Fast-paced and easy to read, this is a book to devour Tuck Everlasting is one of those books everyone should read at a young age.
Fast-paced and easy to read, this is a book to devour in the course of three or four short hours, and while not the most involving book which can be found out there, at least it is able to make you think about what it would be like to have to live like the Tuck family does: Wandering around eternally and restlessly, comdemned to live on this earth until its very end. The book itself introduces the character of Winnie Foster, an eleven-year-old girl who meets the Tuck family and soon learns of their unbelievable secret: that the four members of that family are immortal after they drank from a magic spring.
Natalie Babbitt's prose is strong and powerful, drawing a convincing picture of how life can possibly work without death. Yet the book in itself is not without flaws; she never allowed the characters to become realistic. For me, especially the Tuck family felt like a gathering of stereotypes, and the lack of dynamics between the family members itself didn't help matters.
Yet the potential was exploited almost completely, additionally helped by some strong messages the connection between life and death, the ideas of human greed and constant change, the contrast between morality and craving, and the values of love and humanity. The only thing which constantly bothered me was the way the Tuck family behaved - at least except for Jesse, the youngest son.
If you are condemned to live your life on this earth forever, why constantly complain about your situation rather than actually doing something purposeful with your immortality? But then, maybe that was yet another message Babbitt implied in her novel: that the good-hearted are almost never those who actually want to change something in this world, while those with immoral and evil-minded purposes long to rule the world. View all 23 comments. Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt Ten-year-old Winifred "Winnie" Foster is frustrated with her family, and considers running away from her home in rural Treegap.
One day, while in a wooded area her family owns, she sees a boy of about 17 drinking from a spring. He introduces himself as Jesse Tuck, and tells her not to drink the spring water. Soon after, his brother Miles, and his mother Mae, take her away with them. On the way, they are pursued by a man in a yellow suit, who had approached the Fo Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt Ten-year-old Winifred "Winnie" Foster is frustrated with her family, and considers running away from her home in rural Treegap.
On the way, they are pursued by a man in a yellow suit, who had approached the Fosters asking questions about their land the day before. The Tucks explain to Winnie that the spring grants eternal life to anyone who drinks its water, effects which they discovered by accident. In the process, Miles had to cope with his wife leaving him and taking their children.
They have been living in seclusion outside of Treegap for years, reuniting every ten years, and drinking from the spring. Winnie grows particularly fond of Jesse, and his father, Angus Tuck. Meanwhile, the man in the yellow suit, has been pursuing the Tucks. Once he discovers they have taken Winifred, he steals their horse and rides it back to the Foster homestead.
After he informs her family of Winnie's whereabouts, they dispatch him, and the local constable to return her. However, he breaks away, and rides ahead of the constable, for he has a selfish motive for finding Winnie. When the man in the yellow suit arrives at the Tucks' farm, he informs them that he has been searching for them for years.
Miles' wife and children had come to live with his family when he was a boy, and he heard rumors of their secret. He then informs the angry family that he told the Fosters where Winnie was and that he has received a bounty in exchange, for her safe return: the wooded area, and with it the spring. He plans to gather the water from the spring, and sell it to the public. Reread for our tmgreadalong classics challenge! Instagram Twitter Facebook Amazon Pinterest I'm doing a project where I reread some of the books I liked when I was younger and seeing what I want to keep and what is better reconciled to memory.
In this book, Winnie is ten and Jesse is seventeen-going-on-eighty, which definitely makes the book way more yuck. The movie is more of a straightforward romance but for obvious reasons, the book is not.
Instead it's sort of a precocious coming-of-age tale and a philosophical musing on the ephemeral nature of life. If you could live forever, would you? How would you account for the draining of the world's resources? How should people be chosen for eternal life? It asks some tough but interesting questions and it's probably no surprise to you that the villain of the tale is a man who is hell-bent on living forever, no matter who he has to hurt.
I thought the story was okay. It's really short and clearly intended for a much younger audience than the movie. The first time I read this book, I remember liking it a lot, but this time around I found myself rolling my eyes and thinking about the movie instead. It kind of has a sad ending but it ends up being kind of bittersweet too, and I liked how the author alluded to certain things.
In my first reading, I think I gave it five stars, but this time around, I'm feeling a three. It was decent but I don't think I'd reread. View all 4 comments. Jul 15, Ivana - Diary of Difference rated it it was amazing Shelves: genre-young-adult , favourites , format-print. A total masterpiece. This book made me think about the question of which every one of us wants to know the answer - is it that good to live forever? I love the way the writer insists on telling both the positive and negative sides of leaving forever and staying forever young..
I know I won't stop thinking about this book in a while. View all 5 comments. There'd be time to learn to play an instrument. You'd have all the time in the world to master all sorts of skills. But, there would be drawbacks, of course there would. Just ask Dr. You'd have to "Know what that is, all around us, Winnie? You'd have to watch your loved ones grow old and die. You'd still need to work and earn money.
And, one thing I never thought of until I read this book - you'd need to move around quite a bit, as others became suspicious of your lack of visible aging. And if that means I got to move on at the end of it, then I want that, too. If people knowed about the spring down there in Treegap, they'd all come running like pigs to slops. They'd trample each other, trying to get some of that water.
That'd be bad enough, but afterwards - can you imagine? All the little ones little forever, all the old ones old forever. Can you picture what that means? The wheel would keep rolling by to the ocean, but the people would've turned into nothing but rocks by the side of the road. I suppose this is considered a classic; though it was only published in , it seems much older.
There is a timeless appeal to this book, but perhaps it is it's subject matter that makes it seem immortal. I mostly enjoyed the book. Things that annoyed other readers - the age difference between Winnie and Jesse, the few plot holes, the ending - didn't bother me a bit.
Ah, the ending. I loved the ending. I loved that the author view spoiler [did not shy away from death - a sad, but necessary part of life. READ it! I wish I had - I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Peter Thomas.
He did a fine job, but his voice reminded me of those voice-overs from all the film strips I was forced to watch in elementary school. Is it time for recess yet? View 2 comments. Jul 18, Kristina Horner rated it it was amazing Shelves: childhood-books , audiobooks.
Never actually read this book as a child - only saw the movie. Listened to the audiobook for booktubeathon with my boyfriend and we both loved it! It's a very radio-drama-esque good vs.
Actual rating, 3. This is a perfectly whimsical read and, had my younger self read this, then I could see this becoming a firm childhood favourite. As it is, I feel I am too old to really appreciate the fantastic and yet simplistic story. It saddens me to say this, really.
It means that my more mature self has picked plot holes and problems where only beauty and simplicity should reign. This is living proof that growing up is definitely bad for you! The story was poignant, whimsical and sw Actual rating, 3. The story was poignant, whimsical and sweet and exactly what I was expecting. The descriptions the novel opened with transported me into the world and I found this wonderfully eloquent for a book aimed at a younger audience.
While we're on the growing-up-fast topic, nothing will make you mature as quickly as seeing a guy bashed in the head with the base of a shotgun. Don't try this at home. What's more, she has to keep everything she knows a total secret. And once she's back with her family, it's pretty obvious that something has changed:.
Soon after, they put her to bed, with many kisses. But they peered at her anxiously over their shoulders as they tiptoed out of her bedroom, as if they sensed that she was different now from what she had been before.
As if some part of her had slipped away. Meeting the Tucks grants Winnie's wish: after all, she does experience "something interesting—something that's all [hers]" 3. She gets a secret that's hers for life, an experience that nobody else would ever believe, and a choice nobody else has ever gotten to make. Oh yeah, and she witnesses a murder and helps a convicted criminal escape execution.
As you can tell, Winnie's character makes us ask a lot of questions. And some of these questions are pretty deep. We're talking the big guns: the meaning of life and death. Through the Tucks, Winnie learns that immortality might not be all it's cracked up to be.
Remember when Tuck stares enviously at the dying Yellow Suit Guy Winnie definitely notices that. And she knows what it means—Tuck wishes that he, too, had the chance to die. Living forever has gotten kind of old. On the other hand, if she becomes immortal, she has the opportunity to be with Jesse forever.
Not bad for a first crush. At the end of the book, she realizes that she doesn't have to decide right away. After all, she's still only ten. If Winnie does decide to drink from the spring, she can live her life first, and then pick her moment. In a way, she's got all the power in the world.
As we learn in the epilogue, Winnie decided not to drink. And from what the Tucks say, that's no surprise: "'[Jesse] knowed she wasn't coming.
We all knowed that, long time ago'" Epilogue. What about you—were you surprised? What in Winnie's character could have given us a clue that she wouldn't drink, that she'd choose life over immortality?
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