dandelion wine's review

So recently, I completed the book Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. I have many things to say about this book but overall, I found this book not to my taste or interesting enough to keep my attention.

I liked the themes and messages behind certain stories, such as Leo Auffman's happiness machine and the story of Colonel Freeleigh which I critically analyzed in a previous post. I think they are very important messages that everyone should all be aware of. I just wish they were executed better because I ended up reading chapter summaries for all of the chapters to make sure that I understood what was happening. This was pretty much the only thing I liked. Besides the title, I think the title is a clever way to call this book since it's a recollection of all summer memories in the form of dandelion wine.

I didn't really like how there wasn't any plot or point to many of the stories. Many characters are brought in but never return again. I didn't like how detailed some parts were because I didn't feel that it contributed to anything. Some chapters were dragged out. Because the story was so detailed, it slowed the story and I didn't find anything worth mentioning in Douglas's summer.

I learned that I can lengthen my story by being my descriptive and bringing in new characters. Description can help the reader understand what's happening (even though I didn't necessarily get to that point in his chapters).

Lastly, I want to add that after reading my first book from Bradbury, I'm not necessarily motivated to read any more of his works if they have the same style. It's not my preference but that doesn't mean that Dandelion Wine is a bad book in general.