The Magic City

Edith Nesbit uses the most ordinary details of life to make you feel like you are present in the lives of the characters in her book. You are present at the table where the bacon fat has gone grey on the plate because Philip isn't hungry. He's feeling uneasy because an unknown man has befriended his sister and he senses that not everything is OK. The reader is seeing the world through Philip's eyes so you share that sense of uneasiness and it makes you want to turn the page to see if the concern is justified. Perhaps he will turn out to be a very nice man and Philip is just an overanxious boy - or perhaps something is wrong. With small details - "he dropped his tooth mug with water in it too and the mug was broken and the water went into his boots" - she successfully reminds us of that strange fact that when something big is going wrong in our lives, lots of little things seem to join in and go wrong, too. Nesbit is a clever writer but we seldom notice how successfully she invites us into her world. Read more

When I first found this book as a Kindle freebie I knew in a general way who Edith Nesbit was and knew of her more popular books, ("Story of the Treasure Seekers", "Five Children and It", and "The Railway Children"). I didn't realize that she was quite so well regarded as more or less the pioneer of modern children's adventure novels, or at least the branch of contemporary fantasy that places magical objects into real world settings. In any event, closer familiarity with her work makes it clear why she was such an acknowledged influence on writers as diverse as C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, P. L. Travers (author of Mary Poppins), Edward Eager, and Diana Wynne Jones. That said, I was a bit bemused by other reviews on this site. Many refer to this book being a favorite from some long past childhood. Many read as apologies for the book's old-fashionedness or as pleas to modern readers for patience and understanding. Well, I'm having none of that. Sure, there are some out-of-date references, a few things that an American child wouldn't recognize, and a few old-fashioned sentiments, but nothing that would have more than a light and passing bearing on one's understanding of or appreciation of the story. At the very worst there is sometimes an air of formality or primness to some of the dialogue and narrative. But this is minimal, doesn't slow down the action, is not at all annoying, and is actually consistent with the vaguely unconventional or unreal feel that juvenile magical adventure fiction can sometimes have. That said, it will take a bit of patience to get in to the book at first. That's mainly because our hero Philip is presented as a lame and petulant mama's boy who is unrelievedly mean to the fair and decent step-sister Lucy. Don't let that dissuade you. The whole point of the first part of the book is to show Philip's transformation into someone loyal, brave and kind, and you can't very well have that unless he starts out otherwise. It helps that the worst of his behavior is tamped down early on before we get very tired of it. That said, once Philip and Lucy team up in The Magic City and start having their adventures the book takes off and never looks back, and that is where the real appeal and excitement are to be found. So, don't be warned off by the vaguely musty feel of even the positive reviews. This is ripping stuff for both boys and girls, (because Lucy holds her own as an interesting heroine, even if she does already start off as a good sort). It is readable by and relateable to a modern youth, and is rewarding without being preachy. It's also free, and is formatted perfectly well for my Kindle Touch. There is no downside to taking a flyer. Please note that I found this book while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. I have no connection at all to the publisher of this book. Read more

All of E. Nesbit's stories are wonderful fantasies---very Edwardian but full of incredible feats of imagination. Yet they are always based on a real-life family situation. The Magic City has a young boy as its hero who has been living an idyllic life with his older sister. But when she marries, he is thrust into a new house and must deal with a new step-sister. He doesn't do this very well at first. As in the manner of all good stories, he goes through trials and tribulations and learns a lot. E. Nesbit is perhaps best known for The Railway Children. But all of her books are full of imagination. Definitely for the older child (unless you read to the child) in that it's good vocabulary. Read more

I found this after hunting around for E. Nesbit books I might have missed. I've read quite a few of her books, but this one ranks up with 'The Enchanted Castle' as one of my favorites. Edith Nesbit was one of the breakthrough fantasy writers of the early 1900s. Her writing differs from George Macdonald and William Morris; it's more relatable and light hearted. Her influence on later writers like C. S. Lewis can be seen particularly well in 'The Magic City'; one of the main characters, for example, is named Lucy. If you like following brave and heroic children on adventures that always include tea time, then read this book; you'll love it. Read more

I kind of like this book. But it just didn't make sense sometimes. I understand its a American and British thing. Read more

As someone who grew up on Five Children & It and The Phoenix & the Carpet, this was another delight from the pen of Ms Nesbit. Whimsical, tender, slightly expected in terms of white hat/black hat, but with a solid end and lots of fun along the way. I wish I could build the way these kids do. Read more

This is delightful for adults and children. We thoroughly enjoyed it as a read aloud and the crossover of characters and places from The Book of Dragons was quite clever. I found myself laughing aloud many times throughout. Read more

According to my almost 7 yr old son, what makes this book special is "everything". The characters enter an alternate universe based on the toys and books they have. The conceit intrigued my son as it will you. Read more