![]() These are characters and scenarios out of children’s stories and nursery rhymes – not a serious tale of any kind. The rescue party which arrives at the very last minute – but in the nick of time. Their gipsy servant girl who is a combination of Polly Flinders clothing and a sexual allure reminiscent of Blue Velvet. Two old crones who sit huddled before a fireplace, stirring a cauldron of broth with a wooden spoon. ![]() A mysterious dwarf who wears an enormous cape and a yellow hat (like something out of a Grimm fairy tale). A young sea officer with his colourful (lower-rating) friend ‘Cuban Tom’, who comes complete with a pigtail. Almost every element of the narrative comes from the traditional stockpile of stale narrative devices. It is astonishing that so late in his career as 1913, around the same time as writing novels as serious in intent as Chance (1913) and Victory (1915) Conrad should be writing a story so densely packed with literary cliché. The Inn of the Two Witches – critical commentary The other stories in this collection were The Partner, Because of the Dollars, and The Planter of Malata. Its first appearance in print was as part of the collection Within the Tides published by J.M.Dent in 1915. The Inn of the Two Witches was written in 1913. The Inn Between is a quick read, and it was interesting, but I can’t say it’s going to be on the top of my list of books to recommend, simply because I felt neutral about most of it.Tutorial, commentary, study resources, plot, and web links However, this is partially due to the fact that Cohen lays on the red herrings very strongly, so it didn’t seem like a plot twist so much as a random turn in a completely new direction. I will say that the ending of the book was not quite what I was expecting, and it’s always nice to actually be surprised by a children’s book (or any book). ![]() I also found the characters a bit flat, so even the friendship tale didn’t speak to me. It tries to sell itself as something that’s part mystery and part friendship story, since it’s about two girl’s trying to figure out why the rest of the family has disappeared from their hotel, but it’s also part paranormal and maybe part sci-fi and…there’s just a lot going on that doesn’t always mesh together. Unfortunately, beyond that, I didn’t find the book particularly interesting. Though it touches on themes that other middle grade books certainly do, the execution is not quite anything I’ve read before. Somewhere between “creepy” and “quirky,” I mostly just want to call it “unusual.” And, in my opinion, its originality is the novel’s strongest recommendation. I’m not quite sure how to describe The Inn Between. Will the girls be able to solve the mystery of what happened to Kara’s family before it’s too late? Review When Kara’s parents and then brother disappear without a trace, the girls are stranded in a hotel full of strange guests, hallways that twist back in on themselves, and a particularly nasty surprise lurking beneath the floorboards. They stop over at the first hotel they see, a Victorian inn that instantly gives Quinn the creeps, and she begins to notice strange things happening around them. When Quinn’s best friend Kara has to move away, she goes on one last trip with Kara and her family. ![]()
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