The Willowdale Handcar: Or the Return of the Black Doll

by Edward Gorey

Book Overview

In this enigmatic, surreal, wonderfully entertaining tale, three mysterious figures set out from Willowdale, traveling by handcar. On the way to nowhere in particular they pass a number of odd characters and observe a series of baffling phenomena, from a house burning down in a field to a palatial mansion perched precariously on a bluff.
At once deeply vexing and utterly hilarious, darkly mysterious and amusingly absurd, The Willowdale Handcar...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0151010358
• ISBN13: 9780151010356
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.9" x 6.2"

Customer Reviews

Edward Gorey at His Best

The Willowdale Handcar is hilarious. The main characters inexplicably ride a handcar past all kinds of shocking and tragic scenes, about which they barely even comment. An underlying mystery develops but remains only vaguely resolved. Edward Gorey's characters are colorful and entertainingly odd.

A tale for the Age of Uncertainty.

If you have given up on trying to find meanings, or causes and effects, a Gorey book will be just right for you, and this is pne of his best.

Deliciously Absurd

Those who know Edward Gorey know his humour is not for everyone. That said, for those who appreciate this shade of humour (often also fans of the likes of Tim Burton and Charles Addams), this will be a treat. I'll admit that I laughed myself silly with The Willowdale Handcart.

A Vexing Vacation

Sam, Harry and Edna go down to the railway station and find a handcar.They decide to take it for a ride and so starts their mysterious and dream like trip through small town America. The scenery and towns get more and more grim. Wonderful.

A twisted silent film

The book is dedicated to Lillian Gish, and if that weren't enough, the book is a sequel to Gorey's "The Black Doll" (the script for a silent film.) The illustrations are as fine as anything else by Gorey, and don't miss all the subliminal references to Buster Keaton!