The Westing Game

This book confused me. I couldn't ever quite grasp the game, nor the real connection between many characters. And most of all, why?? The motive behind the game was never clear. Disjointed.

The solution to the clues was obvious early on — ok, it's a children's book— but the bombs and the pointless misdirection at the end were just...bizarre. The concept was good, but in the end I was disappointed.

I read this in 5th grade and loved it and re-read it and YO IT STILL FUCKING SLAPS. Cannot believe this was written in 1978, it is so fresh and sharp. Ellen Raskin is more aware of microaggressions in 1978 than a lot of authors writing today are. Ellen Raskin's disabled kid character is treated with 500% more respect by the narrative than, e.g., Auggie from Wonder. (There is some dated language eg use of the word “retarded” and “Mongoloid” in clinical contexts.)

The introduction of my edition addresses that Ellen Raskin didn't know how to write for children so she just wrote short books for adults and it works. Like there are some concepts in here that honestly I didn't get when I was a kid and it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book at all then.

Also as you may know, I only like murder mysteries where it turns out that no one was actually murdered, so gold star here.

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THIS BOOK STILL FUCKING SLAPS, ALL-TIME BEST BESTSELLER

https://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-198-the-westing-game/

I'm not sure what this was supposed to be: A mystery? There's nothing really mysterious here apart from the fact who Westing and his ex-wife might be. The “bomber” (whose motives I never fully understood)? That's just plainly revealed at some point.The writing itself might be a mystery because at times I felt like I read in some truly foreign language because the story as told by the narrator was interspersed with thoughts of the respective person we're told about. It made for an immensely confusing and rather annoying reading experience.The perspectives change all the time between the way-too-large cast of 16 (!) characters whom the author instils with the depth of a cardboard cut-out. If at least one or two of these had been likeable, interesting or at least relatable in some way but, no, they all remain shadowy at best.In addition, there's latent racism, defamation of people with disabilities and many other issues that can be attributed to the time this was first published - in 1978. None of that feels intentionally offensive but all of it adds to the general feeling that this book has aged really, truly badly.One out of five stars.Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram

I'm glad that after years and years of finding this book for kids' summer reading lists that I finally sat down and read this one myself. It's an odd book. Add in the fact that I have never been a who-dun-it fan, and well you would expect that I would not like this. Not true. I found this held my attention, the characters were all so odd that I kind of liked all of them, and I wanted to find out what the mystery was all about. The real fun is not the ridiculous main mystery (who writes a will that is a game that will name a murderer who has not murdered yet?) but all of the mini-mysteries about each character and situation that all come together like a puzzle. I am still convinced Turtle was a foundling, but that is never revealed. I give two big thumbs up for one of the best African American characters I have ever read who is super smart, super successful, and a born leader. The shame is that this gorgeous positive female role model is in a cast of a characters who are not (Doug has no value to his father unless he is winning, Mrs. Hoo is practically a kidnap victim, Sydelle is just disgusting and sad {and no one pities her, so what is the point?}, Grace and Angela exist only to be pretty flowers who marry doctors, and Flora is such a non-entity {no longer a mother, she is completely devoid of a personality}).
What is GREAT about this book is the writing. The writing is very, very smart. A reader has to work on this one, everything is not just handed to them. I see now why teachers love this book. Also, there are enough twists and turns to keep anyone's attention.
I understand there is a made for TV movie and that it is very, very bad so I will avoid that at all costs. At least I can cross another Newberry winner off my list.