Ami's Totally BOOK-ish Review

The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber

And now for something totally different…
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This issue’s totally Book-ish review is indeed that… It is an unconventional book that I discovered in an unconventional way. It is one for adults and one for kids. Quirky and funny, old but new, a fairy tale, both horrid and wonderful . Have I got your attention? This book is, of course, 13 Clocks by James Thurber.

On a not so recent trip to Palm Springs, my family descended upon a used book store. Hunting through the many books I stumbled on this novella, and even though I had never heard of it before, I liked the cover (I’m a sucker for book covers). It also came with a nice little recommendation from a famous author I recognized, and so we came home with it. I read it every night aloud to my kids after a day in the sun and pool, and you could still hear us all giggling way past bedtime.

Written in 1950 while Thurber was working on a separate novel, this fun little story is what I like to think of as a result of the writer’s mind when he or she sits back, relaxes the brain, and allows the subconscious to string the words together.

Beautiful Princess Saralinda is in the grip of a spell cast by her evil Uncle, only known as “the Duke”. Also under the spell are the thirteen clocks throughout the castle, frozen at ten minutes to five. The Duke himself is frozen, but only temperature wise, having very cold hands which requires the use of gloves “when he was asleep, and... when he was awake, which made it diffi cult for him to pick up pins or coins or the kernels of nuts, or to tear the wings from nightingales.”

Prince after Prince have come to charm and propose to Saralinda, however they have all been sent on impossible tasks in order to win her hand such as cutting a slice of the moon, or changing the ocean to wine. Alas, she remains a captive in the castle with her Uncle. That is, until a Prince disguised as a Minstrel comes on the scene. He too, is given an impossible task to complete, and if he fails? The Duke says he will slit him from his guggle to his zatch (I’ll let you figure out what that means). Clearly, failure is not an option.

So off the Prince goes in search of the impossible thing with a little bit of help from some unusual people. But what else would you expect from this unusual book?
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This story is one to read to your kids and grandkids, and I’m convinced it was written to both enthrall children and make adults laugh. It is silly and wonderful, and who doesn’t need a little of that right now? 13 Clocks is a classic for your collection, and it’s on the shelves now at Totally Book-ish.