The Cardturner

Welcome back everyone! Let’s TURN a new page *wink* *wink* with The Cardturner by Louis Sachar. Ok, all bad jokes aside, I’m really glad it’s summer and that now I can go read outside in the sun. I’m sure you’re looking for fast and breezy recommendations. Basically beach reads. But I’m not about to let you go pick up any mindless book off the shelves—yes that means deleting the new Collen Hoover book off your TBR. Summer is about relaxing, but wouldn’t you rather feel like what you read wasn’t a total waste of your time? This mentality (and some whiff of nostalgia) made me pick The Cardturner for The Exploring Reader’s June episode. It’s light, but also surprisingly informative. So much so, you might come out of this with a new hobby.

Now let’s get into some specs: Published about 15 years go in May 2010, the book was well received by critics but never won any distinctive awards. The author, Louis Sachar is actually known for his famous novel Holes. Maybe you had to read that in high school or at least had to sit through the movie with Sia Labœuf. If Stanley Yelnats doesn’t spark a lightbulb moment, no worries. You can start with The Cardturner because it’s a much better novel.

Alton Richards is strongly pushed by his mother to become a literal cardturner for his old and blind uncle who plays bridge. She wants to make sure the family gets a big inheritance when uncle Lester dies, but Alton actually becomes interested in this card game and eventually enjoys his outings at the bridge club.

It’s so great because it breaks the natural rhythm of story-telling.

Great contemporary and young adult novel. 4.5 stars out 5. It’s so great because it breaks the natural rhythm of story-telling. Alton, our narrator takes the time to explain the game to us, starting with the basics. So while you read about his life, you get lessons in bridge to explain what is going on when he plays for his uncle. You also have the option to not follow along and ignore those “teachings” and still understand what is going on. I read this book about 5 years ago and earlier this year something hit me and made me remember this book. I think I definitely understood it better this time around, but it didn’t lose its spark so you know it’s good. Uncle Lester is a menace (but in a good way). Alton is sweet and his character development feels real and slow, not like someone is forcing him to grow up and gain self-respect overnight. The main lesson is about not judging people based on external and superficial situations you are not part of. Ultimately, I think this book is a success because first, of the author’s passion for bridge and how he smoothly integrated it into the storyline. Second, it reads really fast with small chapters. I also appreciate the lack of sexuality present in the novel. I don’t feel it was necessary and clearly, I was right because the story holds together beautifully without it. It’s an amazing introduction to the YA genre for actual young adults like kids 12 and up.

I don’t really have anything bad to say about this honestly. I don’t think I’ll ever become a fanatic of bridge but the book definitely changed my perspective that it’s not a boring game for seniors, but requires true strategy and mental sharpness. Some characters lack decency like Alton parents’ and it’s so weird how Alton is radically different from them and has not inherited their obsession with money. While it was nice to have explanations, as the book progressed, I lost track. It became a bit too hard to follow and I think you might actually have to pause, read over those instructions again and play the cards live. If you do that, I feel like it blocks the rhythm of the novel and that’s why I didn’t force myself too much to understand all the tactics, strategies, and moves because it wasn’t essential to the overall understanding. If you read it, I hope you truly enjoy it and if you try to get into bridge, I wish you all the luck.

I’m going to keep the easy summer vibe going for July. In honour of season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty coming out, I’m gonna release my review on the trilogy. So yeah, it’s basically a triple feature! If you have more free time, get started on it and we’ll find out next month if we’re both Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah.

Until our next literary journey, keep exploring those pages!