A National Book Award Finalist
An Edgar Award Finalist
A California Book Award Gold Medal Winner
A dark, contemporary fairy tale in the tradition of Neil Gaiman.
Jeremy Johnson Johnson hears voices. Or, specifically, one voice: the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of The Brothers Grimm. Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next.
But Jacob can't protect Jeremy from everything. When coltish, copper-haired Ginger Boultinghouse takes a bite of a cake so delicious it’s rumored to be bewitched, she falls in love with the first person she sees: Jeremy. In any other place, this would be a turn for the better for Jeremy, but not in Never Better, where the Finder of Occasions—whose identity and evil intentions nobody knows—is watching and waiting, waiting and watching. . . And as anyone familiar with the Brothers Grimm know, not all fairy tales have happy endings.
Veteran writer Tom McNeal has crafted a young adult novel at once grim(m) and hopeful, full of twists, and perfect for fans of contemporary fairy tales like Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book and Holly Black's Doll Bones. The recipient of five starred reviews, Publishers Weekly called Far Far Away "inventive and deeply poignant."
- Used Book in Good Condition
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful.
A dark twisted contemporary fairy tale
By Heather
Ah Fairy Tales....I love them for all their weirdness and beauty and timelessness and did I say weirdness. Yes, this one starts out very weird. I thought it was too literary for me to enjoy. The stuffy Jacob Grimm narrates and he waxes prosaic about his lost brother and his time in the world after his death trying to find his way to his brother. Yes, I thought it was just going to be a little too much for me. I was wrong. Very wrong. Jacob Grimm basically lives one of his own fairy tales as an almost silent observer.The characters in this story are numerous but only a few stand out. I will limit who I describe to Jeremy Johnson Johnson and Jacob Grimm.Jeremy is a bit nerdy because all he does is study. But when you have a ghost telling you "studies, studies" all the time and you know your only ticket out of town is college and a scholarship, then you know you should study. And he's weird because he once told someone he hears voices. But he does and we know he does because we can hear Jacob Grimm talking to him throughout the novel. But, unfortunately, Jeremy has a tendency to talk to Jacob out loud and that makes him look even weirder. And Jeremy lives with his father in the back of the Two Book Bookstore which, as you may have guessed, sells only two books, the first and second volumes of Jeremy's grandfather's life story. Business isn't good. And, as if you need more to make a boy look weird, Jeremy's father stays in his room all day watching t.v. since Jeremy's mother left him. Life has not been kind to Jeremy. But he's a good boy, studies hard, is kind to everyone, friendly, wary, industrious (he has a lawn service business) and he takes care of his father.Jacob Grimm's Ghost- Jacob's Ghost somehow got stuck on Earth after he passed away. He's been told by other ghosts it's because he's searching for something, but he has no idea what. He thought his brother would wait for him, but none of the other ghosts have seen or heard of his brother. Finally he determines that he needs to go to Never Better a place that can barely be seen but once found can never be forgotten and he must protect the boy, Jeremy Johnson Johnson from the Finder of Occasions. Jacob also takes it upon himself to be a sort of moral compass for Jeremy and tries to make him not do certain things because he has a bad feeling about it. Yeah, we all know how that goes.The world- Never Better is a strange place. There seem to be children that disappear frequently, yet parents don't watch their children overly much. There are dark alleys and an old woman that searches the night for her lost son Possy. There is a police deputy that lurks everywhere, seemingly perverted spying on girls, the townspeople, anyone he can blackmail. There is a jolly baker with a generous hand with his baked goods. But there's a darkness that overlays even the simplest of moments in the town. Something lurks behind the windows and the trees and the trashcans. It follows you home, even in the bright sunshine. There is a timelessness to the town as well. Certain references date it such as game shows and bikes and trains, but truly I would have thought it could have taken place in Jacob Grimm's time.The Story- Ginger Boultinghouse takes an interest in Jeremy Johnson Johnson and this makes Jeremy Johnson Johnson take an interest in her. After a few days of her showing interest, she shows up in his window at night and dares him to pull a prank. Not being the pranking type, it goes awry and Jeremy is implicated in it. The townspeople turn viciously against Jeremy and then begins a sort of twisted Hansel and Gretel story. Very,very twisted.What I thought- As I said, the first time I tried to read it, I thought it was very literary and I was not in the mood. I picked it up again and was enthralled. I really couldn't put it down once I got past the first part and I understand why the first part is there. Just don't think the whole story is like that. It is definitely a contemporary fairy tale, a dark one. There is magic and a love story and a ghost. And a definite tribute to The Brothers Grimm. But it's definitely creepy and dark and you know something isn't right, but you can't quite put your finger on it. When it happens I hope you'll feel the same sense of desperation I did. I had no idea how it would turn out and I was amazed at how twisted and dark this tale turned in such a short amount of time. But things that had happened before started falling into place. And seemingly innocent things from before turn into dire warnings unheeded. Even Jacob Grimm falls victim.I definitely recommend this for lovers of dark twisted tales! It's a contemporary fairy tale (no fairies) along the lines of the Brothers Grimm. This took me totally by surprise and I'm going to search out more of Tom McNeal's works.I received a copy of the e-arc from the publisher through Net-Galley. All reviews are my own and are my honest opinion.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
A proper homage to the masters of fairy tales!
By The Write Edge
A teenage boy shares an extraordinary relationship with a ghost and slowly develops a special friendship with a girl in his class. The two teens become one another's confidantes and partners-in-crime. When the bank threatens to evict the boy and his widower father for lack of payment, the girl and the boy try to figure out a way to save the house. What becomes a noble goal turns into a modern-day fairy tale in Tom McNeal's whimsical, charming Far Far Away aimed at middle-grade readers.Jeremy Johnson Johnson and his father live in Never Better, a place representing typical American small-town life. Everyone knows everything about everyone, and everyone takes a keen interest in the business of others. So the fact that Jeremy can keep a big secret represents an amazing feat. No one knows that Jeremy can hear the voice of long-dead Jacob Grimm of the Brothers Grimm.Jacob narrates the story in first person and slowly reveals how he traversed the world from Germany after his death looking for his brother's spirit. Jacob travels for decades asking other spirits about Wilhelm, and eventually he meets one that says he has heard of a special boy. A boy who believes in fairy tales and who lives in a small town--a village--that "can be seen only from the corner of the eye." A boy who can hear those who exist in the spirit world. But the Finder of Occasions also lives in this town and will eventually harm the boy if no one can stop him. Jacob decides to help this boy; maybe helping the boy will somehow lead him to other spirits that can lead him to Wilhelm.He becomes Jeremy's friend and tutor but when Ginger Boultinghouse starts showing an interest in Jeremy, Jacob becomes skeptical. An innocent prank turns into big news, solidifying Jacob's suspicion. Ginger, he surmises, can't bring anything positive to Jeremy's life. Despite Jacob's misgivings, however, Ginger proves herself as a true friend to Jeremy and even tries to help him raise enough money to pay the bank for his home.Their friendship doesn't come without its challenges, however. Given Jeremy's status as somewhat of an outcast, people begin taunting Ginger too--all except the town baker, Swedish immigrant Sten Blix. Jeremy and Ginger begin helping Sten in his bakery to pay off a debt. But when the work at the bakery turns into something beyond their imaginations, Jeremy and Ginger--and Jacob--learn the true value and endurance of friendship.Given that he has cast as one of his protagonists a master of fairy tales, author McNeal has paid due homage to the Brothers Grimm. Readers get cues that the story occurs in the present day by mention of things like Grape Nuts, and yet McNeal has dispensed with modern conveniences like cell phones and the Internet to add to the fanciful quality of the book. Experts say that Disney's adaptations of the fairy tales for its films show audiences a highly sanitized version of the stories the Brothers Grimm wrote, and McNeal follows suit. The tension and drama in Far Far Away will keep readers up late into the night by matching the pace of any thriller currently on the bestseller lists, and yet McNeal never forgets that he is sharing with his readers a fairy tale in its own right.I highly recommend Far Far Away for anyone in its intended age group and older. Younger readers might get scared at certain points in the book, but readers in the middle grade audience and adults will definitely enjoy it.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.A boy, a girl, and a ghost whisperer
By Bill Baker
Think of this title! Yup, it's a clue to what this incredible book is all about, because it's a modern fairy tale - hey! It's not boring - it's a page turner! - starring a boy, a girl, and a ghost - this is not your common garden variety ghost but one of the Grimm brothers - the same guys who put fairy tales on the map.The thing is, this ghost whispers in the kid's ear and he is just about the only person who can hear the ghost whisperer - old Ghost Grimm tries to help the boy who lives with his dad - an he pretty much stays in bed for most of the book.But this tale is full of adventures - not just a ghost, a girl, and a boy - but a dwarf, sort of a dwarf, and a giant, kind of giant, and the usual fairy tale plotting - just who is the `witch' here?This book's great fun - one that will keep you reading deep into the night!
