Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Language:  Aunt Elinor curses often.  “Elinor swore a lot, and the more upset she was the worse her language became.”  The only words mentioned specifically are “damn” and “bloody hell” and one instance of diety.  Elinor is also referred to as a “fat woman” (offensive language in my house).

Violence:  The villains are from the middle ages.  They use brute force first and may or may not ask questions later.  Dead roosters are their calling card.  They infest the hills surrounding their village base with venomous snakes.  People condemned to death are put in a crypt under the church to die.  Tires are slashed.  Capricorn’s henchmen shoot shotgun rounds at the escaping prisoners.  While Elinor is driving the escape car, she collides with a stone wall.  Farid is bitten by a marten (a furry creature) and his finger bleeds profusely.  Farid hits Flatnose in the forehead with a rock and knocks him unconscious.  Mo is bitten by a dog and his sleeve is covered in blood.  Eleanor holds a shotgun to Basta’s head and threatens to kill him.  Flatnose and Basta are gagged, tied up and the left in the hills.  Basta uses his knife to slit throats and gash faces.  Dustfinger’s face is scarred by Basta’s knife.  Basta cut a pattern into Dustfinger’s face when they both fancied the same girl.  Dustfinger pulls a knife on Mortimer.  Flatnose puts his hand over a woman’s mouth to keep her quiet and she dies.  Farid snares a rabbit and kills it. Farid recalls beatings by the thieves, “they beat me like a dog”.  Tresa and Dustfinger are held captive in dangling nets.  Meggie and Fenoglio are kidnapped by Basta and Flatnose.  Capricorn threatens to wrap “pretty little vipers” around loved one’s necks, he threatens, “You all love something…”.  Capricorn seeks the submission of all.  The Shadow submits to Capricorn.  The Shadow is immortal, invulnerable and as pitiless as Capricorn.   The Shadow kills many.  An execution is planned and they hope the executioner is good with the sword so it will be over quickly.  Meggie kicks Basta in the shins and he drags her back up the stairs by the hair.  Dustfinger has the opportunity to kill Basta and he nearly takes it as he runs the knife over Basta’s flesh.  Elinor punches Cockerell and bloodies his nose.  Mortimer a.k.a. Silvertongue hides in a shallow grave with skeletal remains.

Sexuality:  Capricorn refers to Meggie as a “pretty little thing” that will come in handy when she is a bit older.  Capricorn has women read out of books by Darius to take care of his  needs.  Basta likes to use snakes to scare women who reject his advances.

Adult Themes:  Capricorn was subjected to abuse as a child.  “His father, a blacksmith, made him play with hot coals, and sometimes beat him as hard as he beat the iron he forged.  There were more blows if he said ‘I can’t’ or ‘I’ll never do it’.”  Arson.  A trusted authority figure, a policemen, brings escaped prisoners seeking help, back to their captor, Capricorn.  Inkheart is rife with betrayal.

Synopsis

The book’s title is Inkheart “because it’s about a man (Capricorn) whose wicked heart is as black as ink, filled with darkness and evil.”

Meggie is twelve years old.  She and her father, Mortimer, have been constantly on the move since she was three years old.  Mortimer is a book binder.  They are both avid book lovers and voracious readers.  Curiously, Mortimer has never read to Meggie aloud.  One night, an old acquaintance, Dustfinger loiters under the street light in front of their home.  He is invited inside and therein begins the adventure for Meggie.  The trio of Dustfinger, Mortimer and Meggie travel to great-aunt Elinor’s to hide.  Mortimer is found and taken captive by the villains.  Meggie, Elinor and Dustfinger then travel to Capricorn’s hide-out to convince him to free Mortimer.  Meggie’s eyes are opened to her father’s mysterious talent.  When Mortimer reads aloud, the story escapes from the pages of the book, and is transplanted into their world.  Meggie soon discovers that she also possesses the gift.  Meggie discovers how to use her imagination to save her family.

“Inkheart” the movie will be released Friday, January 23rd, 2009.  The movie will no doubt pale in comparison to the book.  They always do.  However, if  the movie is 2/3 what the book is, it will be a fantastic movie!  The bags under my eyes are ENORMOUS today, after reading this book into the wee hours of the morning.  The adventure was captivating!  I was disappointed by the survival of two of  the villians, Basta and Mortola.  However, their existence is a perfect segway into a sequel.

FYI: Inkheart was first written in German and then translated into English.  The writing style is superb.  As a lover of the printed word, I found the inclusion of book binding history to be fascinating.

1/27/09  We saw the movie last night and the plot drastically departs from the plot in the book.  My husband, children and I all enjoyed the movie, but it is very loosely based upon the book’s premise.  My children were surprised when I outlined the differences and now they would like the book read aloud to them.

©2009 The Literate Mother