Flidderbugs

Flidderbugs has 74 ratings and 31 reviews. Donna said: I live in a back to back terraced house. I know that my roof is well, I'm not actually sure wha.
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The plot itself is simple, but the way in which Gould uses it to explore and satirise various elements of our society was highly entertaining and at times quite clever. In addition, here were various university professors that Kriffle meets on his journey who have spent years debating the philosophy of leaves etc. The writing itself is concise, entertaining and incredibly well paced which was needed due to the story being contained within a novella rather than a full length novel.

I was impressed to see that Gould managed to include a fair number of encounters and adventures as Kriffle explores his society without having to cut out any of the required detail. In regards to the characters, it was nice to see that the Flidderbugs all had such distinct and fleshed out personalities. I could understand very quickly what the various individuals were all about which was vitally important when the story is being told in the form of a novella.

Overall, I found this to a quick and fun political satire that provided me with a hopeful ending rather than the usual depressing finales seen in many other novels that touch on the same satirical subject matter. If you enjoy satire then I suspect you will like this novella, I know that I was happy to find myself laughing at myself when I realised that I had fallen into some of the same traps as the Flidderbugs. Sep 15, Tahlia Newland rated it it was amazing Shelves: Flidderbugs is like Dr Seuss without the pictures, and I loved it.


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In this case, the Flidderbugs that live on different sides of the Krephiloff Tree, represent different social and political groups with rigid ideas and prejudices, and the story shows what can happen when such groups either simply do not listen to Flidderbugs is like Dr Seuss without the pictures, and I loved it.

In this case, the Flidderbugs that live on different sides of the Krephiloff Tree, represent different social and political groups with rigid ideas and prejudices, and the story shows what can happen when such groups either simply do not listen to each other or interpret what they hear through erroneous assumptions. The main character Kriffle is the next in line to lead the Triplifers those who believe that leaves have three points , against the Quadrigons those who believe that leaves have four points , in the upcoming election.

Flidderbugs by Jonathan Gould | LibraryThing

When he goes to the Fleedenhall, the great house of assembly where the Fliddercouncil sits, he discovers how difficult it is to convince others of the obvious truth. The leaves that he knows really do have three points, but the Quadrigons are convinced that leaves have four points. Various occurrences make it clear to Kriffle that something strange is going on and he is determined to find out what it is.

Eventually, Fargeeta and Kriffle discover that the Krephiloff Tree itself is in danger and that the ignorance of the bugs has inadvertently caused this crisis. They must find a way to get all the bugs to understand the truth, so they can right the problem before it is too late. Although written for adults, this is a story that both children and adults will enjoy on different levels.

I recommend it for everyone who likes absurd satire or who ever liked Dr Seuss and particularly for parents who like to read stories to their whole family. It truly is a delightful read. Apr 08, Cathy Speight rated it it was amazing. Jonathan is one of the most creative writers I have come across.

This is my third after Doodling and Magnus Opum encounter with this talented author and he never ceases to amaze me.

A very important and divisive issue se Jonathan is one of the most creative writers I have come across. A very important and divisive issue separates the two groups — does a leaf have three or four points? It takes the offspring Kriffle and Fargeeta of the elders, who have long held council, to bring a refreshing new outlook to proceedings and to make them see the error of the traditionally held beliefs; but they have to act quickly — three points or four on a leaf will make no difference when there is a much more serious and urgent dilemma needing immediate attention.

Sep 13, Jeremy Rodden rated it it was amazing. Jonathan Gould's brilliant satire strikes again. As a big fan of Gould's work in his first satire, Doodling, I went into Flidderbugs with very high expectations. Once again, Gould subtly takes jabs at facets of society that are just so ridiculous that we need to see it through the eyes of this small colony of bugs to realize how inane humans can be.

Gould's description of the political process of the Flidderbugs society is hilarious. However, when you compare it to the democratic processes in 'civ Jonathan Gould's brilliant satire strikes again. However, when you compare it to the democratic processes in 'civilized' democracies around the world, you realize that it is actually quite sad Gould captures all of these elements with hilarious wit that makes you forget that we people do the same things.

My favorite part of the story was Kriffle's visit to the Flooderversity. The absurdity of the scientists focusing on all facets of the leaves except the number of points including the philosophical discussion of what makes a leaf a leaf and the incomprehensible science-speak of Professor Skervvle were spot-on. I highly recommend this work to any fan of satire and anyone who is capable of laughing at themselves for falling into some of the same traps that plague the Flidderbugs.

I also highly recommend this to politicians, hoping that they can learn from these little 'bugs that they are there to serve in the best interest of the people and not fight over inconsequential details. Sep 17, Emily rated it it was amazing. Flidderbugs is the story of Kriffle, a bug politician and rising heir to his father's position in public affairs in the great tree where all the Flidderbugs live.

The issue on the table, of course, is whether the leaves on their tree have three points, or four. It's the fundamental question that governs their lives, governs who's in power, governs everything. Kriffle knows that the leaves have three points, and anyone who thinks otherwise has to just be lying to the populace for nefarious purpos Flidderbugs is the story of Kriffle, a bug politician and rising heir to his father's position in public affairs in the great tree where all the Flidderbugs live.

Kriffle knows that the leaves have three points, and anyone who thinks otherwise has to just be lying to the populace for nefarious purposes. Hidden in that scuffle, though, is an allegory about fanatical devotion to ideology and about how small difference seem to be big when they're all anyone talks about.

Fargeeta, Kriffle's uneasy ally in this foliage based debacle, puts it elegantly: They would never even consider that the truth is more complicated. At a quick 41 pages, this story is refreshing and attention-grabbing. Not quite a comedy, but still funny in that it resonates strongly of real-life scenarios, this is a good one to get people talking. I can see this being used in a civics class to introduce a variety of topics in a new way, and to take some of the polarization out of these conversations.

After reading Doodling I came into this story with high expectations, and I definitely wasn't disappointed. Dec 07, Amanda rated it really liked it Shelves: That has to be the most concise and accurate blurb I have ever seen for a book. On one level, Flidderbugs is a cute story that kids will enjoy. The Quadrigons and Triplifers are two tribes of bugs sharing one tree. Until disaster threatens and the bugs have to learn to work together. Adults can, of That has to be the most concise and accurate blurb I have ever seen for a book.

Adults can, of course, enjoy that part of the story, as well. Or they can appreciate the deeper messages. To these bugs, perception is more important than truth, even to those who know better. They have ridiculous divisions similar to our political, racial, and religious factions. They have one group of bugs who believe everything the government says, simply because the government says it.

And then there is the group who is anti-government and refuses to believe anything the government says. No matter which side is in power. Humans would never act like that. Hmmm…Any of that sound familiar? I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Jan 02, Vered rated it liked it. The Krephiloff Tree is in trouble, but none of the Flidderbugs seem to realise just how much. Kriffle, a young Flidderbug, is convinced that all the trouble stems from the tribe of bugs, the Quadrigons, living on the other side of the tree, and all the members of his Triplifer tribe agree. The trouble is that the other tribe knows that the leaves have four points, and are equally convinced that the Triplifers are misleading The Krephiloff Tree is in trouble, but none of the Flidderbugs seem to realise just how much. The trouble is that the other tribe knows that the leaves have four points, and are equally convinced that the Triplifers are misleading the bugs!

And while the two tribes argue back and forth about what is true and who is lying, the situation gets worse. Gould has created a fantastical world with many clear and obvious parallels with our own. Issues of social justice, sharing of resources, environmental degradation, imbalances and the importance of independent investigation of truth are explored in a light and engaging way. What I particularly love is the indirect exploration of two key issues underlying all these problems: In order to resolve a crisis, Kriffle and Fargeeta must overcome their prejudices and lead their tribes to a unified vision of the problem.

But will they be able to do this in time to come up with a solution? This story is particularly well suited for younger readers. Parents will also enjoy reading it to their children. Aug 31, Katy rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Kriffle and Fargeeta are the children of the leaders of the two opposing tribes, and they are being groomed to take over the leading roles since their respective fathers are aging.

The question is — are there three points on each leaf, or four points? Each side will devoutly declare themselves as speaking the truth, and their opponents as lying. And why is the tree making such strange, rumbling noises lately? You have to read to find out. The beauty of this story is its subtle poking at modern politics and religious dogma. Gould manages to tell an entertaining story and still get his ideas across quite clearly. Sep 01, Melissa rated it it was amazing. But what he discovers is shocking, and he must find a way to get all the Flidderbugs to work together—or face dire consequences.

His stories are fun, thought-provoking, and always well written. Oh, and did I mention that I love the cover art for Flidderbugs? I really enjoyed this book. On the surface it's almost a children's story about warring bugs sharing one big tree and it certainly could be read like that. It's really a political satire and it's very reflective of what's currently going on in the political atmosphere right now. Disagreement, stagnation, and at times, chaos. This book was especially poignant considering the things going on in my country the United States like the party divide in Congress, which makes it impossible to get a lot I really enjoyed this book.

This book was especially poignant considering the things going on in my country the United States like the party divide in Congress, which makes it impossible to get a lot done and the GOP primaries that are currently being carried out in a grueling manner all over the country.. I'm not sure if Gould based the story off of his own country's struggles but this book is broader than just one country.

There are two tribes of Flidderbugs who live in the same tree. Neither one can agree on basic things like how many points the leaves of their tree has sounds a lot like Congress, no. Will the bugs ever figure out how silly their argument is. I liked this story because in a fairly simplistic way, Gould is able to show us how crazy politics are and how much better things could be if we just try to get along and at least understand where each other are coming from.

Jan 29, Tricia Kristufek rated it really liked it Shelves: Because everybody knows that the leaves on the Krephiloff Tree had three points. But they also had four points too. Kriffle of the Triplifer tribe is preparing to take over his father's position as leader of their tribe. He struggles to get to the Fleedenhall due to all the leaves clogging up his home.

Leaves in his broth, leaves burying him at night while he sleeps, leaves everywhere! Kriffle knows he must win this debate and get elected so that his side of the Tree can use the Shears. Kriffle kn Because everybody knows that the leaves on the Krephiloff Tree had three points. Kriffle knows the leaves on his side of the Tree have three points. In his frustration, he drags his protesting rival, Fargeeta of the Quadrigon tribe, over to his side of the tree.

Fargeeta then takes him to her side, showing him the impossible: But even after he finds out that the other side's leaves have four points, he has a hard time getting anyone to listen to him, and so Kriffle and Fargeeta vow to get to the root of the issue. Don't let this cute story fool you - there's much more going on under the surface.

Gould does a wonderful job creating these characters that even children will love, and their parents can dig deeper for satirical layers reminiscent of Dr. Seuss - with less rhymes. Dec 05, Vickie rated it it was amazing. Either a tale of two tribes of beetles who just can't agree or a reflection of modern-day politics and power struggles, complete with some wheeling and dealing. Our hero, Kriffle, lives in the Krephiloff Tree and his father, Proggle, is the leader of the Triplifers.

He has high hopes for his son in political debate in the aptly named Fleedenhall. The Triplifers live on one side of the tree.

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On the other live their long adversaries, the Quadrigons. The beliefs of the two are at loggerheads, poised on the question of how many points have the leaves on the tree. The ideas behind the cute surface story are brilliant. The bug characters are great. I was rooting for Kriffle as he went on his search for the truth, meeting many other bugs along the way, including the daunting Fargeeta of the Quadrigons. At the end I was left wondering what happened next to Kriffle as he was a pretty neat little beetle hero. Jan 02, Lynn Hallbrooks rated it it was amazing Shelves: I was first introduced to Flidderbugs on Independent Authors and Writers where I thought the post about it was impressive enough to make it "book of the day": Jonathon Gould was kind enough to give me a discount to the Smashwords version of Flidderbugs.

We came to an understanding that was not why I gave the blog post high praise and that I appreciate the opportunity to read the book with an open mind and an honest review. Story line as I see Introduction: Story line as I see it: Two clans of Flidderbugs who via for the position of Ruling class and gain the honor of holding "The Shears". What happens when one clan rules longer than the other? Flidderbugs could be considered a Political Allegory. This book shows how the "behind the scenes" of politics can interfere with the Ecological health of a given population.

Gould incorporates so much emotions and senses into these 'bugs that the reader relates to them on a human level. Apr 01, Jim rated it really liked it. The allegories are not complex or difficult to understand and are often hilarious as an academic, I particularly love the characterization of the professors at Flooderversity. In essence, it's sort of an Animal Farm for the modern world. Lovely little book about the importance of seeing beyond ourselves. Except for a few lines that might be over their heads, it's a great book to share with your children.

Flidderbugs

My favorite part was when they went to each others side! So little satire is written today. Satire with Jonathan Gould's light hand and Suessian story-telling approach is just a delight. A quick, engaging tale I hope he'll consider simplifying into a children's teaching story- the moral is certainly something we ALL need to keep in mind.

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