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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
I admit "The Mermaid" by Christina Henry caught me by surprise, because I was expecting it to be kind of a fairy-tale retelling, whereas this was a completely original story, with practically nothing in common with the Hans Christian Andersen story "The Little Mermaid".
Still, it was thoroughly enjoyable: the clever plot, the excellent writing style, the unforgettable characters, the unpredictable twist of the ending...
My favourite quotes are:
"I don't belong to any man--not to Jack, not to Barnum, not to you. I only belong to myself. But belonging to myself doesn't mean I don't love you or that I don't want to stand beside you."
and:
"I want to be your partner, not your possession."
I think this novel should be used in schools, to teach girls and boys the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationship--it offers excellent depictions of both.
And it's also a gripping story, very well-written and with an impressive amount of research that's gone into it.
I'll definitely be re-reading it, and I'll also make sure I get a hold of the author's other novels.
Still, it was thoroughly enjoyable: the clever plot, the excellent writing style, the unforgettable characters, the unpredictable twist of the ending...
My favourite quotes are:
"I don't belong to any man--not to Jack, not to Barnum, not to you. I only belong to myself. But belonging to myself doesn't mean I don't love you or that I don't want to stand beside you."
and:
"I want to be your partner, not your possession."
I think this novel should be used in schools, to teach girls and boys the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationship--it offers excellent depictions of both.
And it's also a gripping story, very well-written and with an impressive amount of research that's gone into it.
I'll definitely be re-reading it, and I'll also make sure I get a hold of the author's other novels.
Review to come when I can stop crying.
__________________________________________
Thanks to the lovely Miranda Reads, whose review convinced me to buy this book on Audible ASAP. You can read her amazing review, here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2368294272?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
This genre is out of my comfort zone but I'm so excited to try something new!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is my second time reading Christina Henry's retellings. To be honest, I kept waiting for this dark parts to appear but it didn't. I read Lost Boy and thought that was a dark retelling of Peter Pan and the only reason why I picked this up was because I wanted to read a dark retelling. I did not get that with this one.
That said, it's not a jolly book lol. It still showed the ugliness of humanity. Not just about how humans treated animals but also how humans just treated each other.
Amelia, the Mermaid, wasn't my favourite character at first but she slowly became my favourite. I love her view of the world, her strong personality, and her bravery.
All in all, not a book that I expected and am slightly disappointed by that but I still somewhat enjoyed it. I guess.
That said, it's not a jolly book lol. It still showed the ugliness of humanity. Not just about how humans treated animals but also how humans just treated each other.
Amelia, the Mermaid, wasn't my favourite character at first but she slowly became my favourite. I love her view of the world, her strong personality, and her bravery.
All in all, not a book that I expected and am slightly disappointed by that but I still somewhat enjoyed it. I guess.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an audiobook which I do rarely. Fictionalized story of the Fiji Mermaid. It covers her time in rural Maine and her employment by PT Barnum. Interesting concept but at times I felt the characters were flat. Might have been the narration but I just had a hard time connecting to some of them. In particular Levi (Barnum's lawyer and Emilia's protector) seemed to clearly care for Emilia but then there was a whole passage where he treated her like property. Maybe this was trying to reflect the historical period but seemed out of place. Vacation read.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes