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debbarney's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book over 30 years go and was captivated. The premise wasn't as popular at the time, and it was a very interesting concept. Shay's modern values pose very humorous problems for her and for others. I really liked it.
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser is an interesting novel. Shay Garrett is twenty years old in 1978 and it is the night before her wedding to Marek Weir. Her mother is giving her an ugly old mirror as a wedding gift. The frame is composed of hands with finger nails shaped like talons. It is in her bedroom of her family’s home The Gingerbread House in Boulder, Colorado. Shay is looking in the mirror when she hears a humming noise. She remembers mist and blackness and then nothing. Shay wakes up in the same bedroom, but it is different. It is 1900 and they keep calling her Brandy. Shay is in her grandmother’s body. Brandy is also twenty and being forced by her father, John McCabe to marry the next day (everyone thinks she is crazy because of things she saw in the mirror). Shay finds herself stuck in Brandy’s body despite attempts to get back to her own body and time. Shay makes the best of her situation and lives a full life (it helps that she knows things that are going to happen). She does, though, keep a diary of all her adventures while in Brandy’s body. When baby Shay is born, she wraps up the diary and puts a note on it. It is to be given to Shay on the day of her wedding. Rachel, Shay’s mother, puts it away and forgets about it.
Brandy was going to run away the night before her forced marriage when the mirror takes her to 1978. She finds herself in Shay’s body and her grandmother dead on the floor in her bedroom. The grandmother is Shay in Brandy’s body (it can get a little confusing at times). Brandy does not understand this new time period. She feels that everyone is not dressed appropriately. Brandy retreats into herself and waits for Shay to figure out the mirror. Her family thinks something is wrong with her and are contemplating putting her in a mental asylum (real caring family). After sleeping so much, her family calls in a doctor. Brandy is pregnant (and shocked since she is a virgin). When her family talks about an abortion, Brandy runs away. Luckily for Brandy she is taken in by a nice, eccentric, elderly man. He helps her to stay hidden from her family.
When The Gingerbread House is robbed, the diary is found. Rachel ends up reading it and finally understands what happened to her daughter. It also explains a lot about her mother. You will have to read The Mirror to find out what happens! I have to admit that I put off reading this novel because it was so very long. But once I started reading it, I could not put it down. A little over half of the book is taken up with Shay’s story (with her in Brandy’s body). We then get to find out what happens to Brandy in Shay’s body. I truly enjoyed this book. The only thing I did not like was Brandy in Shay’s body. She made no attempt to read books and understand the time period she was in (or her new life). She acted like some fragile woman with no brain (it was insulting). Otherwise, this was a great book to read. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. It is well-written and I loved the plot. The writer even left it so there could be more books as the mirror continues on with its adventure.
I received a complimentary copy of The Mirror from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.
http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-mirror.html
Brandy was going to run away the night before her forced marriage when the mirror takes her to 1978. She finds herself in Shay’s body and her grandmother dead on the floor in her bedroom. The grandmother is Shay in Brandy’s body (it can get a little confusing at times). Brandy does not understand this new time period. She feels that everyone is not dressed appropriately. Brandy retreats into herself and waits for Shay to figure out the mirror. Her family thinks something is wrong with her and are contemplating putting her in a mental asylum (real caring family). After sleeping so much, her family calls in a doctor. Brandy is pregnant (and shocked since she is a virgin). When her family talks about an abortion, Brandy runs away. Luckily for Brandy she is taken in by a nice, eccentric, elderly man. He helps her to stay hidden from her family.
When The Gingerbread House is robbed, the diary is found. Rachel ends up reading it and finally understands what happened to her daughter. It also explains a lot about her mother. You will have to read The Mirror to find out what happens! I have to admit that I put off reading this novel because it was so very long. But once I started reading it, I could not put it down. A little over half of the book is taken up with Shay’s story (with her in Brandy’s body). We then get to find out what happens to Brandy in Shay’s body. I truly enjoyed this book. The only thing I did not like was Brandy in Shay’s body. She made no attempt to read books and understand the time period she was in (or her new life). She acted like some fragile woman with no brain (it was insulting). Otherwise, this was a great book to read. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. It is well-written and I loved the plot. The writer even left it so there could be more books as the mirror continues on with its adventure.
I received a complimentary copy of The Mirror from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.
http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-mirror.html
hakimbriki's review against another edition
5.0
Very surprised at how much I LOVED this novel. Marlys Millhiser gifts us a story that's equal parts period piece(s), family drama, time travel thriller, and meditation on gender roles and the struggles of women in different eras. This takes the concept of Quantum Leap (which was created a couple of decades after this book came out) to the next level. It's deep, endearing, and highly contemplative. Most importantly, it oozes pathos. I am both over the moon and very bummed to have finished it so quickly.
fairytalearista's review
4.0
For the most part, I really enjoyed it. There were at least twenty Fairy Tales worked in. They weren’t completely true to the Fairy Tales, but they were usually clearly recognizable. I even found Charles Perrault, a fairy tale writer, in there. “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,” “Snow White and Rose Red,” and “Jack and the Beanstalk” were the most important and prominent, but I really enjoyed the scene where Elliot visits the tailor shops and meets “The Brave Little Tailor” and the two imposters who are making “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” There were even a few of the more obscure Fairy Tales.
The main characters were Elliot, Vincent, Fury and Epona. Elliot is half angel and is a Criminal Defendant, Vincent is a Sandman and is in Finance, Fury is a Fire Nymph and is in Insurance, and Epona is a Centaur, and is Elliot’s new trainee. They were pretty well developed, although I found the Vincent/Fury romance a tad bit sudden on Fury’s part.
I didn’t find very many plot issues, but there were a few glaring ones.
Read full review here: http://www.oscarlettreviews.blogspot.com/2012/06/mirror-meretrix-blackstone-brenwen-by.html
The main characters were Elliot, Vincent, Fury and Epona. Elliot is half angel and is a Criminal Defendant, Vincent is a Sandman and is in Finance, Fury is a Fire Nymph and is in Insurance, and Epona is a Centaur, and is Elliot’s new trainee. They were pretty well developed, although I found the Vincent/Fury romance a tad bit sudden on Fury’s part.
I didn’t find very many plot issues, but there were a few glaring ones.
Read full review here: http://www.oscarlettreviews.blogspot.com/2012/06/mirror-meretrix-blackstone-brenwen-by.html
ladyfernzey's review
5.0
This book is one of those rare treasures, the ones you can spend ages looking for but when you do will stay with you forever. I was hooked from the first chapter and did not wish to put it down. The author draws you in from the beginning into this compelling and enchanted story full of twists and turns and magical interesting worlds and their equally fantastic and varied different fantasy characters and creatures.
The thing I love most about this book is the refreshingly different take on fairy tales not only does it take you back to all your favourite childhood characters but the author sheds a different light to them and i think that is wonderful as we never grow up fully just grow older.The combination of of fantasy, law and fairy tale is creative, different and very imaginative and i think works fantastically. I think the book is well written and very descriptive that you can picture every detail of characters and surroundings as you read which i love as it makes it more real and fun to me. I could see this series as a TV show or film series and i would be first in line to watch.
The characters are all interesting different and relatable in their own ways. Elliot makes a great main character although I have to admit some of the more sidelining characters I enjoyed equally and have soft spots for. There is many laugh out loud moments through the book and you will not be disappointed with this book I cant wait to join them on future cases and see the series develop into hopefully many more books. A enjoyable read and already have recommended to many family members and friends.
U
The thing I love most about this book is the refreshingly different take on fairy tales not only does it take you back to all your favourite childhood characters but the author sheds a different light to them and i think that is wonderful as we never grow up fully just grow older.The combination of of fantasy, law and fairy tale is creative, different and very imaginative and i think works fantastically. I think the book is well written and very descriptive that you can picture every detail of characters and surroundings as you read which i love as it makes it more real and fun to me. I could see this series as a TV show or film series and i would be first in line to watch.
The characters are all interesting different and relatable in their own ways. Elliot makes a great main character although I have to admit some of the more sidelining characters I enjoyed equally and have soft spots for. There is many laugh out loud moments through the book and you will not be disappointed with this book I cant wait to join them on future cases and see the series develop into hopefully many more books. A enjoyable read and already have recommended to many family members and friends.
U
lwvalentine55's review against another edition
4.0
Fun Boulder/Nederland history. Weird time travel but pretty well done.
kmcneil's review against another edition
3.0
I was looking for a good book to read at the beach and searched on Amazon for something akin to The Time Traveler's Wife. The Mirror came up as a recommendation. The Mirror is the story of Shay Garrett, a 20 year old on the eve of her wedding in 1978, who gets transported back in time via a mysterious and powerful mirror into her grandmothers body in 1900 on the eve of her wedding. As the book progresses, it is revealed that her grandmother, Brandy McCabe, was simultaneously transported forward in time into her granddaughter's body. I did find the book interesting, but not nearly as compelling as The Time Traveler's Wife. It takes place in Boulder, Colorado at the turn of the 20th century and in the late 1970s. I found the part about Shay Garrett being transported back in time 78 years much more enjoyable that the part about Brandy McCabe being transported forward. Fortunately, that story makes up the bulk of the book.
electric_rae's review against another edition
5.0
My mother recommended this book to me and I devoured it. I could not put it down. Great grand daughter and great grandmother unknowingly switch lives and have to figure out what's going on by themselves. It's a mystery. It's intense. It's exhilarating. It's literally putting yourself in someone else's shoes and time.
temberhop's review against another edition
3.0
There was a lot to maintain my interest here- the author constructs a family tree tangled by a mirror's curse. A granddaughter and grandmother find themselves switched into each other's bodies, and time periods. Relentless misfortune ensues. Great character development, but sub par-story telling. The jumps in narrative and voice are inconsistent and confusing. Sometimes the author focuses on details that seem indicative of a key event in the plot, but soon drops her point and moves into gothic romance scenes that often focus on confused women's seduction by strange men. The way the protagonist describes herself varies, even within the same sentence, I.e. "Brandy rests Shay's hands on her belly"
beachreeds's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading The Mirror. At times it was hard to push through but it was worth completing.
The premise of Shay and Brandy switching bodies was very interesting. I enjoyed the historical fiction aspect of this book. I do feel like more time was focused on Shay living as Brandy than the reverse. I wish Brandy had a little more personality, she starts off as a very strong personality and she seems to lose that during the book. Her ending felt incomplete.
The premise of Shay and Brandy switching bodies was very interesting. I enjoyed the historical fiction aspect of this book. I do feel like more time was focused on Shay living as Brandy than the reverse. I wish Brandy had a little more personality, she starts off as a very strong personality and she seems to lose that during the book. Her ending felt incomplete.