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snowmaiden's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a long time to get into this book, and before I really connected with it, I was sick with the flu for about a week. When I finally did feel like reading again, other books called to me more strongly. All these excuses explain why it took me over a month to read this book, but I have to wonder if the real reason was that I just wasn't that into it. Or, on the other hand, maybe I would have enjoyed the book more if I'd read it under normal circumstances. Who can say?
What I can say is that I found it quite enjoyable at times, particularly in the middle section, but the beginning and the climactic ending sequence seemed rather opaque to me. I can't say whether it was a fault of the author or a fault of my comprehension, but I'm still not exactly sure what happened, other than the fact that Maggie got her guy in the end! However, Terri Windling is a very good writer on a sentence level, and her descriptions of the desert are stunning, so don't let my weak recommendation keep you from reading it if you're interested!
What I can say is that I found it quite enjoyable at times, particularly in the middle section, but the beginning and the climactic ending sequence seemed rather opaque to me. I can't say whether it was a fault of the author or a fault of my comprehension, but I'm still not exactly sure what happened, other than the fact that Maggie got her guy in the end! However, Terri Windling is a very good writer on a sentence level, and her descriptions of the desert are stunning, so don't let my weak recommendation keep you from reading it if you're interested!
jan2bratt's review against another edition
5.0
Loved all the elements of this story. This is the first Terri Windling book I have read but I'm certain it won't be my last. I recommend this to anyone interested in legend, myth, the Sonoran desert, animal spirits. And Love.
lyrafay12's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
pnw_michelle's review against another edition
5.0
This is probably my favorite book ever. I read it over when I need comfort or inspiration. I love the way Windling approaches the magical world, making magic something that is rooted in THIS reality, in the physical, real time world. And I love her kind, thoughtful characters. And I have a crush on Johnny Foxxe. I have a full review up on my blog:
http://greenwoman.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/recommended-reading-the-wood-wife/
http://greenwoman.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/recommended-reading-the-wood-wife/
suannelaqueur's review against another edition
4.0
A poet leaves his Tucson house and all his work to an artist in California. She moves to Arizona, and through subsequent friendships and a romance, begins to discover the poet, his talented and disturbed wife, and the magic of the Arizona desert. Does life imitate art, or art life? Fantastic and gripping, you can actually feel the heat of the desert sun on the pages.
autumn_dannay's review against another edition
4.0
Good, and it makes me miss the desert. Magical in spades but sometimes the plot jumps around a little. In the end, a good story to help you feel the desert sun on your skin and sharp rocks under your feet.
lifstrand's review against another edition
5.0
Uncanny, beautiful, disturbing, luscious, infused with ancient Sonoran desert magic.
kcollett75's review against another edition
3.0
Maggie gradually discovers the secrets of the desert mountains and her dead poet mentor. Not lots of action, but wonderful vision. Combination of English folk-tale creatures and South-western mythology.
alphabetseeds's review against another edition
4.0
This is a slow, low-stakes novel that took its time to set up but once the meat of the story was going, I was absolutely enchanted.
Windling combines English folklore with mythology and beliefs from the Southwest in a spectacular way. It took just the right amount of time for the otherworldly events to start happening, enough for me to get invested and have solid roots into who the main character was and what her motivations were.
There's not a lot I can say without spoiling, but this is a story about the roots we put down as humans and what we take and give back to our environments, both physically and spiritually. It's about environmentalism and art and sacrifice. It's about letting your life change when it needs to without letting go of who you were before.
This is some quintessentially '90s contemporary fantasy, and I really enjoyed it. Thanks to my sister for gifting it to me for my birthday.
Windling combines English folklore with mythology and beliefs from the Southwest in a spectacular way. It took just the right amount of time for the otherworldly events to start happening, enough for me to get invested and have solid roots into who the main character was and what her motivations were.
There's not a lot I can say without spoiling, but this is a story about the roots we put down as humans and what we take and give back to our environments, both physically and spiritually. It's about environmentalism and art and sacrifice. It's about letting your life change when it needs to without letting go of who you were before.
This is some quintessentially '90s contemporary fantasy, and I really enjoyed it. Thanks to my sister for gifting it to me for my birthday.