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whatsmacksaid's review against another edition
5.0
ETA on 5/20/2019: it's even better the second time around. It's not a quick read by any means, but I love it. I don't reread many books these days, but I will probably read The Wood Wife a third time.
***
This was SO GOOD. I loooooved it, it's going on my reread list.
There was one off-colored joke about a character's ex-boyfriend wanting to wear her bras, though. That was unfortunate. The rest is just amazing. I loved how Windling wove Davis and Naverra through the modern art history scene, and also how she incorporated painting, sculpture, music, and poetry all throughout the novel. Absolutely breathtaking.
I highly recommend The Wood Wife.
***
This was SO GOOD. I loooooved it, it's going on my reread list.
There was one off-colored joke about a character's ex-boyfriend wanting to wear her bras, though. That was unfortunate. The rest is just amazing. I loved how Windling wove Davis and Naverra through the modern art history scene, and also how she incorporated painting, sculpture, music, and poetry all throughout the novel. Absolutely breathtaking.
I highly recommend The Wood Wife.
leesmyth's review against another edition
3.0
"A coyote howls. A star falls. And the night cracks me open, with beauty sharp and poignant as grief. The night cracks me open, like a geode, exposing the crystal veins of God."
antjerook's review against another edition
3.0
I've never read a book like this before, but I quite liked it. (to my surprise)
ashcomb's review against another edition
3.0
I picked up this book, or more like my friend trusted it into my hands—this is her favorite. The book follows Maggie Black discovering her mentor's, Davis Cooper's, past. Cooper was a poet and a writer, just like Maggie, but she gave up her poetry to support her cheating husband, Nigel. Now divorced, she is heading to Tucson to claim the house and lands Davis Cooper left for her upon his death. His death and why he died are a mystery. So is his and his wife's, Anna's, lives. Maggie tries to piece together what truly happened from Cooper's letters, finding a desert full of mysteries and spirits while discovering a new life for herself.
The book has a slow start, making me wonder if I enjoy reading it at all. It picks up after the midpoint. After that, I liked the mysterious spirits and the pursuit of finding out what they wanted for Maggie, and how they connected to Davis's death. Yet, the themes of this book don't work for me: finding love and discovering oneself. There's nothing wrong with those themes. They are what gives us meaning, but I don't crave those from my fiction. I have always gravitated toward books that speak about social and political issues and make me ponder existence. This statement makes me feel like I am doing a disservice to The Wood Wife. Its themes of connection (Maggie's newly found friendship with Fox and Dora), meaningful pursuit (writing poetry), and loving someone are genuinely what life is all about. There's no denying that, and never have been. But I guess I take those for granted, which is damnable.
It's odd to enjoy the prose, symbolism, and folklore feeling and creatures of The Wood Wife, yet not like the book as a whole. There were a couple of things that I couldn't get past with the style. I have this odd dislike for songs listed in books. They always break my immersion, telling more about the writer's taste than the character's. The Wood Wife was full of songs and music-taste dialogue. Also, I found it hard to believe that Maggie's ex-husband's medieval band could have become world famous, celebrated by all, and be in the top ten charts worldwide, making it possible for him to sleep around with models. A fact that was underlined several times in the book, irking me every time. Also, I felt disconnected from the characters. They felt hollow and like something seen so many times. Don't get me wrong. They fit into the story perfectly. They belonged there. But there was no connection between me and them.
Another thing that made it hard for me to read this book was the similarity with Charles de Lint's writing and stories. I don't mean a slight resemblance. This felt like the same story I had already read from de Lint. I couldn't get past the similarity between his characters, the setting, the spirits, the plot, and the themes compared to The Wood Wife. I checked the publication dates, and I'm pretty sure Charles de Lint's books came first. I'm not saying there was plagiarism involved. The Wood Wife is its own story. There's no doubt about that, but the stories were so similar that it affected my reading experience.
All that said, all what I wrote was about my taste; some wouldn't count my complaints as factors against the book. I'm pretty sure that those are the reasons why so many have loved this book, even the similarity to Charles de Lint's stories. Why wouldn't you read more of something you love? So again, I conclude that to know if a book is for you, you must give it a chance.
Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day <3
The book has a slow start, making me wonder if I enjoy reading it at all. It picks up after the midpoint. After that, I liked the mysterious spirits and the pursuit of finding out what they wanted for Maggie, and how they connected to Davis's death. Yet, the themes of this book don't work for me: finding love and discovering oneself. There's nothing wrong with those themes. They are what gives us meaning, but I don't crave those from my fiction. I have always gravitated toward books that speak about social and political issues and make me ponder existence. This statement makes me feel like I am doing a disservice to The Wood Wife. Its themes of connection (Maggie's newly found friendship with Fox and Dora), meaningful pursuit (writing poetry), and loving someone are genuinely what life is all about. There's no denying that, and never have been. But I guess I take those for granted, which is damnable.
It's odd to enjoy the prose, symbolism, and folklore feeling and creatures of The Wood Wife, yet not like the book as a whole. There were a couple of things that I couldn't get past with the style. I have this odd dislike for songs listed in books. They always break my immersion, telling more about the writer's taste than the character's. The Wood Wife was full of songs and music-taste dialogue. Also, I found it hard to believe that Maggie's ex-husband's medieval band could have become world famous, celebrated by all, and be in the top ten charts worldwide, making it possible for him to sleep around with models. A fact that was underlined several times in the book, irking me every time. Also, I felt disconnected from the characters. They felt hollow and like something seen so many times. Don't get me wrong. They fit into the story perfectly. They belonged there. But there was no connection between me and them.
Another thing that made it hard for me to read this book was the similarity with Charles de Lint's writing and stories. I don't mean a slight resemblance. This felt like the same story I had already read from de Lint. I couldn't get past the similarity between his characters, the setting, the spirits, the plot, and the themes compared to The Wood Wife. I checked the publication dates, and I'm pretty sure Charles de Lint's books came first. I'm not saying there was plagiarism involved. The Wood Wife is its own story. There's no doubt about that, but the stories were so similar that it affected my reading experience.
All that said, all what I wrote was about my taste; some wouldn't count my complaints as factors against the book. I'm pretty sure that those are the reasons why so many have loved this book, even the similarity to Charles de Lint's stories. Why wouldn't you read more of something you love? So again, I conclude that to know if a book is for you, you must give it a chance.
Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day <3
ofearna's review against another edition
5.0
Originally slated to be one of the four premier books in the [a:Brian Froud|9345|Brian Froud|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66.jpg]'s Faerielands series, when that was scrapped the two books that hadn't been released were published as stand-alone fantasies... and another cover artist was chosen. When the book was such a success it was again given a new cover, but the reprint wasn't nearly as pretty as the original Froud cover or the Boulet painting that was chosen.
The book itself was a delight to read--I like desert of Southern Arizona best of the four locale's that were chosen...
The book itself was a delight to read--I like desert of Southern Arizona best of the four locale's that were chosen...
andrea_heather's review against another edition
wow, i enjoyed this book so much more when i was a teenager. some pretty imagery but it didn't do it for me at all this time around. very contrived and i kind of hated everybody in it.
duriangray's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
midwinteraz's review against another edition
5.0
If you live in the Sonoran desert and truly appreciate the natural aspects that make it so unique (or want to), you'll love this book. Windling perfectly taps into that undercurrent of magic and otherworldliness that permeates the desert. It's the familiar old Rincons, but with everything cranked up to a level of detail and saturation that makes it mystical. Beautiful, engrossing prose, and mysteries that unfold and reveal themselves in their own time - it's paced perfectly and was the perfect book to read with the windows thrown open and the flinty desert breeze blowing through.