Scan barcode
caitlinxmartin's review against another edition
3.0
Terri Windling is one of the editors of the very cool Fairy Tale series of books and of the Bordertown series. I really like all of those books and when I saw she had a full-length novel I grabbed it up. I love this kind of fantastical reworking of old stories.
For me this book was just okay. Honestly, I think Charles de Lint has done a much better job with this kind of story (Forests of the Heart, for instance, and big chunks of Someplace to Be Flying). Ultimately he's a better writer than Windling.
I really like the desert setting, although I'm partial to New Mexico over Arizona, and Windling gives you a good sense of the feel of the place. Where I have quibbles are with the characters - they're all just a little bit too perfectly groovy for me to care and seem sort of surface magazine cover glossy with not much underneath. Even the fairies or pixies or spirits of the land or whatnot are sort of all surface shine, but not a lot of there there.
An okay read, just not the best ever.
For me this book was just okay. Honestly, I think Charles de Lint has done a much better job with this kind of story (Forests of the Heart, for instance, and big chunks of Someplace to Be Flying). Ultimately he's a better writer than Windling.
I really like the desert setting, although I'm partial to New Mexico over Arizona, and Windling gives you a good sense of the feel of the place. Where I have quibbles are with the characters - they're all just a little bit too perfectly groovy for me to care and seem sort of surface magazine cover glossy with not much underneath. Even the fairies or pixies or spirits of the land or whatnot are sort of all surface shine, but not a lot of there there.
An okay read, just not the best ever.
mad_frisbeterian's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
robyotter's review against another edition
5.0
This book is like comfort food for me, and I suspect I'll be reading it for years to come.
moneypenny96's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kenchingfox's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
A little spooked by this one, considering today's date and especially since it found me close to home.
vgartner's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cultural appropriation
marhill31's review
4.0
I decided to give myself a reading challenge where I will read the books on my physical and digital shelves for this year. The goal of this reading challenge is to read more of what I already have instead getting something new. Also, I hope to discover some great reads that I had an initial excitement for when I first bought them but got replaced by the latest purchase to get that excitement all over again.
Well, I’m off to good start on my reading challenge with The Wood Wife by Terri Windling. This novel has been on my main bookshelf for over a year and I have known about the book since it was published in 1996. Windling has been an editor for one of my favorite writers, Charles de Lint, for many years and when I heard she had written a novel of her own that got my interest.
The Wood Wife told the story of a writer named Maggie Black who inherited the Tucson AZ estate of a reclusive poet named Davis Cooper. Maggie just ended her marriage to a famous musician and was looking to start her life over by writing the biography about the poet’s life. She started to learn the nature of the poet‘s death through the people that lived on various parts of the estate. Also, Maggie discovered through the poet’s letters about his lover, Anna Naverra, a gifted painter and the visions she saw through her art. Those visions drove the painter into madness about how real they became and their connection to the environment in Tucson. Maggie elicited help when another painter who lived on the estate named Juan heads into a similar fate that befell Anna Naverra. Will Maggie and her new friends be able to stop Juan from following the same path as Anna?
Windling draws upon various mythologies to tell a story about how the power of art, how it can drive one into madness if not channeled properly. Also, this is a story about new beginnings in a place off the beaten path and how a renewal of life can start where you would have never visited before fate intervened. The Wood Wife is an intelligent, thoughtful, and mature fantasy novel that should get more recognition. Tor Books has repackaged the novel in its Tor Essentials edition and rightly so. The Wood Wife should be an essential read for fantasy literature fans and an entry point for non-fantasy readers too.
Well, I’m off to good start on my reading challenge with The Wood Wife by Terri Windling. This novel has been on my main bookshelf for over a year and I have known about the book since it was published in 1996. Windling has been an editor for one of my favorite writers, Charles de Lint, for many years and when I heard she had written a novel of her own that got my interest.
The Wood Wife told the story of a writer named Maggie Black who inherited the Tucson AZ estate of a reclusive poet named Davis Cooper. Maggie just ended her marriage to a famous musician and was looking to start her life over by writing the biography about the poet’s life. She started to learn the nature of the poet‘s death through the people that lived on various parts of the estate. Also, Maggie discovered through the poet’s letters about his lover, Anna Naverra, a gifted painter and the visions she saw through her art. Those visions drove the painter into madness about how real they became and their connection to the environment in Tucson. Maggie elicited help when another painter who lived on the estate named Juan heads into a similar fate that befell Anna Naverra. Will Maggie and her new friends be able to stop Juan from following the same path as Anna?
Windling draws upon various mythologies to tell a story about how the power of art, how it can drive one into madness if not channeled properly. Also, this is a story about new beginnings in a place off the beaten path and how a renewal of life can start where you would have never visited before fate intervened. The Wood Wife is an intelligent, thoughtful, and mature fantasy novel that should get more recognition. Tor Books has repackaged the novel in its Tor Essentials edition and rightly so. The Wood Wife should be an essential read for fantasy literature fans and an entry point for non-fantasy readers too.
kslhersam's review against another edition
3.0
This was not a great vacation book. I picked it over Tiger's Curse, because the writing was better, but the story was a little too mystical/weird for me. I liked the characters and enjoyed reading something different than my normal books. I have no idea why I marked it to read though.