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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
This is my second foray into Marcus Sedgwick's writing: White Crow, shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal a couple of years ago was the other.
And this is by far superior, more beautiful, more powerful, more poignant.
This book is shortlisted for the Cilip Carnegie 2013 and tells the tales of Eric and Merle. Tales. Tales of eternal, death-defying love and - above all - the sacrifices we make for those we love; the love of husband-and-wife, lovers, parents-and-children, siblings. Sometimes, Eric and Merle are the protagonists of the story, sometimes they are protagonists of stories within the main story.
It is also a book of tales about tales and the power of stories: written in reverse chronology, tales become stories become myths sustaining and echoing and paralleling each other. There are obvious echoes here of Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell in both the cycling of the narratives and the celebration of narrative.
Each individual tale has strengths - some in my opinion are stronger than others. Oddly, the opening and framing narrative of Eric Seven visiting Blessed Isle as a journalist investigating rumours of unnaturally long lives, was the weakest of the seven tales. The writing - in present tense - was languid and relaxed and there was some beautiful phrases. The island is
And when swimming with Merle, Eric
Beautiful.
However, in my view, it is the second half of the book that becomes much more powerful which, oddly, coincides with a shift to the past tense and the story The Painter which opens with these gorgeous lines
Wow!
From this tale onwards, Sedgwick moves his narratives up a gear. There are so many elements of the fairy tale in this one - dragons and stolen apples; of the ghost story in The Unquiet Grave which is, in my opinion the most beautifully crafted ghost story I have ever read and the strongest of these seven tales; of the gothic in The Vampire.
The Vampire has an undeniable power to it and it seems that Sedgwick embraces Norse alliterative literature in his own writing as he describes how
As a final comment, celebrating the power of language, there is one moment, a small moment, in The Vampire when a Viking skald sings the song of their voyage and Sedgwick says
And this is by far superior, more beautiful, more powerful, more poignant.
This book is shortlisted for the Cilip Carnegie 2013 and tells the tales of Eric and Merle. Tales. Tales of eternal, death-defying love and - above all - the sacrifices we make for those we love; the love of husband-and-wife, lovers, parents-and-children, siblings. Sometimes, Eric and Merle are the protagonists of the story, sometimes they are protagonists of stories within the main story.
It is also a book of tales about tales and the power of stories: written in reverse chronology, tales become stories become myths sustaining and echoing and paralleling each other. There are obvious echoes here of Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell in both the cycling of the narratives and the celebration of narrative.
Each individual tale has strengths - some in my opinion are stronger than others. Oddly, the opening and framing narrative of Eric Seven visiting Blessed Isle as a journalist investigating rumours of unnaturally long lives, was the weakest of the seven tales. The writing - in present tense - was languid and relaxed and there was some beautiful phrases. The island is
beautiful. It's so beautiful, it takes his breath away. It's not spectacular, it's not jaw dropping, it's simply a lovely sight, that makes his heart glad that such places exist. The greys and browns of the rocks, the trees and the wild grass, the sea, waiting for him and only for him; the place is utterly deserted, he can see neither people nor houses.
And when swimming with Merle, Eric
wonders if a few moments of utter and total joy can be worth a lifetime of struggle.
Maybe, he thinks. Maybe, if they're the rights moments.
Beautiful.
However, in my view, it is the second half of the book that becomes much more powerful which, oddly, coincides with a shift to the past tense and the story The Painter which opens with these gorgeous lines
On the girl's seventh birthday, her finest present was not the new smock, nor the carved wooden hare, though she loved those two things very much.
The best thing was not a thing at all, but a permission.
Wow!
From this tale onwards, Sedgwick moves his narratives up a gear. There are so many elements of the fairy tale in this one - dragons and stolen apples; of the ghost story in The Unquiet Grave which is, in my opinion the most beautifully crafted ghost story I have ever read and the strongest of these seven tales; of the gothic in The Vampire.
The Vampire has an undeniable power to it and it seems that Sedgwick embraces Norse alliterative literature in his own writing as he describes how
The feast flew. Soared into the night like a ravening bird, like a fire flame, like the spread of a plague, a party as wild as the night outside was long.
As a final comment, celebrating the power of language, there is one moment, a small moment, in The Vampire when a Viking skald sings the song of their voyage and Sedgwick says
his tools were words; those mysterious gifts from the gods , and while most men merely learned how to use them, Leif was one of those wizards who had learned the secret of how to make magic with them.
Seven wondrous tales infused with stunning language that rouse the soul. Midwinterblood warns that history is always relevant, and should never be forgotten lest you forget who you are entirely.
Eric, a journalist, is headed to the island of Blessed where people are said to be the healthiest in the world and maybe even live forever. The islanders are nice enough but things on the island are a little off. First of all, there are no children. Also, Eric keeps forgetting what he is planning to do there: investigate rumors about the island, in particular a flower that is supposed to be the key to the mystery of the long life. But then Eric realizes he recognizes one of the island's residents, Merle, but can't remember where exactly. She also appears to remember him. This is the first in seven chapters of the life and immortal relationship between Eric and Merle. Each chapter reveals a bit more of the magic behind the island and the story of Eric and Merle. Very intriguing.
HS/Adult.
HS/Adult.
I was drawn the the peculiarity of this novel. The characters are odd, and I couldn't stop reading. Sedgwick writes seven connected stories which take the reader backwards in time--from the year 2073 and through an undated year in the distant past. With collections of stories like this one, I often find only a few stories to be compelling. In Midwinterblood, each story was beautifully written, and I enjoyed every story. I don't enjoy the horror genre very much, but Segwick's writing made me reconsider this opinion. I have never read a book quite like this one.
“If a life can be ruined in a single moment, a moment of betrayal, or violence, or ill luck, then why can a life not also be saved, be worth living, be made, by just a few pure moments of perfection?”
“If a life can be ruined in a single moment, a moment of betrayal, or violence, or ill luck, then why can a life not also be saved, be worth living, be made, by just a few pure moments of perfection?”
Book: Midwinterblood
Author: Marcus Sedgwick
Source: I Own It
Full Review: franklybooks franklybooks franklybooks
First things first, the blurb does nothing to describe the actual brilliance of this book. Don't follow that.
+ The overpowering love in this book. Notice I didn't say romance. Sedgwick manages to capture everything; maternal, brotherly etc.
+ People's obsession with hares. It adds something extra to the book, I loved reading about them and the tragedy that seems to follow them around.
+ Character quirks. Read the book and you'll see what I mean. So it is.
+ Theres the smallest mention of lesbians. True it's only a couple of lines, but it's better than nothing.
+ Madness. Theres always a sense of unease in the book, no matter whose lives you're looking into. Sedgwick does a great job in connecting the story together.
- I'm not entirely sure. Maybe it's simply the fact that the books I read are usually full of action (not that this isn't but..), it feels like something is missing.
Author: Marcus Sedgwick
Source: I Own It
Full Review: franklybooks franklybooks franklybooks
First things first, the blurb does nothing to describe the actual brilliance of this book. Don't follow that.
Quote;
Eric smiles. "I'm not quite the last," he says again.
What Ilikedloved;
+ The overpowering love in this book. Notice I didn't say romance. Sedgwick manages to capture everything; maternal, brotherly etc.
+ People's obsession with hares. It adds something extra to the book, I loved reading about them and the tragedy that seems to follow them around.
+ Character quirks. Read the book and you'll see what I mean. So it is.
+ Theres the smallest mention of lesbians. True it's only a couple of lines, but it's better than nothing.
+ Madness. Theres always a sense of unease in the book, no matter whose lives you're looking into. Sedgwick does a great job in connecting the story together.
What Ihateddisliked;
- I'm not entirely sure. Maybe it's simply the fact that the books I read are usually full of action (not that this isn't but..), it feels like something is missing.
Beyond the basic plot recap, I loved how well planned this novel was. I loved how consistently Eric and Merle find each other in their seven incarnations throughout the history of Blessed Island -- how their souls are easily identifiable by a phrase, a trait, an animal. Like many other reviewers, I have to mention the similarities to Wicker Island, but I really enjoyed that this novel was inspired by a real piece of art.
The plot did lack a deeper thematic unification throughout the novel. I was hoping for a little more than domed love throughout the ages, but in the end, that's really all I got. (Did I miss something?) It is all nicely tied with a bow at the end so you aren't left with many unanswered questions (I hate that!), and the atmosphere is wondrously, eerily evoked.
Overall, a fun read. I recommend it -- especially for Viking inspired fun. :)
The plot did lack a deeper thematic unification throughout the novel. I was hoping for a little more than domed love throughout the ages, but in the end, that's really all I got. (Did I miss something?) It is all nicely tied with a bow at the end so you aren't left with many unanswered questions (I hate that!), and the atmosphere is wondrously, eerily evoked.
Overall, a fun read. I recommend it -- especially for Viking inspired fun. :)
This book is weird. Very weird, but strangely enough, I enjoyed it. It's the kind of book that makes you think...
It's really about a love story between two lovers (Eric and Merle) who love each other so much that they are reincarnated 7 times to find each other again. Sometimes directly, others times from a story.
The book itself is divided into seven sections, each about one of Eric and Merle's lives. It was a little hard for me to grasp the concept that in each life, Eric and Merle didn't necessarily meet or even fall in love because that's the way reincarnation stories are always told.
It's really about a love story between two lovers (Eric and Merle) who love each other so much that they are reincarnated 7 times to find each other again. Sometimes directly, others times from a story.
The book itself is divided into seven sections, each about one of Eric and Merle's lives. It was a little hard for me to grasp the concept that in each life, Eric and Merle didn't necessarily meet or even fall in love because that's the way reincarnation stories are always told.
See the full review at Short & Sweet Reviews.
I thought this book was phenomenal. This is a hard book to talk about without spoiling things -- once you start making connections between the various stories, all of the pieces fall into place on their own, and I don't want to take that moment away from anyone -- but here goes.
Midwinterblood starts out in the far future with Eric Seven, a journalist traveling to remote Blessed Island to investigate claims that the islanders are immortal, thanks to a mysterious drug or medicine. While there, he gets to know the islanders fairly well, including a woman named Merle, who he finds himself instantly falling for. It's insta-love, yes, but there's more to it than that, trust me -- keep reading the book to find out. Believe me, I'm the last person to recommend insta-anything, but this is worth your time. Eric tries to uncover the island's mysteries, but there are more secrets than he bargained for.
From Eric's story, the novel goes backwards in time, following in each segment another group of people whose lives have been intertwined with Blessed Island throughout history. There's an archaeologist, hoping to uncover historic artifacts; an old man past his prime who might still have one last painting in him; a sad nanny telling a tragic love story to her young charges; a King atoning for the troubles of his kingdom.
All of these stories are intertwined, and as each section progresses, you begin to see how the stories overlap, how there are certain words and phrases and motifs which appear in each story across time. It's an English teacher's dream come true -- not that I'm a teacher, but if I were, I would totally assign this book to students to read and analyze for a paper. Some of the sections of the book are bittersweet, some are fraught with danger, some are super creepy.
It's very hard to categorize this book, to assign it a genre or say it's similar to something else. It's very often a horror story, but not in a nightmarish/gruesome sort of way. There's just a creeping suspicion as you're reading that all is not quite right, and the final reveal at the end answers all of your questions and takes your breath away.
I thought this book was phenomenal. This is a hard book to talk about without spoiling things -- once you start making connections between the various stories, all of the pieces fall into place on their own, and I don't want to take that moment away from anyone -- but here goes.
Midwinterblood starts out in the far future with Eric Seven, a journalist traveling to remote Blessed Island to investigate claims that the islanders are immortal, thanks to a mysterious drug or medicine. While there, he gets to know the islanders fairly well, including a woman named Merle, who he finds himself instantly falling for. It's insta-love, yes, but there's more to it than that, trust me -- keep reading the book to find out. Believe me, I'm the last person to recommend insta-anything, but this is worth your time. Eric tries to uncover the island's mysteries, but there are more secrets than he bargained for.
From Eric's story, the novel goes backwards in time, following in each segment another group of people whose lives have been intertwined with Blessed Island throughout history. There's an archaeologist, hoping to uncover historic artifacts; an old man past his prime who might still have one last painting in him; a sad nanny telling a tragic love story to her young charges; a King atoning for the troubles of his kingdom.
All of these stories are intertwined, and as each section progresses, you begin to see how the stories overlap, how there are certain words and phrases and motifs which appear in each story across time. It's an English teacher's dream come true -- not that I'm a teacher, but if I were, I would totally assign this book to students to read and analyze for a paper. Some of the sections of the book are bittersweet, some are fraught with danger, some are super creepy.
It's very hard to categorize this book, to assign it a genre or say it's similar to something else. It's very often a horror story, but not in a nightmarish/gruesome sort of way. There's just a creeping suspicion as you're reading that all is not quite right, and the final reveal at the end answers all of your questions and takes your breath away.
Midwinterblood is a tough book to review, mainly because it is pretty unlike anything I've read before. It's not a linear story, like most books. Instead, it's a series of seven short stories, all tied together and written in reverse chronological order. Because it was such a different writing style, at first I was unsure and wasn't sold on the setup. However, once I got to story five, I was hooked.
It's difficult for me to explain what this story is about, but I think the fairest summary is: love in all it's forms. Love between a husband and wife, love between a mother and child, love between siblings, forbidden love, love for a stranger in a difficult situation; it's all there. I think that's what really made me enjoy this book: it's exploration of love in all it's forms.
Because of the nature of the book, I can't say which characters were my favourite or talk about most of the things I usually talk about in a review. I would say my favourite of the stories was The Unquiet Grave because it was so creepy and terribly sad. But all of the stories play their own part in the overall arc of the book and I appreciated all of them.
One thing I did find odd was that the book was classified as YA. It really didn't feel YA to me at all and I think it should have been marketed as an adult book. Not because of any overtly adult themes, but because it really doesn't have any of the characteristics I'm used to seeing in YA books.
Overall, Midwinterblood really grew on me and turned from a book that felt somewhat disjoined and odd to a beautiful exploration of love that can be enjoyed by teenagers and literary buffs alike.
It's difficult for me to explain what this story is about, but I think the fairest summary is: love in all it's forms. Love between a husband and wife, love between a mother and child, love between siblings, forbidden love, love for a stranger in a difficult situation; it's all there. I think that's what really made me enjoy this book: it's exploration of love in all it's forms.
Because of the nature of the book, I can't say which characters were my favourite or talk about most of the things I usually talk about in a review. I would say my favourite of the stories was The Unquiet Grave because it was so creepy and terribly sad. But all of the stories play their own part in the overall arc of the book and I appreciated all of them.
One thing I did find odd was that the book was classified as YA. It really didn't feel YA to me at all and I think it should have been marketed as an adult book. Not because of any overtly adult themes, but because it really doesn't have any of the characteristics I'm used to seeing in YA books.
Overall, Midwinterblood really grew on me and turned from a book that felt somewhat disjoined and odd to a beautiful exploration of love that can be enjoyed by teenagers and literary buffs alike.
Okay, so this was very readable. I enjoyed it, but I also felt cheated out of a real novel-sized plot. Even though I admittedly never finished Cloud Atlas when I tried to listen to it a million years ago, and barely paid attention the the dvd when I checked it out last year, I think this book is in the same vein, like a Cloud Atlas for teens. It's a good book, but not great, and I'm surprised it won the Pritz Award (I would have never picked it up otherwise).