Reviews

The Mermaid's Daughter by Ann Claycomb

jmaschue's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

blairfrank's review against another edition

I don't want to call it a 'bad' book or a 'bad' story, because that's not necessarily fair. It just wasn't for me even though I love the premise and ideas behind creating this fictional story. I just couldn't finish it! I tried so hard to want to like the characters and the story-line. I was often confused between the italic chapters and the regular font chapters, but I don't think that was it. I don't think the story was progressing quickly enough. *Sigh*

I find the older I get, I am less likely to waste time on non-interesting stories (which I should be doing anyway). Life is too short to spend it reading books I don't like.

gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a beautiful exploration of the little mermaid. I loved he direction the story took with the curse of the blood line and the mystery behind all the women passing tragically and by their own hand.

The backdrop of opera leant a powerful touch, especially through the magic being emphasized in the music and performance of it all.

I really liked Harry as a character but didn't like Kathleen that much. She annoyed me and I didn't like how she treated her girlfriend and dad at multiple points.

A major dynamic that threw me was that if the characters in this book knew the story of Ariel, the little mermaid and the original, much darker tale from Hans Christian Anderson, why then did it take until half way through for Harry to bring it up and why was Kathleen shocked at every step of the way, with each reveal?  This brought me out of the story quite a bit.

Overall, the storyline was absolutely lyrical and mesmerising. I enjoyed the depth to the fairytale that Claycomb evolved on.

fullpagefuller's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Great story, a slow read but overall worth it. I really liked the changes in character perspectives and the tension of waiting to see what would happen. It truly felt like a fresh take on a classic. My only complaints are the ending - I would have rather the ending focused on the main characters rather than a flashback. I don’t feel like that really added anything new at that point. It would have been more interesting earlier on in the book. 

nbonz4's review against another edition

2.0

This was something that was chosen for me in a traveling book group. While I enjoy the opportunity to branch out with something I never would have picked, this was a total let down. It didn’t seem to be much about the mermaid premise or have any real fantasy aspects incorporated. There was way too much about opera singing and I just couldn’t connect with the characters.

leaflit's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

megsbooknook97's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really loved this book and couldn’t stop reading it, and loved the different take on the little mermaid. The only small niggle I had was I found the main character a bit annoying at times but I think that was intentional. 

dani95's review against another edition

5.0

Very good book, I liked the alternative telling of a very well known story. Ended very differently than I thought it would have, but I loved it!

I loved the place opera had in the story, and could feel the scenes and songs described in the writing. They were written so well, they added a completely different dimension to the story.

Also worth mentioning is Kathleen and Harry's relationship, I loved the way their relationship was written so casually like it is just another relationship (as it should be obviously), and how you could sense now much they meant to one another. Absolutely great and I loved reading about a romantic relationship between two women since that isn't often written about.

kage_nz's review

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

crazyredhead4's review

emotional sad tense slow-paced

4.0