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guylou's review against another edition
4.0
I was intrigued by this book. Who would not like to know what happened to the little mermaid; not the one in the Disney movie, but the one Hans Christian Andersen wrote about? What if she did not kill herself and had a daughter who had a daughter who had a daughter and so forth and so on? What if the spell which cursed the little mermaid would be passed from one generation to the next? So many possibilities to make this sequel a great read. It turned out that the sequel was a good read, but not great. It fell flat when compared to the original book. The Prologue was its redeeming grace. I think I would have like to read the story from that starting point. The Mermaid's Daughter is still a good and interesting read.
indecisivewisp's review against another edition
4.0
I saw this recommended on Tumblr and since it was partially set in Ireland, I was quick to give it a shot.
It's a lovely story - I enjoyed the queer relationship and both of the girls characters and personal growths. The ending was unexpectedly bittersweet but did not diminish from the story.
The father maybe felt most out of place for me but other than that, a good read.
It's a lovely story - I enjoyed the queer relationship and both of the girls characters and personal growths. The ending was unexpectedly bittersweet but did not diminish from the story.
The father maybe felt most out of place for me but other than that, a good read.
hoserlauren's review against another edition
4.0
In a modern day, tragic re-telling of the Little Mermaid, Kathleen comes from a long history of women that have a strong affinity to the sea. Kathleen isn't fully aware of her history, but she does know that her mom walked in to the sea one day when she was a baby with rocks in her pockets. She suffers from the same stabbing pain in her feet and mouth that her mom did and wonders if she is bound to the same fate. Thankfully, she has two things to help her get through this pain: her girlfriend Harry and music.
Harry and Kathleen vacation in Ireland to learn more about Kathleen's family history and find out that the tragedy extends back many generations. To help Kathleen cope with this, Harry and Kathleen's father set out to compose an opera specifically for her. They wonder if they can reverse the curse in Kathleen's family and save her with music.
I really enjoyed the Disney movie The Little Mermaid but had never read Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, so I only know the child-friendly version of this story. We know that the Disney movie is a musical and it suits the story very well that this re-telling also involves music. The most enjoyable part of this book for me was when Katheleen's dad and Harry were creating the opera for her. There was underlying tension of Kathleen possibly getting worse, combined with the stress of creating and producing on an opera.
Unfortunately, compared to Arial, Kathleen was a completely selfish, annoying character. This is called out by herself and Harry throughout the novel, but it doesn't help me connect with her. By the mid point of the book I was rather fed up. I understand that she's in a lot of pain but she treats her partner like garbage when all Harry wants to do is help. I feel like this could have been toned down a bit to allow me to feel more sympathy for Kathleen rather than hating her.
Still, Harry and Kathleen's father more than make up for the dislike I had for Kathleen. That combined with the interesting story make this a worthy read.
Harry and Kathleen vacation in Ireland to learn more about Kathleen's family history and find out that the tragedy extends back many generations. To help Kathleen cope with this, Harry and Kathleen's father set out to compose an opera specifically for her. They wonder if they can reverse the curse in Kathleen's family and save her with music.
I really enjoyed the Disney movie The Little Mermaid but had never read Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, so I only know the child-friendly version of this story. We know that the Disney movie is a musical and it suits the story very well that this re-telling also involves music. The most enjoyable part of this book for me was when Katheleen's dad and Harry were creating the opera for her. There was underlying tension of Kathleen possibly getting worse, combined with the stress of creating and producing on an opera.
Unfortunately, compared to Arial, Kathleen was a completely selfish, annoying character. This is called out by herself and Harry throughout the novel, but it doesn't help me connect with her. By the mid point of the book I was rather fed up. I understand that she's in a lot of pain but she treats her partner like garbage when all Harry wants to do is help. I feel like this could have been toned down a bit to allow me to feel more sympathy for Kathleen rather than hating her.
Still, Harry and Kathleen's father more than make up for the dislike I had for Kathleen. That combined with the interesting story make this a worthy read.
feyrereads's review against another edition
4.0
This story incorporated several beloved topics - literature, opera, fairy tales, Ireland and magic ..All woven together with love. It was an ambitious undertaking that took a bit of effort to finish. The characters were well-written with so much depth they became real. The author's love and obvious expertise for her subject matter shined and made the story better. The storyline was far-fetched but crafted in such a way that I wanted to believe.
heartofoak1's review against another edition
1.0
re-interpretation of "the little mermaid" by hans christian anderson. completely awful. skimmed my way through it because i wanted to recoup some of the $15 i spent on it.
ladykentara's review against another edition
5.0
This book was stunning and captivating... enchanting. It brought together so many things that I love dearly - music, Ireland, lyrical writing, beauty... I've been lost in it as I've tried at once to swallow the book whole and savor it taste by taste, stretching it out as much as I could bear to while needing desperately to read the next word, the next paragraph, the next page. It is a beautiful story and one I know I will return to time and time again - after I've let my mind wrap itself around the story and the experience of the story. Stunning.
metallicbranch's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Ok, so on the one hand, this is not my kind of book. Dark though it may be on one level, it's also kind of treacly towards its characters, who are all pretty, talented, and successful. On the other hand, my 16-year-old self would have lost her shit over lesbian mermaid opera singers. So despite the fact that this felt like total fluff to me now, I decided to enjoy it for the sake of the former 16-year-old queer kid who wrote a whole chamber pop album about missing the ocean.
That said, I can't pretend that I think this is a good book. The writing isn't strong enough to stand on its own. The plot felt weirdly uneven and indefensible at times(seriously, you go to Ireland to find out aout your family, you meet your Irish grandmother's lover, now a nun, and after a 15 minute chat in a pub you're like, bye forever old lady?! wtf!) . And frankly Kathleen's self-absorption and lack of basic life skills completely ruined my ability to soak up the sapphic fairy tale at the center, because how the hell could Harry stand being in a relationship with this helpless overgrown child? I guess she's just that beautiful, talented and magical... At the end of the day, this is the part that failed to win me over-- that everyone in the book falls over themselves for the protagonist whose primary positive aspects aren't accessible through the medium of this author's writing.
Oh, and the sea witches' sections just dragged. Exposition dump in first-person plural. Yay.
That said, I can't pretend that I think this is a good book. The writing isn't strong enough to stand on its own. The plot felt weirdly uneven and indefensible at times
Oh, and the sea witches' sections just dragged. Exposition dump in first-person plural. Yay.