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dawn_marie's review against another edition
1.0
Picked up the book after meeting the author at a Faerie Con; as I read I kept waiting for something to happen; it never did. I found the narrative long winded and heavy, a lot of exposition with little action or dialog. Very disappointing as the basic plot could have been very, very good if handled a bit more delicately.
justlily's review against another edition
I read about 1/3 of this. And the writing is lovely! The MC is compelling! It has all the ingredients to add up to a book that I should have enjoyed. But I just didn't. It was so slow. Chapters would go by where I felt like nothing had happened. I just had no desire to ever pick it up and would find excuses to do nearly anything else.
audaciaray's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book in 2006 when it was it first released, and gulped it down in about a day. A lot of fragments of the story stuck with me, and I devoured Carolyn's next two books as well (good, but not stunning like Rain Village).
I found it just as magical and lovely on rereading it, and I will read anything Carolyn writes. In addition to great story and great characters, Rain Village is a beautiful meditation on grief, loss, and wounds that don't heal, but become part of us.
I found it just as magical and lovely on rereading it, and I will read anything Carolyn writes. In addition to great story and great characters, Rain Village is a beautiful meditation on grief, loss, and wounds that don't heal, but become part of us.
eh2018's review against another edition
2.0
I really enjoyed Godmother but this one could have used a bit more editing. I liked that it was about the circus and that it was descriptive. It could have been bound more tightly and the characters could have had a bit more depth. Turgeon is much better in Godmother. That one is definitely worth the read. Still want to check out Mermaid...
elenajohansen's review against another edition
1.0
DNF. I wanted to like this book, and some of the imagery was beautiful, but I kept picking it up, reading a chapter or two, and getting tired of the protagonist and her boundless naivete and whining. I stopped reading just when she got to the circus, which should have given the narrative new life as it introduced all these new characters, but all it really was was an endless stream of reminiscing about Mary this and Mary that...
thearosemary's review against another edition
3.0
Carolyn Turgeon once again wove a mystical, dark tale that kept me quite enthralled. The first half of this novel was dark and bittersweet, but misted with this wistful sense of hope. The development of main character Tessa as she discovered the witch of the town—Mary—was intriguing and relatable, in the sense where she treasured and romanticized Mary in an inhuman way.
I unfortunately found the second half to not be as thoughtful as the first half, in the sense that most of it felt like filler to Tessa’s growth. Which again, was beautifully done and felt very authentic. It began to just feel drawn out.
I unfortunately found the second half to not be as thoughtful as the first half, in the sense that most of it felt like filler to Tessa’s growth. Which again, was beautifully done and felt very authentic. It began to just feel drawn out.
heatherinjapan's review
A book where the main character has a visible disability and gets involved with a circus? Original...
stuhlsem's review against another edition
2.0
As far as circus books go, I liked the Phryne Fisher one much more. Tessa didn't really speak to me.
rustmaiden's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Incest, and Suicide
Minor: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Violence, Body shaming, and Death of parent
jodylynnw's review against another edition
3.0
If you like modern fairy tales, then you might like Rain Village. Carolyn Turgeon mixes reality with mystical to weave together a story of love, betrayal, guilt, and redemption.