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A review by ryner
The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
On the eve of her wedding, Shay's father delivers a full-length antique mirror as an early wedding gift. When her grandmother Bran visits her bedroom she seems strangely agitated by its presence, and then Shay suddenly blacks out. When she comes to, in another time and place, she realizes that she now inhabits the body of her grandmother, on the eve of her wedding...in 1900.
This 1978 novel came to my attention only a year or so ago when it was mentioned in the publication BookPage. I was a little worried about how well it would hold up, having been written the decade I was born, but it was actually delightfully riveting and engaging. Its weakness, sadly, is the ending, as though the author wasn't sure how to conclude what had up until that point been a surprisingly strong and compelling story. With about 25% to go it first goes off the rails, and then kind of fizzles out. However, for me the book's strong points, including well-developed characters and forcing the reader to contemplate what it would be like to have been in either Shay's or Brandy's situation, continue to make it a worthwhile read, particularly for fans of time travel stories. Bonuses: It was fun to see the unfamiliar Cornish accent depicted and attempt to "hear" it. I have also not only recently been to Nederland, Colorado, which features heavily in the book, but to the very cemetery mentioned.
This 1978 novel came to my attention only a year or so ago when it was mentioned in the publication BookPage. I was a little worried about how well it would hold up, having been written the decade I was born, but it was actually delightfully riveting and engaging. Its weakness, sadly, is the ending, as though the author wasn't sure how to conclude what had up until that point been a surprisingly strong and compelling story. With about 25% to go it first goes off the rails, and then kind of fizzles out. However, for me the book's strong points, including well-developed characters and forcing the reader to contemplate what it would be like to have been in either Shay's or Brandy's situation, continue to make it a worthwhile read, particularly for fans of time travel stories. Bonuses: It was fun to see the unfamiliar Cornish accent depicted and attempt to "hear" it. I have also not only recently been to Nederland, Colorado, which features heavily in the book, but to the very cemetery mentioned.