Scan barcode
dnlrbchd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Violence, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Classism, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy
ceallaighsbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
“‘Will you tell me of your birth?’ They tilted their head and looked at me as a bird might, with one bright eye.
‘Have you the whole night?’
‘I have nothing in the world but this night.’”
TITLE—The Story of Silence
AUTHOR—Alex Myers
PUBLISHED—2020
GENRE—literary/fantasy retelling
SETTING—a mythological, medieval England / Europe
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—gender; trans identity; Nature vs Nurture; animacy of Nature; Arthurian lore; English folk and faery customs and beliefs
WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
BONUS ELEMENT/S—The clear reverence shown the natural world and the belief in the personhood and sanctity of the entire natural world (animals, plants, rivers etc.)
PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️—“You can speak your mind with courage only if you are an honest man.”
“A woman and a man. A man as much a woman. Proof that we are all a little both, a little neither. Proof that rules hold us less tightly than we imagine! Nature speaks to us all in our own individual riddles. Haw!’”
This was an awesome retelling of a medieval French poem featuring Arthurian tropes and characters. It was a thoughtful and emotional look at not just the trans experience but the exploration of gender and identity in general. By using the dialogue between Nature and Nurture, present in the original poem, but greatly fleshed out in Myers retelling, Myers recreates not only the courtly, “morality” feel of a traditional medieval tale, but a story whose relevance is particularly apt for our current time.
Last thought: ALL I wanted though was for [redacted] to not [redacted] after [redacted]. 😭 I NEVER get what I want. 😭😭😭
“If I tell it right, it will be a story that sings on, speaking to self after self, telling the tale of what it means to be and become.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
TW // bullying, violence, sexism, misogyny, misgendering
Further Reading—
- Silence, trans. by Sarah Roche-Mahdi
- The Last Unicorn, by Peter Beagle
- The Wolf in the Whale, by Jordanna Max Brodsky
- The Last Kingdom, by Bernard Cornwell
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death and Death of parent
More...