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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
reflective
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
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:
No
3.5 stars
A quick and marvellously written story about selkies and land folks in the whaling era.
A quick and marvellously written story about selkies and land folks in the whaling era.
Welp, I ate that up. And you say Joanne Harris has written other fantasy/folk books? Lovely. I'll read all of them.
I've enjoyed all of Joanne Harris's books, but her child-ballad inspired folk tales are sublime. They're not great weighty tomes to be waded through, or complex puzzles to be deciphered; they're short, simple stories full of wonderful imagery and warming words that weave a spell on you.
I should also mention that this is probably one of the most treasured books on my bookshelves, along with Pocketful of Crows and Orfeia. They're small hardbacks with beautiful covers, amazingly illustrated, and just feel so good to hold and to read.
I should also mention that this is probably one of the most treasured books on my bookshelves, along with Pocketful of Crows and Orfeia. They're small hardbacks with beautiful covers, amazingly illustrated, and just feel so good to hold and to read.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Written like a legend, this book is an easy, quick read but beautiful and thought-provoking!
The writing was really beautiful. The implications at the end seemed kind of conservative and misogynistic. Supposedly Flora stole the selkie's coat because otherwise "all men leave"so she had to trap him. Gross. This is a fantasy story where the writer could have created a world free of stereotypical gender dynamics and I think it would have made a much more interesting story.