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Yes, yes, yes. I wasn't a huge fan of Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls series (Shiver et al.), so I didn't really expect much from this - but I LOVED it. It's moody and weird and bewitching, like nothing else I've ever read. The story seems to exist outside of time and space (I had no clue what time period it was set in, until a character mentioned "women's suffrage" towards the end of the book, and the setting is a small island I assume to be located off Scotland? or maybe Ireland? since the story incorporates creatures from Celtic mythology). The narration switches back and forth between the two main characters: Puck, a feisty, fearless girl who was orphaned by the water horses, and Sean, the quiet, mysterious four-time winner of the Scorpio Races. Puck becomes the first girl to enter the annual race, which she does to save her home, and this is how she and Sean cross paths. Sean is in the race because he's always in the race, and he needs to win so he can buy his beloved water horse, Corr, from his wealthy employer. So they enter the race, they train for the race, they race. Throw in lots of family drama, some first-wave feminism, a wee bit of romance, and a good dose of death and dismemberment, and that's that. Really this book isn't very supernatural at all, except that the horses in the race happen to crave human flesh and come from the sea (!). Other than that, it's a pretty straightforward coming-of-age tale. I love the characters, I love the writing, I love the horses, I love the totally believable romance - but most of all, I think, I love the heartbreak of it all. It's hard to explain, really. I think some Shiver fans will hate this, because it's much more quiet and subtle, but I found it to be totally enchanting.
This is a beautiful and haunting novel. I think I might identify with the protagonist more than most readers will, as we both were raised in strict evangelical Christian homes (the kind where women aren't supposed to wear pants but are supposed to defer to their husbands in all things), and we both ended up dismantling and reconstructing our belief systems to make sense of the world around us. But I think Hannah's story will resonate with almost anyone who has questioned or reimagined her worldview.
The setting is a dystopian, not-too-distant future in which the American prison system has collapsed and so criminals are sentenced to spend x number of years out in the world with their skin dyed whatever color matches their class of crime instead (yellow for misdemeanors, red for murder, etc). As one can imagine, these "Chromes" are regularly discriminated against, shunned, attacked, even killed. This isn't something Hannah gives a whole lot of thought to in her sheltered little world - that is, until she has an affair and an abortion (now illegal), then gets caught and sentenced to sixteen years as a (red) Chrome herself.
The premise isn't terribly original if you read a lot of dystopia (or have even heard of The Scarlet Letter), but I do think Hannah's emotional journey is incredibly well-conceived. All these horrible things happen to her and she's basically running for her life throughout the whole book, but at the same time it's like she's truly ALIVE for the first time. She's seeing and experiencing the world for what it is, she's making her own choices, deciding her own fate. It's very empowering.
The message also is VERY pro-choice (to the point of embracing gun-toting, anarchist reproductive rights activists) so this book has its agenda and isn't going to appeal to everyone (like my mom, for example), but I like that the author was careful to reveal the dangers of mixing church and state and the potential pitfalls of organized religion *without* being overtly anti-religious or anti-Christian. Yes, there are some scary, self-righteous Christian zealots in the book, but Hannah's dad is a wonderful example of a person of unwavering faith who is NOT like that. There also is a random, beautiful cameo by an Episcopalian minister towards the end of the book that I found to be really poignant. All in all it's a thoughtful and compelling read, fast-paced and full of adventure but also full of big ideas.
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(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
This is a beautifully bizarre novel. It's full of eccentric characters (a living statue, a woman who believes she's a dog, etc.) leading eccentric lives in an extremely eccentric setting, but underneath all that is a simple, thoughtful story about life, love, and loneliness. It's hard to describe and impossible to forget. This is one of my favorites in recent years, and I'm truly surprised that both book and author are not more widely known in the US.
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Heidi Millay has commented on (3) products.
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Heidi Millay, January 4, 2012
Yes, yes, yes. I wasn't a huge fan of Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls series (Shiver et al.), so I didn't really expect much from this - but I LOVED it. It's moody and weird and bewitching, like nothing else I've ever read. The story seems to exist outside of time and space (I had no clue what time period it was set in, until a character mentioned "women's suffrage" towards the end of the book, and the setting is a small island I assume to be located off Scotland? or maybe Ireland? since the story incorporates creatures from Celtic mythology). The narration switches back and forth between the two main characters: Puck, a feisty, fearless girl who was orphaned by the water horses, and Sean, the quiet, mysterious four-time winner of the Scorpio Races. Puck becomes the first girl to enter the annual race, which she does to save her home, and this is how she and Sean cross paths. Sean is in the race because he's always in the race, and he needs to win so he can buy his beloved water horse, Corr, from his wealthy employer. So they enter the race, they train for the race, they race. Throw in lots of family drama, some first-wave feminism, a wee bit of romance, and a good dose of death and dismemberment, and that's that. Really this book isn't very supernatural at all, except that the horses in the race happen to crave human flesh and come from the sea (!). Other than that, it's a pretty straightforward coming-of-age tale. I love the characters, I love the writing, I love the horses, I love the totally believable romance - but most of all, I think, I love the heartbreak of it all. It's hard to explain, really. I think some Shiver fans will hate this, because it's much more quiet and subtle, but I found it to be totally enchanting.When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
Heidi Millay, September 30, 2011
This is a beautiful and haunting novel. I think I might identify with the protagonist more than most readers will, as we both were raised in strict evangelical Christian homes (the kind where women aren't supposed to wear pants but are supposed to defer to their husbands in all things), and we both ended up dismantling and reconstructing our belief systems to make sense of the world around us. But I think Hannah's story will resonate with almost anyone who has questioned or reimagined her worldview.The setting is a dystopian, not-too-distant future in which the American prison system has collapsed and so criminals are sentenced to spend x number of years out in the world with their skin dyed whatever color matches their class of crime instead (yellow for misdemeanors, red for murder, etc). As one can imagine, these "Chromes" are regularly discriminated against, shunned, attacked, even killed. This isn't something Hannah gives a whole lot of thought to in her sheltered little world - that is, until she has an affair and an abortion (now illegal), then gets caught and sentenced to sixteen years as a (red) Chrome herself.
The premise isn't terribly original if you read a lot of dystopia (or have even heard of The Scarlet Letter), but I do think Hannah's emotional journey is incredibly well-conceived. All these horrible things happen to her and she's basically running for her life throughout the whole book, but at the same time it's like she's truly ALIVE for the first time. She's seeing and experiencing the world for what it is, she's making her own choices, deciding her own fate. It's very empowering.
The message also is VERY pro-choice (to the point of embracing gun-toting, anarchist reproductive rights activists) so this book has its agenda and isn't going to appeal to everyone (like my mom, for example), but I like that the author was careful to reveal the dangers of mixing church and state and the potential pitfalls of organized religion *without* being overtly anti-religious or anti-Christian. Yes, there are some scary, self-righteous Christian zealots in the book, but Hannah's dad is a wonderful example of a person of unwavering faith who is NOT like that. There also is a random, beautiful cameo by an Episcopalian minister towards the end of the book that I found to be really poignant. All in all it's a thoughtful and compelling read, fast-paced and full of adventure but also full of big ideas.
(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Observatory Mansions by Edward Carey
Heidi Millay, June 22, 2009
This is a beautifully bizarre novel. It's full of eccentric characters (a living statue, a woman who believes she's a dog, etc.) leading eccentric lives in an extremely eccentric setting, but underneath all that is a simple, thoughtful story about life, love, and loneliness. It's hard to describe and impossible to forget. This is one of my favorites in recent years, and I'm truly surprised that both book and author are not more widely known in the US.