Susan Hated Literature

May 29 2008

Memory and Dream

Published by Fence under Books

Author: Charles De Lint
ISBN: 0330339591 DDC: 813.54
Once Upon a Time Challenge
LibraryThing : More reviews

Katherine Mulley had been dead for five years and two months, the morning Isabelle received the letter from her.

I’ve read a few of De Lint’s books in recent years (and how old does typing that make me feel) but I think this may be my favourite so far. It tells the story of Isabelle Copley, an artist who has, in many ways, retreated from the world to live in isolation on an island, and the beings her paintings breathe life into. The story takes place over twenty years, and a lot is told through flashbacks, as well as the odd journal entry. The majority of the story we see through Isabelle’s eyes (though not in first person), but there are few others who have bits and pieces to tell us as well. The use of flashbacks and these different narrators means that the reader is never sure what happened in the past. Important events seem so different depending on the character, but it never gets so frustrating that I wanted the author to have used a different story-telling device.

Tags: 'verse, 8 Stars, 813.54, art, artists, Charles De Lint, Memory and Dream, Newford, Once Upon A Time Challenge, sff

2 responses so far

Apr 23 2008

Finally!

Published by Fence under Books

Once Upon A Time II A good while ago Carl launched his second Once Upon a Time reading challenge. And I think I’ve finally made my decision and a going to go with the second option:

Quest the Second
Read at least one book from each of the four categories. In this quest you will be reading 4 books total: one fantasy, one folklore, one fairy tale, and one mythology.

Fantasy - Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint, and it turns out that this is the first in the Newford series, which is nice.
Folklore - The Tooth Fairy by Graham Joyce. The tooth fairy counts as a character from folklore right?
Fairy Tale - Tithe by Holly Black. It is subtitled a modern faerie tale so it must fit.
Mythology - this one I have yet to decide on. I’ve one or two in mind, but I’m not certain exactly what I’ll be reading.

Tags: Challenges, Charles De Lint, Graham Joyce, Holly Black, Once Upon A Time Challenge

15 responses so far

Apr 23 2007

The Blue Girl

Published by Fence under Books

Author: Charles de Lint
DDC: 813.54
See also: Library Thing ; Once Upon a Time ; A Librarian told me so

It starts with this faint sound that pulls me out of sleep: a sort of calliope music played on an ensemble of toy instruments. You know, as though there’s a raggedy orchestra playing quietly in some hidden corner of my bedroom, like the echo of a Tom Waits song heard through the walls from the apartment next door.

The blue girl of the title is Imogene, one of the narrators of this book. She and her family have just moved to a new neighbourhood in Newford, and Imogene is determined not to cause trouble. Not everyone wants her to fit in though. At her new school she is picked on by the “popular crowd” although never to the extent that her best friend Maxine is. And of course talking with ghost is never a very normal thing to do. Still, unless trouble comes looking for her Imogene won’t go looking for it. But there’s the rub, trouble, in the form of the school’s resident fairy population, does come looking for her and it isn’t everyday teenage hassle either. No, the fairies bring with them the probability of death.