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Summary: Sevenwater, Ireland, and Sorcha
Review: This is an beautifully written book. She keeps you from the beginning and doesn't let on to what exactly comes next. Being of Irish descent and currently researching Irish traditions and folklore, I have found this most tantalizing. Using the Legend of King Lir and forming it into an extensive story was quit unique. I found it excellent reading.
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Summary: Daughter of the Forest
Review: Daughter of the Forest, written by Juliet Marillier, is a captivating retelling of the classic Celtic fairy-tale of the Seven Swans. It is the first of the Seven Waters Trilogy, and is set in a time where magic was real and faeries were not altogether impossible. The heroine of this story is a young girl by the name of Sorcha. Though lacking the mother who gave her life during childbirth, she is blessed by the seven brothers who love her deeply. However, when her new stepmother moves in, things turn awry and an evil spell besets her brothers. This is a tale of love, courage, and passion. It is the story of a young woman who must choose between love for her country and magic, and the love for the man who is considered an enemy. I highly recommend this book to those who have never given up on magic, and those who believe in happily ever after.
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Summary: A well done peace of art
Review: I own this book and I love it. This book reminds me of a tale that I read when I was 5 and it has been my favorite tale all my life. Juliet is a fantastic writer of Fair Folk and magical tense and romance to boot. I am 14 and I loved this book so much I read all 544 pages in 2 days. This book keeps the reader intatched to the story and it is also a tear dropper. I love this book and would recommend it to anyone i mean ANYONE that loves fantasy and a good refreshing of the soul.
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Summary: dark and beautiful
Review: Being a fast reader I read this book in about four hours and was very hard to put it away. The pages breathe life into a shadowy era that we don't know much about, and presents characters that seem to live beneath your fingertips. Although it is fantasy, Mariller writes so that it truly makes you believe it happened at one time. For a first novel, Mariller exceeds some of the more seasoned writers by far. There are unforgettable scenes, such as young Sorcha caring for Simon in the herb-scented hut of Father Brian. It is enchanting and yet incredibly real.
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Summary: "Stunningly Wonderful" doesn't even cover it.
Review: ...The characters virtually jump from the pages. I found myself cheering the triumphs, and simultaneously crying at the tragedies yet applauding Ms. Marillier at her plot choices and wording. My one recommendation to readers would be: clear your social calendar for this one, you will not want to put it down. Brava to Ms. Marillier and the smart cookie at the publishing company who decided to pick her up.
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Summary: So very fine
Review: _Daughter of the Forest_ might just be the best novel I've read in ages. Marillier deftly sets the fairy tale "The Six Swans" in dark-ages Ireland; think of the general time period of _The Mists of Avalon_, when Christian and Pagan, Gael and Briton and Saxon, were fighting and feuding and even sometimes getting along. The tale fits in amazingly well in the setting; the famous fairy tale echoes the Irish legend of Fionnuala and the children of Lir, which predated it. The transformations, the impossible quests, the painful vows work perfectly in the Celtic milieu. Sorcha is the determined sister of the tale; she is a young girl with a healing gift and a love of nature. In fact, it must be Marillier's love for nature's beauty that shines through Sorcha's words; every page is filled with lovely descriptions and a sense of magic. Her mission, to weave shirts of stinging starwort for her six brothers while remaining silent, is made even more poignant by two of Marillier's additions to the tale. First, Sorcha is a born storyteller; everything she does has a story to be told with it, and even as she keeps herself mute, she tells stories to herself in her mind. Second, Marillier has given each of the brothers a distinct personality. Some remain somewhat two-dimensional, but two or three of the brothers are vivid as life, and this makes their plight more urgent to the reader. I am floored when I hear that this was Marillier's first novel. The beauty of the prose, the vision of nature, the haunting love stories, and the vivid characters ensure that I'll be reading the two sequels, and anything else Marillier writes after that. Wonderful.
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Summary: Riveting
Review: Marillier here presents an exceedingly well-executed retelling, one that in hands less skilled would have failed miserably. To write a book that manages to be suspenseful and intriguing while the main character cannot utter a word is a rare accomplishment. Rarer still is the author's ability to make the reader truly care about the characters. Sorcha's experiences of loss and heartbreak are keenly felt, as are the various tragedies that befall the characters over the course of the story. This is by no means a light read, but its tight plot and economical prose make it impossible to put down. There are drawbacks, however, which keep it from being great as opposed to just good. One of the lesser drawbacks is the one-dimensionality of the evil Lady Oonagh. As soon as she comes, somehow everyone instantly knows and accepts the idea that she is evil. Although the characters are supposed to have intuitive powers that would make this believable, it still fails to be convincing. It would have made greater impact to show why the Lady Oonagh is evil (which does happen eventually) *before* all the characters leap into defensive positions. As it is, their reaction to her arrival seems over-dramatized (calling her engagement to their father a "tragedy") given their limited knowledge of her. Another limitation of the story is its tendency to make a martyr of the main character. While one cannot help but admire Sorcha's strength through all her trials, sometimes that admiration becomes annoyance and one begins to wonder: Does she have any flaws? Sorcha's unimpeachable actions from start to finish in the face of her universal rejection sometimes make her too much the stereotypical angel in the house. In much the same way, Red is so perfect as to be almost ridiculous. The last drawback is purely subjective: I dislike romance novels, and the book is wrapped up in such a way that it turns the entire story, in retrospect, into a romance. I had liked the romantic relationship in the story when I thought it was incidental to the plot; once it became the main point, it quickly went sour for me--the whole story then was stood on its head and became a conventional love story. In fact, that is why I gave "Daughter of the Forest" three stars instead of four--the ending changed my entire perspective of the book. But for those who enjoy romance, this should not be a problem. On the whole, this is a well-written, fast-paced and vividly characterized story. In addition to all this, it evokes images that are haunting and poetic, contains themes of love and sorrow that echo through it like a melody. Despite the drawbacks enumerated above, "Daughter of the Forest" is an exceptional debut novel and well worth reading.
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Summary: Fantastique!
Review: Bottom line, is it good? Is it worth your time? Would it be worth purchasing in hardback? I answered yes to all these questions and bottom line, after a bit of a slow start, at least for me, this book will enchant you in ways you'll love. Be prepared for some strong emotions and storytelling that go beyond the mundane. I never knew the original story of the 7 swans, but after this book it's forever etched in my memory. If you like fantasy and if you're a romance fan, you'll love this book. I couldn't put it down. Julliet Marillier has become a new favorite author. Wow. You've got to read this one fantasy fans.
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Summary: Full of the haunting magic of the forest itself
Review: This book is a fantastic retelling of the old legend of the boys turned swans and the sister who must keep silent to save them. Sorcha is a delightful heroine who sacrifices her childhood and part of her life to save her brothers. In this she demonstrates both her love and compassion for her siblings as well as her strength and determination to break the enchantment of the evil sorceress who ensorcelled her father and transformed her brothers. Yet strong as she is, she cannot do this alone and late one night, a British lord rescues her from drowning and grants her his protection. Unable to talk, she is forced from her native land to a strange place over the sea. The people their are wary around her because it is their nature to distrust the people of Erin (Ireland). In a hostile house, she works at her task of sewing the shirts, making unexpected friends and winning the respect of those around her. Hugh or Red as his friends call him, endeavours to seek out the mysteries behind the woman and gain her trust. He too is strong and protects her with his body and soul for he is enchanted by this beautiful young girl who he plucked wild and half-starved from the river. Wonderful beginning to a smashing trilogy.
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Summary: Strong character makes a good read
Review: Marillier's newness as an author is evident in this enjoyable retelling of Irish myth; there is some real awkwardness in the writing. Nonetheless, the book has a strong main character whose tale is hard to put down. She also keeps the story tight throughout, with no dull moments and enough tension to be a page-turner. Don't expect genious, but do settle in for a good story with some wonderful characters.
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