The Onion Girl

Rating:
Summary: De Lint's Onion Girl
Review: In the Onion Girl, De Lint fans will find his usual superb writing and his interesting take on mythologies and urban fantasies; however, as a De Lint fan, be prepared to have the veil removed regarding the always cheerful, favorite character, Jilly.

New readers for De Lint are better off starting with books like Moonheart or The Little Country--they are a little more lighthearted and more descriptive of both De Lint's urban Newford and his spirit world. The Onion Girl is darker and relies more on past Newford characters and their experiences 'crossing over' into fantasy as well as their experiences with the spirits in our world.

As a longtime De Lint fan, this book is as enjoyable as always.

Rating:
Summary: More a tract than a novel
Review: In this, Lint is providing more a tract on the consequences of childhood sexual abuse than a novel. This is in accordance with his other recent writings, which continue to use the spirit-world characters he developed in his early books, but far less imaginatively.

Rating:
Summary: If You Know Newford...
Review: In _The Onion Girl_, Newford artist Jilly Coppercorn suffers a devastating personal tragedy that forces her to re-evaluate her life and face things in her past that she'd rather not. As she is virtually the glue that holds Newford together, she is aided by a mind-boggling cast of characters, both this-worldly and otherworldly.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down, but I ended up having mixed feelings about it when I was done. On the one hand, DeLint's writing was a beautiful as ever, his depictions of the joys and terrors of the Otherworld as richly realised, his characters as real and his forthright pictures of some very ugly human experiences as affecting.

On the other hand, there are certain things I found a bit off. The cast of characters is SO enormous -- at times it seems that everyone who's ever appeared in a Newford story shows up at some time or another -- that it's a little hard to keep track of; I certainly wouldn't recommend reading this book unless you've at least read one or two of DeLint's short story anthologies. Towards the end, the message got just a little overbearing. At the same time, I didn't like the implication that only magic could really heal Jilly; I would have liked to see her take some real world steps to deal with her baggage. Maybe deciding to get therapy isn't magical, but I really think she could use it.

I did like that everything between Jilly and her "nemesis" wasn't completely resolved and that there was still some tension between them at the end. I also liked the fact that this ending wasn't a happy-ever-after kind of thing--that people underwent irreversable changes.

I didn't like that one character who could have been really interesting seemed to exist merely to deliver a heavy-handed message about standing up to bullies, which I think the book delivered effectively elsewhere. It seemed a waste of a character and brought up certain questions that were not answered to my satisfaction.

Probably if you're a DeLint fan already you'll like this book. If you haven't read anything by this fine writer, don't start here or you'll be lost.

Rating:
Summary: If You Know Newford...
Review: In _The Onion Girl_, Newford artist Jilly Coppercorn suffers a devastating personal tragedy that forces her to re-evaluate her life and face things in her past that she'd rather not. As she is virtually the glue that holds Newford together, she is aided by a mind-boggling cast of characters, both this-worldly and otherworldly.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down, but I ended up having mixed feelings about it when I was done. On the one hand, DeLint's writing was a beautiful as ever, his depictions of the joys and terrors of the Otherworld as richly realised, his characters as real and his forthright pictures of some very ugly human experiences as affecting.

On the other hand, there are certain things I found a bit off. The cast of characters is SO enormous -- at times it seems that everyone who's ever appeared in a Newford story shows up at some time or another -- that it's a little hard to keep track of; I certainly wouldn't recommend reading this book unless you've at least read one or two of DeLint's short story anthologies. Towards the end, the message got just a little overbearing. At the same time, I didn't like the implication that only magic could really heal Jilly; I would have liked to see her take some real world steps to deal with her baggage. Maybe deciding to get therapy isn't magical, but I really think she could use it.

I did like that everything between Jilly and her "nemesis" wasn't completely resolved and that there was still some tension between them at the end. I also liked the fact that this ending wasn't a happy-ever-after kind of thing--that people underwent irreversable changes.

I didn't like that one character who could have been really interesting seemed to exist merely to deliver a heavy-handed message about standing up to bullies, which I think the book delivered effectively elsewhere. It seemed a waste of a character and brought up certain questions that were not answered to my satisfaction.

Probably if you're a DeLint fan already you'll like this book. If you haven't read anything by this fine writer, don't start here or you'll be lost.

Rating:
Summary: Well done urban fantasy
Review: It was the John Jude Palencar cover that first attracted my attention to "The Onion Girl." And after that happened, I wondered if the title of the book had anything to do with the tune of the same name on Holly Cole's fabulous "Dear Dark Heart" CD.

It does.

Having never read anything of Mr. De Lint's before, his imaginary city, Newford, with its remarkable array of characters, was totally new. No opinion is therefore offered here as to how this book compares with others in the series.

At any rate, the tale told here, and told quite well indeed (the Native American mythology sprinkled throughout is likely to intrigue you as much as the story itself), is the touching tragedy of one of Newford's beloved artists, Jilly Coppercorn, who's been wounded in a hit and run accident and is trying to recover (she refers to herself as the "broken girl" although she's apparently in early middle age at the time of the story).

As she lies in bed in the "real world" in her dream time she adventures in the fairytale-ish "Otherworld." (The constantly shifting points of view, and changes from first-person to third-person narrative only serve to heighten the sense of dislocation.) Jilly is known best for her fairie paintings and someone breaks into her studio while she's recovering from the accident and vandalizes them. Her friends, one of whom's a police lieutenant, try to find out who that person is, and whether it's the same person who ran her down.

The most memorable character, however, turns out to be Raylene Carter, who tells her story in the first person with a white trash dialect she uses to her advantage. A victim of child abuse (a subject that clearly concerns Mr. De Lint, as it should all of us), she has left her abusive family while still a teenager and seems to have spent most of the time after her departure to trying to get even. And then she finds her way into the Otherworld too. And then things really start getting interesting.

You'll probably care a lot for Jilly and her supportive friends (we should all be as lucky as she is) and Raylene and her accomplice Pinky Miller; and the minor characters are well drawn too: Toby, Lucinda, the Tattersnake, and even those "crow girls" who turn up for a cameo at the end, and provide a bit of fun, at a time when it's needed, both for Jilly's sake and ours.

Since the book's origins are North American, with its tradition of serious fiction being one thing and genre fiction quite another, it's assigned to the genre category and stamped "fantasy." But: what would have happened if Mr. De Lint had pretended he was merely translating from the Portuguese the work of, say, "Joao Da Silva," and had set the tale in an imaginary city in Brazil? Then, it probably would not have been stamped fantasy at all, but hailed as an exemplar of Latin American "Magic Realism." It might then have been taken to be serious fiction and classified differently by those who love literary taxonomy more than reading a good novel.

Which this is.

Rating:
Summary: At last, Jilly's story....
Review: Jilly Coppercorn has always been my favorite of de Lint's characters. She's a guidepost for others, weaving in and out of his Newford-based stories. While her history has been hinted at before, this book brings to light the true horror of her past as well as her attempts to reconcile past with present. I think it's important that the author reminds us of the children "left behind"--perhaps it bothered him that Jilly's sister's story had been left untold for so long.

This book is definitely my new favorite full-length by de Lint (I've always favored his short stories). But at the same time, it's heartbreaking to see Jilly in this situation---I have mixed feelings about the book because it strips her of some of her mystery and dignity.

While it does feel a bit heavy-handed or contrived at times (hence 4 stars instead of 5), it's truly a great story about "unpeeling" the layers of yourself to find strength within. I think that we will see Jilly begin to bounce back with some of her old magic---I read the recent Christmas story CDL posted online and was pleased to see her make an appearance! A definite must for the de Lint fans; for newcomers, read the short stories first and fall in love with Jilly before you plunge into this saga.

Rating:
Summary: Glad to have found De Lint
Review: Just finished the book last night. This is the first De Lint book I have read so I was not disappointed like some reviewers, having no expectations. One aspect of the book I found very refreshing was the departure from the "good vs evil" theme that 1) infests most fantasy works, and 2) I have come to find boring because it gets so repetitiouos and predictable. This book kept my interest because I found myself caring about the characters and wondering what would happen next. The child abuse theme was difficult to take at times but I think was handled well. The ending wasn't clean and happy, but was alright - more like life than many fantasy fiction endings. I look forward to reading more of his work especially since several people think this isn't his best.

Rating:
Summary: Another great DeLint novel!
Review: Ok, I'm a big fan, I admit it. Starting with Moonheart, many years ago, DeLint's books never lose their fascination for me. The stark reality of the life on the streets blends with spirit world in that compelling and fascinating way of his.

Jilly Coppercorn has always been one of my favorite characters. She reminds me of a few of the wounded souls I know - lost children, indeed... it always amazes me that Charles DeLint, a man, can portray these women with such reality. It is not a spoiler to tell you that this book is about Jilly; we get to know her better than ever before, and to admire her strength.

I am not sure if I have read everything he has written, but I have certainly come close. This is one I will certainly read over again. Many of the people we have come to know over the years have at least a cameo. The tension and uncertainty of what will happen will keep you glued to the book, although I made myself come up for air a few times...just to make it last longer.

Rating:
Summary: Great story!
Review: Plot Summary: This is the story of a couple of abused girls and what they have made in their lives after escaping. Jilly Coppercorn has made a new life for herself after some hard years on the streets thanks to some very good friends and a great spirit. She is now a painter of everything urban/faerie and has even changed her last name to escape from her past. Raylene has not done so well but has one good friend thoughout her life in Pinky Miller. The story starts off with Jilly getting hit by a car and being left partially paralyzed and unconscious in the hospital. This accident has knocked Jilly into the dreamworld where she is whole again and can walk. Meanwhile Pinky and Raylene have found themselves in this same dreamwold as wolves and are hunting the unicorns there for their life and youth giving blood. Eventually Raylene runs into the sister that left her to their malicious brother by running away. The sister she has hated and held a grudge against for years.

Opinion: While my description above does not do the whole plot justice, I think it covers the main scope of two abused sisters finally reuniting in the World As It Is and the dreamworld and their paths to getting there. I really thought this was a great story and well told. Some of the female friends of Jilly seemed too similar for me to distinguish between them but it wasn't really necessary for story enjoyment. Perhaps other Newford books flesh them out a little, I am not sure. On the other hand, Jilly, Raylene, Joe, and a few of the others were incredibly well done. I was sympathetic with almost every character that played more than a minor role. While I cannot imagine the horror shared by some of the characters, I never felt that anyone's actions were forced as plot devices or as overly wrong in anyway. There were no moments when I thought "There is no way a person in that situation would do THAT!" and that is rare in a lot of fantasy stories. The fantasy world of Mabon and the Greatwoods played a major part in this story but were not the point of the story at all. It was touch and go at the end there whether or not the ending would be quick and easy and bad. I am happy to say the ending was in line with the rest of the novel. I thought the ending was quite realistic. Everyone should have friends like Jilly's friends. Despite the somber subject matter, the ending did provide a ray of hope for many of the characters.

Recommendation: I have not read any previous de Lint works and was recommended this book by the good fellows at another website message board and I was not dissappointed. The only thing keeping me from actively reading more in this series or more by de Lint in general is that this story leaned a little too much towards the faerieland side of the genre and that is not my thing really. The story told and the way it was told were fantastic though and I would not feel bad reading anything by de Lint. So overall I rate this 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent! Magical! A New Classic
Review: The Onion Girl and Charles de Lint is now in my "Hall of Excellence" along with the other classics -- Tolkien, Blake, Lady of Avalon and others. This book has such heart!!

Magical! A joy to read. I don't want to give away details of the book, but these characters, (Jilly, Raylene, Pinky, Wendy, Joe and friends) could be people you know, would like to know or yourself! There aren't any "minor characters", all of them are strong personalities. It's well written with characters that come alive. I just finished it and I'm reading it second time. Buy it and enjoy!