Rating: 
Summary: A good mixture of fantasy and reality
Review: After sending her off to live with foster parents almost eight years ago, the Earl of Exeter finally disowns his daughter Eliza. In 1689 England, a female teenager has almost no chance of survival without male protection. The intrepid Eliza seeks that by looking for her eleven brothers. However, Eliza is soon shocked to learn that her stepmother has changed her siblings into swans, who fly her to the New World to keep her safe. Eliza learns from a fairy how to save her siblings from the curse. In 1981 New York, the family of Elias Latham disowns him due to his sexual preference. Only the intervention of Sean Donnelly saves the lad from a nightmarish life on the streets. Soon Sean and Elias become lovers. However, their happiness is disturbed when Sean becomes ill with AIDs, a strange disease that seems to be destroying homosexuals. THE WILD SWANS is a blending of a historical story with a contemporary plot. Both stories are well-written entertaining, and the characters seem genuine. However, though there are many inferences between the tales, Peg Kerr fails to unite the two story lines into one major plot. Each tale could have been a stand alone novel relished by readers, but intertwining them leaves the total much less than either segment. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: An oddly touching fiction which I found interesting. But it was missing something I can't quite pinpoint....
Rating:
Summary: Very well-written, though not my usual fare
Review: Both stories were well-written but I would have enjoyed them better as separate stories. Having said that I would never have bothered to read Elias' story if that happened - and Elias' story is more sensitively written. You can see him growing and can truly experience his emotions. You don't feel the same for Eliza, though the male characters - William and Jonathan - are drawn much better. I knew there would be two threads from the start, but expected them to converge rather than run parallel. There were tantalising echoes of one story in the other, in the choice of people's names and their attitudes, but those echoes did nothing to actually further either plot, and could have been omitted. The lamest part was the way the 11 brothers were woven into the AIDS story. They didn't impinge on Elias' life so it wouldn't have mattered if they hadn't been there. Read this book on the assumption that there are 2 separate stories, and you will enjoy it. Be warned that Elias' story doesn't have a happy ending, though it has closure. Nothing is ever said of what happens to the Countess, who should be justly punished, or for that matter what happens to Benjamin with his wing (does he get his arm back at night?). A sequel might be in order here.
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderfully moving novel
Review: I enjoyed this book thoroughly. I thought that the stories fit together well, though I respect the opinion of those who disagree. If you thought that Alec and Seregil's relationship in Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner Series was believable and well-drawn, I think you will get a lot out of this story as well.
Rating:
Summary: Structural and emotional complexity reward awake readers.
Review: I had the pleasure of watching this book being written, as Peg Kerr and I are members of the same critique group. So I was delighted when its editor asked me if I would supply a cover-blurb. I kept it short, but as usual, it got cut for space in the final cover design. It read in full: "Peg Kerr has written a breathtaking book. It has three parts: fairy tale, reality, and the silent spaces in between. Like music, the silences are as vital as the tones. And like music, it will play in your head long afterwards." All most assuredly meant. I think the Kirkus reviewer must have been reading in his sleep. Elias is not a descendant of Eliza so much as a reincarnation in another universe; the connections, sometimes playful, sometimes profound, between the two threads of the book run through a sort of thematic hyperspace, and are to be found on nearly every page. I think it was most brilliantly and delicately done, and I recommend it to your attention. Best regards, Lois McMaster Bujold.
Rating: 
Summary: fell a bit short for me
Review: I must say I really enjoyed the premise for this book - the fairtale retelling of the Wild Swans matched with a modern story of a young man who is also searching for family. I found that the author DID make a lot of connections between both "worlds" and that there was poignancy and meaning to both as well. Unfortunately, I found that the characters weren't passionate enough for me. Some of Elias' thoughts just seemed to be words on paper and not heartfelt emotions - or at least the author didn't choose words that conveyed the emotion to me... At any rate, it's still an enjoyable book - one worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: inextricable
Review: I picked up this novel on recommendation from a friend. I wasn't sure what to expect at all, but ultimately I'm so glad that I read it.
Like a number of other reviewers, I feel that the story concerning Elias is more engaging than Eliza's story. Don't get me wrong, Eliza's story was interesting and well-written, but I knew the fairy tale that this book is based upon and could figure out the ending. Ms. Kerr does a fabulous job of presenting the same sort of story in two different contexts with two different endings. The reader is sure that Eliza will get her happy ending. Today especially, readers know that Elias and his "brothers" cannot reach the same sort of resolution.
I liked the paralells between the two stories a great deal. There is a bit in the very last chapter that ties the two tales together in a very nice way...I won't reveal it, because I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone.
This book opened my eyes to thoughts and people that I hadn't considered before. The "modern" side of the story literally broke my heart. Again, I don't want to spoil the ending, but suffice to say that I was at my job when I finished reading this, and I cried enough that I had to close my shop for ten minutes while I got myself back together enough to face the public. I have read very few books that have moved me and changed my world as much as this one did. I have recommended it to most of my friends, and now I urge anybody who has stopped to read this review to pick up a copy of your own.
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking, eye opening, surprising
Review: I picked up this novel on recommendation from a friend. I wasn't sure what to expect at all, but ultimately I'm so glad that I read it.
Like a number of other reviewers, I feel that the story concerning Elias is more engaging than Eliza's story. Don't get me wrong, Eliza's story was interesting and well-written, but I knew the fairy tale that this book is based upon and could figure out the ending. Ms. Kerr does a fabulous job of presenting the same sort of story in two different contexts with two different endings. The reader is sure that Eliza will get her happy ending. Today especially, readers know that Elias and his "brothers" cannot reach the same sort of resolution.
I liked the paralells between the two stories a great deal. There is a bit in the very last chapter that ties the two tales together in a very nice way...I won't reveal it, because I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone.
This book opened my eyes to thoughts and people that I hadn't considered before. The "modern" side of the story literally broke my heart. Again, I don't want to spoil the ending, but suffice to say that I was at my job when I finished reading this, and I cried enough that I had to close my shop for ten minutes while I got myself back together enough to face the public. I have read very few books that have moved me and changed my world as much as this one did. I have recommended it to most of my friends, and now I urge anybody who has stopped to read this review to pick up a copy of your own.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected, but magnificant still!
Review: I purchased this book simply because of the author. After having read Emerald House Rising, and finding it stunning, I was willing to give anything by Peg Kerr a chance. I was not disappointed. I picked up the book one morning and finished it the following evening; loathing putting it down as it was completely captivating. The book intertwines two parallel plots, although they do not truly appear parallel until you reach the end. The plots appear so completely different that it is a stunning feat for the author to have brought them together so perfectly. Had it been written by anyone else, I would never have read this particular book, as it does not seem to be a part of any of my customary reading themes. Altogethor a very worth while, not to mention horizon expanding, read.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected, but magnificent still!
Review: I purchased this book solely because of the author. After having read Emerald House Rising, and finding it breath taking, I was willing to give anything by Peg Kerr a chance. I was not disappointed. I picked up the book one morning and finished the following evening, the whole time loathing each interval where I had to put it down, as it was completely captivating. The Wild Swans entails two parallel plots that do not seem entirely parallel until you reach the end. The two tales are so different that it is an astounding feat of the author to have tied them together so perfectly. Ultimately each left the imprint that family is precious, and must be fought for despite persecution, sought for despite apparent disappearance If not for the author, I never would have chosen to read this book, as it is in no way related to the normal choices of my reading. Yet I found it to be fascinating, as well as eye opening. The characters are well developed and presented, consistently conveying emotion in both action and speech. Both story lines are well thought out and flowing, each making you desire to keep turning pages. Altogether an enchanting, not to mention horizon broadening, read.
| 
