Elle Hartford
Given that the collection is from 1968, I expected the stories to be watered down & cleaned up a bit – and they are, but not unduly. Actually the author's voice is charming, and does recognize characters as morally grey. The book includes a range of stories which can be read straight through as one loose narrative. All in all it's a fun collection, especially for someone already familiar with the stories.
Wonderful fun to read, even if you're already familiar with the storyline from movies/shows/etc!
Before I picked up this book, I already knew (and admired) Rachel Carson and her work – and Murphy's narrative just made me more impressed than ever with Silent Spring. The writing style is easy to follow and everything is carefully organized. An interesting read for anyone who wants to know more about environmental topics, public debate, or books & media in the 1960s.
What a fun setting for a cozy! I loved the island and all the colorful characters. It was neat learning along with Sadie, too. She's set up in a really good position to be solving mysteries without being too nosy etc.
Overall I would recommend this book and I look forward to the sequels!
A very fun collection of stories showing many sides of NYC! I love the variety and the cleverness of the mysteries. I'd definitely recommend it to mystery lovers and lovers of NYC alike.
And yes, I am a little biased because one of my stories is in the collection . . . But really, I was blown away by the rest of the stories included in the book! :)
This one has been in my TBR for a long time. I'm glad I read it and I'm impressed by the world-building, though some of the themes weren't quite for me. I think perhaps I am not familiar enough with Wizard of Oz to have understood exactly how some of the side characters' stories come together; but if you are a big fan of Wizard of Oz, the amount of detail should be quite rewarding!
A lovely collection of stories about plants and the ways they travel through space and time, written in a very accessible, conversational style.
This was a re-read. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy Amelia! The whole adventure was pure wish fulfillment for me, as a former archaeology student. ;)
That said–I'd also forgotten how the tension drags on a bit, haha. And I adore Evelyn, but her scruples–though probably time-appropriate–do get a bit frustrating. I hadn't remembered much of the plot, but midway through I did remember the solution (or maybe I've gotten better at guessing? xD) and came to my conclusion quite a bit before Amelia and Emerson did.
Still, though–I thoroughly enjoyed being swept away by this book, and the characters are lovable for all their flaws. I look forward to continuing the series!
I think giving this a star rating is highly personal, more so than with fiction. I read this on my own because I'd always heard about it, not for a class/etc. I loved the way each chapter took a myth or two (from many different cultures) and analyzed it. Some of the analyses about being wounded & finding yourself were things I needed to hear when I was a bit younger, and at this point in my journey, they echoed things I'd already thought. So that's what I mean about the rating being personal: had I come across this book when I was, say, 20, I might have given it 5 stars. For me now, it wasn't quite as revelatory, and so I found the intricate and sometimes repetitive writing style a little slow. It's gorgeous, but also heavy (which I think it's meant to be).
Bottom line: I would recommend this to anyone – yes, not just women – with an interest in self-discovery and healing, as well as the power of myth. But my recommendation would come with the grain of salt that you can't expect all of it to be super-relevant: there's so much there that you'll have to pick and choose what speaks to you at this moment.
Absolutely gorgeous, plus the archaeologist in me adored reading through the notes and profile after each witch's story. It doesn't gloss over the tougher points in history or in life, but it does paint as full and beautiful a picture as possible in limited space.