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The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic #1
The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Fantasy (2013)Earning comparisons to wildly popular fantasy novels by Deborah Harkness and Lev Grossman, Emily Croy Barker’s enchanting debut offers an intelligent escape into a richly imagined world. And with an appealing female protagonist, cinematic storytelling, wry humor, and wonderfully clever literary references, The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic is sure to capture the imaginations of readers everywhere.
During a miserable weekend at a friend’s wedding, eager to forget about her disastrous breakup and stalled dissertation, Nora Fischer wanders off and somehow finds herself in another realm. There, she meets glamorous Ilissa—who introduces Nora to a decadent new world—and her gorgeous son Raclin. But when the elegant veneer of this dreamland shatters, Nora finds herself in a fairy tale gone incredibly wrong. And the only way she can survive is by learning real magic herself.
During a miserable weekend at a friend’s wedding, eager to forget about her disastrous breakup and stalled dissertation, Nora Fischer wanders off and somehow finds herself in another realm. There, she meets glamorous Ilissa—who introduces Nora to a decadent new world—and her gorgeous son Raclin. But when the elegant veneer of this dreamland shatters, Nora finds herself in a fairy tale gone incredibly wrong. And the only way she can survive is by learning real magic herself.
563 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2013
About the author
Emily Croy Barker
2 books1,556 followersI wrote The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic after a couple of characters, Nora and Aruendiel, wandered into my imagination and wouldn’t leave. In fact, they're still there. Their story continues in How to Talk to a Goddess and Other Lessons in Real Magic.
“I’m not sure what I love more about How to Talk to a Goddess and Other Lessons in Real Magic—its immersive world of enchantments, so lavishly imagined, or its characters, who are wise and funny and flawed, who win me over with their compelling voices, their wit and heart. A splendid follow-up to The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic—a sparkling, smart, irresistible read.”—Sally Rosen Kindred, author of Where the Wolf and Says the Forest to the Girl
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,398 reviews
December 4, 2013
To say this book is like Lev Grossman's The Magicians is like saying eating foie gras is like eating a rectum. Sure, they're both parts of the same animal's internal organs, but in one situation you're eating lovely, unctuous, rich goodness, and in the other you're just eating mostly digested crap.
Considering I really liked The Magicians, and that I absolutely loved Pride & Prejudice, you don't even want to hear me make a metaphor on this book's supposed similarity to the aforementioned book. My anger-fueled metaphor would involve something to the likes of a putrefying corpse, a regurgitated meal, and a honey badger.
The title: complete misnomer. For one thing, we're led to believe that our heroine is a thinking woman. Nora is not. She's a fucking moron. When we meet her, Nora is a woman with #firstworldproblems up the yin yang. She's an English Ph.D candidate whose dissertation is coming undone, or rather...un-Donne. She knowingly chose a topic that's been plowed over and over and over by thousands of other candidates, and is now shocked, utterly SHOCKED, I tell you, that she's stuck without a viable idea on which to write. Her brilliant, charismatic, distant (and long-distance) boyfriend also chooses this particular time to announce that he's getting married...but not to her. To his other girlfriend, who is more interesting and more intelligent (and to be honest, I completely sympathized with the boyfriend). Awkward. Nora also nurses some pretty harsh, antagonistic attitude towards her very competent mentor, who seems to have it all together.
Nora got sucked into this situation due to her own stupidity, she gets enchanted by a mysterious woman and her band of oddly-named friends, and it is a literal whirlwind. Within the next...25 pages or so, Nora is given a magical makeover, gets pulled into the jet-setting lifestyle of the strange group of well...strangers, gets engaged, wanders through yet another portal from out of nowhere, meets a band of ruffians and a mysterious magicians, gets married, and gets pregnant. All within the fog-induced coma of enchantment. This part frustrated me so much because Nora was so passively accepting of all these whirlwind events without question, there are blanks in her memory, there are gaps in her personal narrative, all of which she accepts without any question whatsoever. All under the guise of enchantment, because that excuses the suspension of disbelief and idiocy.
All that happens within the first 10% of the book. You should probably stop reading here, because the next 500 pages or so is pure utter boredom. There is no comparison to The Magicians. None. The people within that book were well-built, not likeable, but they had personality, character. Nora had none. She spent the majority of the book passive, bewildered, and pulled along with no sense of direction.
There's a reason for this: Nora has been enchanted, but there is only so far that I can tolerate the guise of enchantment as an excuse for stupidity and denial, and I completely lost my patience with her. She is a hypocrite, she can't make up her fucking mind whether or not magic exists, despite living in an world chock-full of it. She throws tantrums, she throws objects in fury and rejection of the idea of magic and that she is stuck within this world, yet at the same time...
There are some sad attempts at incorporating elements of Pride & Prejudice into this book, including our main character's translation of that book into Ors (the magical world's native language). Nora rather unimaginatively compares her brooding magician Arundiel to Mr. Darcy, when he's actually a lot more like Blackbeard. For example, Arundiel is proud, he has highly stringent opinions of propriety, of station, of how a proper woman should act. *snort* I don't buy it. It's a half-hearted attempt at making a him a parallel of the dearly, dearly beloved Darcy, and Arundiel is not worthy to lick Darcy's horse-shit-covered riding boots.
Oh, and Arundiel's got a mysterious past, involving a murdered wife, and numerous liaisons with other women, but who cares, he's her teacher, and he's kind of cute, in a cranky, I-don't-care-about-you-at-all kind of way. LET'S JUST OVERLOOK THE WHOLE MURDERED WIFE THING, SHALL WE?
I can forgive a boring plot and boring characters, but the reason I gave this book such a low rating is that it was not worth my time reading it.
The writing is not excellent, but it is adequate; it does not run towards purple prose, and I can tolerate that. What I cannot forgive, and what is ultimately my reason for knocking this down to a 1 is the sheer length of it, I feel like I wasted hours of my life on nothing. This book could have 300 pages cut from it without me feeling like I missed out on anything. A lot of the book is completely extraneous, for example, the stupid visit to the royal court, the case of the cannibalized child, the constant dialogues that seem to go nowhere. The continuous addition to a large cast that serves absolutely no purpose. I understand that this is the author's attempt at immersing us into a magical world and its people---and it utterly fails.
There is a way of building a magical, fantastical world that engrosses me and this book fell far short of the mark. I was left bored, and embittered by the waste of the hours I spent reading a book that never entertained me.
Not recommended at all.
Considering I really liked The Magicians, and that I absolutely loved Pride & Prejudice, you don't even want to hear me make a metaphor on this book's supposed similarity to the aforementioned book. My anger-fueled metaphor would involve something to the likes of a putrefying corpse, a regurgitated meal, and a honey badger.
The title: complete misnomer. For one thing, we're led to believe that our heroine is a thinking woman. Nora is not. She's a fucking moron. When we meet her, Nora is a woman with #firstworldproblems up the yin yang. She's an English Ph.D candidate whose dissertation is coming undone, or rather...un-Donne. She knowingly chose a topic that's been plowed over and over and over by thousands of other candidates, and is now shocked, utterly SHOCKED, I tell you, that she's stuck without a viable idea on which to write. Her brilliant, charismatic, distant (and long-distance) boyfriend also chooses this particular time to announce that he's getting married...but not to her. To his other girlfriend, who is more interesting and more intelligent (and to be honest, I completely sympathized with the boyfriend). Awkward. Nora also nurses some pretty harsh, antagonistic attitude towards her very competent mentor, who seems to have it all together.
"Nora braced herself, trying as always to find Naomi’s presence empowering instead of terrifying...Last fall, in a single semester, she had produced both [a] baby and a book on sexual ambiguity in Dickens."So topping off this disastrous weekend, Nora wanders off, and that's where the idiocy and madness (not to mention boredom) begins. She didn't get sucked into some mysterious magical portal, she trespasses onto a property and literally drinks the fucking Kool-Aid.
"The pitcher, dewy with condensation, drew Nora’s attention. Coming closer, she saw it was full of some drink that looked like cranberry juice or iced Red Zinger or even cherry Kool-Aid. Anything cool and liquid was fine with her. She poured herself a drink, ice cubes chiming in her glass, and took a long swallow. Some sort of punch. She couldn’t quite describe the flavor. Draining her glass, she poured herself another."Now here is where the book deviates from my expectations. I thought this would be a magical book, a fantasy...it was, but it never captured my imagination, it was never a pleasure to read, it was never magical, it never gave me the sense of emotion of anything except "Dear god, when will this book be over?"
Nora got sucked into this situation due to her own stupidity, she gets enchanted by a mysterious woman and her band of oddly-named friends, and it is a literal whirlwind. Within the next...25 pages or so, Nora is given a magical makeover, gets pulled into the jet-setting lifestyle of the strange group of well...strangers, gets engaged, wanders through yet another portal from out of nowhere, meets a band of ruffians and a mysterious magicians, gets married, and gets pregnant. All within the fog-induced coma of enchantment. This part frustrated me so much because Nora was so passively accepting of all these whirlwind events without question, there are blanks in her memory, there are gaps in her personal narrative, all of which she accepts without any question whatsoever. All under the guise of enchantment, because that excuses the suspension of disbelief and idiocy.
All that happens within the first 10% of the book. You should probably stop reading here, because the next 500 pages or so is pure utter boredom. There is no comparison to The Magicians. None. The people within that book were well-built, not likeable, but they had personality, character. Nora had none. She spent the majority of the book passive, bewildered, and pulled along with no sense of direction.
There's a reason for this: Nora has been enchanted, but there is only so far that I can tolerate the guise of enchantment as an excuse for stupidity and denial, and I completely lost my patience with her. She is a hypocrite, she can't make up her fucking mind whether or not magic exists, despite living in an world chock-full of it. She throws tantrums, she throws objects in fury and rejection of the idea of magic and that she is stuck within this world, yet at the same time...
"Nora went over to the wall where the magician had disappeared and touched the freckled granite. It was solid and cool beneath her fingertips.The characterization within this book is severely lacking. There is a whole lot of telling, and not a lot of showing. The characters only act, the insights into their minds are not introspective, the characters are not complex, and they do not develop enough for me to feel like they're anything but words on paper. I wanted to sympathize with Nora, I really do. As a woman in her 20s myself, I wanted to feel her insecurities, her uncertainties, her hurts...I wanted to relate to her as a woman...unfortunately, she only evoked within me the emotion of impatience, annoyance, and disapproval.
Into the silence that followed, Nora said quickly: “Open Sesame.” Then, louder: “Open Sesame!” She waited."
There are some sad attempts at incorporating elements of Pride & Prejudice into this book, including our main character's translation of that book into Ors (the magical world's native language). Nora rather unimaginatively compares her brooding magician Arundiel to Mr. Darcy, when he's actually a lot more like Blackbeard. For example, Arundiel is proud, he has highly stringent opinions of propriety, of station, of how a proper woman should act. *snort* I don't buy it. It's a half-hearted attempt at making a him a parallel of the dearly, dearly beloved Darcy, and Arundiel is not worthy to lick Darcy's horse-shit-covered riding boots.
Oh, and Arundiel's got a mysterious past, involving a murdered wife, and numerous liaisons with other women, but who cares, he's her teacher, and he's kind of cute, in a cranky, I-don't-care-about-you-at-all kind of way. LET'S JUST OVERLOOK THE WHOLE MURDERED WIFE THING, SHALL WE?
I can forgive a boring plot and boring characters, but the reason I gave this book such a low rating is that it was not worth my time reading it.
The writing is not excellent, but it is adequate; it does not run towards purple prose, and I can tolerate that. What I cannot forgive, and what is ultimately my reason for knocking this down to a 1 is the sheer length of it, I feel like I wasted hours of my life on nothing. This book could have 300 pages cut from it without me feeling like I missed out on anything. A lot of the book is completely extraneous, for example, the stupid visit to the royal court, the case of the cannibalized child, the constant dialogues that seem to go nowhere. The continuous addition to a large cast that serves absolutely no purpose. I understand that this is the author's attempt at immersing us into a magical world and its people---and it utterly fails.
There is a way of building a magical, fantastical world that engrosses me and this book fell far short of the mark. I was left bored, and embittered by the waste of the hours I spent reading a book that never entertained me.
Not recommended at all.
December 10, 2013
This book was infuriating. Individually, none of the chapters were boring, and I enjoyed reading a lot of it. I kind of loved to hate it.
The worst part of this book is that it just goes ON AND ON with nothing happening for about 3-4 hundred pages. You could take out the middle THREE HUNDRED PAGES of this book, and it would not suffer at all, and that's not a hyperbole. It's like this woman had no editor. She just had a million little ideas that she believed were ALL brilliant, and thought "I'll INCLUDE THEM ALL," and no one stopped her. I think Barker is the kind of person who loves the sound of her own voice.
Making this even more infuriating, this is the first of a trilogy this woman is writing. Seriously? You wrote nothing for 400 pages, and now you're going to do it two more times??? I can't imagine who would bother reading a second book, let alone a third.
I think the most insulting part of this is how the book ends. If you're writing a series, each book should be able to stand alone, wrapping things up neatly, but leaving you wanting to hear more about the characters and their lives after the story ends. Narnia and Harry Potter are excellent examples of this. Barker basically just comes to a break in the story and stops writing. It seems more like someone told her the book couldn't exceed 600 pages than an intentional ending. It would be a cliff hanger, except I don't really care what happens next. It's not really a series; it's just one book so freaking long she needed three volumes to finish it.
The other terrible part of this book is ALL OF THE CHARACTERS, but especially Nora. Nora is always having temper tantrums about idiotic "feminist" things. I am VERY much a feminist, so this wouldn't bother me, but the things Nora freaks out about are all either trivial, illogical, or just statements of fact about the way the world she is living in operates. I often found myself wanting to smack Nora and tell her to CALM THE F**K DOWN.
Through all these feminist temper tantrums, there is one thing Nora somehow overlooks. Her mentor/crush/guardian KILLED HIS WIFE, and his explanation is "she cheated on me, and only men are allowed to cheat, and it was my lawful right to kill her." But still, he's so dreamy(actually he's a huge asshole) that she can't help IGNORING THIS ONE GLARING PROBLEM and falling for him. The idea that women are property, the cheating double standard, the domestic violence, none of these things bother her. But when he suggests she would be in danger wandering the country side alone, watch out: FEMINIST DIATRIBE comin' at ya.
The entire time Nora is having temper tantrums, I think you are supposed to be thinking she's some kind of strong, feminist woman, which makes it even worse. Most of the other characters are equally infuriating.
Aside from that, I had the usually fantasy novel complaints: why all the impossible to pronounce names?? Why is what you can do with magic so freaking inconsistent??
As far as this woman trying to mirror Pride and Prejudice... I just won't even go there. I just... can't.
The worst part of this book is that it just goes ON AND ON with nothing happening for about 3-4 hundred pages. You could take out the middle THREE HUNDRED PAGES of this book, and it would not suffer at all, and that's not a hyperbole. It's like this woman had no editor. She just had a million little ideas that she believed were ALL brilliant, and thought "I'll INCLUDE THEM ALL," and no one stopped her. I think Barker is the kind of person who loves the sound of her own voice.
Making this even more infuriating, this is the first of a trilogy this woman is writing. Seriously? You wrote nothing for 400 pages, and now you're going to do it two more times??? I can't imagine who would bother reading a second book, let alone a third.
I think the most insulting part of this is how the book ends. If you're writing a series, each book should be able to stand alone, wrapping things up neatly, but leaving you wanting to hear more about the characters and their lives after the story ends. Narnia and Harry Potter are excellent examples of this. Barker basically just comes to a break in the story and stops writing. It seems more like someone told her the book couldn't exceed 600 pages than an intentional ending. It would be a cliff hanger, except I don't really care what happens next. It's not really a series; it's just one book so freaking long she needed three volumes to finish it.
The other terrible part of this book is ALL OF THE CHARACTERS, but especially Nora. Nora is always having temper tantrums about idiotic "feminist" things. I am VERY much a feminist, so this wouldn't bother me, but the things Nora freaks out about are all either trivial, illogical, or just statements of fact about the way the world she is living in operates. I often found myself wanting to smack Nora and tell her to CALM THE F**K DOWN.
Through all these feminist temper tantrums, there is one thing Nora somehow overlooks. Her mentor/crush/guardian KILLED HIS WIFE, and his explanation is "she cheated on me, and only men are allowed to cheat, and it was my lawful right to kill her." But still, he's so dreamy(actually he's a huge asshole) that she can't help IGNORING THIS ONE GLARING PROBLEM and falling for him. The idea that women are property, the cheating double standard, the domestic violence, none of these things bother her. But when he suggests she would be in danger wandering the country side alone, watch out: FEMINIST DIATRIBE comin' at ya.
The entire time Nora is having temper tantrums, I think you are supposed to be thinking she's some kind of strong, feminist woman, which makes it even worse. Most of the other characters are equally infuriating.
Aside from that, I had the usually fantasy novel complaints: why all the impossible to pronounce names?? Why is what you can do with magic so freaking inconsistent??
As far as this woman trying to mirror Pride and Prejudice... I just won't even go there. I just... can't.
August 18, 2013
Maybe this is a spoiler, but I think books like this should come with a warning label, so I'm going to give it to you before you read the book.
WARNING: THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK IN A PLANNED SERIES. IT DOES NOT HAVE AN ENDING. DO NOT EXPECT CLOSURE OR FULL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT (never mind that it tips the scales at 500+ pages)
Aside from that...it's okay. The heroine is halfway interesting, she has some gumption. There are many fascinating supporting characters, and the world-building is excellent. I appreciated that the main character was able to use her skills as a literature graduate student to help overcome some of the obstacles she faced. (Tiresome trend in "chick lit": protagonist who claims to have an advanced degree but never demonstrates intelligence or other skills, and has no ambition aside from securing a good husband)
And on that note: I'm really tired of having references to "Pride and Prejudice" inserted into every recent novel with a female protagonist and female author. I may be a woman of a certain age, but I have no particular interest in Jane Austen. I'm beginning to think the choice is made by someone in the marketing department. You know, "Women loooooove Jane Austen. Can you just add some Pride & Prejudice references here? And here? And make the male hero kind of a jerk and pretty much unsuitable, then drop hints for 200 pages that our heroine will fall in love with him anyway?"
If you looooooove Jane Austen, and you think magic is neat, then this might be the book for you (but beware the first-book-in-series trap).
WARNING: THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK IN A PLANNED SERIES. IT DOES NOT HAVE AN ENDING. DO NOT EXPECT CLOSURE OR FULL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT (never mind that it tips the scales at 500+ pages)
Aside from that...it's okay. The heroine is halfway interesting, she has some gumption. There are many fascinating supporting characters, and the world-building is excellent. I appreciated that the main character was able to use her skills as a literature graduate student to help overcome some of the obstacles she faced. (Tiresome trend in "chick lit": protagonist who claims to have an advanced degree but never demonstrates intelligence or other skills, and has no ambition aside from securing a good husband)
And on that note: I'm really tired of having references to "Pride and Prejudice" inserted into every recent novel with a female protagonist and female author. I may be a woman of a certain age, but I have no particular interest in Jane Austen. I'm beginning to think the choice is made by someone in the marketing department. You know, "Women loooooove Jane Austen. Can you just add some Pride & Prejudice references here? And here? And make the male hero kind of a jerk and pretty much unsuitable, then drop hints for 200 pages that our heroine will fall in love with him anyway?"
If you looooooove Jane Austen, and you think magic is neat, then this might be the book for you (but beware the first-book-in-series trap).
October 20, 2017
I am always skeptical about books that send modern day women into MagicLand.
(I am maybe the only soul on Earth not smitten with the Outlander series. The TV show is fascinating, but the books? No. And don't even get me started on "A Discovery of Witches." I found it overblown and the characters rather wooden. It was generally tedious and tiresome to the point that I groaned in despair that it would not mercifully end, but leave us dangling for the sequel. Which I have heard are not any better. Pass.)
So Witchy romance novels are sketchy for me at best. But I decided to check this out from the library, and I am glad I did. It is almost never clichéd, with interesting twists and turns of the plot that are not telegraphed miles away, the relationships are less obvious than other romantic fare, and I genuinely liked all the characters.
It's a fun story, well-told, and not predictable. It has plenty of detail to take you into a very believable Otherworld, yet, unlike "Discovery," they don't take over the narrative.
Even though it was well over 550 pages, I was surprised to find myself in that rare and delectable place of not wanting it to end.
Thankfully, THIS sequel is one I can hardly wait for!
(I am maybe the only soul on Earth not smitten with the Outlander series. The TV show is fascinating, but the books? No. And don't even get me started on "A Discovery of Witches." I found it overblown and the characters rather wooden. It was generally tedious and tiresome to the point that I groaned in despair that it would not mercifully end, but leave us dangling for the sequel. Which I have heard are not any better. Pass.)
So Witchy romance novels are sketchy for me at best. But I decided to check this out from the library, and I am glad I did. It is almost never clichéd, with interesting twists and turns of the plot that are not telegraphed miles away, the relationships are less obvious than other romantic fare, and I genuinely liked all the characters.
It's a fun story, well-told, and not predictable. It has plenty of detail to take you into a very believable Otherworld, yet, unlike "Discovery," they don't take over the narrative.
Even though it was well over 550 pages, I was surprised to find myself in that rare and delectable place of not wanting it to end.
Thankfully, THIS sequel is one I can hardly wait for!
August 26, 2014
Warning: mild spoilers.
First off, I bought this book when I was in the store and the cover caught my eye. The blurb sounded interesting and I read a few pages. All in all, not bad. Soon after, I ended up travelling for 3 days left and right. I get cranky when I do that and lots of things were frustrating me, so this book was supposed to be my solace. Even when it slowed down unbearably in the middle, I was invested enough to continue.
Then the ending happened. I snapped.
Let's start with a summary. Nora is graduate student approaching her thirties, an ordinary, unhappy person because nothing is going right. Her boyfriend has left her to get engaged to some other woman, her thesis paper is in severe roadblock and life generally sucks. It is in this state of affairs that she visits some place for a friend's wedding and gets lost in a nearby mountain while on a morning walk. (Which should have told me something.)
She gets lured into a mansion by a resurrected Audrey-Hepburnesque character called Illisa and soon Nora's partying like her life depends on it. But things are not as they seem (she should have at least though Botox was involved) as Nora discovers when the pretty people and Illisa's son Raclin are revealed to be Faitoren, magical uglies that trap unsuspecting females to bear their rare offspring. Rare because they kill the mother at some point or the other.
So Nora's now married to a dragonfly with teeth and pregnant. She manages to escape with the help of wizard- sorry, magician Aruendiel and lives happily ever after. The end.
But wait, you say. There are nigh on 600 pages in the book. Surely that's not all.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce to you, that after the first third of the book, there is no discernible plot whatsoever. We interrupt this broadcast to bring you an episode of Alice in Wonderland minus the chain-smoking caterpillar and the psychotic cat.
See the real problem is, whatever the title promises to be, it's not about a thinking woman. No. It's about some passive, floaty female who is in a wish-fulfilling fantasy. I bought the book because I though Nora was one of those down-on-their-luck characters who takes everything in their stride, with mild amusement. And she was, for a while. Unfortunately she's so happy-go-lucky that she doesn't suffer any major psychological trauma from her captivity and miscarriage. She cries a bit. That's about it.
Much later, the book became more Pride and Prejudice with domestic witchcraft than a woman finding herself in a fantastical setting. So Nora became less of a sympathetic person and more of a suffragette determined to instil equality in one and only one person - Aruendiel. I say Pride and Prejudice because the book jabs the totally unsubtle comparison in your eye by having Nora translate the work into the local language, Ors. The book needed that useless insertion like a rhino needs Botox injections. Sure, it might look better that way, but it's just unnatural and pointless.
To make it even more aggravating, it desperately tries to portray the hero, Aruendiel, as a magical Mr.Darcy, by making him unattainable and rude. Whatever else Darcy was, he was not a walking smirk who murdered his wife in cold blood. Nora's attraction to Aruendiel is almost believable but the reciprocation is not, especially when it comes at the far end of a book in one itty-bitty paragraph. And we haven't even taken into consideration the age difference of a 150 years.
Even sadder, the magic premise of this book is only a vehicle for that relationship. Which explains why it seems so arbitrary. You can't use magic for anything useful in this world, like healing wounds or teleporting.
You shouldn't bring back the dead. It's just the way it is.
Wizards control spirits, but true magicians actually use magic. Only some people are magicians. It's just the way it is.
Magic is...[insert explanation of your choice here]. Readers are never given any solid ground on the world and how it works, because, world building, who cares? Just string them along with a half-baked romance and an occasional scene of the heroine lighting candles by concentrating really hard.
But it wasn't all that bad, despite this and it was kind of humorous, so it could have gone okay. HOWEVER.
Somewhere along the way the author decided that it was time to go check on the plot that had been left to stew, discovered it was way overcooked, and corrected it by throwing in Tabasco sauce, pepper, mayonnaise and the neighbour's geraniums. Hell, they thought, let's throw in some milk too.
Instead of ending this story in one book like it should have been 300 pages ago, the plot takes an abrupt left turn, has Nora get kidnapped, then remember to use magic to save herself, rescue Aruendiel with algebra and fall down a cliffhanger so deep, it could fit a congress of whales down there.
Why was this necessary? If the idea was to boost sales and keep making revenue through a series, this ensured that no one with sense will want to buy this book.
Internal logic goes totally haywire at the end. Nora is tied up and freezing, but being the airhead she is, doesn't remember to use fire magic of any sort. When she does remember to do something, it lands her into even more trouble. As for Norneng carrying around parts of an ice demon in fragile glass bottles in his jacket pockets, I can only say he had it coming. Even the demon that liked poetry wasn't the last straw. The mathematical deus ex machina was. Nora saves Aruendiel by using a Cartesian formula to make a binding spell bigger. CAN IT GET ANY WORSE?
Yes, the book says emphatically. Nora's ultimate decision at the end of the book and her lack of a resolution with that unglamorous Snape proved that any character development you sensed was a hallucination on the reader's part. Also, characters that are seemingly well rounded just die, negating the usefulness of their presence for 400 pages.
So I suggest, in the interests of maintaining your sanity, you bulldoze the book and then feed it to sharks. Afterwards, pick up the shreds and...
First off, I bought this book when I was in the store and the cover caught my eye. The blurb sounded interesting and I read a few pages. All in all, not bad. Soon after, I ended up travelling for 3 days left and right. I get cranky when I do that and lots of things were frustrating me, so this book was supposed to be my solace. Even when it slowed down unbearably in the middle, I was invested enough to continue.
Then the ending happened. I snapped.
Let's start with a summary. Nora is graduate student approaching her thirties, an ordinary, unhappy person because nothing is going right. Her boyfriend has left her to get engaged to some other woman, her thesis paper is in severe roadblock and life generally sucks. It is in this state of affairs that she visits some place for a friend's wedding and gets lost in a nearby mountain while on a morning walk. (Which should have told me something.)
She gets lured into a mansion by a resurrected Audrey-Hepburnesque character called Illisa and soon Nora's partying like her life depends on it. But things are not as they seem (she should have at least though Botox was involved) as Nora discovers when the pretty people and Illisa's son Raclin are revealed to be Faitoren, magical uglies that trap unsuspecting females to bear their rare offspring. Rare because they kill the mother at some point or the other.
So Nora's now married to a dragonfly with teeth and pregnant. She manages to escape with the help of wizard- sorry, magician Aruendiel and lives happily ever after. The end.
But wait, you say. There are nigh on 600 pages in the book. Surely that's not all.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce to you, that after the first third of the book, there is no discernible plot whatsoever. We interrupt this broadcast to bring you an episode of Alice in Wonderland minus the chain-smoking caterpillar and the psychotic cat.
See the real problem is, whatever the title promises to be, it's not about a thinking woman. No. It's about some passive, floaty female who is in a wish-fulfilling fantasy. I bought the book because I though Nora was one of those down-on-their-luck characters who takes everything in their stride, with mild amusement. And she was, for a while. Unfortunately she's so happy-go-lucky that she doesn't suffer any major psychological trauma from her captivity and miscarriage. She cries a bit. That's about it.
Much later, the book became more Pride and Prejudice with domestic witchcraft than a woman finding herself in a fantastical setting. So Nora became less of a sympathetic person and more of a suffragette determined to instil equality in one and only one person - Aruendiel. I say Pride and Prejudice because the book jabs the totally unsubtle comparison in your eye by having Nora translate the work into the local language, Ors. The book needed that useless insertion like a rhino needs Botox injections. Sure, it might look better that way, but it's just unnatural and pointless.
To make it even more aggravating, it desperately tries to portray the hero, Aruendiel, as a magical Mr.Darcy, by making him unattainable and rude. Whatever else Darcy was, he was not a walking smirk who murdered his wife in cold blood. Nora's attraction to Aruendiel is almost believable but the reciprocation is not, especially when it comes at the far end of a book in one itty-bitty paragraph. And we haven't even taken into consideration the age difference of a 150 years.
Even sadder, the magic premise of this book is only a vehicle for that relationship. Which explains why it seems so arbitrary. You can't use magic for anything useful in this world, like healing wounds or teleporting.
You shouldn't bring back the dead. It's just the way it is.
Wizards control spirits, but true magicians actually use magic. Only some people are magicians. It's just the way it is.
Magic is...[insert explanation of your choice here]. Readers are never given any solid ground on the world and how it works, because, world building, who cares? Just string them along with a half-baked romance and an occasional scene of the heroine lighting candles by concentrating really hard.
But it wasn't all that bad, despite this and it was kind of humorous, so it could have gone okay. HOWEVER.
Somewhere along the way the author decided that it was time to go check on the plot that had been left to stew, discovered it was way overcooked, and corrected it by throwing in Tabasco sauce, pepper, mayonnaise and the neighbour's geraniums. Hell, they thought, let's throw in some milk too.
Instead of ending this story in one book like it should have been 300 pages ago, the plot takes an abrupt left turn, has Nora get kidnapped, then remember to use magic to save herself, rescue Aruendiel with algebra and fall down a cliffhanger so deep, it could fit a congress of whales down there.
Why was this necessary? If the idea was to boost sales and keep making revenue through a series, this ensured that no one with sense will want to buy this book.
Internal logic goes totally haywire at the end. Nora is tied up and freezing, but being the airhead she is, doesn't remember to use fire magic of any sort. When she does remember to do something, it lands her into even more trouble. As for Norneng carrying around parts of an ice demon in fragile glass bottles in his jacket pockets, I can only say he had it coming. Even the demon that liked poetry wasn't the last straw. The mathematical deus ex machina was. Nora saves Aruendiel by using a Cartesian formula to make a binding spell bigger. CAN IT GET ANY WORSE?
Yes, the book says emphatically. Nora's ultimate decision at the end of the book and her lack of a resolution with that unglamorous Snape proved that any character development you sensed was a hallucination on the reader's part. Also, characters that are seemingly well rounded just die, negating the usefulness of their presence for 400 pages.
So I suggest, in the interests of maintaining your sanity, you bulldoze the book and then feed it to sharks. Afterwards, pick up the shreds and...
March 10, 2021
Loads better than Discovery of Witches, in my opinion, although they aren't really at all the same, but for having an educated female protagonist and involving magic.
While Discovery felt like Twilight, a bit older and wearing glasses, The Thinking Woman's Guide was more like Through the Looking Glass/Great Gatsby/Midsummer Night's Dream/Game of Thrones.
It reminded me of Diana Wynne Jones.
While Bishop in Discovery of Witches leaves her brain behind in the Bodleian, Nora in Guide to Real Magic continues to probe, to question, to learn. Even though her subject isn't directly applicable to her new circumstances, she still has a scholar's mind. I feel Dr. Bishop in Discovery, does not.
Another thing I liked was all the literary references scattered throughout the entire book.
Also, the ending was exactly the way it should have been.
Aruendiel is a fully fledged character. He's much more than just a dark, brooding, much older man. He doesn't follow the heroine around all the time and he's not impossibly gorgeous.
In any case, I enjoyed this bit of escapism a great deal more. I hope the author writes another.
While Discovery felt like Twilight, a bit older and wearing glasses, The Thinking Woman's Guide was more like Through the Looking Glass/Great Gatsby/Midsummer Night's Dream/Game of Thrones.
It reminded me of Diana Wynne Jones.
While Bishop in Discovery of Witches leaves her brain behind in the Bodleian, Nora in Guide to Real Magic continues to probe, to question, to learn. Even though her subject isn't directly applicable to her new circumstances, she still has a scholar's mind. I feel Dr. Bishop in Discovery, does not.
Another thing I liked was all the literary references scattered throughout the entire book.
Also, the ending was exactly the way it should have been.
Aruendiel is a fully fledged character. He's much more than just a dark, brooding, much older man. He doesn't follow the heroine around all the time and he's not impossibly gorgeous.
In any case, I enjoyed this bit of escapism a great deal more. I hope the author writes another.
March 24, 2013
LOVED this book. Hoping the title won't dissuade men from reading it, as it would appeal to all types of fantasy readers as well as literary/women's fiction readers. Read it in manuscript form and was so bummed when I got to the end and had no more pages to turn. The blurb by Sara Gruen sums it up best: "[m]ind candy for those of us raised on Harry Potter."
August 3, 2013
Think back to the first book that transported you on a journey to elsewhere: not a rapid movement, but a gentle realization that the world in the book is all around you. For me that was Through the Looking Glass. I found much of the same wonder and enjoyment in this book: a subtle return to those moments when reading where all outside influences cease to exist, and hours pass before they return.
Emily Croy Barker uses a smooth and beautifully descriptive writing style, to craft this story that incorporates references to classics, poetry and poets and the age-old battle of dark versus light. It is not a quick read at over five hundred pages, but a thoroughly charming one.
Nora is a grad student, stuck on her thesis and recently single. She hates her life at the moment, her self-esteems is shot, and she wants nothing more than to escape: from the sympathetic looks, the abominable men, her own feelings of failure and those few extra pounds that never seem to go away. And escape she does: an early morning wander in the woods leads to an old cemetery with a poem that attracts her. Lacking paper to write it down, she memorizes it, speaks it aloud and moments later, her world changes.
From here we are brought into a world of the impossible and improbable: where healing is by magic, clothes and people are always beautiful, the sun always shines and the most important event on the calendar is the day’s entertainment. Using time-periods that are iconic in their shapes, feel and essence to readers, Barker manages to use that sense to define fashion, style and furnishings with a nod to those eras: the 20’s, the 60’s, Elizabethan and Georgian and Victorian. There were moments early on when Nora’s complacency with the scene changes and situation made her difficult to understand, while some piece of the reader knows that she is under a spell, a bit of reinforcement of Ilissa’s power and influence on her memory and questioning earlier would have made it easier to understand her apparent passivity.
Aruendiel, however, was far more solid in his consistency and behavior, preferring the term ‘magician’ to ‘wizard’, although their capabilities are similar: in this world wizards tend to use their skills on a whim, to suit their current fancy. And Nora had been spelled, several times over, which presented a severe risk to her own mental health and safety. Nora shows her tendency to gravitate toward more ‘alpha’ and knowing personalities in her growing feelings for him: even as he must teach her to survive a return to Ilissa and eventually back to her own world.
This book is a wander to the end, throughout the story we are really given few clues to time passing, much like Nora’s inability to solidly define how long she had been away from her own world and life. These allows and insists that the reader simply drink in the moments and descriptions, and enjoy the slow unfurling of the plot: use their instincts as each new character is introduced to determine if they are friend or foe, and see if Nora really is able to find her way home. Not as action packed as some high fantasy stories I have read, there is forward progress with each chapter as we learn more, see more and watch Nora navigate this new and different world that is full of the impossible.
If you want a directly forward moving story, loaded with action and dramatic spell-offs: this is not the book for you. However, if you want a gentle moving story that is filled with beauty and description, a unique look at magic and its use, and a main character that has issues that many can relate to in their own lives: this is the book for you.
I received an eBook from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Emily Croy Barker uses a smooth and beautifully descriptive writing style, to craft this story that incorporates references to classics, poetry and poets and the age-old battle of dark versus light. It is not a quick read at over five hundred pages, but a thoroughly charming one.
Nora is a grad student, stuck on her thesis and recently single. She hates her life at the moment, her self-esteems is shot, and she wants nothing more than to escape: from the sympathetic looks, the abominable men, her own feelings of failure and those few extra pounds that never seem to go away. And escape she does: an early morning wander in the woods leads to an old cemetery with a poem that attracts her. Lacking paper to write it down, she memorizes it, speaks it aloud and moments later, her world changes.
From here we are brought into a world of the impossible and improbable: where healing is by magic, clothes and people are always beautiful, the sun always shines and the most important event on the calendar is the day’s entertainment. Using time-periods that are iconic in their shapes, feel and essence to readers, Barker manages to use that sense to define fashion, style and furnishings with a nod to those eras: the 20’s, the 60’s, Elizabethan and Georgian and Victorian. There were moments early on when Nora’s complacency with the scene changes and situation made her difficult to understand, while some piece of the reader knows that she is under a spell, a bit of reinforcement of Ilissa’s power and influence on her memory and questioning earlier would have made it easier to understand her apparent passivity.
Aruendiel, however, was far more solid in his consistency and behavior, preferring the term ‘magician’ to ‘wizard’, although their capabilities are similar: in this world wizards tend to use their skills on a whim, to suit their current fancy. And Nora had been spelled, several times over, which presented a severe risk to her own mental health and safety. Nora shows her tendency to gravitate toward more ‘alpha’ and knowing personalities in her growing feelings for him: even as he must teach her to survive a return to Ilissa and eventually back to her own world.
This book is a wander to the end, throughout the story we are really given few clues to time passing, much like Nora’s inability to solidly define how long she had been away from her own world and life. These allows and insists that the reader simply drink in the moments and descriptions, and enjoy the slow unfurling of the plot: use their instincts as each new character is introduced to determine if they are friend or foe, and see if Nora really is able to find her way home. Not as action packed as some high fantasy stories I have read, there is forward progress with each chapter as we learn more, see more and watch Nora navigate this new and different world that is full of the impossible.
If you want a directly forward moving story, loaded with action and dramatic spell-offs: this is not the book for you. However, if you want a gentle moving story that is filled with beauty and description, a unique look at magic and its use, and a main character that has issues that many can relate to in their own lives: this is the book for you.
I received an eBook from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
August 22, 2013
This book had so much wasted promise. The author can clearly write well and she had a few interesting ideas, but this was ultimately a B- read for me. Despite all the heavy handed references to Pride & Prejudice, the story was more like My Fair Lady set in one of Grimm's Fairy Tales than anything written by Austen. And I hated the male protagonist in My Fair Lady.
Nora is an aimless English grad student who tumbles into a fantasy world after she unwittingly makes a wish granted to her by a mouse-wizard. She falls in with the Fae and is soon enchanted (read: drugged) into marrying the son of the Queen of Fairyland so that she can bear him a part-human son. Their relationship quickly turns into a nightmare, not least because her not-so-charming prince turns into a scaly monster during the day and also is perpetually cruel and unfaithful. After she realizes the truth, is maimed, and miscarries, she is rescued by the magician Aruendiel. Aruendiel is dour, pompous, sexist, egotistical, unattractive and about a hundred years too old for Nora. In his youth, he was supposedly a handsome rake, but now he's just a bitter and nasty old man. Oh, and did I mention he stabbed his pregnant first wife to death for adultery?
With nowhere to go, Nora spends much of the book trying to persuade Aruendiel to teach her magic or return her to her own world. Mostly, she cleans his house, cooks his meals, and follows him around on his adventures while he complains about her unfeminine boldness and ignorance. He doesn't make any effort to return her to her world and wants to marry her off in order to get rid of her. After several attacks by the Fae to recapture Nora, Aruendiel finally agrees to teach her magic. Those sections were the best part of the book and their relationship does improve, but I could not understand her interest in him, other than gratitude for being rescued and her loneliness. The tables finally turn towards the very end of the book, when Nora rescues Aruendiel from a Fae trap and has to decide whether to return to her own world or stay with Aruendiel.
As other readers have mentioned, the book could have used quite a bit of editing and the ending was totally unsatisfying. I assume the author was setting the stage for a sequel, but since I won't read it, I would have preferred to have things wrapped up after 500+ pages. Too bad...this could have been a really enjoyable book given a different hero, a tighter plotline, and a LOT less dusting.
Nora is an aimless English grad student who tumbles into a fantasy world after she unwittingly makes a wish granted to her by a mouse-wizard. She falls in with the Fae and is soon enchanted (read: drugged) into marrying the son of the Queen of Fairyland so that she can bear him a part-human son. Their relationship quickly turns into a nightmare, not least because her not-so-charming prince turns into a scaly monster during the day and also is perpetually cruel and unfaithful. After she realizes the truth, is maimed, and miscarries, she is rescued by the magician Aruendiel. Aruendiel is dour, pompous, sexist, egotistical, unattractive and about a hundred years too old for Nora. In his youth, he was supposedly a handsome rake, but now he's just a bitter and nasty old man. Oh, and did I mention he stabbed his pregnant first wife to death for adultery?
With nowhere to go, Nora spends much of the book trying to persuade Aruendiel to teach her magic or return her to her own world. Mostly, she cleans his house, cooks his meals, and follows him around on his adventures while he complains about her unfeminine boldness and ignorance. He doesn't make any effort to return her to her world and wants to marry her off in order to get rid of her. After several attacks by the Fae to recapture Nora, Aruendiel finally agrees to teach her magic. Those sections were the best part of the book and their relationship does improve, but I could not understand her interest in him, other than gratitude for being rescued and her loneliness. The tables finally turn towards the very end of the book, when Nora rescues Aruendiel from a Fae trap and has to decide whether to return to her own world or stay with Aruendiel.
As other readers have mentioned, the book could have used quite a bit of editing and the ending was totally unsatisfying. I assume the author was setting the stage for a sequel, but since I won't read it, I would have preferred to have things wrapped up after 500+ pages. Too bad...this could have been a really enjoyable book given a different hero, a tighter plotline, and a LOT less dusting.
July 19, 2013
This book completely messed up my weekend plans. We periodically receive boxes of ARC's for collection development purposes, and I managed to snag this out of our most recent box. That following weekend I was supposed to finish assigned readings in a timely manner and then write the assigned essay for a MOOC. Then this book happened. Assigned readings and essay? Completed, but far from my best work.
Eminently enjoyable, this is a lovely piece blending urban and high fantasy. The book also stands as an example of fantasy that isn't aimed at YA audiences (though I would have loved it as a teen) without the use of graphic sexual content as the defining line.
Having read both Lev Grossman's The Magicians series and Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy (at least the two books so far published) I have to disagree with the "official" recommendations. If you like those books you likely will enjoy The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic, but a better reading experience match up would be against The Night Circus or the works of Marion Zimmer Bradley. Maybe Tanya Huff's Enchantment Emporium books. The strongest connection between The Thinking Woman's Guide and The Magicians or A Discovery of Witches is the combination of urban and high fantasy.
For a book weighing in at 576 pages it was a quick read. But then again, I didn't want to put it down. Maybe you'll enjoy it too.
http://libromancersapprentice.blogspo...
Eminently enjoyable, this is a lovely piece blending urban and high fantasy. The book also stands as an example of fantasy that isn't aimed at YA audiences (though I would have loved it as a teen) without the use of graphic sexual content as the defining line.
Having read both Lev Grossman's The Magicians series and Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy (at least the two books so far published) I have to disagree with the "official" recommendations. If you like those books you likely will enjoy The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic, but a better reading experience match up would be against The Night Circus or the works of Marion Zimmer Bradley. Maybe Tanya Huff's Enchantment Emporium books. The strongest connection between The Thinking Woman's Guide and The Magicians or A Discovery of Witches is the combination of urban and high fantasy.
For a book weighing in at 576 pages it was a quick read. But then again, I didn't want to put it down. Maybe you'll enjoy it too.
http://libromancersapprentice.blogspo...
August 23, 2013
I was so excited to read this, based on the title and the other reviews. I thought it would be a fantasy with a strong female protagonist. Wrong. Well, it is a fantasy. Nora, however, is not the strong female heroine I was hoping for.
For the first half of the book (and this book is 563 pages) events happen to her and around her. She keeps putting herself in danger, time after time, so that Aruendiel or Hirizjahkinis have to rescue her. She is never able to rescue herself.
And her "romance" with Aruendiel? We're supposed to believe that she has a crush on him? He is constantly rude to her, ignores her for days at a time, snaps at her, insults her, and oh yeah, he MURDERED HIS WIFE, even if it was considered honorable. Near the end of the book, there's one paragraph in his voice where he says (to himself) that he'll miss seeing her face across the dinner table. Well, then. My heart is all a-flutter for these two crazy kids.
I'm so tired of these books where the romance is between a man that's always in a bad mood (and everyone just accepts it, because, welp, that's the way it is) and woman that is just real, real nice. And enough with the Pride and Prejudice stuff. Can publishers put a moratorium on that?
And all that stuff aside, this was an ok fantasy, once you realize it had nothing to do with the title (for a PhD student, Nora showed remarkably little ability to think or analyze situations), and that Nora herself was not actually the hero of the story.
For the first half of the book (and this book is 563 pages) events happen to her and around her. She keeps putting herself in danger, time after time, so that Aruendiel or Hirizjahkinis have to rescue her. She is never able to rescue herself.
And her "romance" with Aruendiel? We're supposed to believe that she has a crush on him? He is constantly rude to her, ignores her for days at a time, snaps at her, insults her, and oh yeah, he MURDERED HIS WIFE, even if it was considered honorable. Near the end of the book, there's one paragraph in his voice where he says (to himself) that he'll miss seeing her face across the dinner table. Well, then. My heart is all a-flutter for these two crazy kids.
I'm so tired of these books where the romance is between a man that's always in a bad mood (and everyone just accepts it, because, welp, that's the way it is) and woman that is just real, real nice. And enough with the Pride and Prejudice stuff. Can publishers put a moratorium on that?
And all that stuff aside, this was an ok fantasy, once you realize it had nothing to do with the title (for a PhD student, Nora showed remarkably little ability to think or analyze situations), and that Nora herself was not actually the hero of the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2013
I really really enjoyed this book. It was a great blend of urban fantasy with tastes of high fantasy that I don't think would be alienating for the average fiction reader. The main character was a great portrayal of a struggling early 30s grad student which made her flawed and well rounded as well as totally likeable.
The world setting was fantastical and enjoyable to dive into but had a harsh edge which kept it interesting. The characters of the book weren't all completely fleshed out as to overtake Nora, the main character, but they were just as enjoyable to read.
The romance was very interesting, not obvious and not heavy handed. There was a lot of Pride and Prejudice references but it didn't come off cheesy and you got the impression this was part the main character's desire for fairytale romance rather than the author trying to lean on an old classic story. Nora's desire for love and sex (like a normal person) was really refreshing and endearing.
I haven't completely unpacked the book because there were so many unique and refreshing elements for me, as an urban fantasy reader but basically I really enjoyed it. If you want a fun, lightly fantastical story for the end of summer I'd pick up a copy. Keep in mind that the book is a bit huge and I'd recommend grabbing the .epub if portability is going to be a problem. You won't easily be able to leave it behind.
The world setting was fantastical and enjoyable to dive into but had a harsh edge which kept it interesting. The characters of the book weren't all completely fleshed out as to overtake Nora, the main character, but they were just as enjoyable to read.
The romance was very interesting, not obvious and not heavy handed. There was a lot of Pride and Prejudice references but it didn't come off cheesy and you got the impression this was part the main character's desire for fairytale romance rather than the author trying to lean on an old classic story. Nora's desire for love and sex (like a normal person) was really refreshing and endearing.
I haven't completely unpacked the book because there were so many unique and refreshing elements for me, as an urban fantasy reader but basically I really enjoyed it. If you want a fun, lightly fantastical story for the end of summer I'd pick up a copy. Keep in mind that the book is a bit huge and I'd recommend grabbing the .epub if portability is going to be a problem. You won't easily be able to leave it behind.
April 2, 2016
Full disclosure: I am a graduate student of English literature (aspiring Ph.D), specializing in fairy tales with a background in medieval studies. I'm a writer of fantasy myself. I'm also a feminist and I would consider myself a "thinking woman." Naturally, I thought this book would be right up my alley. This review might sound harsh and rant-y, but I figured you should know why I took this so personally before you read on.
(some spoilers from here)
Yeah ... I tried, I really did. I was so excited to grab this one, because I was really hoping to read about a woman who was like me. Alas, Nora was the complete opposite of a thinking woman. At the very beginning, we meet Nora, who is a John Donne scholar working on a stalled dissertation. She meets with her advisor, who asks her what the hell she thinks she's doing working on a paper on Emily Dickinson when she has dissertation chapters to write. It's written so that we're not supposed to like the advisor, but I could not help but be 100% on her side. What the hell IS she doing writing about Emily Dickinson instead of John Donne? They're separated by 250 years!
The whole set up for Nora getting sucked into the Fae realm is utterly preposterous and utterly opposite to what a thinking woman would do. Yes, it's SUCH a smart idea to go walking alone on an unfamiliar mountain at night, into a graveyard with a headstone that happens to have that day's date on it! Further, it makes PERFECT sense to drink an unidentified beverage left out in an unfamiliar garden. That doesn't reek of fae at all! I knew she was sunk the moment she drank the beverage. That's one of the #1 rules of faerie--do not drink or eat anything they offer you!!!
To be clear, I would be more forgiving if Nora were, perhaps, a biochemist or mathematician. That's not to say that either of those two things are unthinking (not in the least), but they at least have an excuse not to be familiar with literary motifs and signs of the fae. Nora studies ELIZABETHAN POETRY. Do you know how many fairies are in Elizabethan writing? MANY. THEY'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE. The ******* "FAERIE QUEENE," THE LONGEST POEM EVER WRITTEN IN ENGLISH, WAS WRITTEN DURING JOHN DONNE'S YOUNG ADULTHOOD. If Nora supposedly knows something about John Donne, she should be widely read in other Elizabethan/Early Modern poetry and literature, and she would have absolutely no excuse for not recognizing fairies or signs of fairies when she sees them.
It takes her 117 pages to realize she was kidnapped by fairies. 117 PAGES.
Also, the whole scenario with the fairies is highly discomforting because of the way her agency is completely stripped away from her. She is a shell with no personality or agency whatsoever, used entirely for breeding purposes. As a feminist, that made me really uncomfortable. I got through that part, understanding she was glamored, and hoped that what followed would show me a Nora that was very active, intelligent, and clever. Not so. She did not really get much better at all, switching her dependency onto the really unlikable wizard Aruendiel (omg the names in this book). From other reviews, I gather that it turns into a bit of a Pride & Prejudice plot (let's go all over the literary map, shall we)? I'm glad I didn't make it that far, because that just tells me the author really doesn't have many ideas and just throws in whatever literature she happens to remember and/or like. Why tell us Nora's a John Donne scholar? If you had made her an Austen scholar, her diversion to Dickinson and her lack of familiarity with fairies might have been more excusable. Okay, I'm ranting. Sorry.
Ultimately what made me stop, besides Nora's incorrect identification as a "thinking woman," was the lack of creativity. It was a portal fantasy, and there was an opportunity to do some neat worldbuilding, but there was NOTHING new or creative about Ors that I read. It was the stereotypical, vaguely medieval/feudalistic and misogynistic society that's usually on the other end of a portal fantasy. Why? Because it's familiar? Why not create a world that subverts these tropes? The author also doesn't seem familiar with correct forms of address, either. Like, there's a character called the Earl of the Northern Border, and I actually yelled out loud, "That makes him a marquess! That outranks an earl! Why not just call him a marquess, then?" [A marquess governs borderlands, important territory, hence the higher rank]. I mean, if you're just going to copy every other fantasy world ever, you might as well commit to it!
Errghhhh. Sorry. I didn't realize I was this upset about this book. I was just so excited to read it, and I couldn't even finish it. Real thinking women can pass on this one.
(some spoilers from here)
Yeah ... I tried, I really did. I was so excited to grab this one, because I was really hoping to read about a woman who was like me. Alas, Nora was the complete opposite of a thinking woman. At the very beginning, we meet Nora, who is a John Donne scholar working on a stalled dissertation. She meets with her advisor, who asks her what the hell she thinks she's doing working on a paper on Emily Dickinson when she has dissertation chapters to write. It's written so that we're not supposed to like the advisor, but I could not help but be 100% on her side. What the hell IS she doing writing about Emily Dickinson instead of John Donne? They're separated by 250 years!
The whole set up for Nora getting sucked into the Fae realm is utterly preposterous and utterly opposite to what a thinking woman would do. Yes, it's SUCH a smart idea to go walking alone on an unfamiliar mountain at night, into a graveyard with a headstone that happens to have that day's date on it! Further, it makes PERFECT sense to drink an unidentified beverage left out in an unfamiliar garden. That doesn't reek of fae at all! I knew she was sunk the moment she drank the beverage. That's one of the #1 rules of faerie--do not drink or eat anything they offer you!!!
To be clear, I would be more forgiving if Nora were, perhaps, a biochemist or mathematician. That's not to say that either of those two things are unthinking (not in the least), but they at least have an excuse not to be familiar with literary motifs and signs of the fae. Nora studies ELIZABETHAN POETRY. Do you know how many fairies are in Elizabethan writing? MANY. THEY'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE. The ******* "FAERIE QUEENE," THE LONGEST POEM EVER WRITTEN IN ENGLISH, WAS WRITTEN DURING JOHN DONNE'S YOUNG ADULTHOOD. If Nora supposedly knows something about John Donne, she should be widely read in other Elizabethan/Early Modern poetry and literature, and she would have absolutely no excuse for not recognizing fairies or signs of fairies when she sees them.
It takes her 117 pages to realize she was kidnapped by fairies. 117 PAGES.
Also, the whole scenario with the fairies is highly discomforting because of the way her agency is completely stripped away from her. She is a shell with no personality or agency whatsoever, used entirely for breeding purposes. As a feminist, that made me really uncomfortable. I got through that part, understanding she was glamored, and hoped that what followed would show me a Nora that was very active, intelligent, and clever. Not so. She did not really get much better at all, switching her dependency onto the really unlikable wizard Aruendiel (omg the names in this book). From other reviews, I gather that it turns into a bit of a Pride & Prejudice plot (let's go all over the literary map, shall we)? I'm glad I didn't make it that far, because that just tells me the author really doesn't have many ideas and just throws in whatever literature she happens to remember and/or like. Why tell us Nora's a John Donne scholar? If you had made her an Austen scholar, her diversion to Dickinson and her lack of familiarity with fairies might have been more excusable. Okay, I'm ranting. Sorry.
Ultimately what made me stop, besides Nora's incorrect identification as a "thinking woman," was the lack of creativity. It was a portal fantasy, and there was an opportunity to do some neat worldbuilding, but there was NOTHING new or creative about Ors that I read. It was the stereotypical, vaguely medieval/feudalistic and misogynistic society that's usually on the other end of a portal fantasy. Why? Because it's familiar? Why not create a world that subverts these tropes? The author also doesn't seem familiar with correct forms of address, either. Like, there's a character called the Earl of the Northern Border, and I actually yelled out loud, "That makes him a marquess! That outranks an earl! Why not just call him a marquess, then?" [A marquess governs borderlands, important territory, hence the higher rank]. I mean, if you're just going to copy every other fantasy world ever, you might as well commit to it!
Errghhhh. Sorry. I didn't realize I was this upset about this book. I was just so excited to read it, and I couldn't even finish it. Real thinking women can pass on this one.
November 9, 2013
Where to start with this book? I was torn while reading because I was having a nice time, but little things kept niggling at me. You know how normally you go along with whatever little turns an author throws at you because its THEIR world and you're along for the ride? Well, I would really get into it and then something would happen that threw me out of the plot. I couldn't suspend my disbelief long enough to go along for the ride.
As for the good. The book had a nice fairy tale quality to it that was pleasant to read. The beginning, when she first gets to the alternate world, started out with me rolling my eyes a bit but the magic aspect works itself out in the end. So there's that.
As for the good. The book had a nice fairy tale quality to it that was pleasant to read. The beginning, when she first gets to the alternate world, started out with me rolling my eyes a bit but the magic aspect works itself out in the end. So there's that.
October 3, 2017
4 Stars
I was nervous going into this novel because of the huge amount of mixed reviews surrounding. It seems to be one of those books that leaves its readers with strong emotions; a love it or hate it type deal and I'm happy to say I fall into the former. I thought this book was wonderfully atmospheric and haunting. It reminded me of Alice and Wonderland, a woman bored and upset with her mundane existence goes on a walk one day only to stumble into a world of demons and magic. This type of storyline always appeals to me. Who wouldn't like the ability to check out of their life and go on a ridiculous and magical adventure? There is only so many mirrors and wardrobes one can attempt to walk through before realizing you're going to have to live vicariously through the characters in your favourite novels.
Our story follows the PHD candidate Nora as she stumbles off the beaten road (literally) and finds herself trapped in a foreign world with no way of getting back. The first 10% of this novel is like a freakish fever dream where our heroine meets up with the magical evil Faitoren (fairies) queen Ilyssa who performs a number of enchantments and glamours on Nora so that she will eventually become the walking womb for her son's spawn. Thankfully she escapes with the help of a wizard named Aruendiel which is when the story turns into a beauty and the beast type deal as she spends most of the novel helping him as a servant and even becoming his pupil, learning magic herself, and ignoring the sexual tension that is so palpable. Can I just say I love Aruendiel and Nora sexual chemistry You find out some horrible things about Aruendiel, he plays the typical mean jerk card which I hate in my novel romances and I even still can't help love him and love Nora.
I get why people may not appreciate the novel as there isn't really a main plot of sorts more like a journey you are taken on. A journey through the eyes of Nora as she tries to navigate her way through this mysterious world and its inhabitants. Yes, there is the conflict between the Faitoren and the Aruendiel and his kingdom but not so much that it engulfed the story. It's more that you go on this beautiful journey with Nora which for me was perfect it felt like peering into the window of a great adventure that I never wanted to end.
BUT the novel did end and it ended leaving you hanging with some questions because I believe the author is working on a second (take her sweet fucking time with it, it's like give me the second installment LADY!!! Not cool), so if you are an inpatient person like myself and you're going get pissed with not finding out how the story ends like myself. If you cannot be patient with the author and her inability to finish the story she released FOUR YEARS AGO like MYSELF, then I'd wait for the next book to come out before beginning this novel. I kind of wish I did.
Other then that this book is a perfect long read that feels like a beginners introduction to high fantasy, the warm up before you dive into The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
I was nervous going into this novel because of the huge amount of mixed reviews surrounding. It seems to be one of those books that leaves its readers with strong emotions; a love it or hate it type deal and I'm happy to say I fall into the former. I thought this book was wonderfully atmospheric and haunting. It reminded me of Alice and Wonderland, a woman bored and upset with her mundane existence goes on a walk one day only to stumble into a world of demons and magic. This type of storyline always appeals to me. Who wouldn't like the ability to check out of their life and go on a ridiculous and magical adventure? There is only so many mirrors and wardrobes one can attempt to walk through before realizing you're going to have to live vicariously through the characters in your favourite novels.
Our story follows the PHD candidate Nora as she stumbles off the beaten road (literally) and finds herself trapped in a foreign world with no way of getting back. The first 10% of this novel is like a freakish fever dream where our heroine meets up with the magical evil Faitoren (fairies) queen Ilyssa who performs a number of enchantments and glamours on Nora so that she will eventually become the walking womb for her son's spawn. Thankfully she escapes with the help of a wizard named Aruendiel which is when the story turns into a beauty and the beast type deal as she spends most of the novel helping him as a servant and even becoming his pupil, learning magic herself, and ignoring the sexual tension that is so palpable. Can I just say I love Aruendiel and Nora sexual chemistry You find out some horrible things about Aruendiel, he plays the typical mean jerk card which I hate in my novel romances and I even still can't help love him and love Nora.
I get why people may not appreciate the novel as there isn't really a main plot of sorts more like a journey you are taken on. A journey through the eyes of Nora as she tries to navigate her way through this mysterious world and its inhabitants. Yes, there is the conflict between the Faitoren and the Aruendiel and his kingdom but not so much that it engulfed the story. It's more that you go on this beautiful journey with Nora which for me was perfect it felt like peering into the window of a great adventure that I never wanted to end.
BUT the novel did end and it ended leaving you hanging with some questions because I believe the author is working on a second (take her sweet fucking time with it, it's like give me the second installment LADY!!! Not cool), so if you are an inpatient person like myself and you're going get pissed with not finding out how the story ends like myself. If you cannot be patient with the author and her inability to finish the story she released FOUR YEARS AGO like MYSELF, then I'd wait for the next book to come out before beginning this novel. I kind of wish I did.
Other then that this book is a perfect long read that feels like a beginners introduction to high fantasy, the warm up before you dive into The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
August 14, 2018
The title-The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic- is apt in one way. The majority of action, if you can call it that, in the novel consists of navel gazing.
And talking. And medieval homemaking. And more talking. And navel gazing....
I picked this up on sale for $1.99, an egregious sum for a Somebody Get Me a Hyper-Caffeinated Something, STAT! book. It was listed as a deal on Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, and a reader said she loved it so much that she read it a few times a year. (Apparently, she has loads of time on her hands. Also, she's the author's mother.) I like romance, the idea of it, anyway, but my tastes don't exactly intersect with traditional romance readers. In other words, I should have known better than to buy this.
In principle, The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic has potential. Initially, it was reminiscent of Uprooted, or better yet, Howl's Moving Castle . But without Uprooted's tedious, Mary Sue protagonist. (Seriously. I don't get that book's allure.)
But also, without any of Howl's Moving Castle's (specifically, Howl, himself's) charm.
Basically, you have a young, naive woman who finds herself unwillingly playing house/castle with a much older, grumpier male wizard. Much grousing from Mr. Wizard doth ensue and it's up to our plucky heroine to win him over and save the day.
Here, the plucky heroine is played by Nora, a grad student struggling with her thesis. The early pages drew me in because--Yeah, I've been there. Had an advisor who was fucking useless, giving no direction in the development of my thesis. Her romantic struggles are also understandable, since younger me was a moron when it came to men.
One day, while in the countryside for a wedding, Nora takes a nature hike, stumbles through a portal into a magical, pre-industrial world, and is married, against her will, to a fairy prince. She is essentially under the influence of a magical date rape drug, for lack of a nicer way to put it. (The story isn't rapey, per say, but obviously consent is an issue.)
Eventually, she is rescued by Aruendiel, the "Hey, you kids get off my lawn!" human wizard. To the story's credit, he's scarred and not handsome, as opposed to the usual beautiful young/ancient man trope.
Their relationship progresses through the usual phases, dull contempt to a mild admiration. Aruendiel eventually agrees to teach her magic. And the magic, unlike that in Uprooted (hate it more I think about it), make sense and isn't all "Pull a spell outta my ass because I'm speshul and don't need actual larnin'."
But by page 415, where I threw up my hands and said, "No mas!" the plot had consisted of Nora wandering about the village, making friends, doing chores, learning magic, and blah, blah, blah, talking/arguing with Aruendiel. At the point where I quit, he had grudging agreed to tell her how he became a wizard and was in "Old man telling a story" mode.
Who published this? Did it have a contextual editor? Pare away at least 200 pages and there might be a good story within. As it is, there's no sense of urgency, the protagonist has no motivation, and the plot aimless.
Gimme my money back.
And talking. And medieval homemaking. And more talking. And navel gazing....
I picked this up on sale for $1.99, an egregious sum for a Somebody Get Me a Hyper-Caffeinated Something, STAT! book. It was listed as a deal on Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, and a reader said she loved it so much that she read it a few times a year. (Apparently, she has loads of time on her hands. Also, she's the author's mother.) I like romance, the idea of it, anyway, but my tastes don't exactly intersect with traditional romance readers. In other words, I should have known better than to buy this.
In principle, The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic has potential. Initially, it was reminiscent of Uprooted, or better yet, Howl's Moving Castle . But without Uprooted's tedious, Mary Sue protagonist. (Seriously. I don't get that book's allure.)
But also, without any of Howl's Moving Castle's (specifically, Howl, himself's) charm.
Basically, you have a young, naive woman who finds herself unwillingly playing house/castle with a much older, grumpier male wizard. Much grousing from Mr. Wizard doth ensue and it's up to our plucky heroine to win him over and save the day.
Here, the plucky heroine is played by Nora, a grad student struggling with her thesis. The early pages drew me in because--Yeah, I've been there. Had an advisor who was fucking useless, giving no direction in the development of my thesis. Her romantic struggles are also understandable, since younger me was a moron when it came to men.
One day, while in the countryside for a wedding, Nora takes a nature hike, stumbles through a portal into a magical, pre-industrial world, and is married, against her will, to a fairy prince. She is essentially under the influence of a magical date rape drug, for lack of a nicer way to put it. (The story isn't rapey, per say, but obviously consent is an issue.)
Eventually, she is rescued by Aruendiel, the "Hey, you kids get off my lawn!" human wizard. To the story's credit, he's scarred and not handsome, as opposed to the usual beautiful young/ancient man trope.
Their relationship progresses through the usual phases, dull contempt to a mild admiration. Aruendiel eventually agrees to teach her magic. And the magic, unlike that in Uprooted (hate it more I think about it), make sense and isn't all "Pull a spell outta my ass because I'm speshul and don't need actual larnin'."
But by page 415, where I threw up my hands and said, "No mas!" the plot had consisted of Nora wandering about the village, making friends, doing chores, learning magic, and blah, blah, blah, talking/arguing with Aruendiel. At the point where I quit, he had grudging agreed to tell her how he became a wizard and was in "Old man telling a story" mode.
Who published this? Did it have a contextual editor? Pare away at least 200 pages and there might be a good story within. As it is, there's no sense of urgency, the protagonist has no motivation, and the plot aimless.
Gimme my money back.
January 16, 2019
Not quite what I was anticipating—which is a bit of an issue when the book is over 500 pages!
Under normal circumstances, I adore books which include the Fae, which this one does. Nora, our main character, bumps into an odd guy on campus and he rather obscurely grants her wish for a complete change of pace in life. One assumes that he is a member of this book’s Faitoren who was inhabiting our world, instead of the alternate world that Nora is transported to.
This is very much an alternate reality book—like Stephen Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant series, H. Beam Piper’s Paratime novels or Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. In this iteration, Nora gets transported into a rather medieval world which relies on magic rather than technology. Of course, she discovers some facility for magic, which saves her life from being total drudgery.
One of my main issues was the character of Aruendiel, the magician who rescues Nora from the Faitoren and assumes responsibility for her in this very, very patriarchal world. He’s no Dumbledore or Gandalf—he’s cranky, prejudiced, and arrogant. His relationship with Nora is a very reluctant one, consisting more of feeling responsible for her than any affection. Then when the balance seems to twist towards Aruendiel wanting more of their relationship, he isn’t willing to unbend enough to verbalize it, leaving Nora really to twist in the wind, wondering if she’s imagining things. Just to confuse things even more, Aruendiel seems to try fairly often to foist her on other men as a wife or he is searching for a “window” to send her home to her own reality. There’s a limited amount of speculation about the magician’s age and I gained the feeling that he was way too old to be a viable love-interest for Nora.
There is some exploration of the notion that Nora, coming from our reality, doesn’t act enough like a (subservient) woman in the magic time line. But the chances to explore the nature of the relations between men and women gets short shrift (except on the many occasions when Nora is pissed off about it). She basically works like a galley slave on Aruendiel’s estate except when he grants her special privileges to study or practice magic.
Although Nora ends up feeling attracted to Aruendiel, I just couldn’t feel the basis for it. He was too old, too arrogant, too prejudiced against women. I could understand some respect for him as a teacher (although he didn’t seem to be all that great an instructor, honestly), but beyond that was beyond my ability to suspend my disbelief.
Nevertheless, there’s a lid for every pot and I’m sure that this book will suit a lot of readers better than it did me.
Under normal circumstances, I adore books which include the Fae, which this one does. Nora, our main character, bumps into an odd guy on campus and he rather obscurely grants her wish for a complete change of pace in life. One assumes that he is a member of this book’s Faitoren who was inhabiting our world, instead of the alternate world that Nora is transported to.
This is very much an alternate reality book—like Stephen Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant series, H. Beam Piper’s Paratime novels or Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. In this iteration, Nora gets transported into a rather medieval world which relies on magic rather than technology. Of course, she discovers some facility for magic, which saves her life from being total drudgery.
One of my main issues was the character of Aruendiel, the magician who rescues Nora from the Faitoren and assumes responsibility for her in this very, very patriarchal world. He’s no Dumbledore or Gandalf—he’s cranky, prejudiced, and arrogant. His relationship with Nora is a very reluctant one, consisting more of feeling responsible for her than any affection. Then when the balance seems to twist towards Aruendiel wanting more of their relationship, he isn’t willing to unbend enough to verbalize it, leaving Nora really to twist in the wind, wondering if she’s imagining things. Just to confuse things even more, Aruendiel seems to try fairly often to foist her on other men as a wife or he is searching for a “window” to send her home to her own reality. There’s a limited amount of speculation about the magician’s age and I gained the feeling that he was way too old to be a viable love-interest for Nora.
There is some exploration of the notion that Nora, coming from our reality, doesn’t act enough like a (subservient) woman in the magic time line. But the chances to explore the nature of the relations between men and women gets short shrift (except on the many occasions when Nora is pissed off about it). She basically works like a galley slave on Aruendiel’s estate except when he grants her special privileges to study or practice magic.
Although Nora ends up feeling attracted to Aruendiel, I just couldn’t feel the basis for it. He was too old, too arrogant, too prejudiced against women. I could understand some respect for him as a teacher (although he didn’t seem to be all that great an instructor, honestly), but beyond that was beyond my ability to suspend my disbelief.
Nevertheless, there’s a lid for every pot and I’m sure that this book will suit a lot of readers better than it did me.
January 8, 2014
It's not often that I idly pull a book off the "New" shelves at the library, read the first sentence, and can't stop. Emily Croy Barker's first novel accomplished this rare feat.
Nora, a graduate student in English, is failing on all fronts: her dissertation is going nowhere, her advisor is suggesting she might not be cut out for academia, her cat just got run over by a car, her boyfriend just dumped her, and to top it off, her roommate left glue traps in the kitchen and she's faced with a struggling mouse. How she handles that trivial incident with the mouse--which occurs in the first sentence--gives the reader a great first impression of Nora. She may be failing at everything around her, but she's resourceful, compassionate, impulsive, a bit anarchic, and all in all a character well worth accompanying on a long journey.
However, fantasy readers are likely to know a few things Nora doesn't. Not being a fantasy fan--or a medievalist, or a Yeats scholar--she is unprepared when she stumbles into fairyland with a copy of Pride and Prejudice in her back pocket. There's a delicious sense of irony when smart, well-read Nora doesn't recognize the eternally youthful partiers who have welcomed her until long after the reader has figured it out, and doesn't know enough to be wary of them until it's very nearly too late.
Eventually, with the help of an otherworldly wizard, she shakes free of the fairy glamour and begins, slowly, to take charge of her new life in a world where the cultural assumptions of our own time are alien--but where that copy of Pride and Prejudice is unexpectedly useful.
I'm close to the perfect audience for this book: like Nora, I felt out of place in a graduate program in English; like her, I was a good "close reader" but not much of a theorist. With such a personal angle on the story, I may be in a better position to enjoy the story than the average fantasy fan. It's not a perfect novel: I could have liked Nora to waste less time disbelieving that she's really in another world. But on the whole, it's a well-written and engrossing fantasy, with a well-engineered complex plot. I recommend it highly to anyone who's survived graduate school.
Nora, a graduate student in English, is failing on all fronts: her dissertation is going nowhere, her advisor is suggesting she might not be cut out for academia, her cat just got run over by a car, her boyfriend just dumped her, and to top it off, her roommate left glue traps in the kitchen and she's faced with a struggling mouse. How she handles that trivial incident with the mouse--which occurs in the first sentence--gives the reader a great first impression of Nora. She may be failing at everything around her, but she's resourceful, compassionate, impulsive, a bit anarchic, and all in all a character well worth accompanying on a long journey.
However, fantasy readers are likely to know a few things Nora doesn't. Not being a fantasy fan--or a medievalist, or a Yeats scholar--she is unprepared when she stumbles into fairyland with a copy of Pride and Prejudice in her back pocket. There's a delicious sense of irony when smart, well-read Nora doesn't recognize the eternally youthful partiers who have welcomed her until long after the reader has figured it out, and doesn't know enough to be wary of them until it's very nearly too late.
Eventually, with the help of an otherworldly wizard, she shakes free of the fairy glamour and begins, slowly, to take charge of her new life in a world where the cultural assumptions of our own time are alien--but where that copy of Pride and Prejudice is unexpectedly useful.
I'm close to the perfect audience for this book: like Nora, I felt out of place in a graduate program in English; like her, I was a good "close reader" but not much of a theorist. With such a personal angle on the story, I may be in a better position to enjoy the story than the average fantasy fan. It's not a perfect novel: I could have liked Nora to waste less time disbelieving that she's really in another world. But on the whole, it's a well-written and engrossing fantasy, with a well-engineered complex plot. I recommend it highly to anyone who's survived graduate school.
November 14, 2013
From everything I had read, I expected this to be much more romantic. There is that element, as well as the lush, adjective-rich language of the genre, but it's a wonderful fantasy story for fans of Harkness and Gabaldon. Time travel/parallel world, magic, dangerous faeries who remain hidden behind glamors, a curmudgeonly magician (not a wizard; there's a difference), and tons of other intriguing characters. Nora Fischer, disgruntled graduate student, stumbles into Faerie when she repeats a poem on a stone in an abandoned graveyard--and then she and we are caught up in this new world. Excellent world building, although it slows the plot at first as Barker sets up the story, and we experience all through Nora's consciousness. Pride and Prejudice plays a part, and the story does, in small measure, parallel the classic--but really it's just a big, complex story set in a richly-described magical world. With Nora we learn the language and the customs. Bresnahan is the perfect narrator--a talented reader who gives each character a distinct voice and nature. And there's no question that she draws us in, allowing us to experience the highs and every threat and attack. Open-ended in preparation for a sequel.
October 30, 2023
DNF @ 35%
This started out fairly interesting and fast paced. Now it's a slog.
Maybe the comparison to Deborah Harkness is spot on - because those books were pretentious and boring af, as well.
This started out fairly interesting and fast paced. Now it's a slog.
Maybe the comparison to Deborah Harkness is spot on - because those books were pretentious and boring af, as well.
August 27, 2020
3.5 stars. I've often seen books compared to roller coaster rides. This one was more like a long road trip. There was plenty that I liked about it—the Pride and Prejudice parallels, some cool magic, poetry-eating demons and a couple of funny Harry Potter references. I liked that the author thought of the problem of learning a different language in another world, and that Nora the book-lover taught herself to read because she couldn't stand being illiterate. Nora's gradual path to becoming a student of magic is a nice change of pace for this kind of story too.
But I don't think the book needed to be this long. It especially didn't need to be this long and have such an unsatisfying ending
It was well-imagined, maybe too well-imagined. The attention to detail in describing Nora's life in this other world periodically made the story drag. It's an interesting world, and there are several fantastic scenes. There was simply too much filler in between them.
I don't know if there are more books to come—a quick internet search didn't give me an answer. If so, I will read what comes next because I care enough about the characters to see what happens. There are so many questions left unanswered that I don't know how this can be the end of the story.
But I don't think the book needed to be this long. It especially didn't need to be this long and have such an unsatisfying ending
It was well-imagined, maybe too well-imagined. The attention to detail in describing Nora's life in this other world periodically made the story drag. It's an interesting world, and there are several fantastic scenes. There was simply too much filler in between them.
I don't know if there are more books to come—a quick internet search didn't give me an answer. If so, I will read what comes next because I care enough about the characters to see what happens. There are so many questions left unanswered that I don't know how this can be the end of the story.
September 17, 2013
This book is lovely. If you liked both Harry Potter and Outlander, you will probably like this book. If you can also stomach a little Pride and Prejudice, even better.
The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic is the story of Nora Fischer, who, after an unhappy break up finds herself transported to another world, where she quickly becomes the focus of some nefarious characters, as well as some noble ones. The setup is simple enough and is employed with plenty of skill and humor. It is really enthralling to read something that is such a well fleshed out world, with characters that are basically pretty likable and a plot that isn't rushed. The magic was simply explained, but not dully so, similarly, the customs of the world and the background of the other main characters. The story takes its time enveloping you, and in that regard, its only flaws were minor nicks in the plot; little holes that didn't make sense. These things were often so minor, that in a lazier novel I would have been quick to ignore them. To its own detriment, this book is so thorough that every minor unaddressed point felt like a glaring omission.
The only other "bad" thing I have to say (and I'm not sure that it is bad) is that the ending feels rushed, which is odd in such a long book. I almost wish there had been more resolution (once you're 560-ish pages in, 50 more pages can't possibly hurt) and that it didn't set itself up so nicely to have a sequel. That being said, if there is a sequel I will absolutely read it. I just don't know if any satisfying conclusion to Nora's story warrants another 500 page book.
Again, if you enjoyed the Harry Potter books, and wished Outlander had a magician component, you should definitely pick this up. And if anyone can explain to me why Mr. Darcy is such an appealing romantic character trope, they should send me a private message so we can discuss him/it.
The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic is the story of Nora Fischer, who, after an unhappy break up finds herself transported to another world, where she quickly becomes the focus of some nefarious characters, as well as some noble ones. The setup is simple enough and is employed with plenty of skill and humor. It is really enthralling to read something that is such a well fleshed out world, with characters that are basically pretty likable and a plot that isn't rushed. The magic was simply explained, but not dully so, similarly, the customs of the world and the background of the other main characters. The story takes its time enveloping you, and in that regard, its only flaws were minor nicks in the plot; little holes that didn't make sense. These things were often so minor, that in a lazier novel I would have been quick to ignore them. To its own detriment, this book is so thorough that every minor unaddressed point felt like a glaring omission.
The only other "bad" thing I have to say (and I'm not sure that it is bad) is that the ending feels rushed, which is odd in such a long book. I almost wish there had been more resolution (once you're 560-ish pages in, 50 more pages can't possibly hurt) and that it didn't set itself up so nicely to have a sequel. That being said, if there is a sequel I will absolutely read it. I just don't know if any satisfying conclusion to Nora's story warrants another 500 page book.
Again, if you enjoyed the Harry Potter books, and wished Outlander had a magician component, you should definitely pick this up. And if anyone can explain to me why Mr. Darcy is such an appealing romantic character trope, they should send me a private message so we can discuss him/it.
February 19, 2017
I loved this book such that my cheeks hurt from contented-smiling by the time I was finished reading it. The protagonist is smart and likeable but NOT a Mary Sue, the world building is wonderful (like, Garth Nix level) and the plot is gripping. I was drawn in by the title, which appealed to me so much I was willing to overlook the fatal words "A graduate of Harvard University" in the author's biography (seriously, is there a more irritating appositive phrase in existence? No, there is not, glad we settled that). The book more than lives up to the title's promise, and Croy Barker is a much better writer than her bio might suggest.
Recommend for those who enjoyed Jonathan Strange Mr Norrell and/or The Magicians--in other words, for anyone who isn't TOTALLY SOULLESS.
Recommend for those who enjoyed Jonathan Strange Mr Norrell and/or The Magicians--in other words, for anyone who isn't TOTALLY SOULLESS.
June 19, 2013
Nope...couldn't get into this at. all. The protagonist is supposed to be an intelligent woman wrapping up a PhD program, but there is no evidence of her ever thinking or evidencing intelligence. She is, as far as I got, a very undeveloped character with nothing compelling to bring me back. This didn't pass my fifty-page rule (I think in this case I gave it six chapters), so I'm open to the possibility that it's a really slow build, but I'm somewhat baffled by the great reviews it's gotten.
December 25, 2013
I first heard about this book while voting for a friend's book in the recent Goodreads contest. Because I bought the Kindle edition, I had no idea how long it was until I was deep into the story. Then I had to keep reading because -- and this seems incredibly rare in a book with supernatural elements -- I genuinely cared about the characters and couldn't figure out where the author was going with the story.
TWG2RM could be alternately titled "Pride and Prejudice and Magicians," and maybe if I'd read Jane Austen the story would've been more predictable, or I would've seen some of the mechanics behind the characterizations. As it was, I was reminded of Lev Grossman's two Magicians novels, in a good way. It's fun to see characters pulled from our world and thrown headlong into another, one where the hero is the only person who doesn't understand the rules.
That said, the slow pace was sometimes frustrating. Nora, the hero, spends a lot of time doing mundane things in a world without automation. It wasn't until I got to the book's final chapters that I understood why Emily Barker couldn't race through the dull bits. In her alternate world, magic only works to the extent that it can manipulate natural forces -- water, fire, the clay used to make simple dishes and bowls. The methodical process of learning how to do it wouldn't make as much sense if we didn't see Nora's methodical process of learning everything. She even has to learn how to read in a new language.
Class is also important in the magical world (a theme I probably would've caught on to faster if I'd read P&P), particularly because no one is sure which class Nora belongs to. Is she a commoner? Nobility? A nobleman's mistress? She instinctively judges people by their abilities, and expects the same in return, but meritocracy is a foreign concept in this world. I'm pretty sure there's only one character who's managed to ascend from the peasantry to a high position, and IIRC he's described but never actually introduced.
In my own world, I place TWG2RM below The Magicians as a reading experience but above Deborah Harkness's Discovery of Witches, which I found too tedious to finish. Every time the story looked like it might start moving, the author stopped to describe what everyone in the scene was wearing. I'll give Barker a lot of credit for letting me imagine her world in my own way.
But mostly I give her credit for keeping me engaged enough to keep reading a very long book that offers no promise of a happy ending, and every possibility of the opposite.
TWG2RM could be alternately titled "Pride and Prejudice and Magicians," and maybe if I'd read Jane Austen the story would've been more predictable, or I would've seen some of the mechanics behind the characterizations. As it was, I was reminded of Lev Grossman's two Magicians novels, in a good way. It's fun to see characters pulled from our world and thrown headlong into another, one where the hero is the only person who doesn't understand the rules.
That said, the slow pace was sometimes frustrating. Nora, the hero, spends a lot of time doing mundane things in a world without automation. It wasn't until I got to the book's final chapters that I understood why Emily Barker couldn't race through the dull bits. In her alternate world, magic only works to the extent that it can manipulate natural forces -- water, fire, the clay used to make simple dishes and bowls. The methodical process of learning how to do it wouldn't make as much sense if we didn't see Nora's methodical process of learning everything. She even has to learn how to read in a new language.
Class is also important in the magical world (a theme I probably would've caught on to faster if I'd read P&P), particularly because no one is sure which class Nora belongs to. Is she a commoner? Nobility? A nobleman's mistress? She instinctively judges people by their abilities, and expects the same in return, but meritocracy is a foreign concept in this world. I'm pretty sure there's only one character who's managed to ascend from the peasantry to a high position, and IIRC he's described but never actually introduced.
In my own world, I place TWG2RM below The Magicians as a reading experience but above Deborah Harkness's Discovery of Witches, which I found too tedious to finish. Every time the story looked like it might start moving, the author stopped to describe what everyone in the scene was wearing. I'll give Barker a lot of credit for letting me imagine her world in my own way.
But mostly I give her credit for keeping me engaged enough to keep reading a very long book that offers no promise of a happy ending, and every possibility of the opposite.
October 24, 2014
I was so sure that I would love this book. And I can't say that I exactly disliked it, I actually enjoyed quite a few elements of the story. Yet I kept feeling like something was missing, I kept getting disconnected from the story and from Nora's character as I was reading. I also noticed that a lot of the readers that loved this book are not great fans of Discovery of Witches (and vice versa), whereas I absolutely loved Discovery of Witches and its characters.
Things I liked about this book:
- Magician Aruendiel was probably my favorite part of this book. I loved the veil of mystery surrounding his character and his past.
- I loved the numerous references to Pride and Prejudice
- I even enjoyed the beginning of the story, descriptions of Nora's lief up until the point she wanders into this alternate world
- Different "species" populating this magical world were fascinating and described well
Things I was not so crazy about:
- Despite containing a lot of magic and "magical creatures" this alternate universe did not feel magical to me. It felt like a travel back in history and somehow did not really grip me
- The pace of the story was very inconsistent. Things felt unnecessarily drawn out at times and I think those were the moments I would start feeling disconnected from the story
- I understand that it is extremely hard to come up with unexpected twists and turns in the story but I was a bit disappointed that I could see things coming miles away. It reduced the anticipation and excitement for me
If I end up reading the next book in the series, it will be primarily because of Aruendiel. Part of me hopes that there is more to the story of his past. I refuse to accept that the explanation revealed by the end of the book is all there is to it.
This is a well written book that simply failed to seduce ME fully. I am sure there are numerous readers out there who will simply love the world Emily Croy Barker created in this book. If this sounds like your cup of tea, I hope you do pick up this book, read it, and make a decision for yourself.
Things I liked about this book:
- Magician Aruendiel was probably my favorite part of this book. I loved the veil of mystery surrounding his character and his past.
- I loved the numerous references to Pride and Prejudice
- I even enjoyed the beginning of the story, descriptions of Nora's lief up until the point she wanders into this alternate world
- Different "species" populating this magical world were fascinating and described well
Things I was not so crazy about:
- Despite containing a lot of magic and "magical creatures" this alternate universe did not feel magical to me. It felt like a travel back in history and somehow did not really grip me
- The pace of the story was very inconsistent. Things felt unnecessarily drawn out at times and I think those were the moments I would start feeling disconnected from the story
- I understand that it is extremely hard to come up with unexpected twists and turns in the story but I was a bit disappointed that I could see things coming miles away. It reduced the anticipation and excitement for me
If I end up reading the next book in the series, it will be primarily because of Aruendiel. Part of me hopes that there is more to the story of his past. I refuse to accept that the explanation revealed by the end of the book is all there is to it.
This is a well written book that simply failed to seduce ME fully. I am sure there are numerous readers out there who will simply love the world Emily Croy Barker created in this book. If this sounds like your cup of tea, I hope you do pick up this book, read it, and make a decision for yourself.
August 20, 2022
Fun read! Nora is an engaging protagonist, and I was as fascinated with Arundiel as she is. Nice to see a strong female protagonist, and echoes of Austen, in an alternate universe fantasy novel. The ending makes me hopeful there will be a second book...
April 26, 2016
This is definitely the start of a fantasy series. I suspect Barker is "holding her breath" in terms of continuing as her publisher waits to see if this story does well. I hope it does — it is a Goodreads Choice Nominee for Fantasy in 2013. I just gots ta know what happens next!
My Take
I enjoyed this very much. It starts out feeling like Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy series, but quickly veers into fantasy when Nora exits this world on the basis of a wish. It has a lightweight quality, but it certainly isn't juvenile in spite of it being a little bit Narnia, a little bit All Souls, and bearing a kinship to Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill's Bedlam's Bard, Seanan Maguire's October Daye, Richelle Mead's Dark Swan, Karen Marie Moning's Fever, and Allison Pang's Abby Sinclair.
Nora is the main story with Arundiel's past coming to light in bits and pieces, allowing us to learn more about his world and its customs. I do like hearing about a magic that doesn't wear one out or have to be husbanded. It gives Arundiel, and later Nora, the opportunity to do lots of small good throughout the story. It feels more real than the great magics. The Faitorens' magic seems to be different. More one of illusion and compulsion. It's certainly a come-down for them from their magnificent beginning.
I am annoyed that I can't tell where she begins. It could be England or America, although the mention of Asheville makes me think North Carolina. What college is she attending? If faerie food has no substance, and Hirizjahkinis is so very hungry after her three days, why isn't Nora MUCH hungrier after all the time she's spent with them? Why doesn't Nora ever question that voice in her head?
The reasoning behind the demon names is too funny, and yet it does make sense. After all, how would they know about human culture? I like Barker's reason for how magic works too. It's a very empathic science.
Barker makes great use of all sorts of incidents of aid, judgment, translation, and conceit to give us a sense of Nora, of Arundiel, and his world. The woman whose child was eaten and the incident of the cobbler are two of the most memorable. I certainly don't see why Arundiel had to make such a fuss about that last one. It was his own fault.
Arundiel annoys me often. He's so judgmental of Nora, of her speech and her grammar, when she's only now learning his language, about his culture, and about magic. He has no patience, and it's not fair. I shouldn't have thought him so insecure. But perhaps he's simply too grand to remember his own first days.
LOL, Nora eventually learns that William Carlos Williams' poetry is what it takes to satiate an ice demon. I'm also curious to know if Barker plans to use Arundiel's weakness at math sometime. I do hope Barker plans a second installment. We've been left at the gate, so to speak, and I want to open it again.
The Story
Angry with how her life is unraveling, Nora takes a walk into the mountains, a walk that takes her much further than she knows. It's hard for a scholar like her to be adrift in such a world as Arundiel's, especially after her sojourn amongst the Faitoren.
She can't read the language, women are second class citizen with a grammar specifically for them, and Arundiel's life is a mystery of magic. One she wants to understand.
Then there are the Faitoren. There's supposed to be a treaty in place, one which the Faitoren ignore as they please. Just look to Nora and how they treated her!
The Characters
Nora Fischer is human and working on her thesis about John Donne. Only, she's stuck. EJ is the older brother who died. Her mother is remarried while her father is married to Kathy, and they have two daughters: Leigh and Ramona, the younger half-sister.
Lord Arundiel is a magician, a relatively old one, whose magic makes him younger. In his much younger days, he was an aide-de-camp to Lord Burs of Klevis. Lady Lusarniev Arundielan was his wife, who brought the Lusul estate as her dowry. Melinderic was a knight and Arundiel's friend and principal deputy on the estate. His siblings were Atl Aruendies, the oldest son; then Arundic, a sister who married the Duke of Forel; and then, Arundiel. He was sent away to wizard school with Old Naxt first, and then to Lord Burs. Lady Pusieuv Negin of Forel is his grand-niece. Mrs. Ulunip Toristel keeps his house and cooks while Mr. Toristel takes care of most outside chores. Lolona is their daughter who married a brewer. Wurga is a portrait that becomes very angry.
Other magicians include…
…Lady Hirizjahkinis is a close friend, although Arundiel disapproves of Kavareen, a demon spirit with whom she consorts. Micher Samle has made a study of thin places where worlds touch. I'm wondering if he's Farmer Dahmer. Nansis Abora was the peasant boy at Old Naxt's. Norsn. Klexin Ornasorn claims to have discovered the Blueskin observation spell. The one Nora and Arundiel use to visit Nora's sister. Euren the Wolf is reclusive, and one of the magicians to help bring Arundiel back to life. Dorneng Hul is fascinated by Faitoren magic and goes to guard the border. Hirgus Ext the Shorn is really a wizard, a bald one. Yes, Barker has a lovely distinction between magicians and wizards as well. Setting us up for the next in the series.
In Arundiel's village…
…Losi does laundry. Morinen is Corlil's daughter and a great bargainer, Resk is one of her brothers, and I think Fori is their mother. Those with broken pottery include Caddo, who is Big Faris' wife; Aunt Narl gives yarn; Pelinen is a widow with cows; Trouteye has a lot of busted pots; Porsn is the tanner; Blue Dove does a lovely blackberry wine; Lus; and, Ferret is Morinen's second cousin and likely to hang. Bitar runs the general store.
The case of the eaten daughter
Massy is the mother of Gissy, Sova, Horl, her oldest son, are from an earlier marriage. Now, she's married to Irseln's father, Rorpin. Short Bernl is a pedophile and the accused.
Semr is where…
…King Abele IV's seat is located. Lady Inristian is Nora's roommate in Semr, and she's desperate for a marriage alliance. Baroness Fulvishin and Soristia are her catty friends. Bouragnor is the king's chief magician, but not for long. Visonis is his chief military adviser. Queen Tulivie was the current king's grandmother. Perin Pirekenies, a captain of the king's guard, is the oldest of nine, and his parents want him married.
The Faitoren
Ilissa is very good with illusions and appears to be their queen while her son, Raclin, is looking for a wife. Members of the court include Lily, Boodle, Moscelle and Vulpin are tasked with babysitting, Lolly, Amatol, Gaibon, Lysis, Leptospeer, and Oon, who is too great a flirt.
Lord Luklren "Lukl" is the twelfth earl of the Northern Border and a hardscrabble lord whose lands border those of the Faitoren.
Naomi Danziger is Nora's adviser. I want to know more about Farmer Dahmer, the supposed grad student unable to complete his thesis! I have my doubts… Maggie is a friend. Adam is her jerk ex-boyfriend.
The Null Days are our solstice. A time when there are days that don't fit.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a swirl of yellow ribbon showcasing the title against a backdrop of magic, woods, dragon, woman, and owl. It's a good collage of what's in the story with the dragon, Raclin, on one side of the ribbon divide and Arundiel and Nora on the other.
The title makes this sound like a how-to manual, but actually it's having some fun with Nora, the unhappy doctoral candidate whose talent for finding life within poetry makes her ideal for The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic.
My Take
I enjoyed this very much. It starts out feeling like Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy series, but quickly veers into fantasy when Nora exits this world on the basis of a wish. It has a lightweight quality, but it certainly isn't juvenile in spite of it being a little bit Narnia, a little bit All Souls, and bearing a kinship to Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill's Bedlam's Bard, Seanan Maguire's October Daye, Richelle Mead's Dark Swan, Karen Marie Moning's Fever, and Allison Pang's Abby Sinclair.
Nora is the main story with Arundiel's past coming to light in bits and pieces, allowing us to learn more about his world and its customs. I do like hearing about a magic that doesn't wear one out or have to be husbanded. It gives Arundiel, and later Nora, the opportunity to do lots of small good throughout the story. It feels more real than the great magics. The Faitorens' magic seems to be different. More one of illusion and compulsion. It's certainly a come-down for them from their magnificent beginning.
I am annoyed that I can't tell where she begins. It could be England or America, although the mention of Asheville makes me think North Carolina. What college is she attending? If faerie food has no substance, and Hirizjahkinis is so very hungry after her three days, why isn't Nora MUCH hungrier after all the time she's spent with them? Why doesn't Nora ever question that voice in her head?
The reasoning behind the demon names is too funny, and yet it does make sense. After all, how would they know about human culture? I like Barker's reason for how magic works too. It's a very empathic science.
Barker makes great use of all sorts of incidents of aid, judgment, translation, and conceit to give us a sense of Nora, of Arundiel, and his world. The woman whose child was eaten and the incident of the cobbler are two of the most memorable. I certainly don't see why Arundiel had to make such a fuss about that last one. It was his own fault.
Arundiel annoys me often. He's so judgmental of Nora, of her speech and her grammar, when she's only now learning his language, about his culture, and about magic. He has no patience, and it's not fair. I shouldn't have thought him so insecure. But perhaps he's simply too grand to remember his own first days.
LOL, Nora eventually learns that William Carlos Williams' poetry is what it takes to satiate an ice demon. I'm also curious to know if Barker plans to use Arundiel's weakness at math sometime. I do hope Barker plans a second installment. We've been left at the gate, so to speak, and I want to open it again.
The Story
Angry with how her life is unraveling, Nora takes a walk into the mountains, a walk that takes her much further than she knows. It's hard for a scholar like her to be adrift in such a world as Arundiel's, especially after her sojourn amongst the Faitoren.
She can't read the language, women are second class citizen with a grammar specifically for them, and Arundiel's life is a mystery of magic. One she wants to understand.
Then there are the Faitoren. There's supposed to be a treaty in place, one which the Faitoren ignore as they please. Just look to Nora and how they treated her!
The Characters
Nora Fischer is human and working on her thesis about John Donne. Only, she's stuck. EJ is the older brother who died. Her mother is remarried while her father is married to Kathy, and they have two daughters: Leigh and Ramona, the younger half-sister.
Lord Arundiel is a magician, a relatively old one, whose magic makes him younger. In his much younger days, he was an aide-de-camp to Lord Burs of Klevis. Lady Lusarniev Arundielan was his wife, who brought the Lusul estate as her dowry. Melinderic was a knight and Arundiel's friend and principal deputy on the estate. His siblings were Atl Aruendies, the oldest son; then Arundic, a sister who married the Duke of Forel; and then, Arundiel. He was sent away to wizard school with Old Naxt first, and then to Lord Burs. Lady Pusieuv Negin of Forel is his grand-niece. Mrs. Ulunip Toristel keeps his house and cooks while Mr. Toristel takes care of most outside chores. Lolona is their daughter who married a brewer. Wurga is a portrait that becomes very angry.
Other magicians include…
…Lady Hirizjahkinis is a close friend, although Arundiel disapproves of Kavareen, a demon spirit with whom she consorts. Micher Samle has made a study of thin places where worlds touch. I'm wondering if he's Farmer Dahmer. Nansis Abora was the peasant boy at Old Naxt's. Norsn. Klexin Ornasorn claims to have discovered the Blueskin observation spell. The one Nora and Arundiel use to visit Nora's sister. Euren the Wolf is reclusive, and one of the magicians to help bring Arundiel back to life. Dorneng Hul is fascinated by Faitoren magic and goes to guard the border. Hirgus Ext the Shorn is really a wizard, a bald one. Yes, Barker has a lovely distinction between magicians and wizards as well. Setting us up for the next in the series.
In Arundiel's village…
…Losi does laundry. Morinen is Corlil's daughter and a great bargainer, Resk is one of her brothers, and I think Fori is their mother. Those with broken pottery include Caddo, who is Big Faris' wife; Aunt Narl gives yarn; Pelinen is a widow with cows; Trouteye has a lot of busted pots; Porsn is the tanner; Blue Dove does a lovely blackberry wine; Lus; and, Ferret is Morinen's second cousin and likely to hang. Bitar runs the general store.
The case of the eaten daughter
Massy is the mother of Gissy, Sova, Horl, her oldest son, are from an earlier marriage. Now, she's married to Irseln's father, Rorpin. Short Bernl is a pedophile and the accused.
Semr is where…
…King Abele IV's seat is located. Lady Inristian is Nora's roommate in Semr, and she's desperate for a marriage alliance. Baroness Fulvishin and Soristia are her catty friends. Bouragnor is the king's chief magician, but not for long. Visonis is his chief military adviser. Queen Tulivie was the current king's grandmother. Perin Pirekenies, a captain of the king's guard, is the oldest of nine, and his parents want him married.
The Faitoren
Ilissa is very good with illusions and appears to be their queen while her son, Raclin, is looking for a wife. Members of the court include Lily, Boodle, Moscelle and Vulpin are tasked with babysitting, Lolly, Amatol, Gaibon, Lysis, Leptospeer, and Oon, who is too great a flirt.
Lord Luklren "Lukl" is the twelfth earl of the Northern Border and a hardscrabble lord whose lands border those of the Faitoren.
Naomi Danziger is Nora's adviser. I want to know more about Farmer Dahmer, the supposed grad student unable to complete his thesis! I have my doubts… Maggie is a friend. Adam is her jerk ex-boyfriend.
The Null Days are our solstice. A time when there are days that don't fit.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a swirl of yellow ribbon showcasing the title against a backdrop of magic, woods, dragon, woman, and owl. It's a good collage of what's in the story with the dragon, Raclin, on one side of the ribbon divide and Arundiel and Nora on the other.
The title makes this sound like a how-to manual, but actually it's having some fun with Nora, the unhappy doctoral candidate whose talent for finding life within poetry makes her ideal for The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic.
October 14, 2013
I am very much into books about vampires, witches, shape-shifters, spirits, ghouls, or any combination thereof, the more the better! So, it s no surprise that I love Deborah Harkness’ trilogy A Discovery of Witches! Like many others, I came across The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic while searching for something similar to read in the fantasy genre, while waiting for the too-far-in-the-future-but-still-yet-to-come third book in D. Harkness trilogy. The cover of the book totally sold me out, and I requested a copy from my library. I am in the middle of a vampires/shape-shifters series that I had to stop, almost at the middle of it, when I got notification that the book was available for pick up.
From the beginning of the book, I felt completely absorbed by the world the author has created. The storytelling is so vivid that it will make you feel as if you went to this other magical world along with Nora.
It was so rewarding to see Nora’s character evolve throughout the novel, to see her trying so hard and failing so many times with the most basic spells, that you could not but feel overjoyed when she actually got it right and made it work! I think the characters are well developed, they have their virtues and flaws, and you can not help falling in love with them; the villains are terrible and very vicious.
It is a very long book, but it was never tedious or boring in my opinion. If you are like me, you will feel joy, sadness, anger, frustration, and a myriad of other feelings while reading this book. I was laughing out loud during the scene when Aruendiel and Nora go observe Nora’s world and they meet her little sister Ramona; at the first glimpse Ramona had of Aruendiel, the first thing that came out of her mouth was “Snape!” I was laughing so hard! My children were like “Mom! What are you reading?!”
As I indicated before, I have read a copy from my local library; but this is one of those books/series well worth having. So, as I did with A Discovery of Witches, I will go buy my own copy and read it again before beginning the second book, once it comes out.
I really loved this book! But a lot of things are left unresolved, we don’t know what happened to Ilissa and Raclin, and Nora is still wearing that particular piece of jewelry! Oh, so many things lest unfinished! I have read that this book is the first in a trilogy. Please do not make us wait too long for the sequel!
From the beginning of the book, I felt completely absorbed by the world the author has created. The storytelling is so vivid that it will make you feel as if you went to this other magical world along with Nora.
It was so rewarding to see Nora’s character evolve throughout the novel, to see her trying so hard and failing so many times with the most basic spells, that you could not but feel overjoyed when she actually got it right and made it work! I think the characters are well developed, they have their virtues and flaws, and you can not help falling in love with them; the villains are terrible and very vicious.
It is a very long book, but it was never tedious or boring in my opinion. If you are like me, you will feel joy, sadness, anger, frustration, and a myriad of other feelings while reading this book. I was laughing out loud during the scene when Aruendiel and Nora go observe Nora’s world and they meet her little sister Ramona; at the first glimpse Ramona had of Aruendiel, the first thing that came out of her mouth was “Snape!” I was laughing so hard! My children were like “Mom! What are you reading?!”
As I indicated before, I have read a copy from my local library; but this is one of those books/series well worth having. So, as I did with A Discovery of Witches, I will go buy my own copy and read it again before beginning the second book, once it comes out.
I really loved this book! But a lot of things are left unresolved, we don’t know what happened to Ilissa and Raclin, and Nora is still wearing that particular piece of jewelry! Oh, so many things lest unfinished! I have read that this book is the first in a trilogy. Please do not make us wait too long for the sequel!
May 7, 2017
Wow there is a lot of hate for this book in the reviews. Now I feel slightly guilty for liking it, which is silly. I DID like it! It was fun and it drew me in. I feel like it's been ages since I was properly absorbed in a good thick book, so even though it was really long, for once I didn't bitterly wish that the middle section had been CHOPPED on the editing floor. Actually I didn't want it to end.
I liked the way it was written, not too earnest or serious, maybe a little meandering, but not predictable, to me anyway. I enjoyed the characters - I found Nora rather endearing. Her relentless optimism, eagerness to prove herself and insatiable curiosity reminded me of a little kid. She was kind of blasé about things, just sort of went 'oh well' and got on with it, occasionally indulging a few mildly scathing thoughts - I could relate! Hiriz was great. Arundiel was interesting too, not black-and-white; I totally got why Nora was into him even though he was so cranky and morally ambiguous. I loved the long sections in the middle where they'd both spend days or weeks quietly reading and studying in the library tower, eating meals by the fire & having discussions about magic and how it worked etc (other reviewers complained & called these sections 'boring'. Fie! Personally I find endless breakneck action sequences back-to-back dull, so there.) Oh, and I liked all of Nora's literary references, but I grudgingly concede that Pride & Prejudice should never have been mentioned, let alone alluded to in such detail. It's become a cliche now. Sad but true.
The ending was incredibly frustrating. I was doing that thing where I kept anxiously checking how many pages were left, knowing full well there were NOT ENOUGH.
I liked the way it was written, not too earnest or serious, maybe a little meandering, but not predictable, to me anyway. I enjoyed the characters - I found Nora rather endearing. Her relentless optimism, eagerness to prove herself and insatiable curiosity reminded me of a little kid. She was kind of blasé about things, just sort of went 'oh well' and got on with it, occasionally indulging a few mildly scathing thoughts - I could relate! Hiriz was great. Arundiel was interesting too, not black-and-white; I totally got why Nora was into him even though he was so cranky and morally ambiguous. I loved the long sections in the middle where they'd both spend days or weeks quietly reading and studying in the library tower, eating meals by the fire & having discussions about magic and how it worked etc (other reviewers complained & called these sections 'boring'. Fie! Personally I find endless breakneck action sequences back-to-back dull, so there.) Oh, and I liked all of Nora's literary references, but I grudgingly concede that Pride & Prejudice should never have been mentioned, let alone alluded to in such detail. It's become a cliche now. Sad but true.
The ending was incredibly frustrating. I was doing that thing where I kept anxiously checking how many pages were left, knowing full well there were NOT ENOUGH.
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