Son Of A Witch: A Novel
3 journalers for this copy...
From 'Publisher's Weekly':
Scattered among the ruins of great portions of Emerald City, many residents have been skinned and bloodied, supposedly by the barbaric Yunamatas. Travel caravan leader Oatsie Manglehand stumbles upon the body of an unknown young man, badly beaten but still alive. She presents him to the wise Superior Maunt, who recognizes the hurt boy as Liir, rumored to be the dead Witch's secreted son. A mute waif named Candle revives him with her haunting, ethereal music and hidden affections. Meanwhile, Maguire supplies alternating chapters of extensive, mesmerizing backstory of Liir's boyhood, from the witch's watery demise, to the trek to the Wizard's Castle with Dorothy and company, his search for the imprisoned princess Nor, and a long stint in the Munchkinland Army, all while donning his mother's black cape and clutching her magic broom handle.
I think Gregory Maguire is a top-notch storyteller- his characters are well drawn,and I *love* his other-side-of-the-story concepts. That said, this sequel to "Wicked" is probably my least favorite of his works, to date. Perhaps because it is a story of its own (nothing to 'compare'it to, like "The Wizard of Oz" or 'Cinderella'), or because I just found the characters less appealing, I don't know , but I just wasn't as drawn into this one. Still, its worth the read, if only for the wonderful, descriptive prose of Mr. M.
(This one was also passed to me from my pal in RI, so I plan to ring this one, as well.)
Scattered among the ruins of great portions of Emerald City, many residents have been skinned and bloodied, supposedly by the barbaric Yunamatas. Travel caravan leader Oatsie Manglehand stumbles upon the body of an unknown young man, badly beaten but still alive. She presents him to the wise Superior Maunt, who recognizes the hurt boy as Liir, rumored to be the dead Witch's secreted son. A mute waif named Candle revives him with her haunting, ethereal music and hidden affections. Meanwhile, Maguire supplies alternating chapters of extensive, mesmerizing backstory of Liir's boyhood, from the witch's watery demise, to the trek to the Wizard's Castle with Dorothy and company, his search for the imprisoned princess Nor, and a long stint in the Munchkinland Army, all while donning his mother's black cape and clutching her magic broom handle.
I think Gregory Maguire is a top-notch storyteller- his characters are well drawn,and I *love* his other-side-of-the-story concepts. That said, this sequel to "Wicked" is probably my least favorite of his works, to date. Perhaps because it is a story of its own (nothing to 'compare'it to, like "The Wizard of Oz" or 'Cinderella'), or because I just found the characters less appealing, I don't know , but I just wasn't as drawn into this one. Still, its worth the read, if only for the wonderful, descriptive prose of Mr. M.
(This one was also passed to me from my pal in RI, so I plan to ring this one, as well.)
I'm hoping to make a ring of this one.
The Rules:
1. Please journal once you receive the book, and again when finished so that all participants may track its journey
2. Please try to read this in a timely fashion (< 30 days); remember, others are waiting to enjoy it too! (please keep us informed of your progress)
3. Please PM the next participant for their addy; If, after reasonable attempts, you receive no reply, please PM me, as well as the next person on the list.
4. ENJOY !!!
Participants:
~PokPok (Ca)
~Moraelyn (Ca)<--*hangin' out in Cali
4/16/07 Well, I have tried several times to contact Moraelyn but, unfortunately, have rec'd no response. Hopefully, she has been busy with life and its nothing more serious, so this may continue its travels in the near future. In the meantime, however, I apologize to the remaining participants, as this one seems stalled at present.
4/28/07 Pls. note the update on Moraelyn's shelf. She has been away from bookcrossing for personal reasons (my sympathies, Moraelyn), but seems to have returned and is catching up. Thank You to the remaining members for your patience.
9/18/07 My apologies to all remaining members; it seems as tho this one is stalled "indefinately". Thank you all so much for signing up & I hope you all get an opportunity to read it.
~quietguy (Wa)
~Oklahoman (Ok)
~babsdotter (Mo)
~Mrsordonez (Mo)
...then, back to me in FL...
~This ring is now CLOSED~
The Rules:1. Please journal once you receive the book, and again when finished so that all participants may track its journey
2. Please try to read this in a timely fashion (< 30 days); remember, others are waiting to enjoy it too! (please keep us informed of your progress)
3. Please PM the next participant for their addy; If, after reasonable attempts, you receive no reply, please PM me, as well as the next person on the list.
4. ENJOY !!!
Participants:
~PokPok (Ca)
~Moraelyn (Ca)<--*hangin' out in Cali
4/16/07 Well, I have tried several times to contact Moraelyn but, unfortunately, have rec'd no response. Hopefully, she has been busy with life and its nothing more serious, so this may continue its travels in the near future. In the meantime, however, I apologize to the remaining participants, as this one seems stalled at present.
4/28/07 Pls. note the update on Moraelyn's shelf. She has been away from bookcrossing for personal reasons (my sympathies, Moraelyn), but seems to have returned and is catching up. Thank You to the remaining members for your patience.
9/18/07 My apologies to all remaining members; it seems as tho this one is stalled "indefinately". Thank you all so much for signing up & I hope you all get an opportunity to read it.
~quietguy (Wa)
~Oklahoman (Ok)
~babsdotter (Mo)
~Mrsordonez (Mo)
...then, back to me in FL...
~This ring is now CLOSED~
Rec'd today. I just started another book, but it's a short read, so I should be able to start this within a week or so.
I am looking forward to it. Wicked was one of the hardest books for me to review...I ended up with 7 stars ("good") but more truthfully, I really didn't like the beginning or end, and I really liked the middle 2 sections. I'll be interested to see how this goes.
Thanks maurean for sharing this one. I've been on 2 slow/straggling bookrings...
I am looking forward to it. Wicked was one of the hardest books for me to review...I ended up with 7 stars ("good") but more truthfully, I really didn't like the beginning or end, and I really liked the middle 2 sections. I'll be interested to see how this goes.
Thanks maurean for sharing this one. I've been on 2 slow/straggling bookrings...
Journal Entry 4 by PokPok at Controlled Release in Controlled Release, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases on Sunday, February 4, 2007
Released 17 yrs ago (2/14/2007 UTC) at Controlled Release in Controlled Release, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
Will mail in approximately a week.
Will mail in approximately a week.
3 stars, or "Poor; lost interest - a chore, possibly put it down".
First off, let me start by thanking maurean for letting me be on the ring. I've tried unsuccessfully to be on two other rings for this book, so it was nice to have a chance to read it, especially without having to purchase it myself.
Second, let me describe my experiences with Maguire. I found Wicked to be one of the hardest books for me to review in 2006. I ultimately gave it 7 stars ("Good") in my rating. However, what was more honest, was to say I loved the middle two sections, and didn't at all like the first and fourth sections. In this way, I find Maguire to be very uneven, and to be gratuitously vulgar, for no reason at all. I liked Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister very much; it was both more realistic and seemed to have less "shock value". So I wanted to read Son of a Witch, to make a final determination regarding Maguire, as well as to discover the next chapter in Maguire's saga.
Well, here it is, a sunny Sunday afternoon, and I just quit reading at page 128. All I could think about, was the time I was wasting reading this book, instead of one of the many others I have on TBR. I was 128 pages in, and still not engaged in Liir's story at all. I didn't find him, or the story, to be compelling in any way.
I likely won't try any more of Maguire's works, as I find him to be too uneven.
Again, maurean, my thanks for letting me try it, for no more than the cost of mailing to the next person.
I will try to have this moved on within a week or so.
First off, let me start by thanking maurean for letting me be on the ring. I've tried unsuccessfully to be on two other rings for this book, so it was nice to have a chance to read it, especially without having to purchase it myself.
Second, let me describe my experiences with Maguire. I found Wicked to be one of the hardest books for me to review in 2006. I ultimately gave it 7 stars ("Good") in my rating. However, what was more honest, was to say I loved the middle two sections, and didn't at all like the first and fourth sections. In this way, I find Maguire to be very uneven, and to be gratuitously vulgar, for no reason at all. I liked Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister very much; it was both more realistic and seemed to have less "shock value". So I wanted to read Son of a Witch, to make a final determination regarding Maguire, as well as to discover the next chapter in Maguire's saga.
Well, here it is, a sunny Sunday afternoon, and I just quit reading at page 128. All I could think about, was the time I was wasting reading this book, instead of one of the many others I have on TBR. I was 128 pages in, and still not engaged in Liir's story at all. I didn't find him, or the story, to be compelling in any way.
I likely won't try any more of Maguire's works, as I find him to be too uneven.
Again, maurean, my thanks for letting me try it, for no more than the cost of mailing to the next person.
I will try to have this moved on within a week or so.
Got this today! On the short pile of bookring TBR's. I hope its better than its predecessor.
