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deathbyspreadsheet's review against another edition
5.0
I would have preferred the writing style to have more depth or weight to it, but that simply isn't how de Lint writes. Not to mean it's simplistic, just that it's an easy/fast read. Also really wish he'd been less heavy-handed with the moral of the story. I felt it was obvious enough to show it through the characters' actions (which he did), and it was acceptable to have a chatter explain it once, but it was mucho overkill to bash me in the head with it a dozen times throughout the story. With that being said, I love the storyline and the characters. Enough to still give it a full 5 stars despite my dislikes. I never found the introduction of new characters to be too much; I think that was well handled and helped this book stand on its own, rather than just exist as a continuation of Onion Girl.
zwyrdish's review against another edition
4.0
There's so much going on in this book - it does share characters with the other de Lint book on my list, but the story line here is far different. I really enjoy his originality and that he writes fantasy, but sets it right down in the world we all know. His characters are complex and tend to do a lot of self-analysis, but it never grows tedious, and there are always a few surprises. Loved it!
clarks_dad's review against another edition
2.0
Two upfront disclaimers: One, I am not a fan of urban fantasy. I think it's a real kitschy genre and I've never been able to take it seriously. Two, I never read any of the previous books in this series. So, hey, if this is your thing and you've been following these characters for a long time, my review is going to be meaningless to you.
Aside from those things, I just thought there were a number of problems. de Lint writes really poorly. There's nothing subtle in the narration at all. The explanations of mystical elements are redundant, and worse, the explanations are repeated verbatim by various characters throughout the book (see especially, the power of names, every SINGLE TIME names are traded or given in the story). It's almost as if he has no faith in his readers to interpret things themselves or remember the ground rules for the world he sets up. I also had enormous problems with the structure of this book. The story is told using a combination of third person omniscient and multiple first person perspectives, which is bewildering and utterly confusing. Why do certain characters warrant a first person perspective in their chapters while others don't? Maybe if I'd read previous entries that would make sense, but it appeared completely arbitrary to me. First person points of view for Geordie and Jilly make sense as they come to grips with the feelings they have for one another, but the others were useless to me and just distracting - especially with the third person perspectives sprinkled in-between. The first person points of view aren't even done especially well. Every character has exactly the same voice. They read exactly the same and have no defining quirks to let the reader know who they're listening to without the headings at the start of each chapter. The resolution was also incredibly drawn out. Most of the action abruptly ends about 3/4 of the way into the book and there are still over one hundred and fifty pages of loose ends to tie up. This being the end of a much longer arc, maybe that makes sense, but to me, it just felt unnecessarily prolonged.
All that got in the way of a decent story. Even a new reader can't help but hope to see Geordie and Jilly together and to finally see them overcome their personal struggles to embrace a happier life. The world de Lint creates is nothing new or spectacular (Christopher Golden's is remarkably similar in many respects, and in my opinion, much superior) and the ideas explored are similar to the ones Gaiman presented in American Gods, but it's not horrible either. You can tell a lot of work went into it's creation, it's rules and it's plausibility. The greater conflict between the newer fairies and the spirits (or cousins) of the old world is layered in a way that has promise and is competently strung together, but ---arghhh --- the narration! Mr. de Lint, do yourself a favor and find a new editor. Cutting out those extra narrators and focusing in more tightly on Geordie and Jilly would have made this a much, much better book.
Aside from those things, I just thought there were a number of problems. de Lint writes really poorly. There's nothing subtle in the narration at all. The explanations of mystical elements are redundant, and worse, the explanations are repeated verbatim by various characters throughout the book (see especially, the power of names, every SINGLE TIME names are traded or given in the story). It's almost as if he has no faith in his readers to interpret things themselves or remember the ground rules for the world he sets up. I also had enormous problems with the structure of this book. The story is told using a combination of third person omniscient and multiple first person perspectives, which is bewildering and utterly confusing. Why do certain characters warrant a first person perspective in their chapters while others don't? Maybe if I'd read previous entries that would make sense, but it appeared completely arbitrary to me. First person points of view for Geordie and Jilly make sense as they come to grips with the feelings they have for one another, but the others were useless to me and just distracting - especially with the third person perspectives sprinkled in-between. The first person points of view aren't even done especially well. Every character has exactly the same voice. They read exactly the same and have no defining quirks to let the reader know who they're listening to without the headings at the start of each chapter. The resolution was also incredibly drawn out. Most of the action abruptly ends about 3/4 of the way into the book and there are still over one hundred and fifty pages of loose ends to tie up. This being the end of a much longer arc, maybe that makes sense, but to me, it just felt unnecessarily prolonged.
All that got in the way of a decent story. Even a new reader can't help but hope to see Geordie and Jilly together and to finally see them overcome their personal struggles to embrace a happier life. The world de Lint creates is nothing new or spectacular (Christopher Golden's is remarkably similar in many respects, and in my opinion, much superior) and the ideas explored are similar to the ones Gaiman presented in American Gods, but it's not horrible either. You can tell a lot of work went into it's creation, it's rules and it's plausibility. The greater conflict between the newer fairies and the spirits (or cousins) of the old world is layered in a way that has promise and is competently strung together, but ---arghhh --- the narration! Mr. de Lint, do yourself a favor and find a new editor. Cutting out those extra narrators and focusing in more tightly on Geordie and Jilly would have made this a much, much better book.
mel_emzo's review against another edition
5.0
Words cannot describe the effect this book had on me. Emotionally poignant for followers of Newford, magically deep for fantasy fans, and a soothing balm for the soul.
Not to replace professional psychiatric help, this book is also full of illustration sand coping mechanisms to live a life after abuse.
Not to replace professional psychiatric help, this book is also full of illustration sand coping mechanisms to live a life after abuse.
megmcardle's review against another edition
4.0
Widdershins is a work of urban fantasy by Charles DeLint. Like many of DeLint's best books, it is set in the fictional big city of Newford, where the boundaries between our world and the "underworld" (call it Faerie, Neverland, whatever) is especially thin. Many of his stories and novels have featured the main characters here, Jilly Coppercorn and Geordie Riddell. Jilly is an artist who was in a crippling accident and can no longer walk easily or paint, but who has always had a special affinity for all things otherworldly. Geordie is a fiddler who only recently has admitted that the faerie world exists. They have been friends forever, but everyone knew they were supposed to be more. In the action of this book, Jilly is forced to face up to the awful things that happened in her childhood, healing her mind in order to heal her body. In the meantime, there is a showdown occurring between the native spirits of America and the faery court that came over with European immigrants. It will mostly resonate with those who have followed these characters over DeLint's novels and stories, but I really did like it. The pacing was a little slow, but the characters are well developed and the author has a great sense of language and imagery. All of his books are full of music, which is another reason he one of my comfort authors. Read him with a great Celtic music album from Altan or Solas. My favorite DeLint is still his stand-alone book The Little Country, if someone wants a good place to start. For a taste of Newford, try his collection Memory and Dream.
scorpstar77's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first de Lint novel, and I enjoyed it! An urban fantasy that combines a sort of Native American mythology with a sort of Irish fairy mythology with our everyday normal human world. I didn't know any of the characters going into the story, and I didn't realize it was one of series, but it didn't make any difference. I got to know the characters pretty easily, and I was immersed in the story within pages. It was a fun story, with some decidedly dark elements, and I look forward to reading more of these novels sometime in the future!
elliedwrites's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book so much! The characters were rich and multi-dimensional, the world building was wonderfully detailed, and the story was engaging. And I love his writing style!
sarahjjs's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 - If this was seriously edited down it would have been quite the story. Readers really don't require fairly surface level feelings explained to them four times per page from multiple points of view. The book should be 250 pages - all the dribbling and repetition needs to be taken out and assumption that readers can actually think autonomously needs to be given. I felt like the author thought I was too stupid or too insensitive to remember that the character was sad and needed to be reminded at every possible moment.
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