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A review by mimima
The Mirrored World by Debra Dean
3.0
I often wonder what makes a book a slow starter - is it the book or is it me? Is it finding the footing for a character and a story, or is it me having to get into the rhythm of the writing?
These are the things I found myself pondering as I began this novel - a secular Historical Fiction about St. Xenia of Petersburg, a very beloved Orthodox Saint. For a lot of the novel, I felt that it was a bit hampered by the choice of the narrator not being Xenia herself, but a cousin. I think that the concept of a Holy Fool outside of an Orthodox background is hard to convey.
However, as the story progresses, the impact of being related to a Holy Fool really begins to be felt by the narrator, and it ends on a very strong note.
These are the things I found myself pondering as I began this novel - a secular Historical Fiction about St. Xenia of Petersburg, a very beloved Orthodox Saint. For a lot of the novel, I felt that it was a bit hampered by the choice of the narrator not being Xenia herself, but a cousin. I think that the concept of a Holy Fool outside of an Orthodox background is hard to convey.
However, as the story progresses, the impact of being related to a Holy Fool really begins to be felt by the narrator, and it ends on a very strong note.