Reviews

• I won't rehash the plot. I just had to give this book the five stars it deserves. It was the best book I'd read all year. The author doesn't make the story cute, quaint or insipid. What she does do is create a one of a kind work of art from start to finish. We checked the book out of the library for one of my sons. I'm here now to buy a copy to keep and one or two to give to friends. The book is compelling, charming and wonderful. I read it cover to cover without stopping.

• Slow to get stared like a mournful old air, then evolving into a lilting jig and whirling hornipe, racing thrugh time, beween worlds, to conclude with a satisfying set. Trad music is used as a motif and undercurrent to drive the story forward, helping to create a beautiful fusion of modern Ireland, ancient folklore and mythology, with several gripping mysteries lurking on and below the surface. Darker elements are handled beautifully, with enough depth to provoke thought, without descending to the depths of disturbia. Elements of social observation and critique ring true, developed through contrast with life in Tír na nÓg. I couldn't put it down, and made me want to read it with a senior primary class to mine the richness of Musical, Historical, Artistic & Geographical potential for cross curricular immersion in a world that is other and present! Pure Genius!

• very good book but sometimes you don't know what's going on

• This novel was surprisingly good, not that I was expecting less, but more that I wasn't sure what to expect at all. The overall premise of the book doesn't really do the actual story justice. I love how Thompson has woven together Ireland's past and present, the ancient, tribal, mythological version of the nation with the present, Christian-influenced nation we see today. Although Thomson lifted the core of her fantasy from Irish mythology, I still feel this is an original fantasy because it's rare that we get to see fantasies using Irish mythology. We see a lot of Norse and Austro-Hungarian myth, with elves, dragons, dwarves, as well as Greek and Roman, but it's rare that we get a taste of Irish mythology, which is characteristically different, both in its creatures and the world in which they live. What I found most interesting was the correlation that Thompson makes between the Irish mythology, which is treated as fact in the text, and the Irish culture. The music is thought to have come from the fairies, and when J.J. discovers the world of the fairies, who are actually much more like humans than our traditional view of fairies, he discovers that time never passes in their land, so they have no fear or worry about anything. Thompson's theory spoken through the text creates a connection between the Irish people and their love for music, beer, dancing and general merriment with their mythology. It's a fun take on Ireland's past and present, but, in a way, it may not be too far off. Even though they may not have actually gotten their music from fairies, there are theories about how cultures and languages emerge. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis works off of the belief that a culture's language is formed out of its surroundings, thus why the Eskimos would have 30+ words for snow. There may be some credence to why Ireland and the Gaelic people have been historically very different from the rest of the people's of Europe--why they've valued music and merriment, relationships and family over conquering other lands or industrial progress. Perhaps Thompson's theory is correct, and the Irish music does come from the immortals who live in Tír na n'Óg, the land of eternal youth. I highly recommend this book to all readers 11+. [...]

• I read this even though it was on my daughter`s reading list from school. I was transported back to the mysterious and brooding presence of the Burren in the west of Ireland. The author keeps you guessing until almost the last page and it is difficult to put the book down. If you like stories about Ireland and especially myths and legends, then this is the book for you. There is some laugh out loud humour and some slightly sinister twists but the main characters keep you reading. A good book that I could thoroughly recommend.

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