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Orion's Daughters
"It's clear to me that Courtney Elizabeth Mauk is going to be an important new voice of her generation."—Dan Chaon, author of Await Your Reply and Stay Awake A postcard arrives straight out of her past, forcing Carrie to confront her commune upbringing alongside Amelia, the almost-sister she worshipped and lost. Desperate to keep her daughter close as her marriage disintegrates, Carrie must come to understand how the choices made by a well-meaning but misguided community have defined her life since, and threaten to forever. Courtney Elizabeth Mauk is the author of the novel Spark . Her short work has appeared in the Literary Review , PANK , and FiveChapters , among others. She is an assistant editor at Barrelhouse and teaches at the Sackett Street Writers' Workshop and the Juilliard School. She lives in Manhattan, New York, with her husband.
- GenresFiction
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 14, 2014
431 people want to read
About the author
Courtney Elizabeth Mauk
4 books47 followersCourtney Elizabeth Mauk is the author of three novels: THE SPECIAL POWER OF RESTORING LOST THINGS, ORION'S DAUGHTERS, and SPARK. She lives in New York City with her husband and son.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 12, 2016
This book grabbed me and sucked me in. I liked it, but I didn't, but I loved it, but there really wasn't that much to it. One thing i liked was the tone of the book, the book was written in this floaty surreal way, the best way I can describe it is when your having a bad depression day and you just cant quite get your brain to connect to anything that's how the narrators voice feels to me. This is a book about a girl, a girl and her friend who grew up on a commune where they were the only kids. Stuff happens some not great stuff happens like almost like the book is condoning statutory rape if the guys not a sleaze ball not good (not sure how anyone involved in statutory rape is not a sleaze ball but i didn't write the book.) the two girls who have pretty much grown up together are two parts of the same soul close get separated and her life spirals and continues from there. A good book with some stuff I didn't really like in it, but all in all a great, "two people are closer that siblings but one leaves with no warning now we see what happens" book
June 13, 2014
I received this book as part of a "first reads" giveaway from Goodreads. I hadn't read much about the novel, but the description sounded enticing and I was thrilled to be chosen to win a copy.
I finished the book within a couple of hours, it is only 250+ pages and I'm a fast reader, and I was surprised. In several ways.
The book is very interesting, mind-boggling, even. I found it hard to connect or relate to Carrie, the main character, but, then again, without having her background, who would? Growing up in a weird compound with several intricate, well-spoken, characters, then going out into the real world, she seems emotionally handicapped, shaped and morphed by her past, present, and future, all at the same time.
The book constantly switches times, between past and present, Carrie's childhood, with her beloved friend, close-enough-to-a-sister, and, what Carrie believes, the other half of her soul, Ameila, among others, then her present, with her estranged-esque husband and her daughter, Maya. It can be a bit confusing at times, but once you catch onto the pace, it becomes easier to understand.
Now, there ARE some, somewhat taboo subjects, so I would highly suggest that you have an open mind if you want to read it.
All in all, I believe this was incredibly well-written, an interesting read that kept me wanting to keep turning the page just to dig deeper into the madness, and I'm grateful that this website provided me the opportunity to read a book that I might not otherwise not have picked up. I will definitely check out other novels by this author.
I finished the book within a couple of hours, it is only 250+ pages and I'm a fast reader, and I was surprised. In several ways.
The book is very interesting, mind-boggling, even. I found it hard to connect or relate to Carrie, the main character, but, then again, without having her background, who would? Growing up in a weird compound with several intricate, well-spoken, characters, then going out into the real world, she seems emotionally handicapped, shaped and morphed by her past, present, and future, all at the same time.
The book constantly switches times, between past and present, Carrie's childhood, with her beloved friend, close-enough-to-a-sister, and, what Carrie believes, the other half of her soul, Ameila, among others, then her present, with her estranged-esque husband and her daughter, Maya. It can be a bit confusing at times, but once you catch onto the pace, it becomes easier to understand.
Now, there ARE some, somewhat taboo subjects, so I would highly suggest that you have an open mind if you want to read it.
All in all, I believe this was incredibly well-written, an interesting read that kept me wanting to keep turning the page just to dig deeper into the madness, and I'm grateful that this website provided me the opportunity to read a book that I might not otherwise not have picked up. I will definitely check out other novels by this author.
August 25, 2014
Simply put, this book mesmerizes.
The author has packed an enormous amount of feeling and complication within these pages-matters of family, society, loyalty, parental obligations, personal failings...I could go on and on, that's how rich the material is in this novel. But for as bountiful as the subject matter is, it's the handling of such weighty topics that's utterly masterful.
I found myself pulled along by the plot's intrigue and the deft characterizations. The writing is both lyrical and captivating, which lends to the book's dreamy, atmospheric feeling. The pages flew by and I found myself trying to read more slowly so the story would last-that's my idea of a perfect novel. I was looking for a book to get lost in, and Orion's Daughters fit the bill-deliciously so.
This is Mauk's second novel (her first, Spark, is terrific). After reading Orion's Daughters, all I can say is I'm anxiously awaiting her third.
The author has packed an enormous amount of feeling and complication within these pages-matters of family, society, loyalty, parental obligations, personal failings...I could go on and on, that's how rich the material is in this novel. But for as bountiful as the subject matter is, it's the handling of such weighty topics that's utterly masterful.
I found myself pulled along by the plot's intrigue and the deft characterizations. The writing is both lyrical and captivating, which lends to the book's dreamy, atmospheric feeling. The pages flew by and I found myself trying to read more slowly so the story would last-that's my idea of a perfect novel. I was looking for a book to get lost in, and Orion's Daughters fit the bill-deliciously so.
This is Mauk's second novel (her first, Spark, is terrific). After reading Orion's Daughters, all I can say is I'm anxiously awaiting her third.
May 2, 2015
i'm terrible at reviewing but i have to say: this book is teaching me wonderful things about structure and economy of language. i loved carrie's narration of the past moreso than the present, but all of it came together so well, and the ending my god. the ending is just perfect. laura van den berg once said, "My favorite endings are the ones where the car skids right up to the edge of the cliff and we're left peering over and wondering what's down there."
the ending to Orion's Daughters feels just like that.
now i am listening to sharon van etten's "i love you but i'm lost" and it sounds like this book, full of heartache and searching. carrie seemed to me very guarded emotionally, but in the moments she reveals herself, as a child, you are there with her, awkward and lonely and grasping for something to hold fast to.
i cannot wait to read Spark, her first book. i am so glad to have read this.
the ending to Orion's Daughters feels just like that.
now i am listening to sharon van etten's "i love you but i'm lost" and it sounds like this book, full of heartache and searching. carrie seemed to me very guarded emotionally, but in the moments she reveals herself, as a child, you are there with her, awkward and lonely and grasping for something to hold fast to.
i cannot wait to read Spark, her first book. i am so glad to have read this.
April 22, 2014
I was able to read an advance copy of this novel, and I gave it a blurb. Here is what I wrote:
“Lean, muscular, poetic, Orion’s Daughters explores the age-old hunger to re-invent Eden (in this case as a rural Ohio commune) and the marks left on two girls shaped by Edenic isolation and ideals. The novel has the heartbeat of a mystery, and I turned pages rapidly, desperate to know the outcome yet at the same time holding back so as to drink in each precise, resonant phrase.”
“Lean, muscular, poetic, Orion’s Daughters explores the age-old hunger to re-invent Eden (in this case as a rural Ohio commune) and the marks left on two girls shaped by Edenic isolation and ideals. The novel has the heartbeat of a mystery, and I turned pages rapidly, desperate to know the outcome yet at the same time holding back so as to drink in each precise, resonant phrase.”
December 2, 2015
3.5 stars! Short & easy read about 2 girls growing up together in a commune! They were so close, that they were more like sisters! I really enjoyed this book, but kept waiting for something more to happen! Nice read though.
May 16, 2014
Lovely, luminous prose. The story of a childhood friendship and betrayal. It is dreamlike, both disturbing and beautiful. I can't wait to read more of Mauk's work.
July 21, 2014
A lovely novel about two women coming of age in a unique setting. This novel reminded me of Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" with some of the characters search for a utopia.
August 12, 2014
review soon, had a death in the family- and it was a beloved Uncle, so my reviews are behind
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews