The Dreaming Place

Newford #14

by Charles de Lint, Brian Froud (Illustrator)

When a manitou, a winter earth spirit that is withering and in need of blood, fastens upon Nina, her sixteen-year-old cousin Ash enters the Otherworld to stop the spirit.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy, Magical Realism, Magic

138 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 1990

About the author

Charles de Lint is the much beloved author of more than seventy adult, young adult, and children's books. Renowned as one of the trailblazers of the modern fantasy genre, he is the recipient of the World Fantasy, Aurora, Sunburst, and White Pine awards, among others. Modern Library's Top 100 Books of the 20th Century poll, conducted by Random House and voted on by readers, put eight of de Lint's books among the top 100.
De Lint is a poet, folklorist, artist, songwriter and performer. He has written critical essays, music reviews, opinion columns and entries to encyclopedias, and he's been the main book reviewer for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction since 1987. De Lint served as Writer-in-residence for two public libraries in Ottawa and has taught creative writing workshops for adults and children in Canada and the United States. He's been a judge for several prominent awards, including the Nebula, World Fantasy, Theodore Sturgeon and Bram Stoker.

Born in the Netherlands in 1951, de Lint immigrated to Canada with his family as an infant. The family moved often during de Lint's childhood because of his father's job with an international surveying company, but by the time Charles was twelve—having lived in Western Canada, Turkey and Lebanon—they had settled in Lucerne, Quebec, not far from where he now resides in Ottawa, Ontario.

In 1980, de Lint married the love of his life, MaryAnn Harris, who works closely with him as his first editor, business manager and creative partner. They share their love and home with a cheery little dog named Johnny Cash.

Charles de Lint is best described as a romantic: a believer in compassion, hope and human potential. His skilled portrayal of character and settings has earned him a loyal readership and glowing praise from peers, reviewers and readers.

Charles de Lint writes like a magician. He draws out the strange inside our own world, weaving stories that feel more real than we are when we read them. He is, simply put, the best.
—Holly Black (bestselling author)
Charles de Lint is the modern master of urban fantasy. Folktale, myth, fairy tale, dreams, urban legend—all of it adds up to pure magic in de Lint's vivid, original world. No one does it better.
—Alice Hoffman (bestselling author)

To read de Lint is to fall under the spell of a master storyteller, to be reminded of the greatness of life, of the beauty and majesty lurking in shadows and empty doorways.
—Quill & Quire

His Newford books, which make up most of de Lint's body of work between 1993 and 2009, confirmed his reputation for bringing a vivid setting and repertory cast of characters to life on the page. Though not a consecutive series, the twenty-five standalone books set in (or connected to) Newford give readers a feeling of visiting a favourite city and seeing old friends.
More recently, his young adult Wildlings trilogy—Under My Skin, Over My Head, and Out of This World—came out from Penguin Canada and Triskell Press in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Under My Skin won 2013 Aurora Award. A novel for middle-grade readers, The Cats of Tanglewood Forest, published by Little Brown in 2013, won the Sunburst Award, earned starred reviews in both Publishers Weekly and Quill & Quire, and was chosen by the New York Times Editors as one of the top six children's books for 2013. His most recent adult novel, The Mystery of Grace (2009), is a fascinating ghost story about love, passion and faith. It was a finalist for both the Sunburst and Evergreen awards.

De Lint is presently writing a new adult novel. His storytelling skills also shine in his original songs. He and MaryAnn (also a musician) recently released companion CDs of their original songs, samples of which can be heard on de Lin

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dreaming Place is a very good, short YA fantasy novel that incorporates elements of Tarot with Native American and European mythology. It concerns two cousins, Ashley and Nina, who find that they have supernatural talents. The two girls seem to be complete opposites, and resent one another for various reasons. They are thrown into dangerous circumstances and have to resolve their differences and learn to understand one another. It's a very engaging story, told in alternating sections from each viewpoint. I thought it had a nice Practical Magic kind of vibe. The book is listed as either #2 or #14 in the Newford series, but knowledge of any of the other books isn't necessary; I don't think that Newford is even mentioned as the setting, and the only connection I caught was a couple of the supporting characters. It was published thirty years ago, but de Lint's writing is timeless and it doesn't feel dated at all to me. Don't be put off by the boring cover, which looks like nothing so much as a random Christmas tree ornament.

[Иван Величков · Rating 5 out of 5]

Имам чувството, че не могат да ми омръзнат тези нюфордски истории, колкото и да започва да се повтаря де Линт. Тази, предишната и като гледам следващите две книги от серията са насочени към по-младата аудитория.
Тук де Линт леко преразказва историята от The Onion Girl, но я е олекотил като за юноши, а това е намалило обема до доста по-добре поглъщащ се размер.
Аш е 16 годишно момиче изгубило родителите си преди три години. Живее с леля си и калеко си - застаряващи хипита и дъщеря им Нина, която е типична кифла/зубър (да, има такава комбинация). Ашли не може да се отърве от гнева, породен от загубата ѝ и когато се появяват неестествени проблеми ще се загуби в света на сънищата, където ще и се наложи да остави миналото и да порастне.
Нина е нормално момиче, което се опитва да води нормален живот, въпреки братовчедката си - вещица, с която дели стая и май и прави магии. Защото Нина постоянно сънува, че се превъплъщава в различни животни. Един ден на вратата цъфва един от оръфаните пънкари приятели на Аш и ѝ съобщава, че е обещана за банкет на древен индиански дух. Май само Ашли може да ѝ помогне, но е изчезнала.

[Lilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was the second book I read from the Newfords series. I absorb each word of his, as If it has been water for a person who has ran in desert for a month without supplies.
The magic he creates out of the city walls, and the characters, that might've been anyone, actually - turn out to be gifted or just lucky to have the opportunity to discover ways to find and wander through new worlds.

I crave to have all the collection on my shelfs in real life.
Already read 3 of his books, 4th on the way.

I won't recommend it. Really, I'm greedy, and I won't until I have all the 23 books in russian laying on my shelf all read and smelling good of old paper^^

[Arie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really marking hard at the moment. Lovely little story (as always with de Lint) but compared to his best work it's nothing particularly special.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time reviewing a book on the goodreads site. I've decided that from now on I'm going to try to make a quick review of the books as I finish them, just for shits and giggles. So on with the review...

This is the first of de Lint's juvie lit books that I have read. Not the first I bought, just the first I read. I needed a mental break from all the historical fiction I've been reading, and I wanted something that I could zip through quickly but would still enjoy. "The Dreaming Place" was the answer to my needs. It was super short (only 120 or 130 something pages), and it was a very entertaining, enjoyable read.

I wasn't sure what to expect out of the juvenile literature selection. I wasn't sure if de Lint could nail the angst and malaise that is being a teenage girl. But he pulled it off! I have always been a sucker for a good fairy tale, and that is what I have LOVED about de Lint's writing. He writes these beautifully magical fairy tales for grown ups (I know... this one was "juvie"). And this little tale did not disappoint. He weaves the elements of magic and folk lore into a thoroughly modern and urban storyscape so believably, so naturally that I find myself looking in the trees expecting to see a manatou or nymph looking back at me.

So, I would definately recommend "The Dreaming Place". It wasn't my all time de Lint favorite, but it was an endearing and entertaining tale for sure!!

So much for a "quick" review!! But now I can finish my last library book, "The Other Queen" by Phillipa Gregory. And after that I am taking a bread from the historical fiction, and the library to catch up on all the books I just got in from Borders!! Plus, Chris's mom lent me a ton of her Evanovich collection so I need to finish them up and return them. More reviews to come! Hopefully they will be shorter and more informative about the book (and not ramblings and tangents of a ridiculous and unnecessary sort).

[Roselyn Blonger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cuando empecé este libro, no sabía que esperar. Pero me sorprendió mucho, no sólo por la fluidez de la pluma del autor sino también por su narrativa casi hechizante. Me costó mucho hacer pausas en la lectura porque siempre quería saber más de lo que estaba pasando y, cuando lograba soltarlo, era en todo lo que podía pensar. Sé que el libro no es muy popular y creo que es por la complejidad de este nuevo mundo y la gran cantidad de seres místicos presentes. Sin embargo, es entretenido y puede leerse en una sentada.

La historia trata de Nina, una joven normal que ha estado teniendo sueños extraños donde siempre encarna la piel de algún animal y es asesinada de alguna forma atroz. Las cosas empeoran cuando empieza a tener estos sueños durante el día y culpa secretamente a su prima Ashley, una chica interesada en el ocultismo y que parece estar involucrada en el uso de la magia negra. Así, ambas tienen que aliar fuerzas para poder descubrir qué es lo que está pasando y quién es el responsable.

Lo recomiendo.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourteenth in the Newford urban fantasy series for Young Adult readers and revolving around a fictional village. The focus is on cousins Nina Caraballo and Ashley Enys with critical appearances by Cassie Washington and Bones. Not to worry about book order, the stories stand alone, although some characters do recur.

My Take
Yep, these are some odd dreams Nina is having. She never knows what kind of animal she’s going to transform into. It’s always such a challenge for her to a) figure out what she is and b) how to move in that form. De Lint does a great job of making me feel awkward as I read, as well as providing the animal’s perspective.

Hmmm, does that mean that de Lint uses third person global subjective point-of-view? We do experience the story primarily from Nina’s and Ash’s perspectives with additional views from Cassie and others.

I do feel for Ashley. Abandoned by both parents. Grieving the one, hating the other. Torn from her homeland. Besides her obsession with the occult, she’s ditching school, making friends among the homeless, and the anger . . . oh my, the anger could set the world on fire. Yeah well, no one said grief had to make sense.

I sure do appreciate Cassie’s point about negative and positive energies.

Hmmm, don’t judge a book by its cover . . . another good point. I had to laugh at Lusewen’s point about Ashley not really being open-minded. It’s so much like any one of us who likes to think we march to a different drummer and yet we try to fit in with our own particular clique.

Nina’s parents are 180-degrees from Judy’s, who are second-generation Chinese-American with an obsession for planning Judy’s life out to the ult. Another typical experience for Young Adults. Nina's, Judy's, and Ash's concerns about fellow students and school are so real world. De Lint really gets it. You can't go wrong reading de Lint.

Poor Nina. Like all kids, she’s embarrassed by her parents, wishing they’d “leave that whole-earth folksiness at the shows”. She’s also embarrassed by her “blackouts”. She does, however, view school with a good eye and figures if you have to go, you might as well do the best you could.

Both Nina and Ashley are seeking something. Nina wants relief from her cousin and her scary dreams. Ashley wants her mother back. Both girls have their character arc to fulfill. As usual with a de Lint, there are some good lessons in here that he puts across well.

The Dreaming Place is driven by its characters with a focus on Native American mythology. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of action too. Nina’s dreams. Ash’s “adventures” on our world and in Otherworld. The assassin tracking the object of Ya-wau-tse’s desire.

The story is a journey of being true to yourself, being open to the world around you even as you dance around animal and spiritual attack.

It’s a god in need of nourishment, but Life is all about balance. Good and bad.

The Story
A spirit wants the world to revolve around her, and she intends to claim the soul dedicated to her.

The Characters
Nina Caraballo is in high school, hating her awful cousin. Her parents are still hippies living in the 1960s. They do sound pretty cool. Her father, John, is part Kickaha, and prefers action to inaction; her mother, Gwen, still wears her braid down to her waist. The grieving English-born Ashley Enys is Nina's goth-loving cousin with a passion for the occult. Her mother, Gwen’s twin, died three years ago and her father abandoned her. John’s granddad is Nana Quickturtle’s father.

Cassandra “Cassie” Washington, a fortuneteller, is the closest person Ashley has to a best friend. Bones, Cassie’s friend, is a juju man from the Kickaha tribe. Grandmother Toad is the Earth Mother in Otherworld. Lusewen is one of the spirits. Kyfy is a raven. Hunros is a goshawk. Ya-wau-tse is a winter spirit who has a claim on a soul. Alver is hunting for the danger to his people.

Redding High is . . .
. . . where Nina and Ashley attend school. Judy Woo is Nina’s best friend, and she likes Bernie Fine. Danny Woo is Judy’s younger brother with a skill at forging his father’s signature. Laurie is another friend. Susie. Tim Lockley is to die for. The Tank is a bully with a crew. Danny Connick is a computer nerd who thinks he’s God’s gift. Valerie and Brad broke up over her hanging out with Keith Larson. Debbie has zits in an awkward place. Beth Grant quit school to dance at Pussy’s, a strip club.

Friendly Ed sells used cars. Catherine and Vincent are characters in Beauty and the Beast. Pedro is the Hispanic storyteller. Surfer is the bicycle man’s dog. Ernie runs a coffee cart. Silenus Gardens is a popular meeting spot and was funded by Joshua Stanhold.

Mrs Christopher had been Ashley’s family’s neighbor. Peter Timmons, a.k.a. the Wiz, organized these mystical ceremonies back in the day. Other friends from those days include Wendy and Paul Drago. There is a clan totem that looks out for the whole family and the personal totem.

The Cover and Title
The cover is creamy in its sky, snow-covered pines, and the stone tower rising Rapunzel-like. At the top is the author’s name in white and shadowed with black. An info blurb is below it in white with a shallower shadow. The title takes up slightly more than half of the bottom in a deep orange-red with a black outline.

The title is too accurate, it’s The Dreaming Place where one can be lost, destroyed, or saved.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Dreaming Place is about a girl and her cousin - I should have known from the two characters that this wasn't going to end well in my eyes. They both are the stereotypical girls - the girl who's misunderstood, therefore liking strange things, and the perfect preppy girl with good grades and the hottest trends. They have hippie parents, Nina's best friend is a sheltered Asian girl, and Ash's best friend is older and homeless. They journey to the "other world" and really, I could say the whole book in a few paragraphs without leaving out any major details. The idea was interesting, but I often found that instead of elaborating and expanding on certain ideas, it seemed like someone's history paper or research paper that had to have a plot line to it. All in all, I wouldn't recommend it; in certain parts - like the eyes of those who had spent too much time in the spirit world - was well-done, this wasn't a common factor found throughout the book. The tarot card reading really should have become more of a major focus, or even the bracelet given to Ash by Lusewen. Instead, I felt the focus became more of something based on this idea that squatters and hippie's were all right, not crazy, and that we should look to them for help instead of local police and such.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

After seeing "Widdershins" being pushed at the book store recently, I decided I wanted to start reading Charles de Lint's Newford Stories from the beginning. I picked this up because I was told that this is the first one in the group. I found out later the Charles de Lint himself recommends that this be the second book to read (http://www.sfsite.com/charlesdelint/f...). I didn't realize before I picked this up that it was so short or that it was geared towards young adults.

I wasn't overly impressed with this novel. The story was ok but not terribly interesting, the characters had potential but I never got to the point where I really cared about them, and the writing was readable but also not terribly interesting. Overall, fairly ho-hum. I give it a little bit of a break because it was, after all, written for a young adult audience. I plan to give another of the Newford stories a try.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have enjoyed this more when I was young. The book was only interesting in spurts. I enjoyed the fantasy elements but I think the story was a little bland, more so because of the young adult target audience. I doubt I'll read anything else by this author, even though I know he is fairly popular.

[Adela Bezemer-Cleverley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well at least I know that the writing I didn't like in The Blue Girl might have just been a fluke, a result of Charles de Lint trying to relate to a YA audience through the first-person voice of a teenager. Because this book is in third person and the writing is a lot more true to what I've come to expect from his books...

However, there's not much else to say about it. I think the book--novella, really--is too short for you to really get to know and care about the characters. The story is interesting enough, but not entirely engrossing. Not one I'll be rereading, but no negative feelings towards it...

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Younger me would have rated this higher, and I can see the appeal for readers in the middle grade target demographic of preteens/early teens. It has some important, ageless lessons but has also not aged as well as it could have if it wasn't so tied to the time it was published in - the early 90s. I don't think middle grade readers today will understand many of the cultural references or details for the setting, though I could be wrong and they may view it as historic (like the setting of the Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe). Ultimately this was enjoyable and a quick read, but no classic like the aforementioned TLTWAYW.

[Ben Chandler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suspect I may be too much of an old adult to enjoy this young adult book. The premise seems interesting, there are definite moments of wonder and interest, but I couldn't help but feeling that the focus was a little too heavily focused on the plot moving forward without giving anything time to develop. References to pop culture were thrown around as a way of character building, but it felt like reading a character's interest in keywords - there was no feeling that someone actually cared about any of these things, or liked anything about them beyond the surface level. It's like the author was trying to write about something he knew absolutely nothing about.

A little more time to marinate, a little more delving into these characters, and I think I would have liked this book a great deal more. As it was, I felt quite underwhelmed, and that the plot just moved along too quickly for any of the moments to really land.

[Rosse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Я вообще магреализм люблю, но очень не люблю, когда это все очень мутно и таинственно. Вот тут все просто, как у Фрая, но нет ненависти и презрения к обывателю.
Довольно сложные штуки обсуждаются довольно простыми концепциями и языком. Сложные и обычные люди, которых автор любит не за то, что они репрезентация автора, а просто потому что любит людей вообще.

И магреализм наконец-то дополнением, а не лучший из миров, только к которому нужно стремиться.

В общем очень хорошо, буду читать дальше.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first de Lint for young adults that I have read, and before you write it off as "a kids' book," you need to know that his theory on writing for young adults is that, especially in this genre, the only real difference is the length of the book (perhaps), and the age of the main characters. Other than that, it is filled with all of the wonder, with its inherent dangers, as any other tale of humans venturing into the Dreamlands. Every bit as engaging as all of the other Newford books I have read to date.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story. Magic and pain blending together with love. Bones is back door this Newford story... Or maybe this is his first appearance, I can't remember. Even Goodreads has more than one list. But it doesn't matter this book stand alone.
I am a little sad that there readers don't get too follow the girls in their new lives for longer. I would love to know what they do as adults.

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"To each world its own wonders."

This is the shortest of the Newford books I've read so far (unless you're counting each individual story in the anthologies) and it was really good. I loved the dream self searching out for a personal totem by basically trying on different animals until it found the perfect fit.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a fun read that felt, above all else, real. The responses to magic were neither overblown nor underwhelming. the characters behaved imperfectly, but in ways that make sense. the magic system felt grounded, the action sequences were believable -- I can see myself believing this is how magic systems function in my world.

[Facundo Pacheco · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leí este libro sin saber que era parte de una saga. En su momento me influyó, pero nunca me terminó de convencer. Quizás si leyera la saga completa tendría otro efecto en mi. Increíble descubrir esto casi 20 años después.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Left me wanting more

A short but fascinating tale,well-worth your time. I've thought about the manitou and the charms and Ash and Nina all day.

[Searska GreyRaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Newford book, but still not bad. ^_^

[Lunka ♫ ꩜ ☽ ⛧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent and wild as always! Only too short.

[Tonya Nardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Newford story. This felt designed as a YA novella but was fun.

[Isaac Ambriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

[Brian Gaston · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book in the Newford series but probably targeted at a younger audience.

[CeCe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this imaginative piece. I hope for a second .

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

More de Lint perfection ❤️

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too "after-school special" for me.

[Von · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buenos personajes, interesante historia y muy bien narrada.

[Jules Poet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why oh why didn’t I read this sooner?
Loved this book!