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Lily
Lily is a girl who discovers she has the ability to see how others will die simply by touching them. Only she doesn't want this gift, and takes extreme measure to protect herself from it. When her mother--because every fairy tale has to have a wicked (step)mother--sells Lily's services to an evangelical preacher and his wildly popular travelling tent revival, Lily is torn away from the idyllic place she's always known as home and thrust into a world of greed and manipulation that threatens to destroy her unless she can find a way back....if she survives the quest the old witch Baba Yaga has given her...or the attention of a tent revivalist who promises to save her soul.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2016
8 people are currently reading
289 people want to read
About the author
Michael Thomas Ford
61 books806 followersMichael Thomas Ford is the author of more than 75 books in genres ranging from humor to horror, literary fiction to nonfiction. His work for adult readers includes the best-selling novels What We Remember, The Road Home, Changing Tides, Full Circle, Looking for It and Last Summer, and his five essay collections in the "Trials of My Queer Life" series. His novel Lily was a Tiptree Award Longlist title and a finalist for both the Lambda Literary Award and the Shirley Jackson Award. He is also the author of the Sickening Adventures series of books featuring popular contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race.
As a writer for young adults he is the author of the novels Suicide Notes, Z, and Love & Other Curses, and under the name Isobel Bird he wrote the popular "Circle of Three" series. His work has been nominated for 14 Lambda Literary Awards, twice winning for Best Humor Book, twice for Best Romance Novel, and once for Best Mystery. He was also nominated for a Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award (for his novel The Dollhouse That Time Forgot).
As a writer for young adults he is the author of the novels Suicide Notes, Z, and Love & Other Curses, and under the name Isobel Bird he wrote the popular "Circle of Three" series. His work has been nominated for 14 Lambda Literary Awards, twice winning for Best Humor Book, twice for Best Romance Novel, and once for Best Mystery. He was also nominated for a Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award (for his novel The Dollhouse That Time Forgot).
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
June 4, 2017
Through his fairy tale MTF examines belief and its collateral damage. I would have liked a more in depth exploration of why we 'have' to believe and the relationship between belief and truth and the payback gained by belief (any kind even if you choose 'not to believe'). This story remained in the topsoil as regards to this. Still it is a good story, with a 'baddie', some 'goodies' and a great Baba Yaga and an honourable mention for Mr Scratch of course.
My second Michael Thomas Ford which I liked more than I did Full Circle.
29th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalist - LGBTQ SF/F/Horror - (2016)
Fits into slot 27 of my reading challenge - A book with a title that's a character's name - Lily of course.
My second Michael Thomas Ford which I liked more than I did Full Circle.
29th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalist - LGBTQ SF/F/Horror - (2016)
Fits into slot 27 of my reading challenge - A book with a title that's a character's name - Lily of course.
October 13, 2016
“On the morning of her thirteenth birthday, Lily kissed her father and knew he would be dead by nightfall.”
Thus begins the coming-of-age story of Lily, who has always lived happily in a seaside village with her mother and her fisherman father until his death changes her life. Like other central characters in fairy tales, she is given magical gifts (from her late father) and tested by an antagonist, the witch Baba Yaga from Russian folklore.
When Lily is unable to foresee the death of the witch, she asks: “Are you death or life?”
The witch simply loses her temper, and tells Lily she is “not ready for Baba’s game.” However, Baba Yaga is intrigued by the “wild magic” in Lily, and thinks: “Such a girl could be very useful. Or dangerous. Possibly both.” The witch decides to follow Lily in her journey beyond the safety of childhood into the dangerous world. Although she is a cannibal who eats children, the witch becomes a kind of supernatural godmother to Lily, an older woman who is better for her than Lily’s own mother.
Lily feels so guilty for her father’s death – brought on, she thinks, by her ability to foresee it – that she hates the “other girl” inside her who has this ability, and wants her to die. Lily’s self-contempt makes her vulnerable to a harsh religion in the outside world, where her mother was raised, and where she returns, with Lily, after the death of her husband.
What strange cult is this? Christianity.
The sly feminism of this fable is revealed in its neat reversals of traditional morality. A worse villain than Baba Yaga is the Reverend, leader of a traveling carnival, who converts townsfolk by making them afraid of the consequences of “sin,” a concept that seemed unknown in the village of Lily’s birth. With the full co-operation of Lily’s mother, the Reverend uses her prophetic ability to persuade potential converts that they can avert death – or at least violent death – by following his rules.
Part of the charm of this novel is the way it combines actual history and folklore from various cultures. While the Russian witch persistently stalks Lily in a version of nineteenth-century America, one of the women in the Christian carnival is a ghost whose child was traded for a changeling, a fairy boy who is trapped where he is. The fanciful illustrations at the beginning of each chapter add to the impression that this plot could take place anywhere, or nowhere in the actual world. (The drawing of a naked, gnome-like creature smoking a cigarette on the book’s back cover hilariously conveys the cynicism of the carnival roustabouts.)
Of course, Lily is being tested, and she can only return to her home in the seaside village if she passes the test. Lily`s compassion for a captive girl, covered against her will with marks of “sin,” enables Lily to break through her own self-contempt, find allies, and overcome hopelessness.
The whole saga is parallel to inspiring, based-on-real-life stories of young women who have been ensnared by men’s lies, but who escape and rescue others while coming to understand their own “wild magic.” This version, however, is more fun.
Thus begins the coming-of-age story of Lily, who has always lived happily in a seaside village with her mother and her fisherman father until his death changes her life. Like other central characters in fairy tales, she is given magical gifts (from her late father) and tested by an antagonist, the witch Baba Yaga from Russian folklore.
When Lily is unable to foresee the death of the witch, she asks: “Are you death or life?”
The witch simply loses her temper, and tells Lily she is “not ready for Baba’s game.” However, Baba Yaga is intrigued by the “wild magic” in Lily, and thinks: “Such a girl could be very useful. Or dangerous. Possibly both.” The witch decides to follow Lily in her journey beyond the safety of childhood into the dangerous world. Although she is a cannibal who eats children, the witch becomes a kind of supernatural godmother to Lily, an older woman who is better for her than Lily’s own mother.
Lily feels so guilty for her father’s death – brought on, she thinks, by her ability to foresee it – that she hates the “other girl” inside her who has this ability, and wants her to die. Lily’s self-contempt makes her vulnerable to a harsh religion in the outside world, where her mother was raised, and where she returns, with Lily, after the death of her husband.
What strange cult is this? Christianity.
The sly feminism of this fable is revealed in its neat reversals of traditional morality. A worse villain than Baba Yaga is the Reverend, leader of a traveling carnival, who converts townsfolk by making them afraid of the consequences of “sin,” a concept that seemed unknown in the village of Lily’s birth. With the full co-operation of Lily’s mother, the Reverend uses her prophetic ability to persuade potential converts that they can avert death – or at least violent death – by following his rules.
Part of the charm of this novel is the way it combines actual history and folklore from various cultures. While the Russian witch persistently stalks Lily in a version of nineteenth-century America, one of the women in the Christian carnival is a ghost whose child was traded for a changeling, a fairy boy who is trapped where he is. The fanciful illustrations at the beginning of each chapter add to the impression that this plot could take place anywhere, or nowhere in the actual world. (The drawing of a naked, gnome-like creature smoking a cigarette on the book’s back cover hilariously conveys the cynicism of the carnival roustabouts.)
Of course, Lily is being tested, and she can only return to her home in the seaside village if she passes the test. Lily`s compassion for a captive girl, covered against her will with marks of “sin,” enables Lily to break through her own self-contempt, find allies, and overcome hopelessness.
The whole saga is parallel to inspiring, based-on-real-life stories of young women who have been ensnared by men’s lies, but who escape and rescue others while coming to understand their own “wild magic.” This version, however, is more fun.
May 2, 2020
4.5
Book source ~ Gifted
On the morning of her thirteenth birthday Lily touched her father and saw his death. Thinking it was a bad dream, she realizes it’s a curse when he dies that very day. Her mother whisks her away from the village she grew up in to the outside world that doesn’t have any magic. Joining a traveling tent revival the evangelical preacher uses Lily’s gift for his own gain. In the meantime, Baba Yaga has taken an interest in Lily. Which is surely not a good thing. How will Lily get back to the only place she loved, rescue the girl she’s falling in love with, and complete the quest Baba Yaga has given her?
This is a fascinating tale about Baba Yaga and a girl who can see death. Strange and compelling I couldn’t help but drop into the story and stay there to cheer Lily on to a satisfactory conclusion. It defies pigeon-holing and crosses several genre lines. It’s young adult, fantasy, horror, and LGBT. Plus, it’s illustrated! This is my first read of Michael Thomas Ford and I look forward to delving into more of his works.
Book source ~ Gifted
On the morning of her thirteenth birthday Lily touched her father and saw his death. Thinking it was a bad dream, she realizes it’s a curse when he dies that very day. Her mother whisks her away from the village she grew up in to the outside world that doesn’t have any magic. Joining a traveling tent revival the evangelical preacher uses Lily’s gift for his own gain. In the meantime, Baba Yaga has taken an interest in Lily. Which is surely not a good thing. How will Lily get back to the only place she loved, rescue the girl she’s falling in love with, and complete the quest Baba Yaga has given her?
This is a fascinating tale about Baba Yaga and a girl who can see death. Strange and compelling I couldn’t help but drop into the story and stay there to cheer Lily on to a satisfactory conclusion. It defies pigeon-holing and crosses several genre lines. It’s young adult, fantasy, horror, and LGBT. Plus, it’s illustrated! This is my first read of Michael Thomas Ford and I look forward to delving into more of his works.
April 25, 2022
A pretty good story. I had different expectations going into this book. I was hoping for a darker, more ominous vibe than I truly experienced. I was very surprised with the direction the story went, but it was a good turn of events. Would love to read an adult version of a story like this, I need creepier.
June 20, 2017
Yet another book where I cannot easily come down on one side cleanly. Did I like it? Did I dislike it? I could say yes to both of those questions and not be lying.
If there’s one thing this book does crushingly well, it’s atmosphere. The illustrations are amazing, haunting even, but even without them, the whole thing feels like a starkly black and white inked drawing. The world is dark and painful to inhabit. Comparisons to fairy tales are obviously intended, and earned as well. Each character is well crafted, but no further defined than any one of them needs to be. Things other books would have to spread out over arcs, such as romance, are simplified down to their most necessary ingredients.
However, beyond the artistry of it all, there’s not really anything new on offer here. Lily is cursed to see the deaths of anyone she touches, which sends her and her mother out into a world that is foreign to Lily. She winds up as a rebranded circus act for a sinister and predictably evil faith healer who uses both of them. What is new about portraying an innocent being taken in by a con man who uses a twisted brand of religion as a weapon? What is new about women and young girls being brutalised by men with only a sainted (and dead) father figure to temper the message that all men are evil and all women are victims? Nothing.
I’ll be honest, I am not a fan of stories that build their foundation in the supposed shock of human evils. I don’t blind myself to them or hide in sunshine and fairy cakes, but I also do not feel a need to examine ugliness as if it will enlighten me somehow. As far as I’m concerned, it’s like watching a slasher movie. If it’s to your entertainment tastes, then consume it and gladly, but I don’t see any justification in lauding the gore as artistic. None of the villainy in Lily is shocking. Of course all of the men are rapey assaulters who reach lustily for anything with breasts regardless of age or consent. Of course they’re all ex-cons who are using this farcical carnival to hide in. It’s almost boring in its attempts to shock and horrify. I just felt annoyed that it took Lily as long as it did to see past the lies and prove victorious.
There are two major saving graces to be had, though. The first and best is the character of Baba Yaga. Although her chapters are short, they’re always fascinating and the only unspoiled fun to be had. Her disaffected otherworldliness and attempts to understand this god that everyone keeps talking about are wonderfully nonhuman even as a bit of human softness creeps into her. Then there is the ending, which is better than I hoped, while also delivering an expectation set. up early in the narrative. I particularly loved the riddles, which made for a lovely bookend after being mentioned in the beginning. There isn’t a lot of “everything” to wrap up, but it’s still satisfying that everything is indeed wrapped up quite nicely.
I can only think of a small handful of people I’d recommend this to, aside from possibly a blanket statement that it’s in a class with Tender Morsels. Anyone who read that would find kinship here, I think.
If there’s one thing this book does crushingly well, it’s atmosphere. The illustrations are amazing, haunting even, but even without them, the whole thing feels like a starkly black and white inked drawing. The world is dark and painful to inhabit. Comparisons to fairy tales are obviously intended, and earned as well. Each character is well crafted, but no further defined than any one of them needs to be. Things other books would have to spread out over arcs, such as romance, are simplified down to their most necessary ingredients.
However, beyond the artistry of it all, there’s not really anything new on offer here. Lily is cursed to see the deaths of anyone she touches, which sends her and her mother out into a world that is foreign to Lily. She winds up as a rebranded circus act for a sinister and predictably evil faith healer who uses both of them. What is new about portraying an innocent being taken in by a con man who uses a twisted brand of religion as a weapon? What is new about women and young girls being brutalised by men with only a sainted (and dead) father figure to temper the message that all men are evil and all women are victims? Nothing.
I’ll be honest, I am not a fan of stories that build their foundation in the supposed shock of human evils. I don’t blind myself to them or hide in sunshine and fairy cakes, but I also do not feel a need to examine ugliness as if it will enlighten me somehow. As far as I’m concerned, it’s like watching a slasher movie. If it’s to your entertainment tastes, then consume it and gladly, but I don’t see any justification in lauding the gore as artistic. None of the villainy in Lily is shocking. Of course all of the men are rapey assaulters who reach lustily for anything with breasts regardless of age or consent. Of course they’re all ex-cons who are using this farcical carnival to hide in. It’s almost boring in its attempts to shock and horrify. I just felt annoyed that it took Lily as long as it did to see past the lies and prove victorious.
There are two major saving graces to be had, though. The first and best is the character of Baba Yaga. Although her chapters are short, they’re always fascinating and the only unspoiled fun to be had. Her disaffected otherworldliness and attempts to understand this god that everyone keeps talking about are wonderfully nonhuman even as a bit of human softness creeps into her. Then there is the ending, which is better than I hoped, while also delivering an expectation set. up early in the narrative. I particularly loved the riddles, which made for a lovely bookend after being mentioned in the beginning. There isn’t a lot of “everything” to wrap up, but it’s still satisfying that everything is indeed wrapped up quite nicely.
I can only think of a small handful of people I’d recommend this to, aside from possibly a blanket statement that it’s in a class with Tender Morsels. Anyone who read that would find kinship here, I think.
September 29, 2016
An exceptionally entertaining novel. Magical, dark, and yet whimsical too.
June 16, 2021
Staven Andersen's illustrations are absolutely fantastic- creepy and whimsical and detailed. I'm devastated that I can't find any online presence for him.
Onto the story- I don't really know how to feel about Lily- it wasn't bad! The atmosphere was good, with ghosts and Baba Yaga and creepy clowns and old school Revival preachers. The story was familiar, but well told. The ending was sweet, with some bitterness as well. Baba Yaga's chapters were excellent, and I loved Lily separating herself and thinking how she didn't trust the girl inside her.
It just felt thin. The romance wasn't bad, but it was very instalovey. The issue of faith felt shallow, which was disappointing considering how much of it takes place in a traveling Revivalist ministry/show. I wanted more depth and subtlety to some of the main themes. I also could have done without the creepy (implied) rapist clowns, especially considering Star is implied to be Lily's age (13). Definitely felt like the author forgot Lily was 13 at times.
I don't think it's a bad thing that there's a fairy-tale f/f story that deals with darker themes and is kind of tropey. It just didn't do a lot for me.
Onto the story- I don't really know how to feel about Lily- it wasn't bad! The atmosphere was good, with ghosts and Baba Yaga and creepy clowns and old school Revival preachers. The story was familiar, but well told. The ending was sweet, with some bitterness as well. Baba Yaga's chapters were excellent, and I loved Lily separating herself and thinking how she didn't trust the girl inside her.
It just felt thin. The romance wasn't bad, but it was very instalovey. The issue of faith felt shallow, which was disappointing considering how much of it takes place in a traveling Revivalist ministry/show. I wanted more depth and subtlety to some of the main themes. I also could have done without the creepy (implied) rapist clowns, especially considering Star is implied to be Lily's age (13). Definitely felt like the author forgot Lily was 13 at times.
I don't think it's a bad thing that there's a fairy-tale f/f story that deals with darker themes and is kind of tropey. It just didn't do a lot for me.
December 2, 2016
Lily is a girl who discovers she has the ability to see how others will die simply by touching them. Only she doesn't want this gift, and takes extreme measure to protect herself from it. When her mother--because every fairy tale has to have a wicked (step)mother--sells Lily's services to an evangelical preacher and his wildly popular travelling tent revival, Lily is torn away from the idyllic place she's always known as home and thrust into a world of greed and manipulation that threatens to destroy her unless she can find a way back....if she survives the quest the old witch Baba Yaga has given her...or the attention of the tent revivalist who promises to save her soul.
I took two evenings to read this book but only because I had to sleep for a while in between days. It's a story that grabs you right at the start and holds you right to the end. The writing is crisp and clean. I liked the character development and the style of writing and cannot wait for another book by this author.
I took two evenings to read this book but only because I had to sleep for a while in between days. It's a story that grabs you right at the start and holds you right to the end. The writing is crisp and clean. I liked the character development and the style of writing and cannot wait for another book by this author.
May 31, 2017
I met the author of this book at WisCon 41, where he very kindly let my friend and I buy his book at a very discounted rate because we didn't have enough cash. He even signed our books for us :)
I love stories that are inspired by old-school fairy tales (the atmospheric types that are dark and twisted and don't always end with a happy ending). This book checked all of those boxes for me. It left me feeling enchanted and also unsettled. I loved the style of the prose: simple and straightforward, but very elegant. I also really enjoyed the inversion of the classical "Christian savior rescues helpless child from evil pagan witch" trope.
Another major plus in this book are the illustrations. They're beautiful, but also kind of creepy in an insidious kind of way (which pretty much describes the story as well).
I love stories that are inspired by old-school fairy tales (the atmospheric types that are dark and twisted and don't always end with a happy ending). This book checked all of those boxes for me. It left me feeling enchanted and also unsettled. I loved the style of the prose: simple and straightforward, but very elegant. I also really enjoyed the inversion of the classical "Christian savior rescues helpless child from evil pagan witch" trope.
Another major plus in this book are the illustrations. They're beautiful, but also kind of creepy in an insidious kind of way (which pretty much describes the story as well).
January 5, 2024
What an odd book. Lily wakes up on her 13th birthday to discover that she can see how someone dies just by touching them... and then loses her father. What follows is a dark fairytale-like story of a traveling circus run by a tyrannical "faith-healer" and an exploration of magic and what it means to believe in higher power. The black and white illustrations are whimsical, borderline creepy, and Baba Yaga's chapters are fun and interesting. So very weird. I was reminded a bit of Coraline, maybe. Would I recommend this to anyone? I don't know...
May 2, 2018
•audiobook•
This was one of the longest books I’ve forced myself to “sit through” to get it over.
I enjoy fairy tale retellings, but I want the retellings to be re-showings. Lily didn’t pop off the pages and stir any emotions nor connections.
Pyper Down could have been a mismatch narrator, as it sounded like all words and no conviction.
A very disappointing audiobook.
This was one of the longest books I’ve forced myself to “sit through” to get it over.
I enjoy fairy tale retellings, but I want the retellings to be re-showings. Lily didn’t pop off the pages and stir any emotions nor connections.
Pyper Down could have been a mismatch narrator, as it sounded like all words and no conviction.
A very disappointing audiobook.
July 1, 2019
This was very meh. Some interesting ideas but I found it dull and slow to read despite its short length. I get the sense that it's trying to do dark fairy tale in the style of Carter etc but comes down too much on the side of being written from the perspective of a child, who was frankly quite a boring character despite her power. The illustrations are very good, though.
February 13, 2022
I love this book and re read it each year, usually on a snowy day. Ford's dark fairy tale reads like he heard it once, long ago, in a dirt-filled hovel at the dark time of the year. It's got all the right elements of an oft-told story, retold in whispers and added elements over the decades. Pick it up, read it, and you will find yourself returning to it on snowy days in a dark months.
July 11, 2022
I thought is was OK; it was kinda slow, but interesting. The reason I gave it only 3 stars was because the PUBLISHING LEECHES put a blurb on the back of the book comparing it to GEEK LOVE. Really? One circus does not equal One circus. What a bunch of crap. As usual, the publishers care NOTHING for the content of the book, and only care about sales.
September 9, 2017
A charmingly told dark fairy tale. This is a thoughtful book with beautiful prose. Not all of it hangs together perfectly (in particular, a deus ex machina near the ending was a bit jarring), but on the whole, this was an engrossing read.
April 16, 2020
First off, the book itself is so beautiful. The story kept me on my toes, I couldn’t put the it down. Beautiful illustrations. I won’t add any spoilers, but this is definitely one of my favorite books now.
November 14, 2023
this was quaint. a dark lil fairy tale. queer!
men have trouble writing girls' coming of age stories, and so, expectedly, some of the menstruation and "growing into a woman" stuff was weird.
fun critique of religion as a literal circus.
baba yaga was great though.
men have trouble writing girls' coming of age stories, and so, expectedly, some of the menstruation and "growing into a woman" stuff was weird.
fun critique of religion as a literal circus.
baba yaga was great though.
June 9, 2017
If you love fairy tales you must read this book. It is dark and haunting and captivating with an ending that will stay with you long after that final page.
April 24, 2022
I'm still thinking about the characters in this books days after finishing it. This story was magical.
October 3, 2022
loved loved loved. everything about this book. loved. the best book i so happened to have stumbled upon.
July 15, 2023
I loved this story of adventure and love, magic and lies. A story with Baba Yaga. Such a great storyteller
October 31, 2023
Sadly predictable but very atmospheric.
Read
March 30, 2025DNF
February 6, 2017
Lily is darkly magical tale that weaves a delicate story around the lead character Lily as she comes to terms with the death of someone close to her and also how to accept her emerging womanhood.
The neat trick of Lily is that it would be easy to fall back on tropes of the fairy tale/fantasy genre by using magic as a crutch, but by narrowly defining what Lily is capable of, and never over using it, the story remains, at heart, not about supernatural wonders-though there are a delightful many here-but about the realization of self, and the power of kindness to encourage us to be more.
There are some excellent flourishes in this story that show Ford is a true craftsman with character. It would be easy to create caricatures of the pious, to treat the more mystical elements (an exquisitely manic Baba Yaga being just one highlight) solely as crutches for driving the plot, and to make Lily herself an action hero out to solve her own problems and put everything right in the world. That is not what this story does. In fact, Lily herself comes into her own only when she realizes that the promise of redemption is hollow, and that the power she has been fighting this whole time is in fact a symptom of her own denial of an intrinsic part of herself. In this way, Ford's story manages to be empowering without ever being overwrought.
Those who like light touches in narrative will appreciate this story the most. That's not to say there is no drama as there is plenty, but it is always handled in a way that is careful and understated. In fact, one can read this tale and quite forget that the dark plot mirrors closely the real-life situations of desperate people who are taken in by charlatans and hucksters.
All in all, Lily is a wonderfully rewarding tale that manages to give depth and energy to a coming-of-age story. Ford's is a fresh voice in the fantasy genre, and one that is sorely needed.
The neat trick of Lily is that it would be easy to fall back on tropes of the fairy tale/fantasy genre by using magic as a crutch, but by narrowly defining what Lily is capable of, and never over using it, the story remains, at heart, not about supernatural wonders-though there are a delightful many here-but about the realization of self, and the power of kindness to encourage us to be more.
There are some excellent flourishes in this story that show Ford is a true craftsman with character. It would be easy to create caricatures of the pious, to treat the more mystical elements (an exquisitely manic Baba Yaga being just one highlight) solely as crutches for driving the plot, and to make Lily herself an action hero out to solve her own problems and put everything right in the world. That is not what this story does. In fact, Lily herself comes into her own only when she realizes that the promise of redemption is hollow, and that the power she has been fighting this whole time is in fact a symptom of her own denial of an intrinsic part of herself. In this way, Ford's story manages to be empowering without ever being overwrought.
Those who like light touches in narrative will appreciate this story the most. That's not to say there is no drama as there is plenty, but it is always handled in a way that is careful and understated. In fact, one can read this tale and quite forget that the dark plot mirrors closely the real-life situations of desperate people who are taken in by charlatans and hucksters.
All in all, Lily is a wonderfully rewarding tale that manages to give depth and energy to a coming-of-age story. Ford's is a fresh voice in the fantasy genre, and one that is sorely needed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2016
Just before losing her father, Lily learns of her strange power: whenever she touches someone, she sees that person’s death. These are the circumstances that set this tale of love and loss - of grief, betrayal, and self-discovery - in motion.
Her father’s death sweeps Lily from the magical seaside village she’s always known. Traveling with her mother, she finds herself in the tent revival of Reverend Silas Everyman. Beneath its veneer of salvation, the tent revival is an unsettling place where rough men painted like circus clowns stare at young girls a little too long. Recognizing the cash potential of Lily’s strange gift, the Reverend convinces her that her soul is sick with sin and that only he can wash it clean.
As she grows and learns to trust herself, Lily must face some hard truths about the difference between what people say and what they mean. She learns that mothers do not always unconditionally love nor do they always act in the best interest of their own children. She learns that those who claim to speak for God often speak only for themselves and that better odds and more honesty can be found with the ancient witch Baba Yaga, a changeling swapped for a fortune-teller’s child, and a man named Mr. Scratch.
This is a book about the pain and cruelty of growing up, but also about redemption and strange moments of grace and unexpected kindness found along the way. There’s a love story at the heart of it, a story of one young woman discovering another.
It is a beautiful, lyrical work of art.
Her father’s death sweeps Lily from the magical seaside village she’s always known. Traveling with her mother, she finds herself in the tent revival of Reverend Silas Everyman. Beneath its veneer of salvation, the tent revival is an unsettling place where rough men painted like circus clowns stare at young girls a little too long. Recognizing the cash potential of Lily’s strange gift, the Reverend convinces her that her soul is sick with sin and that only he can wash it clean.
As she grows and learns to trust herself, Lily must face some hard truths about the difference between what people say and what they mean. She learns that mothers do not always unconditionally love nor do they always act in the best interest of their own children. She learns that those who claim to speak for God often speak only for themselves and that better odds and more honesty can be found with the ancient witch Baba Yaga, a changeling swapped for a fortune-teller’s child, and a man named Mr. Scratch.
This is a book about the pain and cruelty of growing up, but also about redemption and strange moments of grace and unexpected kindness found along the way. There’s a love story at the heart of it, a story of one young woman discovering another.
It is a beautiful, lyrical work of art.
December 11, 2016
A SIMPLE MAN'S REVIEW:
I loved this book! It's a classic-style fairy tale: a dark and magical story set against a backdrop of the modern age. The characters are vivid but remain complex, which is why I found myself really liking Baba Yaga. And if Little James doesn't bring to mind Li'l Gideon from Gravity Falls, he will now!
The story is touching - sad and happy both. There really isn't any more I can say without getting into spoilers, but you'll enjoy the journey and fall in love with Lily.
We're never too old for fairy tales - read it!
I loved this book! It's a classic-style fairy tale: a dark and magical story set against a backdrop of the modern age. The characters are vivid but remain complex, which is why I found myself really liking Baba Yaga. And if Little James doesn't bring to mind Li'l Gideon from Gravity Falls, he will now!
The story is touching - sad and happy both. There really isn't any more I can say without getting into spoilers, but you'll enjoy the journey and fall in love with Lily.
We're never too old for fairy tales - read it!
February 7, 2017
Great book, ending felt rushed, but ties up the entire story! Enjoyed it overall! :)
January 4, 2017
How is it possible for such a dark, sometimes violent tale to be hopeful and inspiring? It requires a great gift to create such a thing, which Mr. Ford apparently has. Lily is not a blazing page-turner, but a thoughtful and engrossing study of human nature that pulls from old folk tales, collective nostalgia and modern constructs of love and identity. The artwork by Staven Andersen is the perfect pairing to the words, at once grotesque and beautiful.
April 4, 2017
good until it hit the carnival section.
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