Miss Subways

by David Duchovny

New York Times bestselling author David Duchovny reimagines the Irish mythological figure of Emer in Miss Subways, a darkly comic fantasy love story set in New York City.Emer is just a woman living in New York City who takes the subway, buys ice cream from the bodega on the corner, has writerly aspirations, and lives with her boyfriend, Con. But is this life she lives the only path she’s on? Taking inspiration from the myth of Emer and Cuchulain and featuring an all-star cast of mythical figures from all over the world, David Duchovny’s darkly funny fantasy novel Miss Subways is one woman’s trippy, mystical journey down parallel tracks of time and love. On the way, Emer will battle natural and supernatural forces to find her true voice, power, and destiny. A fairy tale of love lost and regained, Miss Subways is also a love letter to the city that enchants us New York."Fresh off a new season of the evergreen X-Files and a late-blooming music career, the multitalented Duchovny (Bucky F*cking Dent, 2016, etc.) offers a spooky domestic drama that is equal parts Nick Hornby and Neil Gaiman... An entertaining, postmodern fairy tale that tests the boundaries of love and fate." - Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Audiobook, Romance, Mythology, Speculative Fiction

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2018

About the author

Born and raised in New York City David Duchovny earned an A.B. in English literature from Princeton University, and an ABD in English literature from Yale University. He was on the road to earning his Ph.D. when his interest in playwriting led him to acting. Subsequently, he emerged to become one of the most highly acclaimed actors in Hollywood.

Globally known for his roles in the Fox Television’s monster hit The X-Files and Showtime's Californication, David has made his way into our pop culture lexicon. David Duchovny remains the only actor to have won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television series in both the Comedy and Drama categories.

David Duchovny has published four novels, Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale (2015), a New York Times Bestseller; Bucky F*cking Dent (2016); Miss Subways (2018) and Truly Like Lightning (2021).

Additionally, David Duchovny has completed two studio albums, Hell or Highwater (2015) and Every Third Thought (2018), and his third album is slated for release in summer 2021.

Reviews

[Jennifer Masterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this eclectic piece of fiction! All the Stars!!!

You have to be able to suspend disbelief to love this one. Duchovny is an excellent and edgy writer. I was actually blown away by his writing. Also, this book sucked me in from the very beginning and never let go! I think Emer, the main character, will stay with me for a very long time.

If you can, get the audio! It’s so freaking good! There are two main narrators. Emer is played by Duchovny’s ex-wife, Tea Leoni. She’s fabulous! Duchovny is also just as fabulous in his narration!

Highly recommended to people who like unique, sweet, and wacky fiction!

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This turned out to be one of those books - one where you close the last page, turn to look at the cover, stroke it gently and sit back for a while just thinking about it and letting all the goodness of it roll over you. Does it sound as though I enjoyed this one? I certainly did. An easy five stars worth.

Who would have thought that David Duchovny could write like this? It is not a book for everyone though - if you hated American Gods you may not like this. If you do not like the surreal or magical realism in your books you will not like this. If, like me, you are ready to pretend there are still old gods out there playing tricks on us and disrupting our lives then read this book. It is delightful.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars.

Emer is Miss Subways - she is the epitome of a New York City Gal. She loves the city and she loves her life as a second grade teacher. Most of all, she loves her father, her best friend and her boyfriend, Cuchulain (Con). The problem is that she and Con are not meant to be together - forces greater than her are trying to keep them apart.. will these forces succeed?

Mystical, magical, fantastical forces are abound. Open your imagination and let them in.

One day, Emer’s life is one way and the next day she wakes up and it is completely different and she doesn’t remember a thing about her life before and yet she has dreams and in it, there is a man. And then she sees that man on the Subway. Fate - it works in mysterious ways..

Emer is confident, strong & self sufficient - she is also fearless and funny. As a teacher at a Catholic School, the powers that be would like nothing more than to stifle her, a task which is impossible.

Emer is special and so is her story. It is whimsy and fantastical, without being over the top.

Written by David Duchovny, Miss Subways is a brilliant, masterful and lighthearted novel that included several laugh out loud moments. I listened to the audiobook, which was also narrated by Mr. Duchovny, and also included Tea Leoni and their daughter. Though I felt that the novel started out a little slow and took a bit of time to become a cohesive story, I was ultimately swept away by it.

I will be the first to admit that I am not a fan of David Duchovny, yet I was intrigued enough by several of my GR friends’ reviews (thank you Cheri, Amalia, Jennifer Masterson & Jennifer TarHeelReader) to want to dive into this novel. I was not disappointed.

Published on Goodreads and Amazon on 7.15.18.

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 supernatural stars to Miss Subways! 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

This audiobook was recommended by my friend, Jennifer! I loved it!

This is going to be a short review because the synopsis says most of what I would let loose, which is not much, because this audio is a true experience. I keep saying AUDIO because David Duchovny of the X-Files, who happens to be the author of this book, is the narrator, and also in the starring role of Emer is Tea Leoni. What a delight to have these two reading an audio together, much less an audio as mystical and intriguing as this one!

Miss Subways is eccentric. It’s a fairy tale. It’s an homage to the city we all love, NYC. It’s witty. It’s surprising and unexpected. I read that it’s inspired by both a Yeats’ play and a famous myth. I’m not sure I would have loved it as much I did if I had read the book instead of the audio because the audio added flavor and charisma.

One more thing...if early on you question, “What the heck am I reading” like I did, keep going...It takes some time to go down this magnificent rabbit hole!

My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

From 1941 through 1976, the woman who was the current “Miss Subways” would be featured on a poster displayed on the NYC Subway trains, along with a brief description of her. All those selected exuded that “girl next door” aura. Despite this sounding as though this was an earlier era catalog for a man finding himself a woman, this program was light-years ahead in the choices of these ideal women. For one, they were representative of those who inhabited, and rode, the Subway. NYC, even in the early 1940s, was undoubtedly more ethnically diverse than most places. The first black Miss Subways was in 1947; an additional thirty-six years would pass before a black Miss America would be elected. Almost all listed ambitions beyond being a wife and mother, a pilot, a surgeon, a writer, scientist. This was an empowering message to the young women during WWII, when almost all the young men were away. It was their chance to go for the moon.

Based, at least in part, on an old Irish legend of Emer and Cuchulain, this is part fairy-tale, part mythology. As this begins, Emer is working as an elementary school teacher in New York, riding the subway and contemplating her life, and contemplating the subway girls photos.

Emer is a fairly modern woman, and this novel is a very introspective peek into her thoughts and dreams. She is faced with the dilemma of having to choose to stay with the man she loves, or, in order to save him – will she leave him?

A modern-day fairy tale? Maybe, but, for me, this was just filled with such honest humour about love and life in New York, for those average, everyday young women striving to have it all.

I listened to the audio version of “Miss Subways,” and I will say that Duchovny has not only written a charming and comically entertaining story, but he also does a fantastic job in the narration, as does Tea Leoni – she really made Emer come alive for me. If only Nora Ephron were still with us!

The only negative for me was that listening while painting didn’t give me a chance to capture quotes from this, but that negative was a minor one in exchange for all the charm and humour this gave me.

I haven’t read anything of David Duchovny prior to this, but I was prompted to read this when I read my goodreads friend Jennifer’s review (Thank You, Jennifer!) – please check out her review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Ron Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stranger than any episode of “The X-Files” is David Duchovny’s transformation into a novelist. This isn’t another sad case of those celebrities Who Just Do Stuff. Duchovny actually demonstrates some literary panache. Starting in 2015 with “Holy Cow” — narrated by an itinerant Holstein — he’s been publishing charming novels that glitter with silliness.

His latest is an old-fashioned romantic comedy that takes its title from the Miss Subways posters that featured attractive working women on New York subway cars for several decades starting in 1941. But the story’s real inspiration reaches back many more centuries to the tale of Emer and Cu Chulainn in Irish mythology. Consequently, this may be the only novel ever to start with epigraphs by W.B. Yeats and Ed Koch. Take that incongruity as fair warning for the blarney that lies ahead.

Our heroine, Emer, is a talented first-grade teacher in modern-day New York City. Like this novel, her personality is. . . .

To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...

To watch the Totally Hip Video Book Review of this novel, go here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/...

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. It had me smiling. It has clever lines. It is a book that belongs to the fantasy genre, which is a genre I do not usually read. I enjoyed it nevertheless.

The author has thrown the following ingredients into a blender:
- life in the “Big Apple” today, 2017
- contemporary social norms with our code list of politically correct standards
- the Irish myth à la Emer and Cú Chulainn, here played by Emer, an elementary school teacher, and Con, an author
- aboriginal deities
- a heinous spider/god and a tame pet crow
- a first grade class of kiddies and some of their very difficult moms, the snazzy school principle and their teacher, the story’s Emer
- Emer’s beloved, but senile and dementia afflicted father
-doormen, remember we are in NYC
-love and that electric buzz it induces

Turn on the blender.

Add a huge dose of imagination.

Mix the ingredients and pour out the story in bite-size chunks of humor and wordplay encapsulating clever observations about contemporary life, social norms, goals and aspirations and love.

This is not a story of magical realism; its elements are too off-the-map for it to be classified as that! It is a fantasy. A modern fairy tale. It gets crazier and crazier as it proceeds. Here is the story in three sentences: One god, a spider-god, loves Con. Another god, a mini-doorman-god, loves the spider-god. How does the mini-doorman-god get the spider-god to love him and the humans to skedaddle? It is a jumbled mix of the illusory and the real, with more of the former and less of the latter. Mixed identities, hallucinations and dreams and nightmares. It can be difficult to discern who is who and which is which.

I did chuckle at the lines as I read, but as I approached the end I had to of course ask myself what the point of the story could be. What are we to learn from it? What is the author saying? Love is the all-important ingredient of life—that is what is being said. One must in fact be willing to sacrifice yourself for it. Even the “gods” need it. This is cute, but it also kind of corny and overblown. This combobulated story to say that?!

The author, the very same actor that played the FBI agent Fox Mulder in the TV series The X-Files and Tea Leoni, the author’s ex-wife, read the audiobook together. Madelaine West, their nineteen-year-old daughter, reads a small portion too. David Duchovny reads well, but in a smooth, steady tone without emphasis on particular words. His reading is rather monotonous and without life, but his words are clear and distinct. He is not hard to follow, but in parts he reads too fast. I have repeatedly pointed out that the lines are clever, meaning you need a few seconds to grasp the intended humor, the pun, the wordplay. A slower speed would allow a listener to suck on the creativity longer, appreciate the imagination more, before rushing on to the next line of the text. Tea Leoni, on the other hand, performs marvelously. She sounds exactly as Emer should sound, exactly as the woman Duchovny has drawn her to be would sound. Usually when an audiobook has more than one narrator, the narrators switch when the chapters change. That is not how it is done here! When Con is talking, David Duchovny is always narrating. For Emer, it is always Tea Leoni we hear. In a conversation they switch back and forth making the dialogs truly authentic and real. I have given the audiobook performance four stars, the average of Duchovny’s three and Leoni’s five stars.

[The Nerd Daily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on The Nerd Daily and The Reading Bee's Bookshelf | Review by Jasmine Shaheen

Disclaimer: This is one of the most peculiar and eccentric books you’ll ever encounter; it’ll flip your mind, you have been warned. Read at your own risk!

Miss Subways is inspired by the Irish mythology of Cuchulain, a warrior who has the love of all women, but none of them is good enough for him, intellectually. Until, Emer. She challenges him that he has to earn her love and prove it. In Miss Subways, however, it doesn’t seem like that when you first start reading the book. Most of the time, I found myself asking “Why the hell does Emer want to save Con? Why does she want him back?” Her character is so much more intricate, her brains deserve a match of her own, and I honestly couldn’t find that in Con at all. Con was more of an ass than anything when he was first introduced, and yet, they clicked! Perhaps, one of the things that Duchovny was trying to convey is that love doesn’t make sense, it just happens! I’m quite certain of that because that literally happened.

Seriously though, Miss Subways is not what I had expected at all when I first read the synopsis. It’s New York City with all its leprechauns, demons, fairies and a great sense of nonsense that makes sense. But when I read the synopsis, it reminded me of that movie Sliding Doors and I thought it was going to be a light read on a woman who is living two realities and trying to save the man she loves in a mythical New York setting, you know, the usual!

While this remains true, it’s not exactly the story, because the story is so much more than that. This is a character-driven story, and the main character Emer—in my opinion—is the story herself; it was almost like an autopsy of a mind. Throughout the story, I was intrigued by Emer’s thoughts, analysis, and behavior. It was both equally natural and complex. The more you read Emer’s mind, the more you understand the meaning of being human. You don’t get a straight answer; you get an amalgamation of ideas, conflicts, emotions, and doubts that your mind starts twirling because you can’t grasp a thread of sense; of one true thing. Miss Subways is thought-provoking, intellectual and a challenging read. It makes you question reality; why we do things in certain ways and why do things happen in a certain way?!

One of the things that I really admired about the book is how bold and brave the writing is, it just proves that the book can not only be read as a modern fantasy but as a reflecting mirror of the world today. The author is honest and straightforward about giving his opinion on all things that matter; religion, politics, and social behaviors. Whether or not you agree with them, it is refreshing to put the walls down and stop censoring yourself. Miss Subways is quite a read you don’t want to miss, and it hits bookshelves on May 1st 2018.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a fan of David’s other books (Holy Cow & Bucky F*cking Dent) I was excited to hear his third book contained touches of magic (I’m a big sci-fi, fantasy & horror reader). It’s still a human scale story, focusing on a woman living in NYC, Emer. Told from her point of view, her life as a teacher, her relationship with her boyfriend Con, are all pretty normal and satisfying, but things change quickly. Early on, some mysterious figures insert themselves into her life and send Emer and Con down an alternate tracks. Will those tracks ever reconverge? Can their love conquer the whims of the old, bored gods still rambling around NYC? Gods & mythological figures have a long history of messing with mortals just because they can. But what happens when the mortals aren’t quite mortal? With David’s blend of humor, emotion, and touches of the the surreal, Miss Subways is my favorite of his (so far, I hope he keeps writing).

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
'But her senses were too acute to be failing- she could feel everything around her, smell the grass and the musky standing water of the pond, see the moon and make out the face that always looked aghast to her- as if the moon, in its slow orbit, were watching Earth the way drivers slow down at the scene of an accident. Each long night was a new, slowly unfolding catastrophe.'

Emer spends most of her days as a New Yorker riding the subway, above ground and under (not unlike Persephone). Never without a book in her hand, she harbors her own literary aspirations but focuses her energy in supporting Con as he works on his “opus”. Exhaustively fanning the flames of his passion, making him seem successful to others, she herself is collecting dust, ah the things we do for love. Delighted by the placards of random literary quotes and philosophy that catch her eye on the subway, her mind whirls with musings. Losing herself in her own curiosity, Emer is the dreamer and often touches the old scar on her head to ground herself in the now. She lives with her boyfriend Con, and is very much in love, but that life is about to go to the Gods, whichever Gods they may be. Enter a story rich in myths and religion and Gods that are bored by us diluted mortals. Emer seems to be their latest victim, either that or she’s losing her mind.

Love divided, Con and Emer are split apart and upon the threat of death, she proves her love by erasing him from her current life. Delete, fate is unfair! She wakes up new, with a niggling feeling that something is misaligned. Con is nothing but a man from her dream, but how real it feels. She throws herself in her job teaching second grade at St. Margaret’s Catholic School on the Lower East Side. A treasured teacher, she still manages to muck up her reputation by introducing a myth about a crow and forbidden fruit, a watermelon. As I write this the crow I feed is outside cawing, I can’t make this stuff up! A crow is just the latest strange creature that has entered her life. She’s always been a waking dreamer of sorts, so is it all just her overactive imagination, fed by all the books she’s devoured or does it have to do with the difference in her brain? Is it her secret seizures that make her sense things that probably aren’t there?

If her mind is attuned to parallel lives and beings, then her father’s is a stark contrast, suffering from Dementia. It isn’t long before even he seems to be making appearances in her lucid dreams. There is no way to know if any of it is real, his mind scattered to the wind with the disease, how can she question him and trust the answers? What about the Polaroid of Emer with a man, is this proof that her dreams exist as a real life? Things are getting curiouser and curiouser. The story is about Emer’s love for Con, but more than that it is about Emer finding her strength and power. Emer’s tepid love is not enough, it is through the meddling of the gods and mythical beings that the brew of her heart grows stronger. It is when Con is caught in the West African trickster Spider God Anansi’s web, that everything becomes twisted. To what ends? Are Con and Emer just pawns in a game, begun long before they were born? Why does Anansi want Con? Why not? Why is one of the mythical Irish Bean-Sidhe (who is definitely not a leprechaun!) paying her visits, tormenting her? Is she losing her mind?

This is one of the strangest stories I’ve read in a long time. It is full of clever humor, and a nod at what likely many travelers on this polluted earth of ours are pondering from time to time. At the start of the novel Emer is as average as any of us come, going through the motions, loving on automatic as we do but one difference, she has a bridge between the two halves of her brain that is maybe a supernatural gateway, or maybe it’s just a rich imagination. You decide.

This is the first novel I’ve read by David Duchovny, I was pleasantly surprised, his writing is solid and thought-provoking. I enjoyed the aftermath of Emer’s incident in the lunchroom with her three students, the ‘weird sisters’. It’s not earth shattering, unless you’re a teacher in this time where students have more power than the teacher. At time when teaching children about other cultures verges on criminality, how can you not laugh, uncomfortably of course, at Emer being in ‘trouble’ for daring to tickle children’s imaginations with a story? How did we become so ridiculous, so bland, so numb?

Out today! May 1, 2018

Farrar, Straus, Giroux

[Garrett Zecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Duchovny's Miss Subways is a whimsical, beautiful new love story of mythological proportions. The work takes great influences from the Ulster cycle of Irish mythology's Emer and her relationship with her husband Cú Chulainn that was also adapted into William Butler Yeats' The Only Jealousy of Emer. Duchovny's writing is expertly breezy, willing to take huge risks in telling an epic story in what feels like less than fifty-thousand words. Influences of Neil Gaiman, Haruki Murakami, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind abound in this piece, and he allows his audience to get on the train with Emer and explore this new kind of Urban Fantasy that beautifully juggles a solid story and characterization with literary references, mythological allusions, religious allusions, modern romantic comedy, humor, drama, and dreamy imagery. I am impressed by this simple, effective novel and what Duchovny accomplishes in his ability to write some striking sentences, make me laugh, effortlessly incorporate some insanely beautiful research, and do it all using the least amount of words and excessive prose. I became an instant fan after reading Holy Cow, and I look forward to more of his explorations into writing and his literary future. I really enjoyed my time with Emer riding the deep dark tunnels of the subway.

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book completely blew me away! Its beautiful and haunting and gave me serious The Shadow of the Wind vibes. And that is an incredible compliment to this book! I was a little sceptical about reading a book written by Duchovny but my scepticism was incredibly misplaced, this is one hell of a story! I was instantly sucked into it from the very first page, it really just sinks its hooks into you and drags you along for the most pleasant, magical ride. This book is funny and dark and enchanting and gritty and just do yourself a favour and read this book!

[Steve]

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 31%, no rating. I know I'm in the minority here, but this is just not my cup of tea. Too strange, and I'm not in the mood for strange.

I may come back to this someday.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew David Duchovny had started writing, but I'd never picked up one of his earlier releases. Therefore, when I saw this one on NetGalley, I decided to give it a try. Miss Subways was a delightful read that had me laughing out loud on several occasions. I loved the way Duchovny wove various myths into his principal tale, and the characters were all well drawn and great fun, including the city, which almost became a character in its own right. The plot held my interest throughout, and I was eager to see how things would end for Emer and Con. If you are looking for a myth retelling with a good dose of humour, Miss Subways is the book for you. Based on this, I would certainly read more of Duchovny's writing in the future. A solid 4.5 stars.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley.

[Jade Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was SO hard to rate this book because while I was once again so impressed with Duchovny's writing, the actual book was just bizarre. I adored his other book, Holy Cow and that was bizarre too but at least with that one I could keep up with what was happening. Miss Subways was SO random. It's a love story with a dystopian element and while the romance in it was captivating and interesting, the book veered off too much and I found Duchovny just went off on random tangents sometimes or included things that didn't really make any sense.
That said, I think this book is supposed to me nonsensical, whimsical and an absolute mind-fuck. That's what Duchovny is good at... and he can fuck my mind any day ;)

[Sarah Canfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this - read it in less than 24 hours. The willing suspension of disbelief required for this tale is high, but it is worth the trip. There was never a dull moment in the journey of Emer as she winds her way through New York's subways. She is a second grade teacher at a private school who gets pulled into a magically realistic love story. To say more would be to spoil the ride. Enjoy it.

[Max Nemtsov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Очень славный роман, на самом деле - т.е. он вторичен, конечно, как многое из чисто развлекательной литературы, но вполне держит воду и как отдельно стоящее произведение. Сравнивать его, разумеется, будут с Гейманом и "Американскими богами" (те, кто поумней, вспомнят еще и "Никогде"), но на самом деле он. конечно ближе к романам Кристофера Мура (только у того диалоги чуть получше). Но на самом деле, он совсем не о том же, о чем был Гейман, потому что это исходно роман не просто развлекательный, не просто сказочка, а роман, в первую очередь, политический, политико-развлекательный: он весь проникнут новым консерватизмом, для какого нынешняя американская администрация совершенно неприемлема - до того, что этот извод консерватизма смыкается с либерализмом и даже либертарианством. Что, конечно, удивительно, но еще раз показывает - there's always something.

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nooooo!

I wanted more of this:


Got this instead:


It's not faaaiirrr! Why was I so optimistic about a David Duchovny book? For a book that's supposed to be be "about" a famed NYC pageant competition with multiple decades of history, why does it turn out to be a rip-off (yet another one) of American Gods??

Aaaack! The supernatural slant I dig. Demigods and immortals or whatever they are. But where is the pageantry?? The protagonist is a lady who supposedly knows the pageant, but readers never see it! Instead she talks and acts like a man, surprise surprise, who has never even been near a TV when a pageant is on.

Siiiiiiigh.

This was what I was hoping in a book, which please needs to be written. Gritty mysterious disappearance of an underground pageant winner. And someone needs to be discussing makeup and sequins once in a while. And, sure, make it happen in a sewer. But listen, Duchovny, if you're going to name a book "Miss" Something, we need more pageant details! And this is coming from a reader who doesn't even LIKE pageants!

[Bonnie]

DNF @ 10%

This one is exceedingly quirky and extremely verbose and while that's not to say it's a bad thing, it's just not my thing. There's no doubt that Duchovny can write (I had no idea he got a Master's in English Literature from Yale?!) and while I've wanted to read something of his for ages solely because in my mind David Duchovny and Fox Mulder are definitely the same person, this wasn't what I was expecting and I'll just go watch some X-Files re-runs instead.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audiobook of this title was a real treat featuring the voices of David Duchovny and Tea Leoni (from Madame Secretary). Fantastical, trippy, and thought-provoking.

[Sanna Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In par with Neil Gaiman, great book!

[Iva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Це була прекрасна ідея, що отримала надто "американське" бульварне втілення. В сенсі, заздалегідь ясно, що це белетристика, але ж стиль написання є надто просякнутим духом "від братюні до братюні" та кілотоннами чорного гумору нижче поясу, що стереотипно вважається чоловічим, але який я ніколи не сприймав за щось смішне.

Міфологія "Міс Підземки" хороша та близька у чомусь, скоріше, до "Океану в кінці дороги", аніж до "Американських богів", якщо вже порівнювати із Ґейманом. Утім, цієї міфології тут дуже обмаль, вона є основою для сюжету, але ж і самим Духовни відсувається на задній план задля опису історії сексу, стосунків, роботи, Нью-Йорку. Але ж Велике Яблуко у нього іийшло цікавим, що можна відзначити як перевагу коротенького роману.

Пи. Си.: місцеве втілення Анансі - відстій навіть без порівняння із Ґейманівським

[Stay Fetters · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I guess you could think of all the lines of the subway underground like the arteries that pump blood beneath the skin, and we, the riders, are that blood, and maybe the heart has a consciousness, an intention, like a god, that diverts all of us travelers toward or away from one another."

It's no secret that I'm an X-Files whore. I grew up with the show and I love it as an adult. Mulder made a believer out of all of us. So it was obvious that I was going to read this book. (Makes a Duh face)

This book is definitely different than the last book I read by DD. So I really didn't know what I was getting myself into as I started this. After reading a few chapters, I knew that this was going to be the book that stole everything from me. (insert profanities here) I never believed that there would be a book that I wanted to tell everyone about and yet it left me speechless at the same time.

David Duchovny always finds ways to shock me with his books and this one did exactly that. Wow! Just wow! Finishing this book made my entire body tingle and gave me goosebumps. I wasn't expecting any of that and it was f***ing fantastic! There are no better words to describe it. This book just makes me want to scream all the profanities until all readers fall in love with his words.

Miss Subways was amazing! There is nothing else I can say to express what I truly feel about this book.. There was one chapter that bamboozled me, yet it didn't sway me in changing my opinion of this.

And now I'll leave you with some parting words... Dammit, Mulder! This was beautiful!

[Cupcake Book Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

A twisted mythology interspersed with clever wit and wise observances on life and love. Miss Subways is a conglomeration of old and new world mythologies, beginning with the Irish legend of Emer and Cuchulain. Emer is an elementary school teacher in New York who loves her mildly narcissistic boyfriend and riding the subway. But she has unknowingly angered the gods with her lukewarm, but supportive love, and it is being removed from her reality by an ancient Irish being, a sid he. Little does she know, there are many realities she will be flung through, many chances offered to decide if she's willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the man she loves, leave him to save him. Forget him and allow him to forget her, to save him. Part hilarious, honest observances of life in New York as a middle aged woman, part love story, part fairytale, Miss Subways is the most accurate foray into the female mind since John Green’s works.

Thank you to Net Gallery for my advanced reader's copy in exchange for this review.

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! David Duchovny's best novel so far. I hope he keeps writing more. It's interesting how each of the books he's written is so different.

This is a wonderful telling of Irish mythology. I feel like to even go into the story too much would spoil it. The mixing of mystical elements with reality is done very well, and that's one thing I'm critical of in stories like this. I think it's a fine line to walk to create a balance between the fantastic and what we know is reality. It's easy to get so far over to the other side that you just encounter too much disconnect, but without enough mystical elements, why include any at all? Duchovny does a good job finding that balance.

I found it kind of Neil Gaiman-esque, and I consider that a good thing, as I love Gaiman's work. He's one of the best storytellers of our time, and I feel like if he keeps it up and gains a following, Duchovny could be among those as well.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Anna Kushnir · Rating 2 out of 5]

У меня не было предубеждений к опусу Девида Духовны "Мисс подземка". Как минимум у него литературное образование, да и как актёр он меня всегда привлекал. Но, как оказалось, книга эта совершенно не моя и и чтение превратилось в мучение.
🎈Прочитав ознакомительный фрагмент, я подумала, что это весьма неплохо. Про учительницу (а это всегда меня привлекает в виду профессии), про метро (уже не раз ведусь на эту тему и каждый раз обжигаюсь) плюс интересно всунут мат в повествование. Обычно либо вся книга построена на мате, либо это манера выражаться определённых персонажей. Тут же мат существует как в жизни: появляется в подходящих ситуациях, весьма вариативен ввиду перевода на укр или рус язык. В общем в тему и красочно. Но на этом плюсы перевода закончились.
💬Диалоги часто просто набор тарабарщины. И это при том, что большинство отсылок я понимала. Они нереалистичны и похожи на разговоры во время наркоманского трипа. Думаю частично проблема в оригинале, но и перевод внёс свою лепту в бредовость.
🤬 Многим нравится "новизна" сюжета про сосуществование богов и людей. Богов забывают, а они страдают и мстят и тд.
Так Нил Гейман вроде как уже написал своих "Американских богов", тема достаточно обсосана. Я, опять же, не фанат и Геймана.
💤 Ах да, это же история ЛЮБВИ, если вы забыли. Но она, имхо, просто теряется на фоне всей той магическиреалистичной дребедени, которая творится вокруг. Лично я ни разу не прониклась переживаниями главных героев, жертвенностью, страданиями друг по другу.
🧐 Подсумируя всё вышесказанное, я бы сказала, что для меня эта книга стала средоточием бреда и не больше.

[Elizabeth Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

I put off reading David Duchovny because I assumed he was only published because of his name. But I saw his latest reviewed on LitHub, looked up his other books and found this for cheap on Amazon, so gave it a chance. Turns out, Duchovny was published because he can write! (And yeah, okay, I'm sure also because of the name, but...!)

But I really enjoyed this, it was just what I was in the mood for...funny, mysterious, quirky, but not at the quirkiness level of American Gods, which I've never been able to get more than a few pages into. Really, this was a joy to read.

[Баба Єга · Rating 3 out of 5]

Це могли б бути ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, і якщо хтось мені пояснить сцену з більчатком чи Корвусом, я можу змінити свою оцінку, але думка "що слабке - має померти"... ну знаєте, я зараз читаю паралельно "Гітлер і Сталін", от там такі ж ідеї. Так шо поки ⭐️⭐️⭐️, але вона не така погана, як про неї пишуть 🤷‍♀️

[Angus McKeogh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m thoroughly impressed. His first novel was a bit weak and seemed forced although short and concise...just not great. Have yet to read his second because I was mildly turned away by the first. However, this one was great. It’s actually a fantasy about religion, love, and relationships. Sounds rather dry and droll but it was fantastic. Very well done. Erudite and entertaining. I’d definitely say read the third novel.