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Anna Francis #1
The Wolf in the Attic
1920s Oxford: home to C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien... and Anna Francis, a young Greek refugee looking to escape the grim reality of her new life. The night they cross paths, none suspect the fantastic world at work around them.
Anna Francis lives in a tall old house with her father and her doll Penelope. She is a refugee, a piece of flotsam washed up in England by the tides of the Great War and the chaos that trailed in its wake. Once upon a time, she had a mother and a brother, and they all lived together in the most beautiful city in the world, by the shores of Homer's wine-dark sea.
But that is all gone now, and only to her doll does she ever speak of it, because her father cannot bear to hear. She sits in the shadows of the tall house and watches the rain on the windows, creating worlds for herself to fill out the loneliness. The house becomes her own little kingdom, an island full of dreams and half-forgotten memories. And then one winter day, she finds an interloper in the topmost, dustiest attic of the house. A boy named Luca with yellow eyes, who is as alone in the world as she is.
That day, she’ll lose everything in her life, and find the only real friend she may ever know.
Anna Francis lives in a tall old house with her father and her doll Penelope. She is a refugee, a piece of flotsam washed up in England by the tides of the Great War and the chaos that trailed in its wake. Once upon a time, she had a mother and a brother, and they all lived together in the most beautiful city in the world, by the shores of Homer's wine-dark sea.
But that is all gone now, and only to her doll does she ever speak of it, because her father cannot bear to hear. She sits in the shadows of the tall house and watches the rain on the windows, creating worlds for herself to fill out the loneliness. The house becomes her own little kingdom, an island full of dreams and half-forgotten memories. And then one winter day, she finds an interloper in the topmost, dustiest attic of the house. A boy named Luca with yellow eyes, who is as alone in the world as she is.
That day, she’ll lose everything in her life, and find the only real friend she may ever know.
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First published May 10, 2016
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About the author
Paul Kearney
47 books528 followersPaul Kearney was born in rural County Antrim, Ireland, in 1967. His father was a butcher, and his mother was a nurse. He rode horses, had lots of cousins, and cut turf and baled hay. He often smelled of cowshit.
He grew up through the worst of the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland, a time when bombs and gunfire were part of every healthy young boy's adolescence. He developed an unhealthy interest in firearms and Blowing Things Up - but what growing boy hasn't?
By some fluke of fate he managed to get to Oxford University, and studied Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon and Middle English.
He began writing books because he had no other choice. His first, written at aged sixteen, was a magnificent epic, influenced heavily by James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Robert E Howard, and Playboy. It was enormous, colourful, purple-prosed, and featured a lot of Very Large Swords.
His second was rather better, and was published by Victor Gollancz over a very boozy lunch with a very shrewd editor.
Luckily, in those days editors met authors face to face, and Kearney's Irish charm wangled him a long series of contracts with Gollancz, and other publishers. He still thinks he can't write for toffee, but others have, insanely, begged to differ.
Kearney has been writing full-time for twenty-eight years now, and can't imagine doing anything else. Though he has often tried.
He grew up through the worst of the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland, a time when bombs and gunfire were part of every healthy young boy's adolescence. He developed an unhealthy interest in firearms and Blowing Things Up - but what growing boy hasn't?
By some fluke of fate he managed to get to Oxford University, and studied Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon and Middle English.
He began writing books because he had no other choice. His first, written at aged sixteen, was a magnificent epic, influenced heavily by James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Robert E Howard, and Playboy. It was enormous, colourful, purple-prosed, and featured a lot of Very Large Swords.
His second was rather better, and was published by Victor Gollancz over a very boozy lunch with a very shrewd editor.
Luckily, in those days editors met authors face to face, and Kearney's Irish charm wangled him a long series of contracts with Gollancz, and other publishers. He still thinks he can't write for toffee, but others have, insanely, begged to differ.
Kearney has been writing full-time for twenty-eight years now, and can't imagine doing anything else. Though he has often tried.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews
June 3, 2016
Anna is a heart-rendingly lonely little girl. A Greek refugee in 1920's Oxford, her memories of a warm and sunny, loving home seem almost like fantasies of a lost paradise. Now, everything is cold and grey. Her father has retreated into desperate, fervid political meetings with other Greek expats - and the bottle. Removed from public school because of bullying, Anna has just her tutor, and the doll whose friendship she knows is purely imaginary. Free to wander the streets (and the woods) unsupervised, Anna stumbles across a terrifying scene of violence - and encounters a family of strange and rustic travellers. These seeming Gypsies attract her with the foreign-ness they share with her (one young man in particular holds a dangerous attraction), but their culture may be older - and odder - than she could guess. Has Anna met her salvation - or her doom?
This novel is the first I've read from Kearney, and it will not be the last. This is so, so good. The language is just beautiful, and I fell in love with Anna's character: her precocious love of mythology, her imagination, her independence, and her dreams. Her situation is so well fleshed out that it could easily have stood on its own as a novel that was just a character study about the refugee experience. At first, I thought it might be simply a mainstream historical novel, as I embarked upon reading this while knowing little about the book, and nothing about the author. However, then Kearney weaves in his supernatural element, and it is just superb.
The one thing I do have to say, is that a blurb I saw makes much of CS Lewis and Tolkien appearing in this book. Well, they do, but I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't read the blurb, and I doubt many other readers would have either. While I recognize the author's wish to give a nod to those greats who inspired some of the themes and setting of this story, I didn't feel that their appearance was necessary, especially because the way they're presented, you expect them to play some intrinsic part in the tale - and they don't.
Regardless - 5 stars for this one.
Many thanks to Solaris and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
This novel is the first I've read from Kearney, and it will not be the last. This is so, so good. The language is just beautiful, and I fell in love with Anna's character: her precocious love of mythology, her imagination, her independence, and her dreams. Her situation is so well fleshed out that it could easily have stood on its own as a novel that was just a character study about the refugee experience. At first, I thought it might be simply a mainstream historical novel, as I embarked upon reading this while knowing little about the book, and nothing about the author. However, then Kearney weaves in his supernatural element, and it is just superb.
The one thing I do have to say, is that a blurb I saw makes much of CS Lewis and Tolkien appearing in this book. Well, they do, but I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't read the blurb, and I doubt many other readers would have either. While I recognize the author's wish to give a nod to those greats who inspired some of the themes and setting of this story, I didn't feel that their appearance was necessary, especially because the way they're presented, you expect them to play some intrinsic part in the tale - and they don't.
Regardless - 5 stars for this one.
Many thanks to Solaris and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
May 8, 2016
Eleven year old Anna Francis and her father are Greek refugees living in Oxford in the 1920s after being forced out of Smyrna by the Turks and rescued by a British ship. Anna's mother taken by the Turks and her big brother Nikos, a soldier may be dead. Anna is home schooled and keeps away from the local children who taunt her for her olive skins and dark features. With her father distracted organising a Greek refugee committee and away in London a lot, Anna spends a lot of time on her own exploring the attic of her house and roaming the streets and countryside. She meets interesting people including a chance meeting with the young C.S. Lewis and J.R.Tolkien with whom she has a conversation about trees that can talk. However, when she comes across some gypsies camping in the woods, her life changes in unexpected ways that will have profound effects on her future.
This is a beautifully written book and Anna is a wonderful narrator, still childlike but thoughtful and insightful. The story has fable like qualities like a tale from a gothic fairy tale, particularly after Anna meets up with Luca, the wild gypsy boy with the yellow eyes. The ending of the book suggests there will be a sequel to look forward to.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Rebellion for a digital copy of the book to read and review.
This is a beautifully written book and Anna is a wonderful narrator, still childlike but thoughtful and insightful. The story has fable like qualities like a tale from a gothic fairy tale, particularly after Anna meets up with Luca, the wild gypsy boy with the yellow eyes. The ending of the book suggests there will be a sequel to look forward to.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Rebellion for a digital copy of the book to read and review.
March 11, 2017
This book was an uneasy blend of historical fiction and fantasy, two very different genres I had been hoping would integrate seamlessly like in other books of its kind I've read. But the two genres didn't blend much at all in this book since the first half was mostly historical fiction and the second half was mostly fantasy based on Old World mythology and folklore of a kind which wasn't my thing. The writing was beautiful, though, with much loving attention given to details in that setting, but less so when it came to developing the characters with the exception of the main one, Anna Francis.
Anna is eleven and lives with her father in Oxford in the late 1920's. They are Greek immigrants who barely escaped with their lives several years earlier when the city of Smyma where they had lived was captured by the Turkish forces, not everyone in their family as lucky as they were to have survived the war. They came over to England on a British allied boat and set about adapting to a new way of life, each in their own way, while struggling to not forget their heritage and the ones left behind.
Memories are important, like the bones of the mind. We build ourselves upon them, flesh and blood moulded around the pictures of what is past.
But things go terribly wrong as Anna is bullied for being different, epitaphs and stones thrown at her by the neighboring schoolchildren. Her father heads meetings for other Greeks who are desperate to find a way to return home and reclaim their life and what property was once theirs. Devoting himself to this cause, he neglects Anna who is taught privately at home and develops her own private world when the outer one she lives in seems too cruel and uninviting except for the land itself and two kind men she meets on one of her many nightly wanderings. But these wanderings have her crossing paths with something her wildest imaginings could never have come up with. She is equally terrified and fascinated with what she sees until something horrible happens that tips the scales to the side of terrified.
I know these streets as well as my own hands, but everything seems different tonight, as though Oxford is a woman who has just unveiled herself, and the face revealed is not who I thought it was.
I found the first half of this book to be interesting and full of depth as Anna, living an isolated life, enriches it with the stories she's read and by certain people she meets. She is a sympathetic character who is smart and determined to fit in even as she's treated as an outcast by many. Then the second half of the book came along and lost all depth while veering into half-explained fantasy elements that became even more muddled by the end which left many questions unanswered concerning several characters. And unfortunately, some of those characters who didn't have formal educations were written in a way that had them sounding like hillbillies instead of people whose ancestors immigrated from Egypt. This dialect completely threw me out of the fantasy world and the English countryside the author crafted. Instead, I longed for the beauty and depth of the first half of the book and in the blossoming relationship Anna had with one guest star of a sorts--CS Lewis. The author of this book has said in an interview that he'd like to write a sequel and expand on this relationship. The question is, do I want to risk reading another book if I can enjoy only half of it should history repeat itself in the sequel?
Anna is eleven and lives with her father in Oxford in the late 1920's. They are Greek immigrants who barely escaped with their lives several years earlier when the city of Smyma where they had lived was captured by the Turkish forces, not everyone in their family as lucky as they were to have survived the war. They came over to England on a British allied boat and set about adapting to a new way of life, each in their own way, while struggling to not forget their heritage and the ones left behind.
Memories are important, like the bones of the mind. We build ourselves upon them, flesh and blood moulded around the pictures of what is past.
But things go terribly wrong as Anna is bullied for being different, epitaphs and stones thrown at her by the neighboring schoolchildren. Her father heads meetings for other Greeks who are desperate to find a way to return home and reclaim their life and what property was once theirs. Devoting himself to this cause, he neglects Anna who is taught privately at home and develops her own private world when the outer one she lives in seems too cruel and uninviting except for the land itself and two kind men she meets on one of her many nightly wanderings. But these wanderings have her crossing paths with something her wildest imaginings could never have come up with. She is equally terrified and fascinated with what she sees until something horrible happens that tips the scales to the side of terrified.
I know these streets as well as my own hands, but everything seems different tonight, as though Oxford is a woman who has just unveiled herself, and the face revealed is not who I thought it was.
I found the first half of this book to be interesting and full of depth as Anna, living an isolated life, enriches it with the stories she's read and by certain people she meets. She is a sympathetic character who is smart and determined to fit in even as she's treated as an outcast by many. Then the second half of the book came along and lost all depth while veering into half-explained fantasy elements that became even more muddled by the end which left many questions unanswered concerning several characters. And unfortunately, some of those characters who didn't have formal educations were written in a way that had them sounding like hillbillies instead of people whose ancestors immigrated from Egypt. This dialect completely threw me out of the fantasy world and the English countryside the author crafted. Instead, I longed for the beauty and depth of the first half of the book and in the blossoming relationship Anna had with one guest star of a sorts--CS Lewis. The author of this book has said in an interview that he'd like to write a sequel and expand on this relationship. The question is, do I want to risk reading another book if I can enjoy only half of it should history repeat itself in the sequel?
October 19, 2021
Dead trees all around and everywhere, all of us everyone deadened inside, where everything in sight is the color of a dying leaf. We are all dying, never to be in a song again. So what song can we really follow all the home. This haze, all the hues are golden here. This warm lull, a wet breath, before the winter's song is quite heady. Thick dryness in the brisk air, heavy and breathless, but not in distress, not yet anyway.
It is finally that time of the year again. So of course, the moon is urging us to harvest something other than a smile, more than a smile even. So much more than Her Smile. But the real question is, can half a moon still find us on that road?
Here's the thing, it is still the moon that reminds me of all that I am. All that I still am. I am the music without the song. I am without a Song. I am in a song without one. I am the brightness in the color that's not vermillion.
And here I am standing by the road next to the fields fresh fallow and inviting. Look to your right, stalks of rye undulating so prettily. Turn Left, you really should, and stay on the left, you find fields of barley rippling in the night air. And in the middle of all this is your favorite girl, naked and swaying, reciting John Banville in her native tongue, her accent quite pleasing and fae. But that recital is neither an incantation nor an intonation. It's just her, a consciousness preceding matter.
From glossy to dull, all the leaves, this forested floor puts you in the picture of fall. What a pretty picture this makes up. Puts you in a mood. This road, which the woodland creatures are so wary of, makes you appreciative of Fall. It really does.
For the Fall of mankind, that is. Fall of men is something I am all for, you know. Oh, you do know. Good. I got no dragons. But shall we begin?
It has already begun.
If there is a book that's made for fall, it's the Wolf in the Attic. I mean, come on. Just Look. At her. No, look at the title too. How can you read this and not be a goner? Look at the cover, now saying it in Homer Simpson's voice, look at it. Peel the onions and sure, peel back everything, skin on skin to get inside. Aperitivo. Yum.
Look at this book, but not at Tony Stark, or at that new suit. And yes, you got me, Ro. I got this because of the book we both love. I really wanted, no needed this to be 2016's Tell the Wolves I am Home. Even though there is an actual wolf in this one.
So I read the book, waiting to love it. For the book to impact me, but something went wrong. Sure, the wolf turned and the moon helped a little bit. But it wasn't the bloodletting I was hoping it would be. I wasn't sated like I once was one hot April in 2015. It wasn't the fate I had sealed.
For one thing, it took forever to get the real story going, even longer for the wolf to actually get to the attic. More than half of it had gone by before the wolf deigned to show up. Had he stayed there in the attic, it would have been a great book. I wish he had. But the book went in a completely different direction. Not to where the witches were waiting for us under the burnt umbrage of the stripped trees.
See, I was expecting it to be one thing, it became entirely something else. Hints of continuing this story is a little disturbing. It wasn't what I was expecting it to be, certainly not what I had made sacrifices in the standing stones for.
Make no mistake, this was a story of an immigrant unsung by the civil twilight. It is tragic because this had started off so well. Well, well enough. But by the end of it, I quit trying to figure out what it was trying to be. It had become a mishmash of half-baked ideas that couldn't be cooked no matter what, barely edible. And then the jumbled ideas that started to rot, something was already rotten, so beware.
Then why the high ratings?
Well, you asked the question in French. You are the answer in no known language.
The Wolf in the Attic is incredibly well written.
But there is no story there. You gotta have a story, even if she is not in it.
Then there was the very unnecessary, casual appearance of Tolkien that didn't service the plot in any way, didn't serve the story at all, had no purpose other than gimmickry.
So, of course, we had the mandatory mention of Lord of the Rings. With Tolkien there, it was only a matter of time. Sure enough, our heroine was walking with him and she basically impelled the idea of the talking trees. What were they called again? Gnats? Last I saw of those trees, they were looking for women for themselves. Lady trees, that is.
CS Lewis was there too. His cameo was actually pretty interesting. But poor sweet summer child. In the book, he was actually thinking critically. Freely. It's rather sad in his later life he found the o in the organized religion. That he would later go on to accept Aslan as his personal Lord and savior, is just a sad end. Consider the collective harm that has been done, maybe it is time to outgrow, grow up, outgrow them all. If you think about it, remove indoctrination and confirmation basis, and what is left, what are you left with?
The natural quotient of all goodness in the world is faith. That's well and good. I mean it, it's the best. But better not wave it around, better not quench your thirst. One pill won't make you big, one pill won't make you small. They are both the same, rabbit-hole all too familiar. Both pills lead you down to the same warren.
Bottom line, at the bottom of it all. You can pick any. You may believe in the spaghetti space monster or clthulhu, just keep your limitedness away from my literature. You can make your characters delusional, that's what is allowed in the marriage that's fiction. The ultimate concession of creation, of creating, of the creator. That's your prerogative. But don't push your tunnel vision that's your point of view down the throat of others.
Last thing, less of make-belief and more of fantasy. Even if it is the fantasy making us believe. In something. We must let go of the fanatical and hold on quite dearly to the fantastical.
Finally, the cult of kindness needs to be a little more tolerant. People. Intolerant goodness of people needs to be a little more vague and flexible. So much so. Until. We are all relaxing, all of us, in the sands, on the shores of tomorrow, for our own much earned and equally deserved littoral retreats.
I'll meet everyone there, see you.
Write better fiction, sure. But. Just, be better.
April 29, 2016
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I'm unable to decide if this book was bad, or just not my kind of thing.
Kearney can use words. He has many beautiful turns of phrase and creates original imagery.
Kearney has read, and included a great deal of mythology in this book, from Ancient Greek, to Druidic religions, to werewolves, and even the lives of two famous writers.
Neither of these are bad things, and yet at the end of this book I was left with the feeling that it was nothing more than a vehicle for both of them.
This book is flabby with beautiful words. The main character, Anna, experiences everything in detail. Intense, lavish detail. So much detail that reading it was quite a challenge because it took so long for anything to actually happen through all the crisp air and mysterious landscapes. Anna also mulls over her situation in just as much detail. I found her focus believable as a child with little else going on in her life, but it was boring. The same story could have been told just as well, better even, with a quarter of the words. Maybe then it wouldn't have taken me two months to slog through it.
The mythology was gathered from many corners of the world. Unfortunately I don't care. There was just so much crammed into this book, and jammed down my throat, over and over, or else glossed over. Anna hails from Greece and her father teaches her about the old stories. I used to be pretty into Greek mythology as a kid, and Anna is not as into it as me, despite treating it like some deeply personal connection to her past. Kearney mentions a handful of stories, several times, and never really goes beyond mentioning the same names. It felt lazy.
The rest of the mythology was not lazy, but it was confusing. Anna crosses two other groups of people, the Romani, and the Roadmen, who both have strong, competing mythologies. The only one we really get to hear in any detail is the Romani's, which as far as I'm aware, bears no resemblance to any traveller's actual mythology, because it inexplicably links the werewolf myth with them, via Ancient Egypt and "the East". Honestly it sounded kind of like a mash up of whatever Kearney fancied putting in there: anything to make these people mysterious. This seems pretty disrespectful.
I don't usually mind mash-up mythology in my fantasy stories, but this book was heavily rooted in reality. So rooted that it's actually our world, because J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis inexplicably appear in this book. There is actually no reason for them to be here, other than to say they're here. It's one of the reasons I picked the book up--I was thinking this would be an interesting tale picking up on events and themes from the great writers' works and weaving them together with a new story. It didn't. Kearney just inserts the two into the book, pretty much as "random encounters" that have no real effect on the story.
This brings me to the plot. The first half of the novel is largely a lengthy setup for what goes on in the second half. Not in a cool way where little hints are left behind and then you get halfway through and suddenly it all makes sense. It's in the way where I shouldn't have to read half the book for the inciting event! I'm sure Kearney thinks the inciting event is much earlier than halfway through, but it isn't.
Spoilers for the first half of the book here: Anna wanders about a bit, watches a boy murder a man, gets chased by the murderer, is let go by the murderer, and then wanders around a lot more, bumping into the writers, and giving us little hints that all is not well in Anna's little world. That's the entirety of the first half of the book (no wonder it took me six weeks to plough through it!) before something actually happens which kicks Anna into action. So much pointless wandering and hinting, over and over ... I don't care. Stop jamming bread and dripping down my throat, I understood that they were poor without you telling me three times! I really did!
Running into the second part of the book, the reading became easier, but more frustrating because the mythology opened up and I had so many questions. Unfortunately it never gets straightened out. Instead of developing a rich world of complex interaction between the fantastical elements, we get ... the same things jammed into us that were jammed in the first half of the book. It was frankly exhausting and I picked up the pace just to be done with the book. If I wasn't reading it for NetGalley, I wouldn't have finished it.
So far we have a story that's wordy, determined to show us just how much mythology the author knows, with a highly-repetitive plot. Now we move into more spoilery territory ... if you don't want to know who turns out to be the bad guys in this, read no more!
The bad guys turn out to be the dark, foreign, Romani people. I mean, really. Seriously? Who are the shining good guys? The incredibly white and stalwart English folk. This happens in the last few pages. It isn't set up previously, beyond the author being vague about everything important, it just straight-up turns into racism. Did. Not. Appreciate. Particularly with the massive amount of media hatred and prejudice towards travelling people, I think this is a pretty terrible thing to put in. Can't we just get over the "other" being the bad guy? Please?
Aside from the terrible pacing, the story was average. Girl meets boy, boy murders man, girl doesn't really seem to care all that much because it's a BOY zomg. It was pretty dull.
There's a whole section where girl suddenly gets her first period where I kind of ... got irritated. Kearney's a man. He doesn't get what it's like to suddenly have blood pouring out of your vagina. He has Anna treat it kind of like a wound, instead of freaking out, despite the fact she's never even heard of a period. She literally shoves a sock in her pants and whines about her stomach hurting. I don't think there was really a need for it to be included. I'm pretty sure he thinks there was a need, but I can think of multiple other ways he could have done it, just off the top of my head so ... there wasn't a need. Please don't write about periods unless you actually have a clue or it's vitally important. And please don't give us the YOU'RE A WOMAN NOW speech twice. Just no.
The setting was largely Oxford. I've spent some time in Oxford because I'm fortunate enough to have a friend who lives there. I've walked past The Eagle and Child (I will have lunch there one day, I'm determined). Oxford is one of the most magical places I've been. It's soaked in history, and the architecture is hundreds and hundreds of years old. I'm sure it's changed since the 20s, but it hasn't changed that much. There is a reason Tolkien and Lewis created such incredible stories, there is a reason Oxford is used by filmmakers to illustrate magical stories. Oxford gets into your brain and fills it up with inspiration. Somehow Kearney manages to reduce that magic to naming the roads Anna walks down. It takes very little to have me nostalgic for Oxford, yet Kearney still didn't manage it.
I can at least say that I didn't hate Anna. I didn't like her voice, but she's a plucky kid who controls her own destiny and doesn't do stupid things without a good reason. Ultimately she's mysteriously saved by a magical white dude but in that situation there wasn't a whole lot she could've done herself, so I'll allow a pass on this one. But still, I'm sighing.
Overall, I didn't like the book. If you like vague world building, random cameos of famous people, and elaborate words, then this book may be for you. For me, I'm going to find a book with beautiful writing and a strong plot, or a fantasy so rich with world building I can practically taste it.
I'm unable to decide if this book was bad, or just not my kind of thing.
Kearney can use words. He has many beautiful turns of phrase and creates original imagery.
Kearney has read, and included a great deal of mythology in this book, from Ancient Greek, to Druidic religions, to werewolves, and even the lives of two famous writers.
Neither of these are bad things, and yet at the end of this book I was left with the feeling that it was nothing more than a vehicle for both of them.
This book is flabby with beautiful words. The main character, Anna, experiences everything in detail. Intense, lavish detail. So much detail that reading it was quite a challenge because it took so long for anything to actually happen through all the crisp air and mysterious landscapes. Anna also mulls over her situation in just as much detail. I found her focus believable as a child with little else going on in her life, but it was boring. The same story could have been told just as well, better even, with a quarter of the words. Maybe then it wouldn't have taken me two months to slog through it.
The mythology was gathered from many corners of the world. Unfortunately I don't care. There was just so much crammed into this book, and jammed down my throat, over and over, or else glossed over. Anna hails from Greece and her father teaches her about the old stories. I used to be pretty into Greek mythology as a kid, and Anna is not as into it as me, despite treating it like some deeply personal connection to her past. Kearney mentions a handful of stories, several times, and never really goes beyond mentioning the same names. It felt lazy.
The rest of the mythology was not lazy, but it was confusing. Anna crosses two other groups of people, the Romani, and the Roadmen, who both have strong, competing mythologies. The only one we really get to hear in any detail is the Romani's, which as far as I'm aware, bears no resemblance to any traveller's actual mythology, because it inexplicably links the werewolf myth with them, via Ancient Egypt and "the East". Honestly it sounded kind of like a mash up of whatever Kearney fancied putting in there: anything to make these people mysterious. This seems pretty disrespectful.
I don't usually mind mash-up mythology in my fantasy stories, but this book was heavily rooted in reality. So rooted that it's actually our world, because J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis inexplicably appear in this book. There is actually no reason for them to be here, other than to say they're here. It's one of the reasons I picked the book up--I was thinking this would be an interesting tale picking up on events and themes from the great writers' works and weaving them together with a new story. It didn't. Kearney just inserts the two into the book, pretty much as "random encounters" that have no real effect on the story.
This brings me to the plot. The first half of the novel is largely a lengthy setup for what goes on in the second half. Not in a cool way where little hints are left behind and then you get halfway through and suddenly it all makes sense. It's in the way where I shouldn't have to read half the book for the inciting event! I'm sure Kearney thinks the inciting event is much earlier than halfway through, but it isn't.
Spoilers for the first half of the book here: Anna wanders about a bit, watches a boy murder a man, gets chased by the murderer, is let go by the murderer, and then wanders around a lot more, bumping into the writers, and giving us little hints that all is not well in Anna's little world. That's the entirety of the first half of the book (no wonder it took me six weeks to plough through it!) before something actually happens which kicks Anna into action. So much pointless wandering and hinting, over and over ... I don't care. Stop jamming bread and dripping down my throat, I understood that they were poor without you telling me three times! I really did!
Running into the second part of the book, the reading became easier, but more frustrating because the mythology opened up and I had so many questions. Unfortunately it never gets straightened out. Instead of developing a rich world of complex interaction between the fantastical elements, we get ... the same things jammed into us that were jammed in the first half of the book. It was frankly exhausting and I picked up the pace just to be done with the book. If I wasn't reading it for NetGalley, I wouldn't have finished it.
So far we have a story that's wordy, determined to show us just how much mythology the author knows, with a highly-repetitive plot. Now we move into more spoilery territory ... if you don't want to know who turns out to be the bad guys in this, read no more!
The bad guys turn out to be the dark, foreign, Romani people. I mean, really. Seriously? Who are the shining good guys? The incredibly white and stalwart English folk. This happens in the last few pages. It isn't set up previously, beyond the author being vague about everything important, it just straight-up turns into racism. Did. Not. Appreciate. Particularly with the massive amount of media hatred and prejudice towards travelling people, I think this is a pretty terrible thing to put in. Can't we just get over the "other" being the bad guy? Please?
Aside from the terrible pacing, the story was average. Girl meets boy, boy murders man, girl doesn't really seem to care all that much because it's a BOY zomg. It was pretty dull.
There's a whole section where girl suddenly gets her first period where I kind of ... got irritated. Kearney's a man. He doesn't get what it's like to suddenly have blood pouring out of your vagina. He has Anna treat it kind of like a wound, instead of freaking out, despite the fact she's never even heard of a period. She literally shoves a sock in her pants and whines about her stomach hurting. I don't think there was really a need for it to be included. I'm pretty sure he thinks there was a need, but I can think of multiple other ways he could have done it, just off the top of my head so ... there wasn't a need. Please don't write about periods unless you actually have a clue or it's vitally important. And please don't give us the YOU'RE A WOMAN NOW speech twice. Just no.
The setting was largely Oxford. I've spent some time in Oxford because I'm fortunate enough to have a friend who lives there. I've walked past The Eagle and Child (I will have lunch there one day, I'm determined). Oxford is one of the most magical places I've been. It's soaked in history, and the architecture is hundreds and hundreds of years old. I'm sure it's changed since the 20s, but it hasn't changed that much. There is a reason Tolkien and Lewis created such incredible stories, there is a reason Oxford is used by filmmakers to illustrate magical stories. Oxford gets into your brain and fills it up with inspiration. Somehow Kearney manages to reduce that magic to naming the roads Anna walks down. It takes very little to have me nostalgic for Oxford, yet Kearney still didn't manage it.
I can at least say that I didn't hate Anna. I didn't like her voice, but she's a plucky kid who controls her own destiny and doesn't do stupid things without a good reason. Ultimately she's mysteriously saved by a magical white dude but in that situation there wasn't a whole lot she could've done herself, so I'll allow a pass on this one. But still, I'm sighing.
Overall, I didn't like the book. If you like vague world building, random cameos of famous people, and elaborate words, then this book may be for you. For me, I'm going to find a book with beautiful writing and a strong plot, or a fantasy so rich with world building I can practically taste it.
October 13, 2016
Received to review via Netgalley
The Wolf in the Attic is a bit of an odd one. I have quite a few reservations about it: firstly, I’m not sure about the narrative voice. It took ages for me to pin down how old Anna was supposed to be, based on the words and phrases she used, and the general tone. I know she’s actually a refugee whose first language was Greek, but instead she comes across as slangy (saying things like “what rot!”). I also wasn’t sure about the inclusion of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis — it’s a cute cameo in one way, but it also gives one of Tolkien’s original ideas to a fictional character, and the inclusion of the two shook my suspension of disbelief. Especially when Kearney manipulated real events to fit his story better, re: the date of C.S. Lewis’ conversion to Christianity. They really aren’t necessary to the plot at all, and not really to the themes.
More worryingly, though, I didn’t really buy in to the relationship between Anna and Luca. That is, there’s nothing wrong with it as a concept, but in execution I didn’t see why they were drawn together. It just needed a little more flesh on the bones, and it probably would have worked.
I’m also not 100% sure about the stuff about the Romani people. I know that the skinchangers/witches say that they’re not Romani, but have dealings with them, but it’s a slim difference and at other times the book doesn’t seem to make a distinction. The stuff about King Arthur and the Roadmen felt a little confused, and I thought it needed a little more explanation — just a little. I’m not sure I agree with another reviewer who felt it came across as racist, because Luca is a good person and there are definite shades of grey, but it is a bit borderline in some ways.
Nonetheless, it’s an interesting read, and Kearney’s style is certainly readable. The book is a little slow-paced, but that’s fine for me; it actually feels a little odd how quickly the second half is covered, given there’s a lot more going on. I enjoyed the process of reading the book; it’s just thinking about it too much that seems to spoil things.
Originally posted here.
The Wolf in the Attic is a bit of an odd one. I have quite a few reservations about it: firstly, I’m not sure about the narrative voice. It took ages for me to pin down how old Anna was supposed to be, based on the words and phrases she used, and the general tone. I know she’s actually a refugee whose first language was Greek, but instead she comes across as slangy (saying things like “what rot!”). I also wasn’t sure about the inclusion of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis — it’s a cute cameo in one way, but it also gives one of Tolkien’s original ideas to a fictional character, and the inclusion of the two shook my suspension of disbelief. Especially when Kearney manipulated real events to fit his story better, re: the date of C.S. Lewis’ conversion to Christianity. They really aren’t necessary to the plot at all, and not really to the themes.
More worryingly, though, I didn’t really buy in to the relationship between Anna and Luca. That is, there’s nothing wrong with it as a concept, but in execution I didn’t see why they were drawn together. It just needed a little more flesh on the bones, and it probably would have worked.
I’m also not 100% sure about the stuff about the Romani people. I know that the skinchangers/witches say that they’re not Romani, but have dealings with them, but it’s a slim difference and at other times the book doesn’t seem to make a distinction. The stuff about King Arthur and the Roadmen felt a little confused, and I thought it needed a little more explanation — just a little. I’m not sure I agree with another reviewer who felt it came across as racist, because Luca is a good person and there are definite shades of grey, but it is a bit borderline in some ways.
Nonetheless, it’s an interesting read, and Kearney’s style is certainly readable. The book is a little slow-paced, but that’s fine for me; it actually feels a little odd how quickly the second half is covered, given there’s a lot more going on. I enjoyed the process of reading the book; it’s just thinking about it too much that seems to spoil things.
Originally posted here.
November 29, 2019
Paul Kearney is one of my favorite authors. And I just had a chance to read The Wolf in the Attic.
I have to say I was mildly apprehensive. The story follows a girl named Anna, a refugee from the Greek-Ottoman war amidst the Great War (WWI), having come to England in the late 1910s with only her father, and her struggle with life in the Oxford region. The book's told in first-person narrative, from Anna's perspective, and this is a departure from all previous works by Paul. Also, it sounds daunting putting grimdark into a story told by a 12-year-old protagonist. I also couldn't escape the ever-so-subconscious comparison between Anna and Anne Frank, the attic, all that. So I wasn't sure what to expect, especially since Paul Kearney writes the most realistic, visceral grimdark out there.
I found the book ... weird.
The writing is good, and it hooks you in, and you really don't know what to expect. The seemingly naive perspective makes things even darker than they might be.
Then, half way through, something unusual happened. I can't spoil it, but the story shifted from a more social one to a fantastic one (i.e. fantasy), with some old, familiar elements that Paul has in his previous works. This feels somewhat repetitious, although the overall setting is brand new and unique. But I did find the use of old motifs a bit underwhelming, especially since I expected to find myself on the edge of the seat, dreading each new page. That didn't happen.
The end also feels a little rushed, and I think there are some unfinished elements in the book, around religion, the battle between good and evil, and mysticism. Perhaps Paul tries to combine too many narratives from various folklores, and this needs additional volumes to fully explore and/or explain.
All in all, this is a decent book, the writing is really nice, but I feel something is missing. In a way, this feels like a somewhat disjointed continuation of the unfinished story of Ran with echoes from Monarchies of God.
If you like books that will make you think, and you can't really take anything in the plot for granted, this is a solid choice. But for Kearney fans, the amount of despondency and pain are almost summertime light. One might even say grimtwilight rather than grimdark.
Something like 3/5, perhaps 3.5/5.
Recommended.
No limerick.
Igor
I have to say I was mildly apprehensive. The story follows a girl named Anna, a refugee from the Greek-Ottoman war amidst the Great War (WWI), having come to England in the late 1910s with only her father, and her struggle with life in the Oxford region. The book's told in first-person narrative, from Anna's perspective, and this is a departure from all previous works by Paul. Also, it sounds daunting putting grimdark into a story told by a 12-year-old protagonist. I also couldn't escape the ever-so-subconscious comparison between Anna and Anne Frank, the attic, all that. So I wasn't sure what to expect, especially since Paul Kearney writes the most realistic, visceral grimdark out there.
I found the book ... weird.
The writing is good, and it hooks you in, and you really don't know what to expect. The seemingly naive perspective makes things even darker than they might be.
Then, half way through, something unusual happened. I can't spoil it, but the story shifted from a more social one to a fantastic one (i.e. fantasy), with some old, familiar elements that Paul has in his previous works. This feels somewhat repetitious, although the overall setting is brand new and unique. But I did find the use of old motifs a bit underwhelming, especially since I expected to find myself on the edge of the seat, dreading each new page. That didn't happen.
The end also feels a little rushed, and I think there are some unfinished elements in the book, around religion, the battle between good and evil, and mysticism. Perhaps Paul tries to combine too many narratives from various folklores, and this needs additional volumes to fully explore and/or explain.
All in all, this is a decent book, the writing is really nice, but I feel something is missing. In a way, this feels like a somewhat disjointed continuation of the unfinished story of Ran with echoes from Monarchies of God.
If you like books that will make you think, and you can't really take anything in the plot for granted, this is a solid choice. But for Kearney fans, the amount of despondency and pain are almost summertime light. One might even say grimtwilight rather than grimdark.
Something like 3/5, perhaps 3.5/5.
Recommended.
No limerick.
Igor
March 21, 2016
While I found aspects of this story entertaining and engaging I had a number of issues with the book as well.
First the things that I liked: I enjoyed the story telling itself, and I enjoyed the setting. I found myself vividly immersed in Anna's surroundings. I also enjoyed her interactions with the other characters she met. The dialogue was generally well written and engaging with only one or two exceptions (which I'll get to in the negatives). I like that Anna is bold, adventurous and stubborn, but realistically has no idea what she's doing. I think she's a well rounded character in many ways, though I found her frustrating at times, but I find most children her age frustrating so I thought that rang true. ;-)
Now the things that bothered me. Unfortunately, this section will seem longer because I'm nitpicking and explaining my reason for disliking certain things. That does not mean I found the book to be more contain more negatives than positives, if that were true I would be giving it two stars or fewer. That said...
I found the way the theme of religion, and particularly christianity, was addressed to be repetitive and unoriginal, and I it irked me that it was there at all because it wasn't developed in a way that seemed to overly relevant to the rest of the plot. It seems like there might be some more coherent explanation in the offing (I can only assume this is the first book in a series as it is otherwise woefully lacking in plot completion) but there was insufficient relevance to this first book to make me feel like references to angels and devils vying for Anna's loyalty were really relevant, when we were already looking at a world filled with interesting magic.
Similarly, the presence of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkein as characters is interesting and entertaining at first, but then becomes wholly irrelevant by the end of the book. Again, I'm assuming that they will become relevant in subsequent books, but the overall cohesion of the first book on its own is severely lacking. These two characters serve no purpose but to make cameos as far as the plot of the first book is concerned.
The following section addresses some issues I had with the book but contains major spoilers so reader beware:
One last thing that I like, but that contains a major spoiler:
In conclusion, I enjoyed the story enough that I will seek out the sequel, but I was disappointed in how dependent this book seems to be on having the next book come out in order to resemble a whole story. We have been given just a taste. I'm all for epic series, but I prefer that they break in places that give some semblance of closure before moving on. I hope that the next book, even if it is only the second of many, will provide more sustenance for the plot.
*I received an advanced reader copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
First the things that I liked: I enjoyed the story telling itself, and I enjoyed the setting. I found myself vividly immersed in Anna's surroundings. I also enjoyed her interactions with the other characters she met. The dialogue was generally well written and engaging with only one or two exceptions (which I'll get to in the negatives). I like that Anna is bold, adventurous and stubborn, but realistically has no idea what she's doing. I think she's a well rounded character in many ways, though I found her frustrating at times, but I find most children her age frustrating so I thought that rang true. ;-)
Now the things that bothered me. Unfortunately, this section will seem longer because I'm nitpicking and explaining my reason for disliking certain things. That does not mean I found the book to be more contain more negatives than positives, if that were true I would be giving it two stars or fewer. That said...
I found the way the theme of religion, and particularly christianity, was addressed to be repetitive and unoriginal, and I it irked me that it was there at all because it wasn't developed in a way that seemed to overly relevant to the rest of the plot. It seems like there might be some more coherent explanation in the offing (I can only assume this is the first book in a series as it is otherwise woefully lacking in plot completion) but there was insufficient relevance to this first book to make me feel like references to angels and devils vying for Anna's loyalty were really relevant, when we were already looking at a world filled with interesting magic.
Similarly, the presence of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkein as characters is interesting and entertaining at first, but then becomes wholly irrelevant by the end of the book. Again, I'm assuming that they will become relevant in subsequent books, but the overall cohesion of the first book on its own is severely lacking. These two characters serve no purpose but to make cameos as far as the plot of the first book is concerned.
The following section addresses some issues I had with the book but contains major spoilers so reader beware:
One last thing that I like, but that contains a major spoiler:
In conclusion, I enjoyed the story enough that I will seek out the sequel, but I was disappointed in how dependent this book seems to be on having the next book come out in order to resemble a whole story. We have been given just a taste. I'm all for epic series, but I prefer that they break in places that give some semblance of closure before moving on. I hope that the next book, even if it is only the second of many, will provide more sustenance for the plot.
*I received an advanced reader copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
July 13, 2016
I'd heard of Paul Kearney before, but I'd never read him. And seeing as he is Irish I figured I really should give him a try so when I saw this in the library I picked it up. And I really loved it. It's a small story, in a way, the story of one girl making her way in a strange land. A refugee who doesn't really remember the home she has left. A girl who has lost so much and has no idea where she is going. And then she meets Queenie and Luca and maybe she has found a future?
It is a wonderful blend of historical fiction with myth and fantasy. But if you have read the blurb and think this is a book all about C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, then think again. Yes they make an appearance, but they are cameo roles not starring ones, so in a way I think they shouldn't have been mentioned at all. They add colour and atmosphere, and add to the whole world. Oxford at the end of the 1920s.
There's a lot to love in this book. The writing is so immersive. It's a joy to read. The first half is all Anna, only gradually does the supernatural intrude onto her life. You may even start to wonder when the story is going to really get started. I loved the slow build though. It feels like a fairytale before the fairy godmother shows up, all the hard work and none of the magic.
The second half is much more mythic in its supernatural aspects. Witches and Horned Gods! awesome.
The ending is a somewhat open, so maybe there is a possibility of a sequel. I'd be happy if this was a standalone, or if there was a followup. I'll certainly be on the lookout for more books by Kearney in the future.
December 3, 2018
A Greek refugee flees with her father to Oxford in the 1920's, where she first meets two budding authors of the magical, and then magic itself.
The prose alone garners five stars from me; this is a beautifully written work. The story is just as good- historical fiction, incidentally fantasy, a touch of fable and a touch of faerie.
The characters of Lewis and Tolkien were respectfully crafted, and felt authentic. All told, Wolf in the Attic felt like an homage to the best stories that came out of that fantastical, scholarly friendship. I feel as though Jack and Tollers would both have enjoyed it immensely.
The prose alone garners five stars from me; this is a beautifully written work. The story is just as good- historical fiction, incidentally fantasy, a touch of fable and a touch of faerie.
The characters of Lewis and Tolkien were respectfully crafted, and felt authentic. All told, Wolf in the Attic felt like an homage to the best stories that came out of that fantastical, scholarly friendship. I feel as though Jack and Tollers would both have enjoyed it immensely.
June 9, 2016
It’s 1929 and eleven year old Anna Francis lives with her father, George in a damp, lonely old house in Oxford, England. Life hasn’t been great for them since they fled Greece. Her mother and brother were both killed at the hands of the Turks who destroyed their city. Her father is no longer the pleasant man who educated her in the Greek myths and read to her when she was small. He’s wasted away their money and spends his time drinking and holding meetings with other expatriates. Anna’s life is very lonely and sad. Her doll Pie is all she has to talk to.
While Anna’s father is holding his meetings, Anna sneaks out of the house for adventures in the city and wood near her house. Anna’s adventures are just beginning. First she witnesses a murder and the murderer sees her, but lets her go. Anna has some very nice run-ins with two not-yet-famous men, Jack Lewis (C.S. Lewis) and Ronald Tollers (J.R.R. Tolkien). She even gives Tolkien some ideas about what a tree might say and what it might sound like. Fans of Tolkien will get a little chuckle!
One day, Anna decides to make the attic of the old home her special place. Once she starts spending time there, she comes across young Luca hiding out in the attic. Luca comes from a family of gypsies and getting to know him will change Anna’s life forever.
The writer uses a lovely descriptive atmosphere here which fits with the dreamlike sequences that unfold. Anna was a very sympathetic character and I felt so sad for her. At about the halfway point, the book changed to something very different. It took a startling turn that caught me off guard and I wasn't quite sure where it was going from there. It was a bit like reading two short stories. The Wolf in the Attic is book of many delights. It draws heavily from numerous areas such as Greek mythology, English folklore, paganism, and other theological themes. It’s a good read for those of you who love fairy tales.
I want to thank the publisher (Rebellion Publishing) for providing me with the ARC through Netgalley for an honest review.
While Anna’s father is holding his meetings, Anna sneaks out of the house for adventures in the city and wood near her house. Anna’s adventures are just beginning. First she witnesses a murder and the murderer sees her, but lets her go. Anna has some very nice run-ins with two not-yet-famous men, Jack Lewis (C.S. Lewis) and Ronald Tollers (J.R.R. Tolkien). She even gives Tolkien some ideas about what a tree might say and what it might sound like. Fans of Tolkien will get a little chuckle!
One day, Anna decides to make the attic of the old home her special place. Once she starts spending time there, she comes across young Luca hiding out in the attic. Luca comes from a family of gypsies and getting to know him will change Anna’s life forever.
The writer uses a lovely descriptive atmosphere here which fits with the dreamlike sequences that unfold. Anna was a very sympathetic character and I felt so sad for her. At about the halfway point, the book changed to something very different. It took a startling turn that caught me off guard and I wasn't quite sure where it was going from there. It was a bit like reading two short stories. The Wolf in the Attic is book of many delights. It draws heavily from numerous areas such as Greek mythology, English folklore, paganism, and other theological themes. It’s a good read for those of you who love fairy tales.
I want to thank the publisher (Rebellion Publishing) for providing me with the ARC through Netgalley for an honest review.
March 21, 2016
I am Anna Francis, wanderer, adventuress, and I feel that the snowy dark is smiling on me because it knows the love I have for it. I am a creature now of shadows and the dusk.
First of all, this book was definitely not what I expected. Although it was catergorised as Science-Fiction and Fantasy, the description gave nothing away so I didn't really know what I was getting into.
Kearney definitely knows how to write. The strong, emotive language carried the book and threw me right into the wonders of 1920s Oxford. I could list a multitude of quotes to show howwell Kearney writes, but you really need to read the book to get immersed into the language and the feel of the novel.
The rich language intertwines the story of a refugee girl with myth and legend. Anna, though merely 12, becomes the hero of her own story, and the adventure she goes on is carefully balanced between realism and the mythical. You never quite forget she's 12, but you're also invited to suspend your disbelief. Thrust into the 'Old World', the English countryside turns into the playground of legends.
Despite a relatively slow start, with a total unawareness of where the story was going, the novel builds into a mix of wonder and reality. With sneaky cameos of Tolkien and C.S Lewis, and the strong link to English history, you're always slightly tethered to the real world, where Anna is merely a refugee from Greece.
Anna is a wonderful character, and as the story develops you can't help but be sucked into the mythology and the wonders of such an adventure. I'll definitely be looking into Kearney's other works.
July 28, 2021
This is a short novel that plays with the theme of the hidden magic that exists underneath our world perceived only by a few. A young girl, a refugee from the destruction of Smyrna, lives with her father in Oxford somewhere around 1929. The father is becoming more distant and unreliable as he drowns his memories in alcohol and various hopeless committees'. The girl, Anna, clever and capable though naïve about the world, through her acquaintance with a band of wanderers (perhaps gypsies) discovers a whole different reality full of werewolves, ancient gods, hidden wars and sacred places and becomes more and more immersed in it. Much is made about the appearance in the book of Tolkien and Lewis, both professors in Oxford at the time, but their passage from the story is brief and more a nod by the author than anything else. Despite that i couldn't believe how i loved those small passages and dreamed of Narnia and Middle Earth being born in some pub among endless conversations between brilliant minds. I think i loved these images and the memories of Smyrna more than the actual plot of the book itself, which says something, though the twist at the end was fascinating.
March 3, 2016
Lazy like the River Thames at its source, Anna's story trickles out; swirling in eddies and rushing and riffling when the rains start falling.
The Wolf in the Attic by Paul Kearney has as much or more mythical flavor as supernatural elements. A brave young girl becomes a woman while on the run in the rain under a full midwinter moon. Everything and everyone she's ever known are gone in an instant. Under threat of the workhouse in this olde Oxford, it's a choice between grabbing her doll Pia and a bedroll, or "the men in the black hats and suits [who] frighten [her] more than the wolf in the attic."
Readers who read will delight in the few sly inside jokes, as when Anna meets an Oxford man, and in conversation mentions "tree language, all deep and slow." Now where have we heard that before? When she leaves urban Oxford behind her companions become decidedly more unearthly, and old. Really old.
Highly recommended read if you've enjoyed Robert Holdstock, Guy Gavriel Kay or Charles De Lint. Standalone, but there is hope for a sequel.
I received this book from netgalley and the publishers in return for a review.
The Wolf in the Attic by Paul Kearney has as much or more mythical flavor as supernatural elements. A brave young girl becomes a woman while on the run in the rain under a full midwinter moon. Everything and everyone she's ever known are gone in an instant. Under threat of the workhouse in this olde Oxford, it's a choice between grabbing her doll Pia and a bedroll, or "the men in the black hats and suits [who] frighten [her] more than the wolf in the attic."
Readers who read will delight in the few sly inside jokes, as when Anna meets an Oxford man, and in conversation mentions "tree language, all deep and slow." Now where have we heard that before? When she leaves urban Oxford behind her companions become decidedly more unearthly, and old. Really old.
Highly recommended read if you've enjoyed Robert Holdstock, Guy Gavriel Kay or Charles De Lint. Standalone, but there is hope for a sequel.
I received this book from netgalley and the publishers in return for a review.
October 6, 2016
Spoiler warning – I'm going to discuss the ending of the book, so don't read this if you plan to read it yourself.
Okay, so, The Wolf in the Attic.
I'm not really sure how to feel about this – it is well written, and the point of view works well, at least for the better part of the book. I became invested in Anna as a character, and wanted her to succeed.
When the 'mythological' elements work, they work really well, and are almost evocative of something like the better entries in Susan Cooper's Arthurian books.
I thought the opening, or rather, most of the first half of the book, quite strong; we can see that Anna's life is, or will be, problematic, but she doesn't see the full scope of it herself. Again, it's hard not to care.
I kind of liked Anna's meeting(s) with the Devil. It played like a PG version of Viggo Mortensen's creepy performance in The Prophecy.
It was neat that Gabriel (or 'Herne', or whichever name you prefer for a Wild Hunt type of guy) essentially found himself a hound at the end.
But, there are some negatives as well. It is somewhat meandering, even for such a short book, and so the latter half feels rushed at times. I think it was wise to build up the character, but it needed just a touch more of something.
At times the attempts at dialect and 'cant' feel forced, but that's always tricky.
The Tolkien/Lewis bits are a bit silly. They work fine as characters, and as moments for Anna, but it was completely unnecessary, and the comments on religion that came out of it are somewhat sophomoric (even if I do agree with the basic stance that faith is fine, and religion is a mess; of course, me agreeing with something almost seals its fate as being a touch immature).
There are 'mythological' elements that feel underdeveloped, and fall flat. Something something Egypt, something something Greece – whereas the English myths are more fleshed out. Which brings me to my main problem.
I was set to give this, I don't know, maybe 3-4 stars before the very last bit – the twist – which annoyed me. Suddenly the Romani are evil, Anna becomes one with England, and the could-not-be-more-”rustic-genteel” Gabriel comes out ahead. Like, the outcome of it reads like the wet dream of of a guy who keeps his head a little too shaved, and has one too many St. George's Cross flags on his wall. Purge the immigrant of her old dreams and her Greek identity, defeat the evil gypsies and score a win for the good old English boys? Yikes. There must be a way to write about these themes without sounding like something a UKIP member would find overly nationalistic. And honestly, I think it just sort of ended up feeling that way. I don't think it's the intent, but the ending is a problem – even if the twist itself works perfectly fine.
Maybe I'm judging it too harshly, or I'm in a grumpy mood, but I really did like parts of it a lot. It just sort of fell apart somewhere for me.
Okay, so, The Wolf in the Attic.
I'm not really sure how to feel about this – it is well written, and the point of view works well, at least for the better part of the book. I became invested in Anna as a character, and wanted her to succeed.
When the 'mythological' elements work, they work really well, and are almost evocative of something like the better entries in Susan Cooper's Arthurian books.
I thought the opening, or rather, most of the first half of the book, quite strong; we can see that Anna's life is, or will be, problematic, but she doesn't see the full scope of it herself. Again, it's hard not to care.
I kind of liked Anna's meeting(s) with the Devil. It played like a PG version of Viggo Mortensen's creepy performance in The Prophecy.
It was neat that Gabriel (or 'Herne', or whichever name you prefer for a Wild Hunt type of guy) essentially found himself a hound at the end.
But, there are some negatives as well. It is somewhat meandering, even for such a short book, and so the latter half feels rushed at times. I think it was wise to build up the character, but it needed just a touch more of something.
At times the attempts at dialect and 'cant' feel forced, but that's always tricky.
The Tolkien/Lewis bits are a bit silly. They work fine as characters, and as moments for Anna, but it was completely unnecessary, and the comments on religion that came out of it are somewhat sophomoric (even if I do agree with the basic stance that faith is fine, and religion is a mess; of course, me agreeing with something almost seals its fate as being a touch immature).
There are 'mythological' elements that feel underdeveloped, and fall flat. Something something Egypt, something something Greece – whereas the English myths are more fleshed out. Which brings me to my main problem.
I was set to give this, I don't know, maybe 3-4 stars before the very last bit – the twist – which annoyed me. Suddenly the Romani are evil, Anna becomes one with England, and the could-not-be-more-”rustic-genteel” Gabriel comes out ahead. Like, the outcome of it reads like the wet dream of of a guy who keeps his head a little too shaved, and has one too many St. George's Cross flags on his wall. Purge the immigrant of her old dreams and her Greek identity, defeat the evil gypsies and score a win for the good old English boys? Yikes. There must be a way to write about these themes without sounding like something a UKIP member would find overly nationalistic. And honestly, I think it just sort of ended up feeling that way. I don't think it's the intent, but the ending is a problem – even if the twist itself works perfectly fine.
Maybe I'm judging it too harshly, or I'm in a grumpy mood, but I really did like parts of it a lot. It just sort of fell apart somewhere for me.
April 29, 2016
Going by the description, this doesn't really sound like something I would be drawn to. Historical fiction about a refugee girl from Greece in 1920's Oxford, meh. But that cover, man, it got me. Also the name--I am an absolute sucker for animals in book titles. In fact, I read two Wolf books back-to-back!
I'm so glad that the hype made me pick this one up, because it is absolutely magical. It reminded me strongly of Among Others--not really in plot, but definitely in mood. Anna, our main character, is a little girl who just wants to escape into stories and fantasy but lives in a depressingly realistic world. Her mother died before she came over to Oxford, and her father has changed drastically since the tragedy. He's quite cruel to her at times, so Anna is wrestling with these conflicting ideas of her past (happy family, community, culture) and present (sad family, poverty, being an outsider). It's pretty heartbreaking.
But of course that's not the main lure here. Anna's life takes a fantastical turn while in Oxford. There are incidental meetings with C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, which of course add to the sense of the magical, but this is a straight-up fantasy book. I'm not going to discuss any of the actual fantasy elements because they kick in at about 50% and I don't want to spoil this for anyone, but they're absolutely wonderful. Unexpected but familiar feeling, this has that "The Magicians" vibe of "what would life be like if there really was magic?" It's not all sunshine and butterflies--it's dark woods and terror. There are both folklore and mythology elements here, along with tropes taken from traditional high fantasy, but they're spun in a unique and clever way that feels familiar without being trite or boring.
I can see this appealing to a huge variety of people. Those who love historical fiction, high fantasy, fairy tale inspired works, magical realism, tragic turn-of-the-century tales... it's got a little something for everyone.
[arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review]
I'm so glad that the hype made me pick this one up, because it is absolutely magical. It reminded me strongly of Among Others--not really in plot, but definitely in mood. Anna, our main character, is a little girl who just wants to escape into stories and fantasy but lives in a depressingly realistic world. Her mother died before she came over to Oxford, and her father has changed drastically since the tragedy. He's quite cruel to her at times, so Anna is wrestling with these conflicting ideas of her past (happy family, community, culture) and present (sad family, poverty, being an outsider). It's pretty heartbreaking.
But of course that's not the main lure here. Anna's life takes a fantastical turn while in Oxford. There are incidental meetings with C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, which of course add to the sense of the magical, but this is a straight-up fantasy book. I'm not going to discuss any of the actual fantasy elements because they kick in at about 50% and I don't want to spoil this for anyone, but they're absolutely wonderful. Unexpected but familiar feeling, this has that "The Magicians" vibe of "what would life be like if there really was magic?" It's not all sunshine and butterflies--it's dark woods and terror. There are both folklore and mythology elements here, along with tropes taken from traditional high fantasy, but they're spun in a unique and clever way that feels familiar without being trite or boring.
I can see this appealing to a huge variety of people. Those who love historical fiction, high fantasy, fairy tale inspired works, magical realism, tragic turn-of-the-century tales... it's got a little something for everyone.
[arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review]
August 5, 2016
I HATE giving one star reviews but this book was cutting it close. I didn't solely because I couldn't finish the book so who knows, maybe it got better. (I doubt it)
First, the writing was excruciating, Kearney obviously knows how to word beautiful sentences, however, so much of the book seemed pointless - run on sentences about the same thing over and over again. I get it, this girl is poor and she's Greek but she's not supposed to act like it or tell anyone. Also, spoiler here, Anna watches a boy murder a man and then when she runs into him again and he takes her home she doesn't act like someone who just witnessed him murder a man because guess what, he's a BOY.
I'm a HUGE fan of mythology, especially greek, but I found the mythology in here thrown in at the most random times and lazily explained. The same stories are used over and over again and don't go into much detail.
I honestly don't even want to talk anymore about this book because I had such high hopes for it and I'm left extremely unsatisfied.
First, the writing was excruciating, Kearney obviously knows how to word beautiful sentences, however, so much of the book seemed pointless - run on sentences about the same thing over and over again. I get it, this girl is poor and she's Greek but she's not supposed to act like it or tell anyone. Also, spoiler here, Anna watches a boy murder a man and then when she runs into him again and he takes her home she doesn't act like someone who just witnessed him murder a man because guess what, he's a BOY.
I'm a HUGE fan of mythology, especially greek, but I found the mythology in here thrown in at the most random times and lazily explained. The same stories are used over and over again and don't go into much detail.
I honestly don't even want to talk anymore about this book because I had such high hopes for it and I'm left extremely unsatisfied.
June 21, 2021
The Wolf in the Attic is categorized as a fantasy, which can be a little misleading. There is a magical creature aspect to the story, but it comes in toward the end of the novel and is not the main focus of the story. Just know going into this read that it's a slow-moving, character-driven story that has some light fantasy elements.
But if that is what you are looking for, I'd recommend this book! Anna, the little girl in the story, is a refugee from Greece to Oxford in the 1920's. I wasn't expecting how dark this story would be. It's defiantly not a light read! It tackles a lot of heavy issues: the immigration experience, bullying, death of a parent, the onset of puberty, loneliness.
I took away a few stars because the pacing was off for me- very slow in the beginning but then a lot of action and a quick resolution at the end. I found myself somewhat bored in the middle of the book.
However, it was beautifully written and I would be interested in reading more from the author in the future.
But if that is what you are looking for, I'd recommend this book! Anna, the little girl in the story, is a refugee from Greece to Oxford in the 1920's. I wasn't expecting how dark this story would be. It's defiantly not a light read! It tackles a lot of heavy issues: the immigration experience, bullying, death of a parent, the onset of puberty, loneliness.
I took away a few stars because the pacing was off for me- very slow in the beginning but then a lot of action and a quick resolution at the end. I found myself somewhat bored in the middle of the book.
However, it was beautifully written and I would be interested in reading more from the author in the future.
March 27, 2016
Yep - not what I was expecting and it certainly worked well for me. 4.5/5 probably. Review nearer publication
June 30, 2016
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Paul Kearney remains what could well be the most underrated and underappreciated fantasy author on the market today. Best known for his military fantasy and epic fantasy novels/series, The Wolf in the Attic represents a vastly different sort of tale from what he has accustomed us to. It's an enchanting and magical story, akin to the sort of bewitching books Neil Gaiman is known for. This one reminded me of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, yet it resounds with way more depth.
I'm aware that Kearney had doubts regarding this latest work of his, what with it being so unlike anything else he had written in the past. But here's to hoping that The Wolf in the Attic will win him new fans, readers who will then discover the original, compelling, and entertaining backlist which for some reason never garnered him the recognition he rightfully deserved.
Here's the blurb:
1920s Oxford: home to C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien... and Anna Francis, a young Greek refugee looking to escape the grim reality of her new life. The night they cross paths, none suspect the fantastic world at work around them.
Anna Francis lives in a tall old house with her father and her doll Penelope. She is a refugee, a piece of flotsam washed up in England by the tides of the Great War and the chaos that trailed in its wake. Once upon a time, she had a mother and a brother, and they all lived together in the most beautiful city in the world, by the shores of Homer's wine-dark sea.
But that is all gone now, and only to her doll does she ever speak of it, because her father cannot bear to hear. She sits in the shadows of the tall house and watches the rain on the windows, creating worlds for herself to fill out the loneliness. The house becomes her own little kingdom, an island full of dreams and half-forgotten memories. And then one winter day, she finds an interloper in the topmost, dustiest attic of the house. A boy named Luca with yellow eyes, who is as alone in the world as she is.
That day, she’ll lose everything in her life, and find the only real friend she may ever know.
The historical backdrop for this tale is Oxford, England. It's 1929 and Anna Francis and her father now live in Oxford after being forced out of Smyrna by the Turks and rescued by a British ship. The young girl has memories of her sunny and warm birthplace, but now everything is cold and dreary. Greek myths were part of her educations as she grew up, but her father has seemingly turned his back on their previous lives and traditions, and even changed their name so they can integrate into this new, foreign culture. The integration of refugees following the destruction of their homes is one of the main themes explored within this novel and I feel that Kearney did an excellent job weaving this throughout the book.
In many ways, The Wolf in the Attic is a coming of age story of a young girl who is a stranger in a strange land. Poor Anna lives a very sad and lonely life. With only her doll Pie for a friend, she is home-schooled and most of her existence revolves around the house she lives in. While her father holds meetings with other Greek expats and squanders whatever money they had left when they were forced out of their home, Anna explores the house as well as Oxford and its surroundings.
Making an eleven-year-old girl your first-person narrator could have been tricky, especially since this is no YA novel. And yet I found Anna to be a great POV protagonist. Although young and often childish, she is nevertheless thoughtful and insightful. Without her perspective, The Wolf in the Attic would never have been as magical and whimsical. Having her as the only POV character definitely gave the book its unique "flavor."
The only true weakness of this work would have to be the supporting cast. Understandably, with a first-person narrator the entire tale must be shouldered by Anna's POV. And yet, I felt that more depth could have been given to the secondary characters. Especially Luca, who has a great role to play before the conclusion of this story. I feel that fleshing out Queenie and Jaelle a little more could have gone a long way. The same goes for the Roadmen and the Romani and their age-old rivalry. Considering that the publisher found it important enough to include their presence in the blurb, one would have thought that both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien would have a somewhat important role to play at some point in the story. But they serve very little purpose and could have been changed for any other nameless figures and it wouldn't make a difference.
Weighing in at only 288 pages, The Wolf in the Attic is a relatively short book. The pace is never an issue and all too soon you sadly reach the end. This is definitely the kind of novel you wish would have been longer. I got through this one in just a few sittings.
This one reads more like an historical novel than a fantasy novel at first. The supernatural elements are introduced slowly and are deftly woven into Anna's tale. This is a beautifully written and crafted book, probably Kearney's best one yet in terms of prose. But when Anna's life is turned upside down, all of sudden the mystical elements take center stage and you find yourself in an authentic fantasy story.
Paul Kearney did it again and The Wolf in the Attic is a captivating work featuring a charming and engaging young protagonist who is forced to make important decisions that will change her life.
Definitely one of the speculative fiction titles to read this year!
For more reviews, check out www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com
I'm aware that Kearney had doubts regarding this latest work of his, what with it being so unlike anything else he had written in the past. But here's to hoping that The Wolf in the Attic will win him new fans, readers who will then discover the original, compelling, and entertaining backlist which for some reason never garnered him the recognition he rightfully deserved.
Here's the blurb:
1920s Oxford: home to C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien... and Anna Francis, a young Greek refugee looking to escape the grim reality of her new life. The night they cross paths, none suspect the fantastic world at work around them.
Anna Francis lives in a tall old house with her father and her doll Penelope. She is a refugee, a piece of flotsam washed up in England by the tides of the Great War and the chaos that trailed in its wake. Once upon a time, she had a mother and a brother, and they all lived together in the most beautiful city in the world, by the shores of Homer's wine-dark sea.
But that is all gone now, and only to her doll does she ever speak of it, because her father cannot bear to hear. She sits in the shadows of the tall house and watches the rain on the windows, creating worlds for herself to fill out the loneliness. The house becomes her own little kingdom, an island full of dreams and half-forgotten memories. And then one winter day, she finds an interloper in the topmost, dustiest attic of the house. A boy named Luca with yellow eyes, who is as alone in the world as she is.
That day, she’ll lose everything in her life, and find the only real friend she may ever know.
The historical backdrop for this tale is Oxford, England. It's 1929 and Anna Francis and her father now live in Oxford after being forced out of Smyrna by the Turks and rescued by a British ship. The young girl has memories of her sunny and warm birthplace, but now everything is cold and dreary. Greek myths were part of her educations as she grew up, but her father has seemingly turned his back on their previous lives and traditions, and even changed their name so they can integrate into this new, foreign culture. The integration of refugees following the destruction of their homes is one of the main themes explored within this novel and I feel that Kearney did an excellent job weaving this throughout the book.
In many ways, The Wolf in the Attic is a coming of age story of a young girl who is a stranger in a strange land. Poor Anna lives a very sad and lonely life. With only her doll Pie for a friend, she is home-schooled and most of her existence revolves around the house she lives in. While her father holds meetings with other Greek expats and squanders whatever money they had left when they were forced out of their home, Anna explores the house as well as Oxford and its surroundings.
Making an eleven-year-old girl your first-person narrator could have been tricky, especially since this is no YA novel. And yet I found Anna to be a great POV protagonist. Although young and often childish, she is nevertheless thoughtful and insightful. Without her perspective, The Wolf in the Attic would never have been as magical and whimsical. Having her as the only POV character definitely gave the book its unique "flavor."
The only true weakness of this work would have to be the supporting cast. Understandably, with a first-person narrator the entire tale must be shouldered by Anna's POV. And yet, I felt that more depth could have been given to the secondary characters. Especially Luca, who has a great role to play before the conclusion of this story. I feel that fleshing out Queenie and Jaelle a little more could have gone a long way. The same goes for the Roadmen and the Romani and their age-old rivalry. Considering that the publisher found it important enough to include their presence in the blurb, one would have thought that both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien would have a somewhat important role to play at some point in the story. But they serve very little purpose and could have been changed for any other nameless figures and it wouldn't make a difference.
Weighing in at only 288 pages, The Wolf in the Attic is a relatively short book. The pace is never an issue and all too soon you sadly reach the end. This is definitely the kind of novel you wish would have been longer. I got through this one in just a few sittings.
This one reads more like an historical novel than a fantasy novel at first. The supernatural elements are introduced slowly and are deftly woven into Anna's tale. This is a beautifully written and crafted book, probably Kearney's best one yet in terms of prose. But when Anna's life is turned upside down, all of sudden the mystical elements take center stage and you find yourself in an authentic fantasy story.
Paul Kearney did it again and The Wolf in the Attic is a captivating work featuring a charming and engaging young protagonist who is forced to make important decisions that will change her life.
Definitely one of the speculative fiction titles to read this year!
For more reviews, check out www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com
October 7, 2018
A blend of fantasy, Oxonian English fiction with cameos by C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, with some classical Greek thrown into the Cuisinart for fun. Werewolves! Neglected children! Poverty! Genocide! Evil Turks! Some symbolic shamanism! The devil! And, don't forget, Gypsies!
Wait! Where are the vampires? I mean, this book has everything else.
In other words, "The Wolf In the Attic" tried too hard and just confuses. I think a werewolf got cured in the end by The power of love, too. Ick.
The moral of the story is, when you have an idea for a book, don't try to incorporate everything you remember from "The Golden Bough."
Wait! Where are the vampires? I mean, this book has everything else.
In other words, "The Wolf In the Attic" tried too hard and just confuses. I think a werewolf got cured in the end by The power of love, too. Ick.
The moral of the story is, when you have an idea for a book, don't try to incorporate everything you remember from "The Golden Bough."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2019
4🌟
Took a turn about a third of the way through with the story taking an unexpected path which made it even more enjoyable than it had been up until then. Really enjoyed this one.
Took a turn about a third of the way through with the story taking an unexpected path which made it even more enjoyable than it had been up until then. Really enjoyed this one.
September 7, 2016
This is a truly beautiful book, beautifully written, with a deeply human message at its core.
It would be easy to say it is set in Oxford in 1929, but the setting is far more complex than that. While the city is present and vivid on the page, and even the country around it is vibrant of the winter’s life and mysteries, what really is at the heart of this book is something that goes beyond it. A place called the Old World, where doors get opened on New Years Eve connecting the before and the after, there ‘here’ and the ‘beyond’. It’s a place where a little girl may meet the Devil in the heart of the wood and defeat him.
I truly loved the way historical Oxford merges with a place of legend that is a part of the city and its people, so much so that it feels perfectly normal and logic that the two cities mix together.
Anna is a fantastic protagonist. Eleven years old, a refugee from the war in Greece, she’s a candid but also very mature observer and then actor of what happens in the nights between the 1920s and the 1930s.
There’s a constant feeling of ‘changing’ and ‘becoming’. Luca, one of the main characters, is a shapeshifter, nor completely human or wolf and still both of them. Anna herself, who came to England when she was five, is deeply aware of her people’s history (her history), but she also feels part of the culture she grew up in. I really like the way Anna’s dual identity is treated, not as a problem, but as something that simply is and sometimes needs to be address.
The story – the plot – plays with the idea of the changing, the passing, all the time. The middle months of winter, when the year ends and starts. The passing from a decade to the other. Anna becoming a woman as she has her first period, but also as she learns to tell the truth from the lie.
Remembrance is also a very strong theme, because there is no evolution, no ‘becoming’ without memory. And so the theme of loss is also central to the story.
Kearny weaves all these ideas in a story that offers so much to ponder, but is also sweet enough, even in its harshest moments, to drew the reader in. I cared for these characters and what happened to them, because beyond the fantastical adventure (beyond that storyteller’s door) their feelings and their fears and hopes a very relatable.
And finally, as a Tolkien fan, I loved the echoes of Tolkine’s work in the story. There are many recognizable episodes so skilfully woven into the story that I never doubted they belonged here, and still I could clearly see their origin in Tolkien’s work.
Tolkien even appears as a character, as does C.S. Lewis who has a very important impact on Anna’s growing arc. As it’s true for all the rest, these two men merge in the fabric of the story seamlessly and meaningfully.
There’s a lot to like in this book. A truly beautiful one.
It would be easy to say it is set in Oxford in 1929, but the setting is far more complex than that. While the city is present and vivid on the page, and even the country around it is vibrant of the winter’s life and mysteries, what really is at the heart of this book is something that goes beyond it. A place called the Old World, where doors get opened on New Years Eve connecting the before and the after, there ‘here’ and the ‘beyond’. It’s a place where a little girl may meet the Devil in the heart of the wood and defeat him.
I truly loved the way historical Oxford merges with a place of legend that is a part of the city and its people, so much so that it feels perfectly normal and logic that the two cities mix together.
Anna is a fantastic protagonist. Eleven years old, a refugee from the war in Greece, she’s a candid but also very mature observer and then actor of what happens in the nights between the 1920s and the 1930s.
There’s a constant feeling of ‘changing’ and ‘becoming’. Luca, one of the main characters, is a shapeshifter, nor completely human or wolf and still both of them. Anna herself, who came to England when she was five, is deeply aware of her people’s history (her history), but she also feels part of the culture she grew up in. I really like the way Anna’s dual identity is treated, not as a problem, but as something that simply is and sometimes needs to be address.
The story – the plot – plays with the idea of the changing, the passing, all the time. The middle months of winter, when the year ends and starts. The passing from a decade to the other. Anna becoming a woman as she has her first period, but also as she learns to tell the truth from the lie.
Remembrance is also a very strong theme, because there is no evolution, no ‘becoming’ without memory. And so the theme of loss is also central to the story.
Kearny weaves all these ideas in a story that offers so much to ponder, but is also sweet enough, even in its harshest moments, to drew the reader in. I cared for these characters and what happened to them, because beyond the fantastical adventure (beyond that storyteller’s door) their feelings and their fears and hopes a very relatable.
And finally, as a Tolkien fan, I loved the echoes of Tolkine’s work in the story. There are many recognizable episodes so skilfully woven into the story that I never doubted they belonged here, and still I could clearly see their origin in Tolkien’s work.
Tolkien even appears as a character, as does C.S. Lewis who has a very important impact on Anna’s growing arc. As it’s true for all the rest, these two men merge in the fabric of the story seamlessly and meaningfully.
There’s a lot to like in this book. A truly beautiful one.
June 6, 2016
I received an electronic reading copy of this publication in exchange for an honest review.
2/5 Stars
The thing about The Wolf in the Attic is that it is full of so many lovely metaphors and messages in this book. The language is superb. The writing is quite lovely. Unfortunately, the story is not. A lot of the "history" in this book doesn't really feel all that relevant to the story as a whole. I suppose it helps to add a little more substance to the character, but I feel the story could have the same effect if she had a different sort of background. Perhaps I just haven't read enough history of this time period for it to have a strong effect, regardless, it did nothing for me.
Eleven year old Anna is living in Oxford with her gather. Having fled Greece after the Turks attacked their home and were responsible for killing her mother, Anna's father has just not been the same. Times are hard, money is sparse, as are the necessities that come with it. One night, sneaking out of her home, Anna heads into the forest and stumbles on a curious group of gypsies.
Anna is interested in these new strangers, and the more she learns, the more eager she is to learn about more of their world. After a new tragedy occurs, Anna seeks out the solace of these wanderers, and learns some secrets that unravel her world.
Anna is meant to be a strong young girl, and she really is. There is no denying. She has a unique perspective on her world that opens the readers eyes. You want good things for Anna, not only because you fall in love with her, but because she has been through so much and she deserves it.
This book is being compared to Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I don't see it. Maybe in the most subtle of ways, but mostly that comparison just ended up disappointing me.
Overall, I wouldn't particularly recommend this book. If Kearney was to right another book, depending on what it was about, I might consider picking it up, if for nothing else than the language I see he is clearly capable of.
2/5 Stars
The thing about The Wolf in the Attic is that it is full of so many lovely metaphors and messages in this book. The language is superb. The writing is quite lovely. Unfortunately, the story is not. A lot of the "history" in this book doesn't really feel all that relevant to the story as a whole. I suppose it helps to add a little more substance to the character, but I feel the story could have the same effect if she had a different sort of background. Perhaps I just haven't read enough history of this time period for it to have a strong effect, regardless, it did nothing for me.
"Memories are important, like the bones of the mind. We build ourselves upon them, flesh and blood moulded around the pictures of what is past."
Eleven year old Anna is living in Oxford with her gather. Having fled Greece after the Turks attacked their home and were responsible for killing her mother, Anna's father has just not been the same. Times are hard, money is sparse, as are the necessities that come with it. One night, sneaking out of her home, Anna heads into the forest and stumbles on a curious group of gypsies.
"'Places ain't home,' he says at last. 'People is. Bricks and chairs is nothin.'"
Anna is interested in these new strangers, and the more she learns, the more eager she is to learn about more of their world. After a new tragedy occurs, Anna seeks out the solace of these wanderers, and learns some secrets that unravel her world.
"I wonder what it would be like to go to sleep staring up at the stars, and feel the snow land cold on my face with the bright warmth of a campfire beside me and the cold earth below, and the trees in the circle of my eyes overhead, moving with the wind. That would be freedom, to do that."
Anna is meant to be a strong young girl, and she really is. There is no denying. She has a unique perspective on her world that opens the readers eyes. You want good things for Anna, not only because you fall in love with her, but because she has been through so much and she deserves it.
This book is being compared to Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. I don't see it. Maybe in the most subtle of ways, but mostly that comparison just ended up disappointing me.
Overall, I wouldn't particularly recommend this book. If Kearney was to right another book, depending on what it was about, I might consider picking it up, if for nothing else than the language I see he is clearly capable of.
January 8, 2017
This book was - almost nice. And that was enough for me to read it from start to finish in two days, without undue pressure or stress on the brain. The prose is consistently solid, though the voice is sometimes a little mannered. The individual elements of the novel are well wrought and interesting, though they feel very (very, very) similar to the elements which appear throughout Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series, sans humour and plus racism.
Yep, serious racism, which I'll get to later because spoilers. On a less spoilery note, something about the whole story just didn't sit right with me. It's oddly disjointed for a novel with such a simple little plot, and the ending doesn't really do anything.
BEFORE you buy, you should know that although the marketing makes a big show of main character's interactions with J.R.R Tolkien and C.S Lewis, they're barely really in it - as if the writer thought it was a cool hook, then lost interest a quarter of the way through. And while their characterisation is - again - 'nice', it's all a bit twee, they ring as very hollow approximations of real people, taken from anecdotes and a jumble of quotes.
There's a strong Christian bent to the novel, too. I've just been through and looked at the author's other titles, and it seems this is a theme. That in itself is ok. What bothered me were not the biblical themes themselves; even if you're not a Christian, the bible is full of great stories and characters, and many fantasy works have used those better than this one - not least, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe itself. It was the way they were used:
**SPOILERS**
The use of the 'magic gypsy' trope, itself an offensive stereotype common to a lot of fantasy works, made far, FAR worse by the reveal that the 'magic gypsies' are in league with the devil, and are trying to trick Anna all along. Really? Wicked, tricksy Romani who work with the devil and ... steal children. Twice the devil appears and talks about having planted the Romani on Earth. Oh, and their evil plan is discovered because they can't resist stealing shiny trinkets when they have the chance! What was this author thinking? Other than racist thoughts, apparently.
Add to this that the happy ending is a very homesick little Greek girl, the victim of a genocide, realising that England is and has always been her home (and shedding her darker roots) and the end result is a book that is overall just very strangely racist, and nowhere good enough to make up for it.
Yep, serious racism, which I'll get to later because spoilers. On a less spoilery note, something about the whole story just didn't sit right with me. It's oddly disjointed for a novel with such a simple little plot, and the ending doesn't really do anything.
BEFORE you buy, you should know that although the marketing makes a big show of main character's interactions with J.R.R Tolkien and C.S Lewis, they're barely really in it - as if the writer thought it was a cool hook, then lost interest a quarter of the way through. And while their characterisation is - again - 'nice', it's all a bit twee, they ring as very hollow approximations of real people, taken from anecdotes and a jumble of quotes.
There's a strong Christian bent to the novel, too. I've just been through and looked at the author's other titles, and it seems this is a theme. That in itself is ok. What bothered me were not the biblical themes themselves; even if you're not a Christian, the bible is full of great stories and characters, and many fantasy works have used those better than this one - not least, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe itself. It was the way they were used:
**SPOILERS**
The use of the 'magic gypsy' trope, itself an offensive stereotype common to a lot of fantasy works, made far, FAR worse by the reveal that the 'magic gypsies' are in league with the devil, and are trying to trick Anna all along. Really? Wicked, tricksy Romani who work with the devil and ... steal children. Twice the devil appears and talks about having planted the Romani on Earth. Oh, and their evil plan is discovered because they can't resist stealing shiny trinkets when they have the chance! What was this author thinking? Other than racist thoughts, apparently.
Add to this that the happy ending is a very homesick little Greek girl, the victim of a genocide, realising that England is and has always been her home (and shedding her darker roots) and the end result is a book that is overall just very strangely racist, and nowhere good enough to make up for it.
May 9, 2016
You're 12 years old, and an immigrant in Oxford, England. Your mother is dead, and your father? Well, part of him seems to have died when she was yanked from his arms by those same people who made sure you could not stay in your homeland. Then, one night, while wandering outside, you come across a boy with strangely shining eyes fighting for his life. And little-by-little, you learn that the world you thought you knew is populated by people and things long ago forgotten, but still wielding enormous powers.
I was struck by the elegant writing of this story. The descriptions were beautiful, and not once did I feel like I was being led around by the nose. Kearney did an excellent job in letting the reader in on the secrets without hitting him/her over the head with them. The words just flowed in such a lovely way, reminding me very much of Naomi Novik's "Uprooted". Of course, the writing can always be incredible, but if the characters are meaningless, well...so will the book be. That is absolutely not the case here. Anna, and eventually Luca, are both solid characters that evoke both the sense of being a young girl on the cusp of being a woman, and a young man - both of them in one way or another "other". Even the brief interactions with Tolkien and Lewis that Anna has are absolutely delightful, and I truly wished that there had been even just a little bit more of them in the story.
The ending of the book seemed (without giving anything away)…ambiguous. There is a definite ending, and thankfully, there is no huge cliffhanger. However, it seems like it *might* be possible for another book to follow this one should the Kearney decide to do so. I could not find any information whatsoever saying yes or no, but I can honestly say that I would love to read another book about Anna and Luca and those things that go bump in the night. However, it also is nice when an author eschews a series and just goes for a straight-up, stand-alone novel. And when said novel is written as well as this one? I’ll absolutely take it!
Overall, you really can’t go wrong with this. It’s not a fast-paced beach read by any means, but it’s certainly a lovely story to read by a fire with scones and a hot cup of tea. Just make sure you leave the lights on, and if it’s a full moon? Draw the drapes before you keep on reading…
I was struck by the elegant writing of this story. The descriptions were beautiful, and not once did I feel like I was being led around by the nose. Kearney did an excellent job in letting the reader in on the secrets without hitting him/her over the head with them. The words just flowed in such a lovely way, reminding me very much of Naomi Novik's "Uprooted". Of course, the writing can always be incredible, but if the characters are meaningless, well...so will the book be. That is absolutely not the case here. Anna, and eventually Luca, are both solid characters that evoke both the sense of being a young girl on the cusp of being a woman, and a young man - both of them in one way or another "other". Even the brief interactions with Tolkien and Lewis that Anna has are absolutely delightful, and I truly wished that there had been even just a little bit more of them in the story.
The ending of the book seemed (without giving anything away)…ambiguous. There is a definite ending, and thankfully, there is no huge cliffhanger. However, it seems like it *might* be possible for another book to follow this one should the Kearney decide to do so. I could not find any information whatsoever saying yes or no, but I can honestly say that I would love to read another book about Anna and Luca and those things that go bump in the night. However, it also is nice when an author eschews a series and just goes for a straight-up, stand-alone novel. And when said novel is written as well as this one? I’ll absolutely take it!
Overall, you really can’t go wrong with this. It’s not a fast-paced beach read by any means, but it’s certainly a lovely story to read by a fire with scones and a hot cup of tea. Just make sure you leave the lights on, and if it’s a full moon? Draw the drapes before you keep on reading…
August 28, 2019
(4.5)
I really enjoyed this! Thought the characters were well done, and had fairly good pacing.
(Not to mention a man-type writing about one getting their first period in 1930’s England!!)
Sometimes the tone/ fantasy elements jarred a bit, but a lovely written, thrilling story!
I really enjoyed this! Thought the characters were well done, and had fairly good pacing.
(Not to mention a man-type writing about one getting their first period in 1930’s England!!)
Sometimes the tone/ fantasy elements jarred a bit, but a lovely written, thrilling story!
March 11, 2016
I was about a third of the way through this, and thinking it might make a nice present for a certain 12 year old I know...by the end, I'm thinking I know several kids who WILL be getting this.
I have to be honest, the name dropping of C.S.Lewis and Tolkien went right over my head...i thought they were just characters that were coming into their own in the next book..is there a next book?
There were no surprises when Luca turned out to be a wolf, the title itself gives that away, but there were some great twists and turns in the good vs evil fight for Anna, who was always going to be more than she seemed.
as soon as the magical element was thrown in, I raced to the end and thoroughly enjoyed every last bit.
I'll be looking for this guy again.
I have to be honest, the name dropping of C.S.Lewis and Tolkien went right over my head...i thought they were just characters that were coming into their own in the next book..is there a next book?
There were no surprises when Luca turned out to be a wolf, the title itself gives that away, but there were some great twists and turns in the good vs evil fight for Anna, who was always going to be more than she seemed.
as soon as the magical element was thrown in, I raced to the end and thoroughly enjoyed every last bit.
I'll be looking for this guy again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2018
Another excellent book from a master storyteller. Kearney surprised me with many things in this book, but the end result was well worth the time invested in The Wolf in the Attic.
My full review will follow soon(ish).
My full review will follow soon(ish).
June 27, 2016
fantastic and gripping.
I have laught and weep and fever with Anna.
I give five stars, clearly a recommendation and one of my Highlight for this year.
I have laught and weep and fever with Anna.
I give five stars, clearly a recommendation and one of my Highlight for this year.
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