Endicott Mythic Fiction discussion

The Witch's Boy by Michael Gruber is the Endicott May 2013 book.
Who's reading?

There's a nice review in The Guardian here.

I read this one already. So many allusions and really good characterization. It has an unexpected path, but I loved it!

I have ordered it. The story looks good, although I must admit I hate the cover!

I've read it too. By the end, not quite as good as I expected but will save those comments until everyone has read it.

Read it 4 years ago. Didn't like it enough to reread, but will try to join in the discussion when people mention things I remember :)

I checked it out from the library last week. Haven't had a chance to read more than the first couple of pages, but I like it so far.

I'm sad to say this is another Endicott book my library doesn't have a circulating copy of. They don't even a reference copy I could sit in the library and read.

I'll be interested to hear what everyone thinks of it, though. Just a few paragraphs excerpt from it made me really curious to know how it turns out.

Side note: every time I can't find an Endicott book at the library, I fill out an online form requesting that the library obtain a copy. I don't know if that will ever come to anything, but since part of the point of starting this group was to support rediscovery of books from the Endicott website/reading lists, too many of them out of print & forgotten, it seems like a good thing to do.

If your local library system has a way for you to recommend book purchases, I encourage you to do something similar - especially with Endicott books you really liked & purchased because you couldn't find them at the library.

Odette, i've missed a lot of the recent reads because of the library not having them, also. fortunately, this one is available (3 whole copies in the county!), so it's on order for me.

My old library used to do interlibrary loans, which sometimes accessed university libraries around the country. It took forever, though, & rarely gave me enough time to read longer, denser books.

Glad you'll get to read this one!

Up to now I feel that this is more of a book about child rearing using a Fairy Tale backdrop. The idea is that child raising should be hands on, rather that delegate some one else to do the work for you. I find this story very heartbreaking.

Thanks for your comment, Jalilah.

Have you ever read The Armless Maiden: And Other Tales for Childhood's Survivors edited by Terri Windling?
It's one of my favorite collections of fairy tale retellings, but it's painful to read at times. Fairy tales are a perfect genre for talking about the wounds of childhood - the mixture of the magical world and dark reality captures some essential truth of a child's experience of abuse.

It is pretty good actually. I just finished a few days ago. It is not the type of book I loved so much that I would want to re-read, but I did very much appreciate the way the author wove in several different classic fairy tales; Cinderella, Hansel and Gretal,the Millers Daughter and most importantly Rumpelstilskin into the story.

I just realized I never posted here when I finished last week...

I really enjoyed all of the twisted fairy tales from the Witch's point of view -- lots of fun.

Jalilah, there is a lot about hands-on raising, but I think there's almost as much about being honest/truthful with your kids and preparing them for life. I think if Lump hadn't had such a shock to his system (being told he was handsome then being tortured for being too ugly) things wouldn't have turned out nearly so badly. Though, in a lot of ways that does tie back into raising children yourself.

Odette, that's on my long, long list of books to read someday.

I LOVE that one. You don't really hear much about this in fairy tale forums, but that story is from the late Medieval period at the latest, and the cycle is known as the Constance Saga. Some titles from different countries include La Belle Helene de Constantinople, Emare, La Manekine, and The Lives of the Two Offas, among others.

I am half way through this one. My apologies for not realizing that it was May's book pick. Perhaps people are still interested in discussing?

Am I correct in thinking that Lump is Hans (My Hedgehog) reinvented? No one mentioned this in any of the reviews, but it must be, with the hair down his back!

I have enjoyed it so far and love that it carries the Grimm tradition of a less than perfect world with less than perfect people. While Lump may not be likable, his attitude is believable, and I admire that.

Now finished, I understand the Rumpelstiltskin connection. It still seems that his story starts much like Hans'.

i gobbled up the whole thing in one go this afternoon, and loved most everything about this book. the writing was lovely ("it's face was like the roiling surface of a cannibal's stewpot.") without feeling overdone or twee or, conversely, too modern. all of the familiar fairy tales that were told from the opposite viewpoint struck my fancy, too, Jalilah.

I read The Witch's Boy when it first came out. From what I remember, I enjoyed the novel, but it didn't make a huge impression either way. I'd have to skim through it to recall some of the details (granted, it's a short book & quick read, so reading it cover to cover wouldn't take long).

Even if you weren't impressed by The Witch's Boy, don't discount Gruber's adult historical mystery novels; they are very well written & while they may not be on the level of Ian Pears, Orhan Pamuk & Eco's books, Gruber has a good attention to detail.

One novelist who focused on a witch & her protégé during the same time period as The Witch's Boy, is Monica Furlong. Her books (all set in the same world) focus on a different character's perspective for each novel. You don't have to read the books in any particular order, but I recommend starting with Wise Child. While you can read them quickly, they are so poetic & poignant, I recommend taking the time to read them. Alas, Furlong died 10 yrs ago, but she was highly influential to many British & Aussie writers (from Gruber to Dianne Wynne-Jones, Garth Nix to Prineas.

Thanks for letting us know about Michael Gruber's other works Wayong! I did not know he also wrote historical fiction/mystery novels.
Also I had never heard of Monica Furlong

I loved Wise Child and recommend it enthusiastically. I remember liking the sequel as well, but Wise Child was especially good.

I'm very sorry to hear Ms. Furlong died.
It's always a little shocking to hear that a beloved writer is gone - a jarring and unwelcome end to the dialogue we have with him/her in our head about favorite books. (I remember being so sad when I learned Andre Norton had died, and regretted so much that I'd never written her a thank you letter for what some of her novels meant to my teenager self.)