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Product Description
Review
"[De Lint] clearly has no equal as an urban fantasist." —Booklist
"De Lint's elegant prose and effective storytelling continue to transform the mundane into the magical at every turn." —Library Journal
"Easily Canada's top fantasy scribe . . . a major international force in the genre." —Edmonton Journal
"Equal parts fantasy and gritty realism, Promises to Keep is, above all, an artfully imagined clarion call to embrace the challenges of daily life." —New York Journal of Books
Product Description
With the help of a mentor and an anonymous benefactor, Jilly Coppercorn has overcome abuse, addiction, and a stint in juvie. Though she still struggles to stay clean, she has found safety and love in a newly formed family that includes her loyal best friend, a lovely artist, and her caseworker. Temptation comes knocking, however, when her best friend from the bad old days rides in on a motorcycle and takes Jilly to a beautiful, mysterious city full of wonderful opportunities. It seems perfect at first, until Jilly discovers that it was a one-way trip—and she still has unfinished business in Newford. At turns playful and serious, this urban fantasy introduces de Lint’s most enduring character and grapples with the realities of life-changing choices.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.9 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
intelligent Newford tale, May 11 2011
By Harriet Klausner - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Promises to Keep (Paperback)
In 1972 on Halloween Eve, Jilly Coppercorn and Donna Birch run into each other on a Newford street. They were friends when both resided at the Tyson County Home for Wayward Girls. Excited Donna, who plays bass, invites Jilly to watch her band Big Earl and His Girls perform at Cool Hand Jukes.Jilly's friend Geordie who plays music says there is no such place at the locale described by Donna. He cannot accompany her as he has a gig so Jilly goes to the biker club alone. There she finds the dead relive their lives the way they wished they had the first time. Having overcome addiction and position, Jilly considers staying in what seems like paradise, but has not thought of how she would want her do over especially since this is a one way gig for a person who chooses to cross over btcause there is no return ticket.
This is an excellent intelligent Newford tale as Jilly reflects back on her bittersweet salad days as J.C. at the Home, her current status, and her future goals. Thought provoking while character driven by Jilly and Donna, fans will ponder choices that people make or have made for them. Although exciting as a supernatural thriller, it is the philosophy of to be or not to be that is the musing.
Harriet Klausner
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A strong character driven tale with the barest hint of magic, May 11 2011
By All Things Urban Fantasy - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Promises to Keep (Paperback)
Review courtesy of All Things Urban FantasyConfession time: This is my first ever Charles de Lint book. And yes, I'm suitably embarrassed that I run a blog called All Things Urban Fantasy and haven't read the Father of Urban Fantasy. In my defense, I discovered the genre through Buffy, and it was quite a while before I even heard about Charles de Lint. My ignorance excuse ran out a long time ago, but I still shied away because once I understood exactly who de Lint was and what he means to this genre, I was terribly afraid I wouldn't like his books and that would mean my UF love was really a sham.
My fear was 100% unfounded.
As I said, PROMISES TO KEEP was my first visit to Newford, but I never once felt like I'd missed something. Jilly Coppercorn, "the heart and soul of Newford" according to her creator, has been working hard at keeping her life together and putting a past that included physical and sexual abuse, drugs, and prostitution behind her. De Lint weaves episodes from Jilly's past throughout the narrative at the exact moments I began to wonder. He gave me every piece of the puzzle I needed precisely when I needed it to understand Jill and the journey that brought her to where she was. Jilly is the perfect example of a character who you root for. One of the most damaged characters I've ever encountered, yet I was completely engaged in her story.
Glancing over de Lint's website, I learned just how numerous and varied the creatures who populate Newford are, but in PROMISES TO KEEP, there really aren't any. As one reviewer on Goodreads put it, "there seemed to be less of that whisper of magic that brings Newford alive and fills me with joy." Instead, it's the place that is the fantasy, and I'm not even talking about Newford, which comes off as nearly completely mundane. Mireya is the magical city in this book, but in a very subtle way. In fact, I would describe it as more lucky than magical.
For my first foray into Newford, I found PROMISES TO KEEP to be a strong character driven tale with the barest hint of magic, but with an easy going narrative style that forced the pages to fly and made me long for my next visit. If you have yet to try a Charles de Lint book, now's the time. He's the father of urban fantasy for a reason.
Sexual Content:
References to child molestation and prostitution.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Promises to Keep, Jun 8 2011
By Star - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Promises to Keep (Paperback)
To start off, I have to tell you all that I HEART (yes, capitals!) Charles de Lint! I've read (and own) as many of his books as I've been able to find. When Promises to Keep showed up in the mail, I had to squee (and I did)! Okay, okay - enough gushy stuff :-DPromises to Keep is another Newford story focusing on Jilly Coppercorn - a girl who has reinvented herself after living through so much childhood trauma. She's doing well with school and work and coming into her own with her art. Then one day, Jilly runs into her only friend during the time she was in the system - Donna Birch. Donna invites her to come listen to her play at a club a few nights later and when Jilly gets there, she enters a world she never knew existed...will she stay or will she go home to Newford?
Jilly's always been one of my favorite characters and Promises to Keep is a great showcase for her personality and more of her history. You can always learn a lesson from Mr. de Lint's book and this time Jilly learns that things aren't always what they seem on the surface. Please pick up Promises to Keep (and every other de Lint book you can find) - you will not be disappointed!!
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