Most helpful customer reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable story in its own right, Mar 9 2008
Solstice Wood is somewhat of a sequel to McKillip's enchanting book, Winter Rose--but not completely. This book is set in the same place, but in the modern era, many generations later, and although there are a few mentions of Rois Melior, the main character of Winter Rose, she does not actually feature in the story. So it is not a direct continuation of the first book. It would be quite possible to read this book without having read Winter Rose, and still enjoy it, for it is a captivating and well-written story in its own right.
I can't say I was quite as spellbound by this book as I was by Winter Rose, for with the modern setting and less lyrical language, it did not seem as mysterious and otherworldly. Furthermore, I think I preferred Rois's single viewpoint in Winter Rose to the multiple viewpoints in Solstice Wood, which were sometimes jarring. But still, I found it difficult to put down. The writing was top quality. And I did really enjoy the ending, which was quite unexpected.
If you are looking for a quick, fairly light read, and fantasy set in modern times--especially if you enjoy stories where the human world collides with the fairy world, then I would recommend this book. If you enjoyed Winter Rose, then most certainly you should read this too, as it's interesting to see what has happened to Lynn hall generations later.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Into the forest, Feb 14 2006
Most sequels are only pale copies of the original story. But Patricia McKillip writes a sequel like nobody else.
Returning to the dreamlike Tam Lin storyline of "Winter Rose," McKillip spins up a new story in modern times. Sure, there are laptops, cell phones and green hair. But her lush writing and glimpses of a sinister, beautiful Otherworld are still firmly in place.
Generations of Lynns have lived at Lynn Manor, going back to Lynn Corbett and Rois Melior. Now Sylvia returns to it for her grandfather's funeral, only to find that he has willed the run-down manorhouse to her. She doesn't want it, preferring her urban bookstore to the eerie beauty of her old home.
But when she encounters visions of faerie and a sewing circle/coven, Sylvia must deal with the fact that there is magic. And it has taken root in her own family: one relation is besotted with a wood nymph, while her teenage cousin has been replaced by a fay changeling. To save them, Sylvia must confront her own mysterious past... and her fay blood.
Don't expect a copy or direct follow-up to "Winter Rose." The two stories are linked here and there, but not so that "Solstice Wood" relies on the past. Instead, it's a haunting story in its own right, which can almost make you believe that a magical, terrifying Otherworld exists right next to ours, and that that knitting-obsessed old lady might be a guardian witch.
This book is also written differently: McKillip switches perspective several times, from Sylvia to her grandmother, even to the changeling that replaces Tyler. And during the more contemporary scenes, she switches to less ornate language. But her lush writing hits its stride when the supernatural slips into the story, full of cobwebs, moonlight, water and woodlands.
Sylvia is a likable heroine, with a very weird family who is tangled up in the fairy world. She starts as an aggressively normal "working girl", but gradually changes as she explores her otherworldly ancestry. The other characters -- lonely Owen and grieving grandma Iris -- are delicately drawn, and Tyler is probably the most endearing of all, since he seems the most real. Yes, even when kidnapped by fairies.
Patricia McKillip spins another magical fantasy in "Solstice Wood," where the real world and the Otherworld collide. Lyrical and captivating.
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