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Jan 26, 2012

Amy rated it:

I will be honest. The thing that attracted me first to this book was the different way in which it was packaged, an "accordian style binding". The whole concept was pretty clever I thought, one story told from two different people's perspectives.

The underlyning message of the story was not cloaked by any means. The reader knows right away who the characters are / were and the fate that they face, but instead of making the story boring it was more interesting to be able to More...

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Feb 19, 2012

Larou added it

I do like my Kindle, and after having owned it for ten months and using it extensively I would not want to miss it. And while it is extremely convenient and very much to be preferred over most physical books which these days are more often than not badly designed, badly bound and badly printed in a miniature font that gives you a headache after ten minutes of reading, there still are (and likely will remain) some things that simply cannot be done with an e-book.[return][return]The Blossom and th More...

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Feb 18, 2012

Virginia rated it:

"The Thorn and the Blossom", by Theodora Goss, is a lovely, unique reading experience for romance lovers. It is also a wonderful collectible for book lovers. The length of the two-sided book may be short, but the complete package is such that more words are not necessary. Devotees of romance will delight in the story of Evelyn and Brendan, two "book people" who meet in a village bookstore. Read one of the lover's version of the story, and then flip the book to read the other More...

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Feb 13, 2012

Shamz rated it:

I picked this book because the concept was fascinating to say the least. The story of Evelyn covered one side of the book and the story of Brendan the other. It is quite unique. Somehow they are mysteriously drawn to each other through a book/poem and yet, they can't be together no matter how hard they try. It is almost as if a curse from the past follows them around, plaguing their every move. Although they talk mostly about the poem, its translation and nothing else, as I understood, it ties More...

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Feb 05, 2012

Mandy rated it:

The Thorn and The Blossom by Theodora Goss is a truly unique book. The book comes beautifully packaged in a box. When you are ready to read the book, you slide it out of the box and the book opens accordion style. It contains the same story told from two different points of view. If you open the book and read from one direction you get Evelyn’s story. If you open from the other direction you get Brendan’s story.

The Thorn And The Blossom is a tale of star crossed lovers, Evelyn and Bren More...

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Jan 31, 2012

Nikki rated it:

Lent to me by a friend (thanks!) -- I received it in the post today and read it this evening in one go. It's a pair of connected novellas/short stories, which cover more or less the same events from the point of view of the two main participants. It doesn't really matter which you read first: each illuminates and complements the other. It's a lot of fun, actually: the physical copy of the book has concertina pages, so you read it one way, turn it round, and read back the other. It's a very nice More...

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Jan 29, 2012

Sofia rated it:

I've read a number of reviews of this book online. People are generally enthusiastic about the accordion book concept and the sheer beauty of The Thorn and the Blossom as a physical object, and rightly so. Many seem to have read it because they were so attracted to its material form, and to have approached it with excited cries of "The packaging! The packaging!" I, on the other hand, approached with cries of "The Goss! The Goss!"

So this is a Goss reader's review, More...

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Jan 21, 2012

S-- rated it:

Post on DW.

Why I Started: The intriguing way the story is written, the way the book is published (it's two-in-one deal with accordion-fold binding), the promise of a story of star-crossed lovers, the promise of tying it in with Arthurian legend... Oh, and the fact that at least one of my friends enjoyed it and another might also be interested in it. ^-^

Why I Finished: The book consists of two novellas/novelettes/short stories, so it doesn't take you a long time to read. ( More...

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Jan 17, 2012

Rebecca rated it:

When I was contacted to review The Thorn and the Blossom the design and description made me say "yes" immediately. So often I will read one POV in a book and wonder what the other main character is thinking. I had never read an accordion-bound book before, it was a bit tricky to figure out how to hold at first. But, I like the way Evelyn and Brendan’s covers are done. The slipcover that The Thorn and the Blossom is classically beautiful.

I started with Evelyn’s side of the s More...

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Jan 13, 2012

Beth rated it:

This is a beautiful novella. The book is accordion-bound telling two sides of a wonderfully told love story. The book is housed in a gorgeous slip cover. The artwork is stunning. This is one book I highly recommend buying the print version versus the e-book edition. The quality of the paper and cover are extraordinary!

One side tells the story from Evelyn's viewpoint. Evelyn travels to Cornwall for a week, where she meets Brendan in a bookstore. They both discover their common love fo More...

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Jan 09, 2012

Sarah rated it:

What a beautiful little novella. The Thorn and the Blossom is the story of Evelyn and Brendan, who meet in a bookstore in a small town in Cornwall and feel an instant connection. They spend several days together, then part and don't see each other for years. Inevitably, though, their paths cross again, leaving the reader to contemplate the true nature of their mysterious, haunting love story.

The book is accordion-bound, making it two-sided -- Evelyn's story on one side, Brendan's More...

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Jan 07, 2012

Sapphyria rated it:

**4 1/2 Stars**

This is one of the most unique novels and I'm glad I was given a chance to read and review this. I may not have discovered this literary gem otherwise.

When Evelyn, an American, makes an impromptu visit across the ocean to Cornwall, she hopes to just get away from it all for a week; Oxford and her studies, her parents...She wasn't counting on meeting Brendan Thorne and forming a connection to him. While walking through a forest together near the end of her week More...

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Jan 05, 2012

Sari rated it:

This is a love story - the story of Evelyn and Brendan. I really enjoyed this book - the format is something I think a lot of people will be talking about. It's printed "accordion-style" and you can either read Evelyn's story first or Brendan's, it doesn't really matter, they both read from front to back, from different ends of the book.

Evelyn is an American who sometimes "sees things" and is always being told she's too imaginative for her own good and that she ne More...

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Jan 02, 2012

Kathy rated it:

Usually when I am reading a story, the format doesn't matter to me - ebook, paperback, hardcover, PDF, or computer file are all just vehicles for the story and quickly fade into the background. But with this book it mattered. Initially, I didn't know how to hold this book. It kept falling into its accordion folds and ending up in my lap. I almost felt like it needed one of those reading stands that you see in medieval book rooms along with the white, acid-free gloves you wear to not damage the p More...

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Dec 14, 2011

Amy rated it:

A truly original story where the plot is as unique as the book, itself. Set up in an accordion-fold format, one ‘side’ of this book is told from Evelyn’s point of view. Evelyn is a girl who has had a bit of an issue all her life. When she was younger she had hallucinations, like fairies and trolls in her backyard. She’d been placed on medication by a doctor and went on to live a semi-normal life. Her parents are very wealthy and live in Boston. Her father is a lawyer and has been waiting f More...

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Jan 24, 2012

Amber rated it:

Firstly, I must say that this book is wonderfully put together. It’s so creative and unique, and it’s one of the things that initially drew me to the book.

The Thorn and the Blossom had a great premise with lots of potential, but I felt very disappointed by the execution of it.

I started with Brendan’s side of the story, and while you can start with either story, I definitely think Brendan’s is the best place to begin. Evelyn’s story answers a lot of questions that were brought More...

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Jan 07, 2012

JG (The Introverted Reader) rated it:

I have to start with this actual physical book. If you read my blog, you might be aware that I don't accept books for review. Reading on a schedule was starting to feel like work, so I decided to just say no to free books and read what I want when I want. It works better for me. I still get the occasional pitch and I will glance through them but I ultimately move on.

The pitch I got for The Thorn and the Blossom was different. "As for the unique format, The Thorn and the Blo More...

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Dec 14, 2011

Alex rated it:

I do not think I would have picked up this book if it were not for the unique binding. Having read Mark Z. Danielewski's two-sided novel Only Revolutions, I was intrigued by another attempt at the dual story printed on opposite sides of the same physical book. Where Danielewski's novel was almost impenetrable (you had to flip the book every nine pages), Goss has achieved an interesting balance here. You truly can read either story first and it does affect the other.

The basic premi More...

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Jan 01, 2012

Karissa rated it:

I got a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This was a beautifully written and hauntingly romantic read. It is a very short read, but the way the book is put together is interesting and unique.

Evelyn has been haunted by hallucinations of fairies and other fantastical things much of her life. Then she decides to spend a summer in a small English village and meets Brendan in a bookstore. The two get along famously until Evelyn starts to see things a More...

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Feb 15, 2012

David rated it:

The Thorn and the Blossom is the story of Brendan and Evelyn, how they met, parted, met again and parted again. Doesn't sound like anything special, right? Well, you'd be wrong. The first thing that you will obviously notice with The Thorn and the Blossom is its unique design. It is printed in a "Unique Accordion-Fold Binding" (that's exactly how it reads on the cover). It book is slip-cased, and you can choose to read either Evelyn's or Brendan's story first, and when you finish with More...

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Jan 18, 2012

Bookworm rated it:

About:
When I was first contacted about a possible review for The Thorn & the Blossom A Two-Sided Love Story I jumped at the opportunity. First off, I enjoy romance and secondly, the unique format of the book intrigued me. The book is shaped somewhat like an accordion. Once you are done reading one story, you turn the book over and read the second one.

Evelyn Morgan is from Boston and she is spending a semester at Oxford University. One day she walks into a quaint little booksto More...

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Jan 20, 2012

Krista rated it:

If you don't know yet this book's presentation is different than others, it's put together in an accordion style. There is no spine and the pages are glued together in the format of an accordion. Quirk books as been coming out with several new interesting novels and presentations to their stories in an all new way. (They published Pride and Prejudice and Zombies as well as Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, if you are familiar with those.)

So you can approach this book by op More...

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Jan 19, 2012

Ryan rated it:

This is one of those books that you need to read for the experience of reading it alone. It's a two sided book without a spine. There are two covers and the pages are done like an accordion between then. When you finish one story, you flip it over and read the other. It's a fairly short book either way you count the pages, but what's inside was a pure joy to read.

The story itself is pretty simple. Boy meets girl, girls leaves without explaining anything to boy, boy and girl meet a More...

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Jan 19, 2012

Kate (I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read!) added it

THE THORN AND THE BLOSSOM, by Theodora Goss, is a unique book with a lovely romance. The book is accordion style in which you can start reading Brendan or Evelyn's side of the story first then when you are finished, flip it over and read the other. Each side is under forty pages so it's a short novella but doesn't lack for much.

I chose to read Brendan's side of the story first but I found myself wishing I did it the other way around. Evelyn's story was much more interesting to me and More...

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Jan 18, 2012

Kary rated it:

First, a big thank you to Quirk Books for sending me this beautiful book for review!

Review:
The Thorn and the Blossom is a unique reading experience because it is an accordian style book that opens with one side being Brendan's story and the other side being Evelyn's story. To honor that uniqueness, I am only giving ONE side of the review - Brendan's side. For the other half of the story (Evelyn's story), you will have to go visit my friend Tristen at Totally Booked Solid! I wil More...

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Jan 18, 2012

Audra (Unabridged Chick) rated it:

I can't review this book without first commenting on the physical design. Accordion-style, printed on both sides, the book doesn't have a spine. That forces you to hold the book carefully, almost cradling it, which (for me) enhanced the sort of magical-artifact-found-in-my-grandmother's-attic artifact nature that I ate up. I suppose others will find it gimmick-y, but I was immediately charmed.

The book tells the same story from two different viewpoints, that of Evelyn, an American me More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 29, 2011

Ron rated it:

First of all, the final package of this wry tale of love lost and regained time and again will be fabulous, sort of a GRIFFIN AND SABINE object of art.

The story, which will be published by Quirk in January 2012, is essential a story of love transcending time. Brendan is a medievalist who is translating an ancient Cornish poem, THE BOOK OF THE GREEN NIGHT, into contemporary English. He is enthralled with the legend of his native Clews, where two lovers have been cursed to wait a tho More...

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Dec 14, 2011

Melissa rated it:

Interesting concept for a book! This is a tiny story, only about 80 pages total, and formatted in a way that I have never seen before. A two-part story, one told by the perspective of Brendan and the other version told by Evelyn. To pull off two short versions of this story in one book was an easy fix, basically turning this book into two! Made in the accordian style, meaning that there is no binding on the book, the pages basically are folded and are printed on both sides so that when readi More...

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Jan 13, 2012

Yan rated it:

The Thorn and the Blossom is a very short love story so my review won’t be as long as it normally would be (close to 600 words).

The first thing you’ll notice about The Thorn and the Blossom is the way the book is printed. Like an accordion. Like a really cool accordion that doesn’t make music, but rather gives you a nice story to read. I freaked out a bit when I first got it and played with the book for 5 minutes or so. Warning: don’t read book while moving or in a moving vehicle. Th More...

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Dec 14, 2011

Jillyn rated it:

*I won a copy on Goodreads Firstreads.*

Before I can even begin discussing the words of this book, I have to first say that I was blown away by the concept & packaging of this short story. The cover is gorgeous, and the book comes tucked away in a sleeve. Were I to come across it at a bookstore, it would definitely catch my eye.

This book is bound using a unique, accordion style folding that makes it fun, quirky, and reversible. One cover is adorned with an E, the other a B, al More...

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