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150th out of 1,689 books
—
7,001 voters
Widdershins (Newford #16)
Jilly Coppercorn and Geordie Riddell. Since they were introduced in the first Newford story, "Timeskip," back in 1989, their friends and readers alike have been waiting for them to realize what everybody else already knows: that they belong together. But they've been more clueless about how they feel for each other than the characters in When Harry Met Sally. Now in Widder...more
Hardcover, 560 pages
Published
May 16th 2006
by Tor Books
(first published April 1st 2006)
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Oct 19, 2010
Moira Russell
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2010-50-new-books-challenge
de Lint has come up with a really interesting background for the story, about a kind of war between the Native American spirits and the Celtic fae immigrants. This could be a neat way to explore the appropriation that especially occurs in genre fiction all the time which results in a lot of Celtic-driven urban fantasy. Unfortunately, it looks like (haven't finished it yet) the main focus is going to be on whether or not the human characters can find lasting luuuuuuuv, and....that's not really ve...more
This book disappointed me. I have enjoyed other books by the author and in this series. I loved the Onion Girl, and waited eagerly for its sequel. But I thought the plot of Widdershins was too fragmented. DeLint introduced too many new characters, used too many different points of view and tried to tell too many stories at the same time.
Half a dozen new characters were introduced, most of whom got point-of-view chapters, and just as many minor characters from previous books made an appearance....more
Half a dozen new characters were introduced, most of whom got point-of-view chapters, and just as many minor characters from previous books made an appearance....more
Widdershins is the continuation of where The Onion Girl left off. While technically it can be viewed as a sequel (some would argue that, since Spirits in the Wires came out after Onion Girl and before Widdershins), again de Lint creates a novel that can stand alone if you hadn't read anything of his prior. You open this book and it immediately takes off after a few fill-you-in pages. So now we know how Jilly Coppercorn came to be, but what happens now? How does she cope with her physical life...more
Charles deLint lives in a weird, wonderful world peopled by Celtic fae and Native American mythic figures. Every time I read one of his books, I live there too for a while. The book explores many types of relationships between friends, lovers and family. It also touches on the effects of abuse and the methods of overcoming it. All these serious themes are wrapped in an engaging story of bogans, faerie courts, Crow girls, music and love. I find myself excited every time I see a new deLint book in...more
Dec 14, 2007
Heather Ray
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who want to hang out with Faery
Shelves:
book-friends,
fantasy
I love Charles de Lint. He was the first urban fantasy writer I encountered, and he remains the best. I like that he has created a cast of characters that he truly seems to love and enjoy hanging out with. And I LOVE that he's finally exploring Jilly and Geordie as a viable couple. The intersection of European myth and Native-American myth continues to be an interesting place upon which to stand in de Lint's capable hands. Very deep, though. Don't expect this to be a light read.
Good with: chai...more
Good with: chai...more
1 like · like · see review
Widdershins by Charles de Lint is a captivating fictional story told in a very original way. Each short chapter is told by a different character in the story, which leads to the feeling of knowing each individual character, which is crucial in this complicated story. Widdershins is a novel about romance, overcoming hardships, finding true friendship, and accepting other people. In this novel there are many main characters but two that I really connected with are Jilly Coppercorn and Lizzie Mahon...more
This is a soul-wrenching tale wrapping multiple individual's stories around a core event; by 500 pp. in, I'd forgotten that the majority of the action takes place on one day. Each chapter in turn shares a human, ghost, fairy (seelie and unseelie courts), cousin (animal spirit), or actual animal perspective on the events at a crossroads in the first chapter and their fallout. One of my favorite characters is Honey, a pit bull who used to be forced to fight, but is now living safely in the Otherwo...more
FAIRY tales aren't just for kids.
Ottawa writer Charles de Lint has been proving that for years in dozens of fantasy novels and particularly with his interconnected stories of Newford.
In his fictional city, real-world problems like incest and drug abuse interlace with dangerous sprites and Rip Van Winkle-style rude awakenings.
In Newford, the boundaries between the "World As It Is" and the "Otherworld" are sometimes very thin.
De Lint's latest novel, Widdershins, kicks off when a band of dwarf-like...more
Ottawa writer Charles de Lint has been proving that for years in dozens of fantasy novels and particularly with his interconnected stories of Newford.
In his fictional city, real-world problems like incest and drug abuse interlace with dangerous sprites and Rip Van Winkle-style rude awakenings.
In Newford, the boundaries between the "World As It Is" and the "Otherworld" are sometimes very thin.
De Lint's latest novel, Widdershins, kicks off when a band of dwarf-like...more
I should confess that I am hit-and-miss when it comes to Charles De Lint's books. Some of them like this one, I've loved, but others just have not kept my attention.
I really connected with the characters in this book. They were flawed and conflicted, they made good and bad choices, and had to deal with all kinds of challenges which made them really interesting and exciting to follow on their journey.
As always with de Lint, there are a large number of characters in the book, with intersecting sto...more
I really connected with the characters in this book. They were flawed and conflicted, they made good and bad choices, and had to deal with all kinds of challenges which made them really interesting and exciting to follow on their journey.
As always with de Lint, there are a large number of characters in the book, with intersecting sto...more
I picked this book randomly off the shelf never having read - or even heard of - de Lint's other books, so possibly I'm not as invested in these characters as others are, but even with my relative ignorance I found the book universe easy enough to follow, and like. The dream-like world that de Lint establishes in the book is a pleasure to read about, but I'll admit that the constantly changing points of view made the book a little frenetic, and to be honest I felt the book did drag a bit.
To be s...more
To be s...more
I've only read one other de Lint book, The Onion Girl, and this was basically a sequel so it was easy to figure out what was happening. The pacing was very odd; when I got to the climax of the book, I was baffled that I was still listening to part 17 of 19 (each part being a little over an hour long). And it got a little preachy at the end, with every character basically hammering home the author's opinions on how we're meant to leave the world a better place than when we came into it, how we ne...more
For anyone who's been reading de Lint's Newford stories—this is Jilly and Geordie's story. They've been the best of friends, closer than friends, since their college days, and pretty much continuously, one of them has always been involved with someone else—not that that's ever worked out for either of them in the long run. But even they couldn't keep that up forever.
The story within which they finally get appropriately whacked with two-by-fours concerns the efforts of one of the old native spiri...more
The story within which they finally get appropriately whacked with two-by-fours concerns the efforts of one of the old native spiri...more
A sweet and charming fantasy, this rather hefty volume is in many ways a lighter version of Neil Gaiman's classic "American Gods." It is lighter in tone, being more of a romance than a horror tale, and lighter in impact as well. "American Gods" haunted my thoughts and dreames for weeks after I finished it. "Widdershins" has almost entirely faded from my conscious slightly more than 24 hours after I read the last page.
This is not meant to be dismissive. I enjoyed de Lint's story and universe thor...more
This is not meant to be dismissive. I enjoyed de Lint's story and universe thor...more
2 likes · like · see review
What I love about Charles De Lint is that he creates worlds that feels so real even though they are completely foreign. You feel like you can step into them and it would somehow make sense. Charles De Lint takes us into the Dreamlands, and the way they are explained and can change quickly; they can easily feel like places in my own dreams.
Widdershins picks up with Geordie and Jilly in a timeline after The Onion Girl. It has been stated,and I agree, that you do not need to read The Newford Books...more
Widdershins picks up with Geordie and Jilly in a timeline after The Onion Girl. It has been stated,and I agree, that you do not need to read The Newford Books...more
This fantasy centers around the conflict between native Canadian spirits based on animals of North America and the imported European fairies that came with the settlers to Canada. There is also added baggage of the destruction of environment by the settlers themselves and how that affected the native spirits.
When a direct conflict is instigated by a small group of dwarf-like fairies killing the daughter of a native spirit leader, things are brought to a head.
Also involved in this situation are s...more
When a direct conflict is instigated by a small group of dwarf-like fairies killing the daughter of a native spirit leader, things are brought to a head.
Also involved in this situation are s...more
I haven't read any Charles de Lint before this so it was certainly interesting jumping in to a clearly established world and meeting clearly established characters. That being said, I didn't feel lost at any point and I felt like he does a great job of easing the reader into a very bizarre and magical world.
I think the most interesting thing about this novel was the use of perspectives. Not only does de Lint use multiple perspectives (at least 6 or 7) to tell his story, he also switches first an...more
I think the most interesting thing about this novel was the use of perspectives. Not only does de Lint use multiple perspectives (at least 6 or 7) to tell his story, he also switches first an...more
I'll confess: I just like Charles de Lint. The fictional world he's creating totally speaks to me. The fiddles, fairies, bars, and Native American spirits. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is fantasy at its funnest.
The story is largely about Jilly, an artist who is having trouble recovering from a car accident. It turns out there's some stuff going on in her spirit - dealing with her past - that requires her to deal with it before she can become healed physically. But there are so...more
The story is largely about Jilly, an artist who is having trouble recovering from a car accident. It turns out there's some stuff going on in her spirit - dealing with her past - that requires her to deal with it before she can become healed physically. But there are so...more
Jul 03, 2012
Lisa Williamson
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
charles-de-lint
Interesting take on knowing your own mind. Jilly has gone through so very much in her life and she finally gets to work it all through. I loved the inclusion of de Lin'ts always highly interesting secondary characters. His Cousins and the fae make this yet again and amazing read. Mixing Native fae with the traditional english/irish/scottish fae with if possible explosive results.
His delicate touch with dealing with the long term after effects of abuse is as always deftly handled. He makes those...more
His delicate touch with dealing with the long term after effects of abuse is as always deftly handled. He makes those...more
I love this book. It is about a girl named Jilly Coppercorn whose past demons manifest themselves in a magical world you can only visit in your dreams. You are up to your knees in folklore the minute you step into the book. Somehow De Lint brings myths from various culture to life in a way that is believablt and different from everything I have read from both this author and others. I have read several other books that center around Jilly, but this one really takes you deep in her past and bring...more
Charles de Lint has a gift for creating stories that blend the magical and mundane worlds. "Widdershins" is the tale of two of his best-known characters from his Newford series, Jilly and Geordie, and how fate finally draws them together. As always, the characters are fully-developed and engaging, the tale is well-woven, the writing draws you forward to a satisfying conclusion.
I think this book will resonate more with readers who know Jilly and Geordie from previous stories, but others new to d...more
I think this book will resonate more with readers who know Jilly and Geordie from previous stories, but others new to d...more
Jan 02, 2013
Mel
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
21st-century-fiction,
urban-fantasy
It was interesting to see how Newford’s changed over the years. While there wasn’t much of the city itself within the book, the suburbs were growing, gentrifying and becoming more expensive, small towns were being transformed into tourist havens because they didn’t have anything else to do to support themselves. I love the way Charles de Lint writes, he just has the ability to take you out of your time and place and transport you to somewhere he’s created that as fantastic as it becomes always f...more
Two upfront disclaimers: One, I am not a fan of urban fantasy. I think it's a real kitschy genre and I've never been able to take it seriously. Two, I never read any of the previous books in this series. So, hey, if this is your thing and you've been following these characters for a long time, my review is going to be meaningless to you.
Aside from those things, I just thought there were a number of problems. de Lint writes really poorly. There's nothing subtle in the narration at all. The expla...more
Aside from those things, I just thought there were a number of problems. de Lint writes really poorly. There's nothing subtle in the narration at all. The expla...more
Charming and delightful are two adjectives easily used to describe Widdershins by the always excellent Charles de Lint. That is not to say it is without darker moments, full of controversial and disturbing contents. The best thing about de Lint is that he handles such subject matter delicately; enough to let you know why and how someone has/is suffering but not enough to make you uncomfortable or nauseous.
Jilly Coppercorn returns, with her usual gang of misfits and wonders of humankind. Another...more
Jilly Coppercorn returns, with her usual gang of misfits and wonders of humankind. Another...more
Sep 29, 2010
Phoenixfalls
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
animals,
charles-de-lint,
cities,
contemporary,
fairies,
fantasy,
storytelling,
male-author
This is the closest de Lint has come to writing a sequel to any of his Newford novels; it takes place two years after the events in The Onion Girl and finishes Jilly's story. Still, it isn't absolutely necessary to have read The Onion Girl first; de Lint does a decent job of catching new readers up.
As with The Onion Girl, the thing that takes me the most by surprise is that the returning characters hold less interest than the new characters for me. I was involved with Lizzie from her very first...more
As with The Onion Girl, the thing that takes me the most by surprise is that the returning characters hold less interest than the new characters for me. I was involved with Lizzie from her very first...more
Probably more a 3.5 than a 3 - I did enjoy this one quite a bit, the more so since it had been a while since I'd indulged in any fantasy, and I was leery of waltzing into the middle of an established series and an established "world". However, as advertised, it was relatively easy to read as a stand-alone, though the battery of new characters at the beginning was a bit daunting. I was also a bit leery of what I saw as a potentially over-didactic tone when a supernatural race clearly analogous to...more
Widdershins is a work of urban fantasy by Charles DeLint. Like many of DeLint's best books, it is set in the fictional big city of Newford, where the boundaries between our world and the "underworld" (call it Faerie, Neverland, whatever) is especially thin. Many of his stories and novels have featured the main characters here, Jilly Coppercorn and Geordie Riddell. Jilly is an artist who was in a crippling accident and can no longer walk easily or paint, but who has always had a special affinity...more
wid·der·shins (w d r-sh nz ) or with·er·shins (w th -)adv.
In a contrary or counterclockwise direction: “The coracle whirled round, clockwise, then widdershins” (Anthony Bailey).
What would you do for love? Would you write a sonnet? Would you climb mountains for it? Would you battle for it? What about traveling to an alternate universe inside of the woman that you love, to battle beings from her past? This is just what Geordie Riddell has to do to save the love of his life, Jilly Coppercorn.
Fans o...more
In a contrary or counterclockwise direction: “The coracle whirled round, clockwise, then widdershins” (Anthony Bailey).
What would you do for love? Would you write a sonnet? Would you climb mountains for it? Would you battle for it? What about traveling to an alternate universe inside of the woman that you love, to battle beings from her past? This is just what Geordie Riddell has to do to save the love of his life, Jilly Coppercorn.
Fans o...more
I'm glad that I read The Onion Girl first because Widdershins is the completion of one of the main story lines from Onion Girl. However it encompasses new characters and new stories into the full circle completion of the familiar.
That being said, de Lint weaves an irresistible magic into his story telling--I get the feeling he's just as interested to read the story as he is to write it. And he discovers what happens along with the readers. He uses both Native American and fairy characters to in...more
That being said, de Lint weaves an irresistible magic into his story telling--I get the feeling he's just as interested to read the story as he is to write it. And he discovers what happens along with the readers. He uses both Native American and fairy characters to in...more
Ow. Did I say Onion Girl (the book to which this is a sequel) was painful? This was an order of magnitude more painful to read and experience. But I thought it was a better book, and truer to the Newford canon.
In this one, a fiddler accidentally makes some enemies among a bunch of trouble-making boggans. Unfortunately, they're part of a larger crisis in the supernatural world, and precipitate a war between the native spirits and the European fairies. When Lizzie, the fiddler, gets pulled into th...more
In this one, a fiddler accidentally makes some enemies among a bunch of trouble-making boggans. Unfortunately, they're part of a larger crisis in the supernatural world, and precipitate a war between the native spirits and the European fairies. When Lizzie, the fiddler, gets pulled into th...more
Jilly Coppercorn is my all time favorite literary fictional character. Anne of Green Gables and Holden Caulfield don't even come close.
She's appeared in numerous short stories as both protagonist and supporting character and did a lot of supporting work in novels, but she didn't get her own book until The Onion Girl. We got glimpses of her broken life before this, but this finally told the whole story. It wasn't pretty.
One of the reasons de Lint said he waited so long to tell her story is that h...more
She's appeared in numerous short stories as both protagonist and supporting character and did a lot of supporting work in novels, but she didn't get her own book until The Onion Girl. We got glimpses of her broken life before this, but this finally told the whole story. It wasn't pretty.
One of the reasons de Lint said he waited so long to tell her story is that h...more
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Charles de Lint (born December 22, 1951) is a World Fantasy Award winning author. In 1974 he met MaryAnn Harris, and married her in 1980.
Along with writers like Terri Windling and John Crowley, de Lint popularized in the 1980s the genre of urban fantasy, most notably through the Bordeland series of books. His fantasy fiction is described under the fantasy sub-genres Urban Fantasy, contemporary M...more
More about Charles de Lint...
Along with writers like Terri Windling and John Crowley, de Lint popularized in the 1980s the genre of urban fantasy, most notably through the Bordeland series of books. His fantasy fiction is described under the fantasy sub-genres Urban Fantasy, contemporary M...more
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“What do they say about meeting a bear in the woods? Oh right, you shouldn't. And to make sure you don't, you should make a lot of noise so that they'll will know where you are and keep their distance because, supposedly, they're as nervous of us as we are of them. Which is all goo, except this bear doesn't seem the least bit nervous. He's giving me a look like I'm Goldilocks, ate his porridge, broke his chair, slept in his bed, and now it's payback time."- Widdershins”
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8 people liked it
“He had too much cat in his blood - a deep-rooted feline twitch that would travel the length of his nerves to tickle his mind at the faintest sign of a mystery, no matter how small. He could no more let a riddle go unsolved than he could pass by the perfect length of colourful wire without picking it up.”
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2 people liked it
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updated Oct 18, 2010 08:59am
Oct 18, 2010 09:06am