The Seamaiden's Odyssey

by Berlie Doherty, Tamsin Rosewell

A strange and beautiful sea-creature is brought into the marine sanctuary where Sasha works. The sea-girl is kept as an exhibit and for scientific research. But Sasha wants to know more about her – are there more of her kind? What sort of community does she come from? Does she have a family?

There is a story to be told, in exchange for a promise. It is a story of cruelty and grief, of love and longing and pride; the story of Merryn, who makes a traumatic journey from sea and to land, from defiance to finding her true self and the power of sisterhood.

This new fable is from twice Carnegie Medal-winning author, Berlie Doherty. She draws on the folklore of ocean and landscape and, in the language of our oldest tales, weaves the traditional into our modern preoccupations.

Powerful ink and silhouette illustrations by Tamsin Rosewell brighten the tale with a vibrant but classical language of visual storytelling. Rosewell draws on the long heritage of silhouette and paper-cut work for her inspiration and adds it to her well-known boldness with colour and structure.

176 pages, Hardcover

Published September 5, 2024

About the author

Berlie Doherty née Hollingsworth is an English novelist, poet, playwright and screenwriter. She is best known for children's books, for which she has twice won the Carnegie Medal.She has also written novels for adults, plays for theatre and radio, television series and libretti for children's opera.

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seamaiden's Odyssey is a book that you will fall in love with and it is one I will treasure. The descriptive, lyrical writing is what we have come to expect from Berlie Doherty but when paired with Tamsin Rosewell's evocative, stunning illustrations the story becomes even more meaningful. The images seem to glow off of the page, perfectly evoking a watery world under the sea and the way the colours change as the story progresses is masterful. The Seamaiden's Odyssey is a coming of age tale with female empowerment at its heart and it draws you in right from the first page. You need this book!

[Ben Gilman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Seamaiden's Odyssey is a truly bewitching fantasy novella. Across its 173 pages, The Seamaiden's Odyssey tells a captivating story of grief, responsibility, and overcoming trauma that sparkles with magic and life throughout. Despite the short amount of pages, the world of the Seamaidens, their culture, traditions, and lives feel real, the world under the sea feels truly alive. Additionally, the humans in the book feel like a world ending threat from the very beginning, an idea that is debunked and confirmed in equal measure through the book. The best part of the book, however, is the artwork inside. Beautiful illustrations litter the pages, providing the reader with clear depictions of important parts of the story, the sea borders the text beautifully, making The Seamaiden's Odyssey a uniquely satisfying and calming experience for anyone who wants to read a short, fulfilling read.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stunning cover lead me to a wonderful read. You are never too old for a fairytale read.

[Maria Dellaporta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a wonderful story and pretty illustrations. I picked it up from Richmond library and read it in a day.

#bc24hrreadathon

I highly recommend it.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://sarahreads4.wordpress.com/202...

[Angie]

i know its a children's book but forgive your abusers to show them you're strong(er) is not a message that i can get behind

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

About 3 people have read this which is a damn shame because this was cute!!! The edition I own is beautiful as well