Glimmerglass

by Marly Youmans

Perhaps it was a sense of estrangement from the everyday that drew Cynthia Sorrel to the village of Cooper Patent. The failed painter was lured by the gatehouse with its seven doors, the lake with its tower, and the magical air of a place that couldn't quite decide whether it was fictional, mythic, or real. The gatehouse should have been a first clue that she was on a journey, and soon she begins to glimpse and then to pursue a figure in the woods near her house, convinced she has seen the Muse. As she reclaims her calling as a painter and moves deeper into the uncanny world of Cooper Patent, Cynthia finds herself at the heart of a labyrinth of mystery. She will have to navigate its dream depths and secrets, brilliant or dark, locked behind a door that opens into the earth. Youmans has scaled the tree of books and plucked twigs of gothic romance, ghost tale, medieval dream vision, and belated coming-of-age story, with a leaf or two from the novel of manners and fantasy.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Mystery, Young Adult, Gothic, Speculative Fiction

194 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

"Youmans (pronounced like 'yeoman' with an 's' added) is the best-kept secret among contemporary American writers." --John Wilson, editor, Books and Culture

MAZE OF BLOOD (Mercer University Press, 2015.) Novel. Inspired by the life of Robert E. Howard. Profusely decorated by artist Clive Hicks-Jenkins. Literary / fantastic. "...A haunting tale of dark obsessions and transcendent creative fire, rendered brilliantly in Youmans' richly poetic prose." --Midori Snyder

GLIMMERGLASS (Mercer University Press, 2014) IndieFab BOTYA Finalist. Art by Clive Hicks-Jenkins. Novel. "It’s brilliantly well-written, shockingly raw, and transportingly—sometimes confusingly (but not in a bad way)—weird. Glimmerglass shimmers on the boundaries of the real and the unreal, of poetry and prose, of the ordinary and the fantastic. It’s down to the caprice of the individual reader, therefore, to decide exactly what sort of story it’s trying to tell. It’s difficult to overstate the emotional effect that Glimmerglass has had on me. This is a beautiful, complex, moving book. Marly Youmans’s prose flows like clear water, and every image is, as Cynthia observes, “full of meaning” (p. 39)." -Tom Atherton, "Strange Horizons"

A DEATH AT THE WHITE CAMELLIA ORPHANAGE (Mercer University Press, 2012) The Ferrol Sams Award for 2012; Silver Award in fiction, The ForeWord BOTYA Awards. Novel. "It is seldom that a novel from a small university press can compete with the offerings from the big houses in New York. A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage may be the best novel this reviewer has read this year. Its quality and story-telling remind one of The Adventures of Roderick Random, Great Expectation and The Grapes of Wrath among others. The winner of the 2012 "Ferrol Sams Award for Fiction," A Death has the potential to become a classic American picaresque novel. / One wishes, however, that this novel will not get shunted into the regional box and be seen only as a Southern novel. Its themes and the power of its language, the forceful flow of its storyline and its characters have earned the right to a broad national audience." 30 July 2012 ABOUT.COM Contemporary Literature, John M. Formy-Duval.

THALIAD (Montreal: Phoenicia Publishing, 2012.) Post-apocalyptic long poem combining elements of the novel and the epic. Art by Clive Hicks-Jenkins. In THALIAD, Marly Youmans has written a powerful and beautiful saga of seven children who escape a fiery apocalypse----though "written" is hardly the word to use, as this extraordinary account seems rather "channeled" or dreamed or imparted in a vision, told in heroic poetry of the highest calibre. Amazing, mesmerizing, filled with pithy wisdom, THALIAD is a work of genius which also seems particularly relevant to our own time. --novelist Lee Smith

THE FOLIATE HEAD (UK: Stanza Press, 2012.) Art by Clive Hicks-Jenkins. Collection of formal poetry.

THE THRONE OF PSYCHE (Mercer University Press, 2011.) Collection of formal poetry. "Youmans is a writer of rare ability whose works will one day be studied by serious students of poetry." Greg Langley, Books editor, The Baton Rouge Advocate, October 2, 2011

VAL/ORSON (P. S. Publishing, 2009.) Novel. "Book of the Year" for 2009 Books and Culture Magazine

INGLEDOVE (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005) Fantasy, y.a.

CLAIRE (Louisiana State University, 2003) Collection of poetry.

THE WOLF PIT (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001.) The Michael Shaara Award. Short list, Southern Book Award.

CATHERWOOD (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1996.)

LITTLE JORDAN (David R. Godine, Publisher, 1995.)

Reviews

[Scott Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is beautiful inside and out. The story feels like a modern fairy tale with writing that dances on the pages in a way that can only be created by a spectacular writer. If you read this book you will know that Youmans is one of the most gifted writers living among us today.If you enjoy the twisting and building of words you will love this author's beautiful writing. If it can be called writing, because it seems more like she's pulling the whispers of angels down from a place we haven't been to yet and gently placing them on paper.

Here's another suggestion: Get two copies of this book because you'll want to share it, but you'll be reluctant to ever let your copy go.

[James Korsmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glimmerglass is a fascinating book. The prose is powerful, and the plot is at turns mundane and magical. Longing and wandering and discovering and wondering are all woven together in this journey through interwoven worlds. Glimmerglass is a profound statement about the power and purpose of art, and it also wrestles with what it means to plumb the depths of reality and how to live in that knowledge. At points, I wasn't sure I was getting it, but by the end I was sure that the book had gotten me. I was ready to start again after the last page.

I reread the book about a year later, and enjoyed it even more the second time. Powerful imagery and good characters. It's sometimes hard to untangle what elements are fantastical elements of reality and what elements are dreams or visions, but the interweaving of the mundane with the magical with a somewhat fuzzy boundary between probably works better because of it. I have no doubt that I will read it again.

[Stacia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a grown-up's version of a fairytale interlaced with magical realism & mystery. So, there's a mix of the fantastical, the dreamy, a muse, lost (& found) dreams, the prince, the evil character, a mystery (a murder?), secrets hidden & shared, learning, growth, & redemption. It's a pretty quick read & one that is best read in one sitting to maintain the flow & magic. Like good fairytales, the path may be gnarled, but the telling is simple & straightforward, pulling you in deeper & deeper for a decently delightful diversion on a summer's day.

I'd probably give it 3.5 stars overall, but will bump it up to 4 stars for its lovely style.

[VeeInNY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviews were intriguing, but this is not my preferred genre ~ nonetheless, I was quickly drawn in ... and finished nthe book in one sitting ~ now to reflect on poetic language and mesmerizing images.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel in some ways feels like a breezy read, but its content is not breezy at all. Relentlessly allusive of fairy tales, medieval dream visions, and myth, almost every sentence drips with background spiritual meaning. As for the tone, I'd identify it (with the help of @curtis) as "more joyful Marilynne Robinson."

Yet I felt the novel, especially in its final part, slipped away from my grasp. I thought several times, "This may be too smart for me." The fever dream trip into the underworld especially eluded me, which was frustrating because it felt so deeply meaningful.

So I thought I'd probably enjoy it more in discussion but missed my chance at church yesterday when I returned my borrowed copy. So here are the questions I think I'd love to think through in an ideal world, in a book club or class with people smarter than me (don't read unless you want things slightly spoiled):
1. How did Cynthia's character need the journey to the underworld? What was she lacking that those visions provided?
2. How is what she needed linked to the mystery of Moss? I simply can't see them as two separate elements, but I also don't see how exactly they hang together.
3. Why did her Muse end up being a version of a dead boy?
4. Was her marriage important for her ultimate character growth (or was it just a stepping stone to get her to the right location for the important stuff)?

These are my questions, and I'd welcome any takes.

One more thing: The prose is maybe the best I've ever read?

[curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a breathtaking novel, enthralling from start to finish with simple yet decadent prose. Equal parts romance and mystery, all infused with a rich symbolism that never feels awkward or overdone. I fell absolutely in love with Youmans's writing after reading Thaliad; this might be better still.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only criticism of this book is that it was just a wee bit too short. I feel as if there were a few things that could have been fleshed out more, particularly the characters. I felt as if I got a scraping of the surface, a brief snapshot of them that didn't delve deep enough. I wanted to connect more to Cynthia, and it was really quite a shame that I wasn't given the opportunity to. I also felt that we didn't get enough of an opportunity to see Teddy being sinister. We were just given heavy handed hints such as  when Lydia came over and made the comment about the painting or that Teddy was jealous of anyone who got Andrew's attention over him. And then, the next thing you know, Cynthia is locked in a chamber to die, and who did it - obviously Teddy. There was no question in my mind, and I think I would have liked there to have been.
What I did see of the characters was absolutely lovely. I enjoyed the pleasant quirkiness that each one brought to the story. I liked the details in Teddy's vests, and Lydia with her ridiculous hat. Also, cheers to having an older female protagonist with a backbone. I often don't read about grandmothers having adventures, so that was a pleasant surprise. It gives me hope for my future when I'm older and still ready to explore and have a bit of a lark. Granted, I don't want someone trying to kill me to be part of that adventure. Or feeling dreadfully sick during it either come to think of it.  

I love the idea of Sea House being a bit of a hobbit hole in a hill. It was charming, as was the entirety of the village life. I am surprised by the lack of reviews and readers actually, since this book is so pleasant and such a quick little read. I came across it in my local bookshop, and I was intrigued by the cover and the description. I think it's a solid little story worth reading, and a criticism of wanting more is not a particularly bad thing. 

[Jeanette "Josie" Cook M.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her protagonist starts acting like a detective after she moves into the mansion with the Wild brothers. She has no children, however she enjoys being around children. Her world is changing as she uncovers the mystery around her muse. The mansion seems endless and connected to the hill with the locked door. Teddy is seeking the ring and the key. He has a hold on Cynthia almost as if he casts a spell on her with his dwarf-like magical realism and his mysterious actions. He seeks her out all over the Sea House. Andrew is busy during the day, and Teddy takes advantage of it. Youman’s fairytale elements are incorporated throughout with dreamlike and childlike feelings making for an enchanting journey with some intrigue mixed in with Teddy’s actions and the many thoughts on the misplaced articles. His reflections on his aunt and her death after she can’t come to terms with Moss’s disappearance drive this storyline. The aunt’s viewpoints are told through Teddy. He desired to be special in her eyes and he comes off as jealous when he reflects on Moss. Teddy didn’t like Moss being so extraordinary in his aunt’s circle.

The teens move the troll to his new location. She sat in the garden doing what she always desired with the Chinese parasol shading her eyes. Cynthia recreated the face of the past in pencil surrounded by the cousins. Iz was missed, and her thoughts went to Somnium—Minotaur.

As I finish the last pages, I want to glimpse the silver tree.


Visit Josie's Kaleidoscope at:

https://josiecook48.files.wordpress.c...

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Startlingly weird, quite good, unforgettable. Found Glimmerglass/Marly Youmans through Clive Hicks-Jenkins and now that I've been, it reminds me of nothing so much as the Forest in the Hallway. All time spent in Cynthia's head felt very, very familiar, dreamy like I get on my own, like today, reading this strange story in someone else's high-ceilinged home, with empty floors stretching below and above me. Especially on the heels of the Likeness, which was uneasy in a different way, Glimmerglass reminds me that I am not as wild as I think--it's hard to spend time in a story where even safety is hardly safe and beauty comes at extravagant cost. But what beauty.

Second read: loved the first half better than ever, and have been writing a lot recently, so felt very seen and clarified by the second half. I wish it talked less about what it meant, there at the end--you can feel it! It's all there! But can't say I don't very much understand the impulse to dissect the bird, and who's to say if part of feeling so seen as a maker came from the more on-the-nose things? I do love this book, singular. And I'm actually heartened to feel like I could better handle entering the maze this time.

[Sienna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dream.

[John Hubbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started and thought it might not be my style, but was quickly hooked by a story that's quirky in a subtle and skillful way.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful and magical story. I absolutely fell in love with this book.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only two words for this book:

Wonderful
and
Whimsical

[Shadoshard · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a rare thing when you come across a book that creates its own symbolism and mythology; pins and keys and water become bridges to a Gothic reality that starts with nothing but a single character whose perspective becomes the readers as they become irreversibly tangled in the book's world. The reader has traveled to the underworld and back by the time they realize they've been there at all - it's that ephemeral and like the mist that slowly rises and takes you with it.

Artist Cynthia Sorrel arrives in Glimmerglass like a ghost set adrift from her first life and who travels the symbolism of the book. It's a blink of events that almost seem like a dream until you fall into the dark psyche and then rise with the living adult character at the other end of it. The supporting cast is sweet and endearing even when they're not so everything that happens seems natural and flawless. At no point does the story drag. It never feels too long or too short. And if I give it only four stars it's because - like the journey through the door, you can only go once. Or should. Because I don't really want to alter what I've taken away from it.

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

My third Youman’s novel in a row.. magic to see reflections across the stories even as Glimmerglass was entirely other.

- A metallic thread of terror shot through the fabric of public life. When she thought about these things, Cynthia felt helpless- as if some creeping shadow of a horror were coming toward them as the sun set…what could she do? She bent over her paper, sketching a child. She held her husband in her arms, resting lightly against him. - page 93

- I am an artist…That is the thing I am and was made to be… I came to follow my changeable, quicksilver muse. To thread the maze….to make my myth, to find my story… - page 169

- Like a stay in a fairy mound, her time in the hill had tugged at and rearranged the world. It was a loss, but a greater gain. - page 191

[Phil Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up Glimmerglass by Marly Youmans, thinking it was a fantasy written by a poet. That’s exactly what it proved to be, but it took reading three quarters of the book to get there. Most of the time the fantasy might be simply metaphor. I mean, a house with seven doors and talk of Snow White doesn’t actually bring dwarves into the story. But elements of fairy magic and oddness, as we read in other deep-rooted fantasies, abound.

Read more at Brandywine Books.

[Beth Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing was descriptive, the story quietly haunting. The interior illustrations were striking.

Cynthia’s slow acclimation to the village was a delight. Her genuine friendship with Lydia, her changing artistic career, and her growing attachment to Andrew created balance with the mysterious boy, a muse, that she kept seeing in the woods. The last third was magical and eerie, tying things up while also creating new mysteries to ponder.

This story had hints of gothic romance, ghost story, fantasy, and mystery. It was a unique journey through wild and mystical places.

[George Hovis · Rating 5 out of 5]

In GLIMMERGLASS, Marly Youmans blends the richness of a poet's tongue with a novelist's sense of drama. She reminds us how it feels to be an outsider, and when her protagonist, Cynthia Sorrel, finally breaches the barriers and enters the inner circle of her adopted small town of Cooper Patent, we realize with her that both the magic and the dangers she had imagined to lie inside are even more real than she had imagined.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s like reading a dream. Everything is almost as it appears to be and so wonderfully jumbled. Allow yourself to get a little dizzy as you turn the pages.

[Melissa Forehand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautifully written with a very interesting main woman character. The ending is a little far fetched but works with the story.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm leaning more toward 3.5, than four. Toward the end, the story shifted, and I wasn't keen. I'm not a fan of fantasy, and that's all I'll say.

[Josh Skaggs]

I don't know how to assign my appreciation in terms of stars, this book being so different from my usual fare. Youmans writes in an outdated prose style, one lacking the formal minimalism of the modern "literary" novel. She readily tells what a character is thinking and feeling, often in italicized thoughts and exclamatory remarks.

The story moves along at a fast clip and is a short, enjoyable read. In some ways it reminds me of George MacDonald's works. I'm glad I read it, if only to see that there's more ways to tell a story than in the reserved, hyper-conscious mode of modern storytellers.

[StarNewsOnline]

Fantasy and myth mix with classic whodunit in “Glimmerglass,” the latest novel from poet and South Carolina native Marly Youmans.

This is only detective fiction, though, in the sense that “Hamlet” is a play about a kid who can't get along with his stepfather. Youmans takes a couple of overworked genres and makes them undergo a sea change into something rich and strange.

Read the full StarNews review by local book critic Ben Steelman at http://ow.ly/EgTbd

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this more of a 2.5. The first half started off pretty strongly with the creation of the world and Cynthia's arrival in it, but I didn't get a sense of any real depth of character for anyone in the book, especially in the second half. Cynthia goes chasing off after things without any true motivation (or at least none that's addressed in the book). The writing itself is lovely, and I really enjoyed the fairy tale elements, but I wish a lot of it had been further developed.

[Neile · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved so much about this novel--it's gorgeous and mysterious. The author choose to give it a slightly distanced folkloric feel, which which while it added a touch of fairy tale also created just enough distance from the characters that they felt a little too opaque for my tastes. I;m sure other's mileage will vary on this point especially.

[Blossom · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was well done but the topic was so strange. I feel like I've lost imagination or something because I was quite confused with the imagery created in this book; at least at the start. I think it's a book about hope but the undertones are murder and distrust. The end was much what I expected and it is light. It wasn't too bad, just strange.

[May-Ling · Rating 3 out of 5]

i felt a little lost in alice in wonderland in this book - except that it takes place in the real world. i enjoyed many facets of glimmerglass, yet i must admit that many pages left me confused about what was happening. too much imagination perhaps? also, i couldn't tell if these characters possessed riches beyond normal or if the magical setting just made it feel that way.

[Rouchswalwe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling into this extraordinary novel had quite an effect on me. I sank into the story in much the same way Cynthia was drawn into the cottage, and I suddenly found myself awhirl with the wonder of it all. Subtle strokes were applied in such a way that I found myself holding my breath and shouting advice in turn. The characters came alive for me with Youmans's deft touch. Superb. Simply superb.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because someone recommended it with high praise. I wouldn't give it such high marks. It was just ok, similar to many simple romances which I have read, with a bit of magic mixed in.

[Meg]

an adult fairytale of sorts. only I wished the dreamworld had been longer and more involved. you could have fit a whole other book in that alice in wonderland and made the crossing over results have more weight. perhaps. feels like a missed opportunity anyway.