By chriskeppie This review is from: Paradox Child (Paradox Child Series) (Kindle Edition) Delightful characters in a wonderful mix (or rather, interface) of the ordinary and extraordinary.
Young Lilly lives in a normal house in Oxford, attends school (fairly regularly), and has spaniels, friends, romance, bereavement, marmalade sandwiches and lots of cakes. And (whilst Dad's not about), a Mum and Gran who matter of factly teach her Latin, botany, and spells! Oh yes, and how to time travel..
Chapter divisions cleverly move the story along, introducing enchanting nuggets of history, anthropology, philosophy, science, art, stories and cultures from around Britain and the world, whilst also endlessly playing with that juxtaposition of mundanity and magic. It's something else! Jane Yates clearly brings much first hand knowledge and love to this debut book - children, Oxford and its wonderful museums, art, gardening, curiosities, alternative ways and understandings, etc - and this writing from the heart, as well as the head, helps make the story so very gripping.
In her biography, Yates describes herself as 'dreamer and dyslexic', which perhaps explains why some idiosyncratic spelling and punctuation still made it through editing. Yet these symptoms of the latter description are rendered entirely irrelevant by the former - she has dared to dream in taking on the huge challenge of expressing herself in fiction (as well as art which has come more naturally to her previously), and this is hugely inspirational in many ways. Her combination of simple everyday prose and structure, with some exquisite stories and phrases ('the sky was the colour of pain's grey'), beautifully mirrors the story's play between the mundane here and now, and the magical other.
I've loved reading this book, and found the conclusion both satisfying in itself, whilst also lending itself to the exciting possibility of sequels. I'd highly recommend Paradox Child to readers both young and old, and congratulate Jane Yates on a fantastic first novel.
This review is from: Paradox Child (Paradox Child Series) (Kindle Edition)
Delightful characters in a wonderful mix (or rather, interface) of the ordinary and extraordinary.
Young Lilly lives in a normal house in Oxford, attends school (fairly regularly), and has spaniels, friends, romance, bereavement, marmalade sandwiches and lots of cakes. And (whilst Dad's not about), a Mum and Gran who matter of factly teach her Latin, botany, and spells! Oh yes, and how to time travel..
Chapter divisions cleverly move the story along, introducing enchanting nuggets of history, anthropology, philosophy, science, art, stories and cultures from around Britain and the world, whilst also endlessly playing with that juxtaposition of mundanity and magic. It's something else! Jane Yates clearly brings much first hand knowledge and love to this debut book - children, Oxford and its wonderful museums, art, gardening, curiosities, alternative ways and understandings, etc - and this writing from the heart, as well as the head, helps make the story so very gripping.
In her biography, Yates describes herself as 'dreamer and dyslexic', which perhaps explains why some idiosyncratic spelling and punctuation still made it through editing. Yet these symptoms of the latter description are rendered entirely irrelevant by the former - she has dared to dream in taking on the huge challenge of expressing herself in fiction (as well as art which has come more naturally to her previously), and this is hugely inspirational in many ways. Her combination of simple everyday prose and structure, with some exquisite stories and phrases ('the sky was the colour of pain's grey'), beautifully mirrors the story's play between the mundane here and now, and the magical other.
I've loved reading this book, and found the conclusion both satisfying in itself, whilst also lending itself to the exciting possibility of sequels. I'd highly recommend Paradox Child to readers both young and old, and congratulate Jane Yates on a fantastic first novel.