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Loading... Deathless (edition 2012)by Catherynne M. Valente
Work InformationDeathless by Catherynne M. Valente
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. I have very mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I am sure this book was brilliant. On the other hand, brilliance didn't hold my attention very well. I think a major problem is that I didn't know the Russian folktale that this book was based off of, and I spent a good portion of the book feeling like the person at the party who wasn't getting the inside joke. I love fairy and folk tale retellings, but a great portion of my enjoyment of such stories is me seeing how the original tales are twisted into something new and wonderful. I did not get that enjoyment from this book. By itself, I found the story very good, the prose delicious at times, and the characters fascinating but lifeless. I could not get myself to care about Marya, which was ultimately what kept me from even giving the book 3 stars. I also really wanted a glossary in the back for Russian terms and characters. (The epilogue lost all its punch when I couldn't remember who one of the characters was, who appeared briefly mid-way through.) I am going to declare this an aberration and try more of Valente's books because I have heard such fabulous things about her - so fabulous, in fact, that I actually have most of her books in my possession. It's a shame this was the first one I picked up.
Deathless performs the highest function of a problematic novel. It reveals more about the writer's technique and strengths than a polished, impregnable work might. Another intricate fantasy from Valente, based on what feels like the entire panoply of Russian folktales. ...scenes, people, myths and history intertwine. It's dazzling but intensely self-involved. Has the adaptationAwardsDistinctions
Set in an alternate version of St. Petersburg in the first half of the twentieth century, Marya Morevna, a clever child of the revolution, is transformed into the beautiful bride of Koschei the Deathless, a menacing overlord. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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This is a gorgeous, gorgeous book. Lush and so alive with stories and myths. I loved it. ( )