Robert Levy (5)

The Glittering World by Robert Levy is a recommended novel that encompasses fantasy and self-discovery.

The story in The Glittering World is told in four parts by four different characters. It opens with Michael "Blue" Whitley and his friends Elisa, Jason, and Gabe, all traveling from NYC to the Starling Cove Friendship Colony in Canada. The trip is partially a vacation, but mainly the others are accompanying Blue as he sells his deceased grandmother's house. What Blue does not anticipate is show more that memories from his past will reemerge and open up with unexpected results. When Blue and Elisa turn up missing it seems that the past is repeating itself. Or is there something else going on in the remote Canadian woods? Elisa's husband, Jason, and Blue's friend, Gabe, are left trying to figure out the mystery.

The narrative moves along swiftly and I had no qualms with the quality of the writing. Levy is an excellent writer and the story itself is compelling. The Glittering World will hold your attention, as you try to figure out what is going on and why (and who and how) as it quickly switches from a nostalgic trip with friends to a supernatural, mystical fantasy story. In some ways the self-discovery aspect of the novel was more compelling than the fantasy portion, but that could be due to the way the novel is written.

With each character narrating a different section, we never revisit or hear from Blue or Elisa after their sections are done. It's a quandary for me, as a reader. I understand and appreciate the shifting points of view for each section, but at the same time I find myself longing to hear from Blue again. The Glittering World lost the momentum it successfully built up for me at the end. It might have been more successful with a final chapter from Blue's perspective, giving closure to the whole novel. I liked it much more (four stars) until I reached the end and was left feeling unsatisfied.

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Gallery Books for review purposes. show less

A beautiful book touching on the fair-folk myths of old. We are introduced to changelings; sickly fey constructs substituted for stolen human children. This is done somewhat by way of Quatermass and the Pit; these are not your typical winged fairies; they more closely resemble grasshoppers or praying mantids mixed with nature spirits. Their chitinous bones are like branches, multifaceted eyes like precious stones, their hearts like stones. A clever blend of strange and familiar horrors show more really make this a stand-out story. Highly recommended. show less

I enjoy it when a book presents a challenge; when some intrinsic part of a novel makes it difficult to review. Glittering World by Robert Levy does that, and in the best kind of way. I am going to try and give you an idea about the feel of this novel, and what makes it so good, without dropping spoilers like bombs.

Michael “Blue” Whitley is a young chef with a hot restaurant, and some financial difficulties. He takes three of his friends to the remote Canadian community where he was show more born, to sell an inherited house. Starling Cove seems like a wonderful place, the location of a former artist’s colony where Blue was born. Once there, however, Blue discovers that he and another child had disappeared into the woods for weeks, an incident that he does not remember. Slowly, his memory starts to return, and he realizes that his past is a lie. His former life starts to intrude upon his present, with startling results. Soon Blue and Elisa disappear, and Jeremy and Gabe try to find them, and become ensnared in the plots and plans of various locals.

That sounds like it might be a solid plot for a thriller, but Mr. Levy has a loftier ambition. Blue’s past is full of supernatural events, and this is one of the places where Mr. Levy truly shines. There is a sense of true otherworldliness in the way he both imagines and relays this part of the novel. It is rare to see such a fresh and surprising take on some of the oldest legends and myths that we have.

The characters are also first rate. From Blue to his best friend Elisa, her husband Jeremy, and Gabe, a young and admiring co-worker are all etched with care. They all take their turns telling the story, and each has a distinctive and realistic voice. All of them bring a different angle to the story, and we can see them change as the story unfolds. The sub-plots and smaller storylines are dovetailed with the main story, and all bring complexity and tension to the characters. These characters have a life outside of the main story line, and the ways that they interact with each adds depth to the story. Even in smaller roles, the local characters are real as well.

Mr. Levy’s prose is at once sharp, yet dreamy, and it goes hand-in-hand with the background. The landscape and the atmosphere are vivid and lush, and is brought to life with an eye for detail. I could smell the flowers and feel the grass, and while that is an accomplishment in its own right, it really pays off by acting as an anchor to the story’s more hallucinatory moments. That is one of the keys to this novel, because so much of the power and magic in this story is related to the environment.

Finally, this is one of those rare books where the final is apt, and telling. This novel, and the world that is created in it, is truly glittering. It is a dark, romantic, and sometimes scary place, and Mr. Levy brings it to life. I know that I have kept most of the plot to myself, but trust me, Glittering World is worth keeping.

Review by: Mark Palm
Full Reviews Available at: http://www.thebookendfamily.weebly.com show less

I liked parts of this book quite a bit but as a whole this book didn't work for me. It wasn't a book that I really looked forward to listening to and I found it really easy to set aside. In most cases, I would be able to listen to an audiobook of this length in about a week. This one took me about three times as long. I skipped days of listening while working on this audiobook and actually started it over several times because the story just never grabbed me.

When I first read the blurb, I show more was really excited to read this book. Ancient beings, modern day fairy tale...what's not to love? I did like the overall concept of the story but the way that everything came together just fell a bit flat to me. The story is told from four different perspectives. Each voices tells a section of the book and once their part is over the story moves on to another perspective. I would really start to feel comfortable with a character narrating the story and then we would move on to someone else. I think that I would have liked it better if the points of view alternated or if the story was told from just one of two points of view.

The biggest problem that I had with this book is that I found it to be less exciting than I thought it should be. I was really pretty bored for most of the story which should have never happened. I think that a lot of thought was put into every sentence in this book and I could admire how the words came together but I found myself losing the story in the words at times. I had to really force myself to focus or I would find my mind drifting away from the story.

I liked the narration of the audiobook. This was this first time that I have listened to an audiobook narrated by Edoardo Ballerini and I would definitely listen to his work again. I thought that he did a great job in demonstrating a wide range of emotions during the story. The way he delivered some of the more supernatural portions of the book really added to the overall story.

In the end this was a book with some high points that was less than satisfying for me. I do think that a lot of readers will really enjoy this story especially if they like supernatural stories featuring changelings and the fae. I wanted to fall in love with this book but it just didn't happen.

I received a copy of this book from the author for the purpose of providing an honest review. show less