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The Onion Girl (Newford) by Charles De Lint
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The Onion Girl (Newford) (original 2001; edition 2017)

by Charles De Lint (Author)

Series: Newford Stories (11)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
1,867458,929 (3.99)1 / 81
In his stunning novels of magic and danger in the modern world, Charles de Lint has brought an entire imaginary North American city to vivid life: Newford, where magic lights the dark streets, myths walk clothed in modern shapes, and a broad cast of extraordinary people work to keep the whole world turning. At the center of it all stands a young artist named Jilly Coppercorn, with her tangled hair and paint-splattered jeans, whose paintings capture the hidden beings that dwell in the city’s shadows. Now, at last, de Lint tells Jilly’s own story; for behind the painter’s fey charm lies a dark secret that she’s labored to forget. “I’m the onion girl,” Jilly Coppercorn says. “Pull back the layers of my life, and you won’t find anything at the core. Just a broken child. A hollow girl. She’s very, very good at running—but the past has come to claim her now.” A Blackstone Audio production.… (more)
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Title:The Onion Girl (Newford)
Authors:Charles De Lint (Author)
Info:Tor Fantasy (2017), 640 pages
Collections:Office Fiction
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Work Information

The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint (2001)

  1. 10
    Widdershins by Charles de Lint (Kerian)
  2. 10
    Dreams Underfoot: A Newford Collection by Charles de Lint (weeksj10)
    weeksj10: Onion Girl is an awesome story, but I would suggest you read this collection of short stories before reading the novel, because there are tons of references to Dreams Underfoot that you won't understand if you go straight to Onion Girl
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 Name that Book: Fantasy/dreamworld - big tree8 unread / 8Nerilka, May 2011

» See also 81 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 45 (next | show all)
This book was the perfect antidote to the last book I read, so I fell in happily to De lint's world of fairies and worlds beyond. The characters are kind of idealized. They're the cadre of best buddies that everybody wants, but I think few people rarely have.

Nevertheless, I was up for some wishful idealized relationships so I don't fault De lint for that because it made reading the trials of the main character that much easier knowing she had all these friends that constantly spew unconditional love at her.

My one problem with the book was the southern accent that came with one of the POV characters. It was bad, and if it had been relegated to the dialogue only, I wouldn't complain. It was everything within that character's POV though. Being from the south, I've never met anyone with grammar that atrocious and certainly not anyone who uses more colorful metaphors per minute than Mike Huckabee (who is himself a somewhat dishonest characterization). ( )
  Ivia | Mar 1, 2024 |
Very nice. Typical Newford. I was a little worried that it would be too much instant forgiveness, but while Jilly is of course good-hearted, the book isn't blind to Raylene's failings. ( )
  zjakkelien | Jan 2, 2024 |
3.5 stars

So good, but so hard to read because of the realistic portrayal of sexual abuse and its longterm effects on an individual's life and the people and systems that fail victims and survivors. This is the real-est magical realism I've ever read, and I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an accusation right at this moment because getting through this book took work. I certainly didn't expect magical realism to be this real. Didn't know that it could get this real.

That aside, my main issue with this book was not knowing where it was going. The writing was at times sharp and hard hitting, but also dreamy and lyrical; other times, it was slow moving and seemed to be going in circles or nowhere. I couldn't figure out where it was leading or what it was setting up for until I was over halfway through. At this point I imagine is where most people would've given up if this book had been their entry point into the Newford series, but since I'm a completionist by nature and this was a buddy read with Beth, I pushed on.

Not sure if I can say that the effort paid off or that the ending is worth the struggle that came before it, but I can confirm that the characters do grow on you and you do end up caring about them before you realize what's happening. I get now what other reviewers mean when they call these books spellbinding--they pull you in bit by bit and you don't realize it until you reach the end.

Objectively speaking, I have immense appreciation for this book and the depth and range of Charles de Lint's writing, and I plan to go back and start the Newford series from the beginning one day. But subjectively? I will probably, most definitely, never read this volume again. Not even to refresh my memory.

Grand Marais, Lake Superior ( )
  1stavenue | May 5, 2019 |
Certainly one of the masterworks of modern fantasy literature, from the genre's best contemporary writer. A compelling, engrossing story of survival and compassion, featuring a terrific main character. I always forget one of the nicer aspects of De Lint's writing - the fact that there is actually a very hard edge to it, remember he was initially a writer of rather nasty supernatural tinged horror/suspense stories. This book should be read in companion with "Widdershins." ( )
  AlanGilbert | Feb 26, 2019 |
This book had the potential to be truly enchanting. Unfortunately, despite having some beautiful imagery, it was clunky, the many many characters were not authentic or believable, and the dark subject matter was not overcome by the escapism that fantasy worlds are supposed to offer. I didn't feel the plot had a solid direction, and felt more like a sub plot than an actual story arc.
If I hadn't read De Lint before, I would have been very confused by the large, and mostly unexplained, cast of characters. Many of his other stories are interwoven with this one, but it was not satisfying for me, despite being a little nostalgic.
The world that De Lint creates is beautiful, as I said. It's vivid and full of magic. But that's only one part of a story. A novel needs a solid direction, and this one simply didn't have it. I'm sad to give this novel three stars, because the world building deserves a five. ( )
  lhofer | Sep 26, 2018 |
Showing 1-5 of 45 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Charles de Lintprimary authorall editionscalculated
Reading, KateNarratormain authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dringenberg, MikeCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Palencar, John JudeCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Windling, TerriEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Epigraph
They (fairy tales) make rivers run with wine only to make us remember, for one wild moment, that they run with water.
--G.K. Chesterton, from Orthodoxy
It was you, it was you, who said that dreams come true
And it was you, it was you, who said that mine would, too
And it was you who said that all I had to do was to believe
But when your ivory towers tumbled down, they tumbled down on me
--Fred Eaglesmith, from "It Was You"
It's the family you choose that counts.
--Andrew Vachss
Dedication
for all of those who against all odds made the right choice
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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In his stunning novels of magic and danger in the modern world, Charles de Lint has brought an entire imaginary North American city to vivid life: Newford, where magic lights the dark streets, myths walk clothed in modern shapes, and a broad cast of extraordinary people work to keep the whole world turning. At the center of it all stands a young artist named Jilly Coppercorn, with her tangled hair and paint-splattered jeans, whose paintings capture the hidden beings that dwell in the city’s shadows. Now, at last, de Lint tells Jilly’s own story; for behind the painter’s fey charm lies a dark secret that she’s labored to forget. “I’m the onion girl,” Jilly Coppercorn says. “Pull back the layers of my life, and you won’t find anything at the core. Just a broken child. A hollow girl. She’s very, very good at running—but the past has come to claim her now.” A Blackstone Audio production.

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