The Capital of Dreams
by Heather O'Neill
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Description
"From the hugely acclaimed author beloved by literary lights, including Emily St. John Mandel, Kelly Link, and Mona Awad, a dark dystopian fairytale about an idyllic country ravaged by war-and a girl torn between safety and loyalty. Sofia Bottom lives in Elysia, a small country forgotten by Europe. But inside its borders, the old myths of trees that come alive and faeries who live among their roots have given way to an explosion of the arts and the consolations of philosophy. From the show more clarinetists to the cabaret singers, no artist is as revered as Sofia's brilliant mother, the writer Clara Bottom. How can fourteen-year-old Sofia, with her tin ear and enduring love of ancient myths, ever hope to win her mother's love? When the country's greatest enemy invades, and the Capital is under threat, Clara turns to her daughter to smuggle her new manuscript to safety on the last train evacuating children from the city. But when the train draws to a suspicious halt in the middle of a forest, Sofia is forced to run for her life and loses her mother's most prized possession. Frightened and alone in a country at war, Sofia must find a way to reclaim what she has lost. On an epic journey through woods and razed towns, colliding with soldiers, survivors, and other lost children, Sofia must make the choice between kindness and her own survival. In this stunning novel set in an imaginative world yet reflective of our own times, Heather O'Neill delivers a vivid, breathtaking dark fairytale of life, death, and betrayal"-- show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Amazing!
Heather O'Neill does so many things well, as this book shows. Here she takes aspects of various wars or conflicts happening now (e.g. Russia's invasion of Ukraine) and puts them in a fairy tale like setting -- the fictional country of Elysia. Again, we see the importance of the arts to culture and society. And, again, we have a strong young female making her way alone. Sophia has been asked by her mother to smuggle a manuscript out of the country in an effort to tell the world about the Enemy destroying Elysia. Sophia's quest includes her inner search for who she is, and what she values.
This story contains a twist that knocked me off my feet, so to speak. Another excellent book from Heather O'Neill.
Heather O'Neill does so many things well, as this book shows. Here she takes aspects of various wars or conflicts happening now (e.g. Russia's invasion of Ukraine) and puts them in a fairy tale like setting -- the fictional country of Elysia. Again, we see the importance of the arts to culture and society. And, again, we have a strong young female making her way alone. Sophia has been asked by her mother to smuggle a manuscript out of the country in an effort to tell the world about the Enemy destroying Elysia. Sophia's quest includes her inner search for who she is, and what she values.
This story contains a twist that knocked me off my feet, so to speak. Another excellent book from Heather O'Neill.
3.5 stars, this one gives me mixed feelings. I love the fairytale-ness of it, the talking goose, the search the the black market, the complicated mother daughter relationship. There are some very dark parts though, and the ending has me gutted.
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Globe and Mail | Canadian Fiction: September 21, 2024
10 works; 1 member
Author Information
11+ Works 3,485 Members
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Capital of Dreams
- Original publication date
- 2025-01-07
- People/Characters
- Sophia Bottom; the Goose; Clara Bottom; Rosalie; Celeste; Tobias
- First words
- There was the sound of gunshots going off somewhere in the distance.
- Quotations
- I cannot rightly said if you are rendering sadness beautiful, or if you are making beauty sad.
All the things they teach young girls about being good people turn them into nervous wrecks. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)She said, "Sometimes a war can set a woman free."
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 119
- Popularity
- 274,477
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.92)
- Languages
- English, French
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 10
- ASINs
- 3
