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A review by shellballenger
Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker by Gregory Maguire
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Type of read: Commuter/Daily Read
What made me pick it up: I originally found 'Hiddensee' during the Christmas season when I was looking for holiday/Christmas-themed books. I also used it as my book for the TN R.E.A.D.'s February prompt of 'read a book with a one-word title.'
Overall rating: If you're looking for a simple, happy retelling of a classic story, pick another book. Hiddensee has all of the dense, flourished storytelling that Maguire is known for. While the book may be loosely tied to the original story of the Nutcracker, you're not going into a tale about sugar plums and plies; rather, we hear Drosselmeyer's story from a defining accident as a young boy to a grown man.
As with other books by Maguire, I don't think this is one that you can passively listen to. Steven Crossley does a beautiful job with the narration of the audio version of Hiddensee; however, you do need to be actively listening and engaged in the story to keep following. I think it actually took me until about halfway through the book to actually figure out what was going on and what the story was. It's about Chapter 45ish that they get into why things are so topsy-turvy, and it helps you understand Dirk's situation a bit more.
Overall, Hiddensee is verbose and complicated, but if you can get past that, you might enjoy the story of Dirk and his journey through life. Personally, I'm still not sure what to make of 'Hiddensee,' I didn't hate it, but it wasn't something that I actively enjoyed while I was reading. Sometimes, I need a second chance at Maguire's books to catch all the intricacies. There were some beautiful passages, and we get to see a different possibility of the life of the Nutcracker and his creator, but dang, was this one a slog.
It's also probably only fair to add that 'Hiddensee' was the book that stood between me and Oynx Storm, but I don't think that totally impacted my enjoyment and review of it. I feel like any book would have felt like a roadblock before getting into one of the most talked about books of the year, and 'Hiddensee' just, unfortunately, drew the short straw.
“You have a spark inside you. Let it go out or let it loose, one or the other. What is your life for? You chose to live, you chose this world! What is this half-living? Even a mouse has more intention.”
What made me pick it up: I originally found 'Hiddensee' during the Christmas season when I was looking for holiday/Christmas-themed books. I also used it as my book for the TN R.E.A.D.'s February prompt of 'read a book with a one-word title.'
Overall rating: If you're looking for a simple, happy retelling of a classic story, pick another book. Hiddensee has all of the dense, flourished storytelling that Maguire is known for. While the book may be loosely tied to the original story of the Nutcracker, you're not going into a tale about sugar plums and plies; rather, we hear Drosselmeyer's story from a defining accident as a young boy to a grown man.
As with other books by Maguire, I don't think this is one that you can passively listen to. Steven Crossley does a beautiful job with the narration of the audio version of Hiddensee; however, you do need to be actively listening and engaged in the story to keep following. I think it actually took me until about halfway through the book to actually figure out what was going on and what the story was. It's about Chapter 45ish that they get into why things are so topsy-turvy, and it helps you understand Dirk's situation a bit more.
Overall, Hiddensee is verbose and complicated, but if you can get past that, you might enjoy the story of Dirk and his journey through life. Personally, I'm still not sure what to make of 'Hiddensee,' I didn't hate it, but it wasn't something that I actively enjoyed while I was reading. Sometimes, I need a second chance at Maguire's books to catch all the intricacies. There were some beautiful passages, and we get to see a different possibility of the life of the Nutcracker and his creator, but dang, was this one a slog.
It's also probably only fair to add that 'Hiddensee' was the book that stood between me and Oynx Storm, but I don't think that totally impacted my enjoyment and review of it. I feel like any book would have felt like a roadblock before getting into one of the most talked about books of the year, and 'Hiddensee' just, unfortunately, drew the short straw.
“You have a spark inside you. Let it go out or let it loose, one or the other. What is your life for? You chose to live, you chose this world! What is this half-living? Even a mouse has more intention.”