The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two
Some of my favorite quotes come from the third Fairyland book, which sees September traveling to the moon as a criminal and professional revolutionary (she has overthrown two monarchies at this point). There are a lot of lovely passages about what it means to grow up and how to navigate relationships that seem to be constantly changing.
Unfortunately, all this great lyrical prose comes at the expense of the plot which is only barely there. It takes nearly half the book to get the gang back together and introduce the main conflict. And then it's resolved almost immediately, which is a bit of a letdown.
This book is short, and September herself is angry about how little time she got in Fairyland this time around. But it might be my favorite for all the wisdom the narrator dispenses. There's a lot in here about the power of naming and perceiving and how you become what other people call you but it also matters what you call yourself. Saying no comes up again and again, as something you have to keep learning and the thing that gives you the ultimate power. But then again, saying yes is important, too.
I haven't read the last two Fairyland books, mostly because it took me forever to track them down. But as this one ends on a cliffhanger (and the next one focuses on a completely different character), I'm very excited to see where it all ends up.
Unfortunately, all this great lyrical prose comes at the expense of the plot which is only barely there. It takes nearly half the book to get the gang back together and introduce the main conflict. And then it's resolved almost immediately, which is a bit of a letdown.
This book is short, and September herself is angry about how little time she got in Fairyland this time around. But it might be my favorite for all the wisdom the narrator dispenses. There's a lot in here about the power of naming and perceiving and how you become what other people call you but it also matters what you call yourself. Saying no comes up again and again, as something you have to keep learning and the thing that gives you the ultimate power. But then again, saying yes is important, too.
I haven't read the last two Fairyland books, mostly because it took me forever to track them down. But as this one ends on a cliffhanger (and the next one focuses on a completely different character), I'm very excited to see where it all ends up.
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