Impossible - Nancy Werlin
*September 18th, 1994/2008 Speak
*September 18th, 1994/2008 Speak
Lucy has nine months to break an ancient curse in order to save both herself and her unborn daughter. Inspired by the ballad "Scarborough Fair", this riveting novel combines suspense, fantasy, and romance for an intensely page-turning and masterfully original tale.
Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child's birth. But Lucy is the first girl who won't be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. Do they have love and strength enough to overcome an age-old evil?
Inspired by the ballad 'Scarborough Fair', Nancy Werlin captures the achingly poignant concepts of the song beautifully in Impossible. There's something majestic and romantic about the way olde mythological magic is incorporated into a relatively contemporary setting.
I'll admit - at the beginning of the book, I'd been a little worried; it sounded like it might just be trying a tad too hard to mimic the contemporary teenage years. (Although now realizing that this was originally published in 1994 does change that somewhat.) However, as the book progressed, there was something very enchanting about the language, the diction choice, the phrasing. It almost seemed symbolic of Lucy's incredible characterization journey - a youngster treading water, testing it out, and then growing and flourishing into her own person. The voice just fit with Impossible - it was alluring, like the way the Elfin Knight's voice is described to be.
The research and forethought that must've gone into this is pretty impressive. It's great to observe the puzzle unraveling, to watch the characters hurtle towards the unknown. Despite being a little hard to relate to at times, the characters, most notably Lucy, Zach, Miranda, Soledad, Leo... they were all very intriguing and quite likable.
The way the ballad was incorporated in various incarnations throughout was definitely highly enjoyable and interesting. The journey depicted through the course of this tale, the mythic elements that came into play... all in all, it made for a romantically magical story.
Nancy Werlin's Impossible thrillingly weaves romance, magic and intrigue into one achingly beautiful tale.
5 comments:
I loved this book! One of my favorites! Have you listened to the song yet? It is really pretty if you listen to the Hayley Westenra version!
You brought up a new point for me; I didn't really think about the research that had to go into this book, but I can see it now. I love the concepts Nancy uses to beat the curse. Very creative. Thanks for the review!
ApachesPrincess - No, I haven't listened to the Hayley Westerna version yet - will have to check that out sometime :) Thanks for the suggestion.
Sarah - Thanks for the comment :D
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