54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Whither Jilly and Geordie?, May 17, 2006
This review is from: Widdershins (Newford) (Hardcover)
Like with many other de Lint fans, the ubiquitous characters Jilly and Geordie stand tall among my favorite Newford inhabitants. Jilly Coppercorn is the wise, tender, eccentric artist with a tortured past, a serene present and a gift for looking for the best in all things and all people -- despite her own tragedies. Geordie Riddell is the itinerant fiddler, the good-hearted friend and one of Newford's last skeptics -- until he, too, was forced to accept the realities of the fey. These two have been woven in and around many of de Lint's stories, both as primary characters and background support. And now, finally, de Lint is ready to tell their story.
It's no disappointment. For the sake of de Lint fans as eager as I was to see this one out to its conclusion, I'll refrain from repeating too many details here.
But let's begin with a few hints. Sure, the book revolves counterclockwise around Jilly and Geordie, but there are other Newford inhabitants, both new and old, who populate this tale. One is Lizzie Mahone, a musician whose car stalls in the middle of a growing war between North America's native and immigrant fey. Grunts from one side of the battle lines threaten the young girl, while a solitary member of the other comes to her rescue.
But don't sell the division short; de Lint is too canny a writer to draw a clear-cut line between good and evil. Both sides have their share of each and, even more common still, there are folk and faeries who exist somewhere in between. And, entwined within the larger frameworks of war are silkier threads of personal vengeance, hatred and murder.
Of course, both native and immigrant mythologies are richly presented, building further on the groundwork laid in de Lint's previous stories. There is bold, realistic and sometimes idealistic character development along the way, including both romance and heartache, and the story -- presented from various points of view -- leaps from its pages and comes to life in the very air around you.
Jilly, meanwhile, vanishes into a reality of her own devising, built from the nightmares of her childhood. Geordie's noble efforts to save her put himself in peril. And Lizzie is still coming to grips with this whole mythic reality she's stumbled into. Others, including fan favorites, the Crow Girls, and the great bird of the galaxy who just might have brought this world into being, have their parts to play as well before a final resolution is reached.
I've praised de Lint's writing in the past, but I've run out of superlatives for Widdershins. It is easily one of the best -- if not the best -- novels in his vast library.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Always happy to read De Lint, May 23, 2006
This review is from: Widdershins (Newford) (Hardcover)
Once again, Mr. De Lint has given us a fine novel that continues the story of various people, human and not, that live around one imaginary city in Canada. While I was first attracted to his books by the lovely fantasy, I have kept coming back because of his good character development over time. This book does not disappoint. Here we finally find Geordie and Jilly together in a story that includes all my favorites: The Crow girls, Raven, Joe, Jack, Fairies, etc. Plus, there is a wonderful description of how it feels to play group music, the joy of it all just coming together perfectly, so well done that I believe Mr. De Lint must play himself. Obviously, this review won't say much to people who have never read him before -- so I'll just say to those folks: Give it a try. If you like native American animal spirits, celtic fairies, good musicians, and pitbulls, you will certainly enjoy this book! I did! For those of you who already know and love these books, you don't need any other encouragement to read than the fact that this has been published! Enjoy!
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
And the hits just keep on coming..., January 24, 2007
This review is from: Widdershins (Newford) (Hardcover)
We return to Newford and revisit two of my favorite characters in all of fantasy, Jilly Coppercorn and Geordie Riddell. Jilly is a wonderfully whimsical artist, now hampered by a physical disability and Geordie is a brilliant fiddler with serious commitment issues which leave him drifting through what could othwise be a prosperous musical career. Both have been friends forever, but even though there has been speculation, they have never gotten together as a couple due to bad timing and a series of spectacularly disasterous relationships and old baggage on both parts.
I've been a DeLint fan for years, but I was really disappointed at the end of The Onion Girl when Jilly, who of all of Newford's citizens, wants to believe and be touched by otherworldly magic the most, is left crippled and unable to visit the otherworld after her magical encounter.
Now, finally, we see a conclusion to the Jilly & Geordie saga in a story rife with new charaters, Animal People, and fairy. Just as in DeLint's other works, we find new trails of stories intertwined with the main plot and explore human nature in a provoking manner. Appearances by other old friends, like the Crow Girls, pop up thoughout and just make the whole experience more enjoyable.
A great ending to a familiar chapter...or is it a beginning?
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