Windflower: A Novel [Hardcover]

Nick Bantock (Author), Edoardo Ponti (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 21, 2006

With the same romance and drama that put his Griffin & Sabine saga on the New York Times best-seller list for over 100 weeks, selling three million copies in 12 international editions, Nick Bantock presents an unforgettable story of one woman's journey to self-discovery. Ana, a striking young dancer, is promised in marriage to a man she doesn't love. No one understands her reluctance to wed. After all, isn't Marco a fine man? Won't the union of their two families benefit her people? And yet Guided by her heart and forces she does not yet recognize, she flees to the exotic port of Serona in search of Felix Bulerias, a man reputed to have the answers she seeks. But along the way, the attentions of four unusual men threaten to lure Ana in directions that she could never have fathomedand lead her down a path of sensuality and understanding beyond any she could ever have imagined. Bantock's compelling narrative is accompanied by over 200 masterful color collages that form a frieze throughout. Brimming with myth and intrigue, Windflower is sure to enchant Nick Bantock fans the world over.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In Griffin and Sabine creator Bantock's latest mix of story and art, Ana, a spirited young woman with a passion for dance, awakens on the morning of her wedding with a sense of dread. She is betrothed to Marco, and the wedding will mean that Ana's people, the Capolan, will abandon their nomadic ways and settle in a lush valley. Both Ana and her grandfather believe doing so would be a mistake, and when a storm breaks out during the wedding, she decides to run away and seek Felix Bulerias, the famed dance instructor her grandfather believes can help her convince the Capolans that the wedding plans are a mistake. Ana journeys to the town of Sedona, where she meets four very different men: the seductive Boreos, the dreamy Zephyr, the wise Mr. Hamattan, and the heroic Sirocco. Ana is drawn to all four for different reasons, but she gradually discovers their motives for befriending her are suspect. With lush, rich writing and beautiful illustrations on each page, Bantock and coauthor Ponti weave a mythological tale. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Nick Bantock is the author of the non-fiction works The Artful Dodger and Urgent: Second Class as well as, among other books, his famed Griffin & Sabine saga. Born in England, Nick Bantock now makes his home in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Edoardo Ponti, the son of Carlo Ponti and Sophia Loren, is a screenwriter and film director of, most recently, Between Strangers.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First edition (September 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811843521
• ISBN-13: 978-0811843522
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #921,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Huge disappointment, October 20, 2006

By 

Katja Adams "Avid reader" (Kennesaw, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Windflower: A Novel (Hardcover)

I'm a fan of anything Nick Bantock and had looked forward to this one for quite a while. I even ordered it early, to get it as soon as it was released. The story starts off being readable and interesting, with quite a few sensual moments, but the ending is a huge let-down. It also does not have the usual images I've come to expect from a Bantock book. Some of them felt recycled from previous works and none of them had much to do with the story. They just sort of made the pages pretty, if you can even claim that. I'd much rather read The Venetian's Wife for the fifth time, than read this one (again).

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars something different, December 1, 2006

By 

jeannie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windflower: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is a departure from Nick Bantock's previous published work, in that the incredible images are drawn with words with only an intimation of artwork here. All the mystery and attention to detail is still present though, and the story has a different kind of depth and complexity, one that draws the reader in and evokes its pictures in the consciousness of the reader as the words unfold. This is a very lush, haunting, gorgeous story, a kind of hero's (heroine's) journey, beautifully written and quite inspiring. I do love Nick Bantock's artwork, and I also love his storytelling. This book shifts the balance toward the storytelling aspect and does so beautifully.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A big departure from Bantock's previous works, June 5, 2007

By 

Z Hayes (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Windflower: A Novel (Hardcover)

Having been a great fan of Bantock's previous works such as The Griffin and Sabine series, and more recently, The Venetian's Wife, I pounced on this book when I found it at my local library. Unfortunately, it was far from what I expected. This is purely a novel with nicely illustrated pages, but the illustrations do little to tell the story, they are merely there as embellishments. Here, it is the words that tell you the story, unlike his previous works where the illustrations 'speak' to you. None of that here. The cover is most appealing, portraying a beautiful woman & the story is about a woman's quest for self-discovery. Ana belongs to a nomadic tribe, the Capolan, and is promised in marriage to a man she doesn't love. This leads her to take the drastic step of leaving, to seek answers to the questions she has. The story itself is well-told, but seriously, as a long-time Bantock fan, I'd rather he stick to his tried-and-true medium of reaching out to readers than efforts like this. His gift is in giving voice to his illustrations, and this just isn't that.