The Wild Swans (Paperback)

by Peg Kerr (Author) "On a certain clear May morning in 1689, in the first year of the reign of King William III and Queen Mary II, Eliza walked..." (more)
Key Phrases: nettle flax, orgy room, wild swans, The Wild Swans, Goody Carter, Robert Owen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Parallel tales of love and persecution give this multilayered fantasy added poignancy, although not the cohesion of a tightly plotted novel. One story strand, set in 1689, relates the labors of Eliza Grey, disowned daughter of the Earl of Exeter, to save her 11 brothers from a curse that transforms them into a flock of wild swans every dawn to dusk. Following their magical flight to the New World, Eliza, obeying the instructions of a fairy, applies herself to weaving enchanted shirts that will break the spell, and maintains the stoic vow of absolute silence imposed upon her by the fairy for the task's duration, even when her misunderstanding husband and their Salem-like village accuse her of witchcraft. Kerr (Emerald House Rising) alternates chapters from this tender fairy tale with episodes from the life of Elias Latham, a young gay man living in New York in the 1980s. Disowned by his family, he is saved from hustling on the city streets by Sean Donnelly, a gentle musician and writer who encourages Elias's talents as a photographer, introduces him to Manhattan's gay subculture and eventually becomes his lover. Elias reciprocates by helping Sean achieve reconciliation with his own estranged family when the pair are stricken with AIDS. Despite subtle correspondences between the two storiesAincluding shared names, common images and mutual reflections on sibling and parental relationshipsAthere is not enough synergy to fuse their themes or distinguish either as more than a simple parable. Nevertheless, Kerr's characters are sensitively rendered, and their plights make for a moving meditation on the ties that bind individuals to family and community.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Fantasy writer Kerr's (Emerald House Rising, Warner, 1997) second novel is a complex retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. Kerr weaves together the parallel stories of two teenagers from different eras, 20th-century Elias and 17th-century Eliza. As the book alternates between their stories, both are rejected by their families, both persecuted for a difference they cannot helpAand both learn the importance of love and loyalty. The acceptance and friendship Elias finds within the early 1980s gay community eventually enable him to accept himself, while Eliza's perseverance in her silence and toilAeven when she is sentenced to burn at the stake for witchcraftAenables her to reverse the spell set on her 11 brothers by her evil stepmother. The book should appeal to fans of authors such as Mercedes Lackey. Recommended for public libraries.ARachel Singer, Franklin Park P.L., IL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Aspect (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446673668
• ISBN-13: 978-0446673662
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,023,009 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars fell a bit short for me, May 15, 2000

By A Customer

I must say I really enjoyed the premise for this book - the fairtale retelling of the Wild Swans matched with a modern story of a young man who is also searching for family. I found that the author DID make a lot of connections between both "worlds" and that there was poignancy and meaning to both as well. Unfortunately, I found that the characters weren't passionate enough for me. Some of Elias' thoughts just seemed to be words on paper and not heartfelt emotions - or at least the author didn't choose words that conveyed the emotion to me...

At any rate, it's still an enjoyable book - one worth reading.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected, but magnificent still!, June 21, 2000

By	Jamie-Lynn (Oxford, Michigan) - See all my reviews

I purchased this book solely because of the author. After having read Emerald House Rising, and finding it breath taking, I was willing to give anything by Peg Kerr a chance. I was not disappointed. I picked up the book one morning and finished the following evening, the whole time loathing each interval where I had to put it down, as it was completely captivating. The Wild Swans entails two parallel plots that do not seem entirely parallel until you reach the end. The two tales are so different that it is an astounding feat of the author to have tied them together so perfectly. Ultimately each left the imprint that family is precious, and must be fought for despite persecution, sought for despite apparent disappearance If not for the author, I never would have chosen to read this book, as it is in no way related to the normal choices of my reading. Yet I found it to be fascinating, as well as eye opening. The characters are well developed and presented, consistently conveying emotion in both action and speech. Both story lines are well thought out and flowing, each making you desire to keep turning pages. Altogether an enchanting, not to mention horizon broadening, read.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Silence = Death, January 31, 2000

By	M. J. Walters "dargelos" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Not-quite-parallel, but related stories set 300 years apart, tell the stories of two young people who may or may not be related by blood but are definitely related by misfortune. "The Wild Swans" is partly a reworking of Hans Christian Anderson's fairytale about a girl who must save her brothers from a spell which has turned them into swans, and partly a tale of a young man rejected by his family because he's gay. It's a remarkably apt connection to have made because the message of the AIDS activists - Silence = Death - is so important to both stories. There are many points at which the stories can and do meet, but one of the most elegant is the idea of the weaving of the nettles (for which, substitute grief and memory) into the shirts (read the AIDS quilt) which will release the swan-men from their enchantment (a symbolic gesture of solidarity and support for AIDS victims and AIDS research.) Without beating her readers over the head with a message, Kerr manages to express all the most important ideas and emotions in a graceful narrative that has moments of remarkable beauty. Highly recommended.