After brilliantly reimagining the worlds of Oz, Wonderland, Dickensian London, and the Nutcracker, the New York Times bestselling author of Wicked turns his unconventional genius to Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Wild Swans,” transforming this classic tale into an Italian-American girl’s poignant coming-of-age story, set amid the magic of Christmas in 1960s New York.Following her brother’s death … York.
Following her brother’s death and her mother’s emotional breakdown, Laura now lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, in a lonely townhouse she shares with her old-world, strict, often querulous grandparents. But the arrangement may be temporary. The quiet, awkward teenager has been getting into trouble at home and has been expelled from her high school for throwing a record album at a popular girl who bullied her. When Christmas is over and the new year begins, Laura may find herself at boarding school in Montreal.
Nearly unmoored from reality through her panic and submerged grief, Laura is startled when a handsome swan boy with only one wing lands on her roof. Hiding him from her ever-bickering grandparents, Laura tries to build the swan boy a wing so he can fly home. But the task is too difficult to accomplish herself. Little does Laura know that her struggle to find help for her new friend parallels that of her grandparents, who are desperate for a distant relative’s financial aid to save the family store.
As he explores themes of class, isolation, family, and the dangerous yearning to be saved by a power greater than ourselves, Gregory Maguire conjures a haunting, beautiful tale of magical realism that illuminates one young woman’s heartbreak and hope as she begins the inevitable journey to adulthood.
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In this engaging reimagined story, a teenage girl in the Upper East Side of Manhattan in 1962 lives a marginalized life in shabby splendor. Beset by casual bullies at her last-ditch private school, Laura is failing socially and academically. Her familial relationships continue to decline with her guardian grandparents due to her struggles and their pressing financial concerns.
Enter the swan-boy – a broken, confused metaphor wrapped in a story that is somewhat familiar to Laura. Her attempts to help the boy, her grandparents and herself result in a series of events with mounting desperation, dogging her every action.
Maguire masterfully engages us through his clever dialogue, so full of (very familiar to me) immigrant snark with healthy doses of situational piety. He juxtaposes these sensibilities against the delightful insouciance of Laura, the second-generation teenage American.
Shakespeare tells us that “brevity is the soul of wit.” He couldn’t be more correct than in this instance. Maguire’s expert prose consistently delivers. I highly recommend it!
I’ve been hooked on the works of Gregory Maguire since I read Wicked. I noticed this book had received mixed reviews so I was a bit hesitant. I will admit the story starts off rather slowly and it seems like the main character is going to be quite unlikeable. As the story went on, I was drawn in and ended up really enjoying this take on The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen.
Laura has suffered a great deal of heartache. Her father was killed during the war, her brother has died, and her mother is unable to cope with her grief. Laura’s Italian grandparents are doing the best they can to raise her and give her a loving home. Laura has difficulties at school and has failed to make any friends. It seems she is always in trouble. Her one saving grace is that she volunteers to read to a group of young children. One day she reads them the story about the wild swans. When a boy with one arm and a swan wing mysteriously lands at her house, Laura is sure she’s losing her mind.
This story is rich with layers. It explores grief and how people have different coping mechanisms to work through pain and tragedy. It showcases the good in humans and the need to love and be loved. It also touches on the joy that animals can bring to our lives. Finally, it provides the reader with a sense of hope.
While this is more of a short story than a novel, either way it’s an enjoyable tale well worth the read!
My Review of
A WILD WINTER SWAN
By Gregory Maguire
Published by William Morrow Books
******
This is my first book my the famous Author, Gregory MacGuire who wrote Wicked, which is also a Broadway sensation. I couldn’t be more affected by a book than I am now. I finished this book in one swift gulp as I couldn’t wish to part from it. The writing is exceptional and the characters I fell in love with. If I could pick a book that I would want to never end, it would be A WILD WINTER SWAN. The satire kept a smile on my face and laughs constantly coming from by belly. The descriptive writing and story building had me not seeing words but a movie with scenes in my head. I knew what the house looked like in detail and I could recognize the characters on the street. I couldn’t recommend this book more and I highly suggest it as a heartwarming gift. A beautiful retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s, THE WILD SWANS.
*****
Laura does not have it easy. Being the target of bullying at an all girls school, living with her elderly, traditional Italian grandparents due to the death of her father before she was born, the loss of her brother in an airplane crash and her mom losing herself mentally from grief & loss, Laura is living an isolated life.
Living in the Upper East Side of Manhattan in a brownstone, her grandfather owning his own store and having a cook, Laura has been given the best that her grandparents can give. Things get worse after an incident involving her seeking payback at one of her bullies at school leaving her expelled and nowhere to go but a boarding school in Canada.
She doesn’t leave until after the Christmas Holidays and in this time a magic meeting takes place. She find outside, on the roof a boy barely alive that she brings inside only to discover he has one arm and one wing. He is part swan just like a fairytale. She must get him warm and save his life and keep her grandparents or houseguests from discovering him. Through the times they spend together, silently they can communicate and an emotional bond is formed. But as the holidays progress, there are events that will happen that will amuse you, freak you out, make you sad and so much more. Laura learns from this encounter and you see her transition from child into a young adult. Sometimes, letting go is the kindest thing you can do.