![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Book Review
Jun. 3rd, 2013 04:30 pmMermaid in Chelsea Creek
by Michelle Tea, with illustrations by Jason Polan
This book was surprisingly wonderful - I got it in Goodreads giveaway that I'd entered because I was intrigued by the book because of its setting but not sure it would really be my thing. I was happily quite wrong to doubt.
Mermaid in Chelsea Creek is about Sophie, a 13 year old who, while playing the passing-out game, has a vision of a mermaid inexplicably residing in her hometown's polluted creek. This leads to Sophie's discovery of the hidden magic in the world and her role as a long-awaited girl of magical power, predicted in a myth that persists in the immigrant communities of Chelsea. The plot revolves around her discoveries of these new realities and how both herself and her friends and family members fit into it all. It's all very reminiscent of a fairy tale, complete with an evil witch, fairy godmother, and enchantments both beautiful and ugly. Since most of the main characters are Polish-American, the magical elements come from Polish folklore and legend, which was immensely appealing to me. I especially liked the way Tea used the fairy tale elements while maintaining a very gritty realism in her portrayal of working class people in a run-down town. Also, the writing is just plain good and the characters are very engaging - I kept wanting to know more and more about all of them.
by Michelle Tea, with illustrations by Jason Polan
This book was surprisingly wonderful - I got it in Goodreads giveaway that I'd entered because I was intrigued by the book because of its setting but not sure it would really be my thing. I was happily quite wrong to doubt.
Mermaid in Chelsea Creek is about Sophie, a 13 year old who, while playing the passing-out game, has a vision of a mermaid inexplicably residing in her hometown's polluted creek. This leads to Sophie's discovery of the hidden magic in the world and her role as a long-awaited girl of magical power, predicted in a myth that persists in the immigrant communities of Chelsea. The plot revolves around her discoveries of these new realities and how both herself and her friends and family members fit into it all. It's all very reminiscent of a fairy tale, complete with an evil witch, fairy godmother, and enchantments both beautiful and ugly. Since most of the main characters are Polish-American, the magical elements come from Polish folklore and legend, which was immensely appealing to me. I especially liked the way Tea used the fairy tale elements while maintaining a very gritty realism in her portrayal of working class people in a run-down town. Also, the writing is just plain good and the characters are very engaging - I kept wanting to know more and more about all of them.
