Tuesday, March 27, 2018

The Book of Pearl by Timothee De Fombelle - ADVISABLE

De Fombelle, Timothée The Book of Pearl, 355 pages. Candlewick Press, 2018. $13.00
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.

This is an English translation of the French book. Oliå has given up her fairy powers for Ilian, the teenage Prince she loves. Iliån is exiled from his kingdom and forced to come to our world in 1936 France, where he takes up the name Joshua Pearl. Throughout his life in our world, he is on a quest to find his way back to The Kingdoms so he can return to Iliån.  There is a happenstance meeting between an old man and teenage boy. As the teenage boy becomes older, he becomes the storyteller that accounts the lives of Oliå and Iliån. Can these two star-crossed lovers find a way to break a curse that keeps them separate? Can they return to the Kingdoms? Can true love conquer all?

At first, the story can be confusing because you are thrown into the story with a limited amount of knowledge as to what is happening. As you progress through the novel, you are ensnared with the beautiful prose and lyrical writing style. The main characters are strong, complex and intriguing, and you can’t help but fall in love with them. As you read, you are drawn into this beautiful star-crossed lover’s story as Joshua Iliån Pearl is exiled into our world and is trying to make it back to his world, and Oliå is trying to find him. The male storyteller is sharing the magic of their journey and we are invited along for the ride. It was a clever read, and it keeps my mind engaged in the story.

HS - ADVISABLE. Reviewer: RK

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