A Wild Winter Swan

De: Gregory Maguire

Narrado por: John McDonough

After brilliantly reimagining the worlds of Oz, Wonderland, Dickensian London, and the Nutcracker, the New York Times best-selling 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 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.

©2020 Gregory Maguire (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

My favorite maguire book

I have listened to this audio book multiple times since finding it. I’ve been a fan of Greg maguire for 20 years but this is my favorite book of his. Also the narration is perfect. I love the story the characters and the settings. This should be a movie.

I think it was...okay?

As far as the audiobook, the reader doesn’t use much inflection with the different characters, so it was a bit confusing at first, but I caught on by chapter four.

As far as the book, very well written but nothing happens until chapter 12/13. And after that, still nothing too exciting. Do I regret reading it no, but would I recommend it? Doubtful. Not sure how I feel.

My favorite author/narrator combo

Was thrilled to find this on sale! I have loved every book with them together so far, and this is no exception. The narrator is very soothing to my ear, and does justice to the wit and turn of phrase that, to me, is the hallmark of Gregory Maguire. This is a slightly more down to earth flight of fancy then some of his other novels, but so enjoyable, and I know will be listening it to it again soon.

Meh

Couldn’t get into the storyline. I love John Mc D in other series, but this narration was underwhelming. I Couldn’t get passed chapter 5.