The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic

By: Emily Croy Barker

Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan

Emily Croy Barker’s riveting debut novel is a must-read for fans of Lev Grossman and Deborah Harkness. The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic follows grad student Nora Fischer as she stumbles through a portal into a magical world.

Having been transformed from drab to beautiful, Nora finds herself surrounded by glamorous friends. Life seems perfect. But then things take a terrible turn, and Nora must learn magic from a reclusive ally if she is to have any hope of survival...

©2013 Emily Croy Barker (P)2013 Recorded Books

Very slow and horrible ending

The book was entirely too long but I stuck with it thinking it had to get better. The ending was very disappointing and almost seemed that the author herself just gave up.

Slow, slow read with heroine who does nothing

I'm usually a very impatient reader and this is a very slow book. The heroine has no agency - things happen to her, but it took 12 hours before she actually DID anything herself. At 15 hours in she still hasn't started to learn any magic. Icecaps are melting faster than this plot is progressing.
There are good reasons for the heroine's early lack of agency but she then meanders about doing nothing for an incredibly long time, long after those reasons have been removed. She spends the first half of the book drifting about like a ghost, making no decisions and taking no actions.

The writing style was really enjoyable for me though, and compelling enough paired with Alyssa Bresnahan's soothing performance to make this a relaxing, laid back story I could keep listening to, even if it crawled at a snail's pace.

Semi spoiler alert

AKKKK! It simply ended. After such rich detail throughout the story, it just stopped. I was enjoying it until that point. So frustrating!

Frustrated

I suppose I liked the story well enough. Coming to terms with your options in a foreign world where your beliefs violently clash with the current circumstances. Not unlike the situation I find myself in now in the time of COVID.
But I digress. Prevailing with what feels true is what Nora, the main character, had to inevitably realize. But the story is long and I am frustrated with her choices. No spoilers but the end found me wanting.

unexpectedly enjoyable

My first impression was that it was slow and a bit hard to follow. Once I let go of my expectations, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't want it to end. I truly hope there is a sequel in the best future!