The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic

By: Emily Croy Barker

Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan

Length: 26 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

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

In most ways, this is just the kind of book I seek

This was a treat. I like longer books with lots of detail and respect for the reader's need for a plausible story. If an author wants to send me through time or into another dimension, then I want at least a fair explanation of how that happened. I'm one of those unfortunate people who can't suspend my understanding of reality and just go with a story...give me something to let me think the strange circumstances MIGHT happen. This story does that.

The publishers' summary gives you an idea of the plot. I don't like reviews that retell the story, so I won't do that here. Here are the pros and cons as I see them.

Cons: The author seems to have an ax to grind with pretty people, Only one character who I would classify as "good" gets to be attractive; a female magician who befriends the heroine. All the other favorably portrayed characters are plain, disfigured or elderly (not that older people aren't still beautiful). I get that it's nice to read a book about romance between characters that aren't unrealistically handsome and beautiful. But this story goes a step further; almost implying that real aesthetic human beauty does not exist, but rather is always an illusion.
Men don't fare much better. The hero is surly and sour and killed his first wife. (no spoiler here. This information is provided early.) There is a handsome knight, who is pretty dim and "dismissable". There again, pretty can't have anything else going on.
My last con: This is the beginning of a series? trilogy? I knew that going in, but this book doesn't end, it just stops, mid story. This isn't so bad if the next installment is in the works and can be expected in a reasonable amount of time. Let's hope the author doesn't operate on a timetable similar to Harkness (A Discovery of Witches) or Gabaldon (Outlander Series). While I understand the amount of detail and research I love takes time...three year cliff hangers take away from the enjoyment of the story. (IMHO)

Pros: This is an interesting take on magic and travel between other versions of our world. The descriptions of the heroine's life in this strange world are rich. Magic is treated as any other area of study: the student might have aptitude for a subject, but hard work and practice are the key ingredients. Don't get me wrong..we're talking magic here. Some smart theories about how it works, and even the implementation of good old Algebra are utilized, but the basis of the story is the ability of many of the character to cast spells and enchant others. So it's escapism..but with some thought required.
Others reviewers have said they wouldn't put this book in the romance genre. While there's no bodice ripping or endless declarations of love, there is no denying this is a love story. A complicated and unfolding one. I like that too. Love is complicated and messy, and the author does a remarkable job presenting it as such.
The narrator is good.

So, if you like shifting between worlds, magic, a slow burn love story, patient character development, and yes, a little Algebra on the side, I recommend this book. Be prepared to want to scream with frustration at the end of the book, and realize it might be a little while before you get to pick of the story again. If you can deal with that, it is a great way to spend 26 hours.

Heroine is more thoughtless than thinking

If you found yourself suddenly in Midieval Europe, would you be so idiotic as to insist that the whole culture adopt your 21st century values? Or would you realize that you need to adapt to the times in which you live, perhaps just pushing the envelope a tiny bit? This is an interesting story, ruined by a thoughtless, self-centered protagonist, who is supposed to be a literature doctoral student, but is incomprehensibly thoughtless in too many situations to really be an educated person, trained in critical thinking. I wish this were an early draft, and about to be re-written to present a more thoughtful and creative protagonist. Despite her, the overall plot is compelling.

The author has a unique voice and beautifully captures subtle feelings and observations. She also presents a compelling new story about fairies, different origins of magic, and different worlds. It is a creative story with an unfortunately formulaic heroine. I listened to the whole thing, frustrated at times with the protagonist, but drawn in none-the-less. The ending is abrupt and disappointing, and presents yet another example of the heroine's severe lack of ability to think.

Loved the narrator. She infused the story with deep emotion and gave the many characters distinct voices that felt right. I would seek out books narrated by her again.

"How bad can it get?" This bad.

This was possibly the worst written book I've ever tried to get through.However, being a true fan of the witch/magic genre, I hung in there, hoping maybe for some magic spell to change this mindless, predictable drivel into something closer to the "Outlander meets Harkness" mashup I'd hoped this book would be. The writer leaps worlds without blinking, invents the rules then doesn't obey them. Even this would be sufferable if she hadn't taken her truly bright college grad student heroine and made her dumb, Dumb, DUMB. As soon as this chick gets a pretty dress, she's swooning in idiocy.HELP ME SOMEBODY! I admit, I cannot even finish it. I'd rather have my six year old tie me to Disney Channel and watch endless re-runs of FROZEN while she's screeching "Let it Go" than go one paragraph further with this book. I'm mad and disappointed. :(

Boring, predictable, and frustrating!

Not only does the author waste time on a strange series of scenes in the beginning that could have been told much quicker, the book seems to have multiple personalities. In addition, the author telegraphs later events by heavy-handed foreshadowing. Most frustrating though are the inconsistencies of the main character. She has an incredibly difficult time believing a situation that she can see and hear and feel, yet she dismisses a murder committed by another character simply because it is acceptable by his society's standards. Overall, the book dragged by and made me angry every other chapter.

Fantasy for Adults

I really loved this book. It is grown up fantasy (without sex), wherein the characters are all adults who act and speak rationally, interact with each other as adults, and think before they act. It's really very refreshing. Oh, and did I mention there is magic?

Nora takes a walk up an unfamiliar mountain path and accidentally crosses over into another world. She is immediately taken in by a group of Fae and their queen. The magic they use enchants her, making her feel calm and happy and more beautiful, but all is not as it seems. She ends up having to escape their clutches, and the person who helps her, ends up becoming her protector and teacher in the ways of magic.

This is Nora's story as she learns to survive in a totally new world. It is also about her discovering her own magical abilities, and about her concern for her family left behind. It's also about love.

And I loved every minute of it.

Little of "Thinking women" here

What would have made The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic better?
Better, more aggressive editing. They could've lost a good 200+ pages, and the story'd still be too meandering. This might end up being the second book I ever return. I'm a repeat lister of my books and I can't imagine willingly sitting through anymore of this drivel.

Would you be willing to try another one of Alyssa Bresnahan’s performances?
NOT IN A MILLION YEARS. While the story was ok at times, her narration made me HATE Nora pretty early on. The character was already prone to being whiney, but the way she voiced her drove me insane. Warbley, whiney and capable of getting under your skin in the worst way. The way so many Nora sentences started with a weird nasal clipped snotty "Well..." drove me crazy.

Grimm meets Austen

Any additional comments?

This book has that special "something" that made me want to savor each moment, each interaction, and each event. The pace is perfect: unhurried, but never dull. Because nothing is rushed, readers are allowed to settle into a new world right along with Nora. Further, Nora is NOT whiny, wildly beautiful, given unlimited powers, or loved by hoards of men with sculpted abs and square jaws (thank goodness). Nora is neither young nor old, at 30, which is a nice change from the late-teen and early 20-something predominance in the genre (if this can be said to have a genre.) The narrator adds to the experience by emoting with restraint; the feeling is in her voice, but it never approaches melodrama.

I am just sad that it ended. I wanted to stay there, with them, a while longer. There will, no doubt, be a sequel, but now I have to settle in for the long wait. I wish I were you, having not yet started this journey yet, just so I could do it all over again.

Not terrible but A Discovery of Witches is better

Would you try another book from Emily Croy Barker and/or Alyssa Bresnahan?

Maybe. If I was really bored. I kept waiting for something to happen and though the story progressed, it wasn't very exciting. I also still don't get the title. I had read the Discovery of Witches books and kept feeling like this was a watered down version of the same idea-even the title.

Where's My Ending!(SPOILERS)

I really liked the book. Nora, Aruendiel, Raclin and Illissa are good characters. I was very drawn in by the end but oh that end!!! No reunion!!! No declaration of love!!! Looong book to have no ending at all. Seemed like a set up for a sequel but it's been 5 years and I see no sequel in sight....

Return...

This will be my first book to return. As my daughter often says, "It was just stupid."