The Marsh King's Daughter
Ratings15
Average rating3.8
Great book! The way the story is told grabbed my attention and I flew through the story. The first person account of the story by the girl who grew up the way she did was interesting and thought-provoking. Would be a great book for book club discussions!
Sooo atmospheric! You really feel like you are there and that the Upper Peninsula is different than other places in the world.
It also beautifully portrays the complex relationship between a child and a parent. We see how Helena struggled to connect to her mother as well as how she struggles to disconnect from her father.
And we get a suspensful chase as well! Wonderful story.
I wish it was more detailed almost? But at the same time I like how it was short and sweet. The setting really hit home as someone from Michigan and also someone who grew up outside a lot. A real page turner as they say
I skipped over the fairy tale excerpts that introduced the chapters, but I enjoyed the story of this woman's unusual background and relationship with her parents and husband.
This wasn't my typical reading choice. But I did enjoy it. From the beginning, the narrative is so convincing that I had to seriously consider if this was based on a real event. The present-day story is surprisingly short. The bulk of the book relates to Helena's childhood, so you're reading both storylines as well as how it has a similarity to the fairytale of The Marsh King's Daughter.
This is definitely not for the faint of heart. The worst gore in the book relates to hunting (I wouldn't call it graphic, but it is disturbing), and Helena's mother giving birth. Kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder are at the core of this book. However, Karen Dionne does not go into detail about these events other than letting the reader know that they happened.