Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Gollancz (2017), 240 pages
Description
I am as brown as brown can be/And my eyes as black as sloe/I am as brisk as brisk can be/And wild as forest doe. (The Child Ballads, 295) So begins a beautiful tale of love, loss and revenge. Following the seasons, A Pocketful of Crows balances youth and age, wisdom and passion and draws on nature and folklore to weave a stunning modern mythology around a nameless wild girl.Only love could draw her into the world of named, tamed things. And it seems only revenge will be powerful enough to let her escape.
User reviews
LibraryThing member misspider
With 'A Pocketful of Crows' Joanne Harris delivers a poetic story about a tragic love, but also about the circle of life and nature. Weaving together a magic fairy tale and folklore we follow a nameless wild girl living in the woods, far away from the village of the 'Folk', where she lives in the
Like a calendar, the chapters follow the months of the year with a short rhyme from the 'Child Ballads' or some old saying of wisdom introducing each one. The book was a fast read, and every now and then I had to slow down to truly appreciate the poetic nature of the story.
(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)
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disguise of animals. Until one day, she meets a handsome young man and they fall in love. However, it is not meant to be, and too late realizes the girl that her place is not among the village Folk, but in nature. But now she is bound by the name that was given to her, and in order to be free again, she not only has to forget everything, but also to bring a sacrifice. Only at the end she realizes that every end marks a beginning, and what important role she has to play in nature's circle of life.Like a calendar, the chapters follow the months of the year with a short rhyme from the 'Child Ballads' or some old saying of wisdom introducing each one. The book was a fast read, and every now and then I had to slow down to truly appreciate the poetic nature of the story.
(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)
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LibraryThing member Silverlily26
I loved this story, it was a wonderfully written fairy tale where the story just flow. If you like fables you will enjoy this book.
LibraryThing member quondame
This pretty bowl of bitter fruit salad doesn't quite jell. Why should the traveler girl call out dates using saint's days? Did Harris want to avoid using the more familiar Irish terms now current? What happens with Fiona doesn't work either, not really.
Awards
British Fantasy Award (Nominee — Novella — 2018)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
240 p.; 5.2 inches
ISBN
1473222184 / 9781473222182
Local notes
Based on the poem 'The Brown Girl', one of 'The Child Ballads'. A nameless Faerie girl is a wild child living in the forest who finds a love token for the local lord's son. Taking it, she then stops the boy from being trampled by his horse, falling in love with him and he with her. Until, bitterly betrayed by him she sets about getting her life back and seeking revenge on all who have hurt her.
Signed by the author.
Signed by the author.