Orfeia - Joanne M Harris

 

I am absolutely delighted to be on the book tour today.

Published in hardback by Gollancz on 3rd September 2020, £14.99 

The stunning new novella from No 1 bestselling author Joanne Harris: Orfeia is a  gender-flipped retelling of the Orpheus Myth, beautifully illustrated by  Bonnie Helen Hawkins 

Description

When you can find me an acre of land,
Every sage grows merry in time,
Between the ocean and the sand
Then will you be united again.
(Inspired by The Child Ballads 2 & 19)

So begins a beautiful and tragic quest as a heartbroken mother sets out to save her lost daughter, through the realms of the real, of dream, and even into the underworld itself.

But determination alone is not enough. For to save something precious, she must give up something precious, be it a song, a memory, or her freedom itself . . .

Beautifully illustrated by Bonnie Helen Hawkins, this is a stunning and original modern fairytale.

Review

I recommend getting the hardback copy of this book to read. The beautiful gilding on the cover and the gorgeous end papers ensure the fairytale begins even before you start to read!

Once you do commence reading you will be immersed into a fairytale for grown ups set amongst familiar London landmarks such as Kings Cross and Piccadilly. For me this contemporary setting meant whilst being a fairytale, it had some anchors in places I knew and could picture. For the underworld London, which had such charming names as London Beyond and London Beneath there are beautiful illustrations to help you imagine that world.

Fay's daughter Daisy has died and Fay doesn't feel like she belongs in this world anymore without her. She has a grief councillor who isn't helping and she goes running at night to try and forget. Is everything that happens to her just a dream, or is she really in an underworld with a chance to find and bring back her daughter?

When Fay first arrives in London Beyond she thinks there must have been a power cut, for she can see the stars, and there are no stars visible in London. It's these modern day references that really brought the story alive for me and I believed in a world that is just out of our grasp through the cracks in the pavement. 

This novella whilst not long should not in my opinion be rushed. I looked forward to delving between the covers and into the amazing and detailed illustrations each time. It was so delicious, like slipping into a bath of warm chocolate. Like all good fairytales there is darkness and light. I can see the similarities to the tale of Orpheus, however this modern twist brings home the feelings of loss and grief in a more accessible way. 

The name of the author may seem familiar to you? - it is of course Joanne Harris of Chocolat fame and whilst she has added the "M" for this series of books, you can be assured as always of a wonderfully expressive written book.

I'm giving this delightful and charming book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Random Things Tours and Joanne M Harris for a copy of this beautifully bound book to review.

Praise for Joanne’s previous novellas: 

“It may be a little book, but it has considerable power to enchant” – METRO on A Pocketful of Crows 

“Love, treachery, the call of the ocean: this wintry modern fairy tale features all three… perfect for anyone who  loves a good story.” MAIL ON SUNDAY on The Blue Salt Road

Joanne Harris is an Anglo-French writer, whose books include fourteen novels, two cookbooks and many short stories. Her work is extremely diverse, covering aspects of magic realism, suspense, historical fiction, mythology and fantasy. In 2000, her 1999 novel CHOCOLAT was adapted to the screen, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. CHOCOLAT has sold over a million copies in the UK alone and was a global bestseller. She is an Honorary Fellow of St Catherine’s College, Cambridge, and in 2013 was awarded an MBE by the Queen. Her hobbies are listed in Who's Who as 'mooching, lounging, strutting, strumming, priest-baiting and quiet subversion'. She plays bass guitar in a band first formed when she was 16 and runs the musical storytelling show Storytime. Joanne lives with her husband in Yorkshire, about 15 miles from the place she was born. Find out more at www.joanne-harris.co.uk or follow her on Twitter @Joannechocolat