Nora Fischer’s life isn’t going well. Her dissertation is stalling, and her adviser is threatening that Nora needs to do better. Her long-term boyfriend broke up with her on the weekend she thought he was going to propose. Now she’s invited to an out-of-town wedding, one her ex is also attending. The morning of the wedding, she wanders off on a mountain walk, and stumbles across an old cemetery. An intriguing epitaph catches her eye, and she repeats it aloud to help her remember it, since she’s out without pen and for paper has only a paperback copy of Pride and Prejudice.
She begins to wander through the cemetery and soon finds herself in beautifully landscaped gardens, never-ending. She wanders for hours, it seems, enjoying the fantastic designs, until she spots a swimming pool complete with deck chairs, and a pitcher and glasses filled with some kind of invitingly cool juice. Every part of you is screaming not to eat or drink ANYTHING, but Nora does anyway, and soon meets the delightful, intriguing Ilissa. Ilissa is apparently the owner of all this fantastic wealth, and she presses Nora to stay for the simple party she’s throwing that evening for 100s of people, all of whom are catwalk-worthy gorgeous, elegant and sophisticated. Much to her surprise, Nora finds herself suddenly gorgeous too–lithe and elegant, with a strong jawline and natural blonde hair instead of her previously wide face and mouse-brown-dyed-blonde.
Every night there are fantastic parties, with varying themes–the 60s, the 20s, the Renaissance–and Nora finds herself perfectly outfitted each time. Ilissa’s son, Raclin, is dangerous and enticing and pays special attention to her. But where does he go every day? Why does he never show up before dusk? Although Nora’s an intelligent woman, she seems to have turned her brain off. She’s sort of ditzy and passive now, but every so often thoughts will occur to her, questions and concerns. When one day she wanders off and somehow crosses out of summery gardens into a barren winter landscape, she meets people who call her Faitoren and claim she’s enchanted. The magician Aruendiel promises to help her escape if she wants to, but Nora goes back to find that the illusions are beginning to wear thin, and that a darker side is beginning to show itself.
I actually haven’t given away all that much of the plot of this 500-page book. This is just the opening set up. Nora finds herself living in a different world altogether, far beyond our solar system. The plot synopsis on the back of the book says she’ll need different skills than she needed in grad school, but I felt her past uniquely suited her to a new role in a new universe. She draws on past experiences working in restaurants, uses her skills in learning a new language, and even finds her knowledge of poetry put to use in a unique way.
Parts of The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic are really funny. I got such enjoyment out of Nora’s reaction to finding herself in a world Elizabeth Bennett might have recognized–a world where women need to marry to survive, where their happiness and success depends nearly entirely on the men in their life. It’s also a fun book for English majors–author Emily Croy Barker puts in lots of allusions to various well-known poems and stories. It’s also just a really good story.
The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic is a fantastic book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The ending was delightfully open-ended and even a bit ambiguous, which made me happy. I’m hoping for a sequel, which is apparently in the works according to the amazon page. Because at the end, Nora finds herself having to make a choice, between the world she knows and loves and the world she is beginning to know and love. And then she wonders. But I didn’t.
I unequivocally loved this one. Perfect for those looking for a new world to lose themselves in.
Carrie, Reading to Knowc says
I couldn’t get into it. I wanted to! I got a few chapters in but there was enough language and one scene that really got to me so I ended up closing the book.
I think it’s a fantastic idea for a story! I was ready to be completely swept away! But, in my case, I couldn’t do it.
Elizabeth says
Carrie, try it again. I know the scene you mean and I put it down, disappointed, and decided I wouldn’t finish it since I was sure the rest of the book would be like that. It wasn’t at all. For some reason, about a week or so later I decided to give it one more chance and I’m so glad I did!