Diving Belles, by Lucy Wood

Welcome to a place where the magical and mundane are entwined.  Prepare to realize that every person, place, and feeling has a story of its own.  This collection of short stories ranges from wives recovering husbands lured by mermaids to a house watching over its ever chancing occupants to a boy searching for a sign of his father in a boneyard for giants.  If this book teaches you anything, it is to not look at the everyday as being so everyday afterall.

I have quite mixed feelings about this book.  First off, Lucy Wood writes in a way that is silky and enchanting.  Her command of language is amazing, making me feel as if I were wrapped up in a giant sable on a cool winter's day.  I loved the exquisite way that she writes, full of sadness and beauty, joy and despair, dark and light all at once.  It is quite clear that she has a tremendous gift.  And I did enjoy the fact that the stories are so mystical.  I liked the hints of magic and the unexplained, it felt like a game of make believe.

As with any book of short stories, some struck me more than others.  I particularly enjoyed Of Mothers and Little People, as well as Notes from the House Spirits.  They were sweet and sad at the same time.  My only real criticism of the book is that I found a lack of resolution to the stories.  It seems like the just start and stop so abruptly.  It made me feel as if I were dreaming, or trying to hear underwater or something.  And this is not necessarily a bad thing overall regarding the book.  It just left me wanting a little closure.

I received a review copy as part of TLC Book Tours.  See the rest of the tour here.

 

If you liked this review, please rate it (and others!) as helpful on my Amazon profile. My Amazon Profile