Who recommends: Preeti, Lori, Julie, Shelley, Rebekah, Lynn, Isabel, Shelly, Catie, Margaret
Who discommends:

More of McKillip's magical prose and deft retelling of classical (dare I say archetypal?) stories. I read another review that sums it up perfectly, "While most writers render a story into language, McKillip wrests her stories from the language itself." The writing is luminous and engulfing. Oh, and there's a pretty good plot and romance, too. ;)--Rebekah

Another wonderful book - I love the way McKillip handles language.--Isabel (31 Jul 99)

Need to reread before I can form an unconfused opinion, rather than recollect the whole novel as something like a dream, with different details to the fore each time I think about it.--Tanya (30 Jul 99)

I love Patricia McKillip books. It's been several years since I've read most, so I'll need to re-read them before commenting on them. I read Winter Rose last year and thought it was beautiful. She's very good at evoking mood and setting. I almost felt like I was looking at a series of paintings that described a tale.--Shelly (31 Jul 99)

This however, is precisely my kind of book. The perfect poetic language; the drowsing dreamlike vision of the story; the gleaming ring of fresh-minted fairy tale. Gorgeous. One of the best books I read this year it rockets up my personal SFR 101 (I'd like to vote again sometime <g>).--Catie (27 Oct 99)