Susan’s Book Blog

This is basically part 2 of a previous post, Magic & Nature in A Marvellous Light , found here . (It is copied in its entirety and pasted below, as well.) This update/continuation includes content and information from the sequel, A Restless Truth.  The magic system in A Restless Truth carries on in the tradition we see established in A Marvellous Light of being closely associated with nature. You can see several examples from AML in the post below.  But right from the beginning of ART, I noticed the casual usage of flower names; I noted and highlighted 4 instances of flowers being mentioned in the first chapter alone. And then of course we have the characters of Violet and Hawthorn who themselves are plant/flower names. (And if you remember Flora Sutton from the first book, her first name means flowers.) A major aspect of the plot of ART is about a group of women who called themselves the Forsythia Club, after the yellow flowering spring shrub. Of course, the purpose of...

While reading A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske, I had some thoughts about the connections between their magic and the natural world.                     The magical world Marske’s created is wonderful. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read or seen before; it’s fantastical and creative but also… down to earth at the same time? The magic has many limitations and complexities, which is part of what makes it feel so much more realistic .   If you recall, William Morris was mentioned by name and his work referenced numerous times throughout the book.  Robin ignored the bustling of the upstairs maid who was clearly doing her best to prepare a room on five minutes' notice, and went to run his hands over the wallpaper. "This is William Morris." "Yes, sir," said the maid. In addition to the willow bough wallpaper Robin initially noticed, the paper in Maud’s room at Penhallick House with the birds and strawberries - a famous patt...