I turned through the last pages of Charles de Lint’s Moonheart this evening. The novel was quite an enchanting read. From cover to cover it was filled with believable characters, situations filled with impact and well-balanced magic.
The story was primarily set in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, a city that left a strong impact on me the two times I was lucky enough to visit it. De Lint brought it to life with an ease he has shown in the other books he has written (a few of which were also based in Ottawa), and rekindled my want to visit that place again. His mention of other locations, including my home province, Nova Scotia, and Halifax, the city I call home, added a sense of true placement and reality in my own world.
Mr. de Lint’s skillful development and protrayal of characters is always a highlight of reading his works, and this novel was no exception. The characters of Sara, Keiran, Jamie, Blue and Tucker stood out for me especially because they held a sense of being true. While each held elements of archetypes (Tucker the hardened cop, Blue the tough yet sensitive former member of a biker gang, and Sara the untested and hesitant heroine), they all were individuals of complexity. While not as endearing as his characters that reside in Newford, the ones found in this novel will no doubt stick with me for some time due to their potency in gaining empathy and understanding.
Charles de Lint’s blending of myths is always one of the aspects of his work that draws me back time after time. His combination of Celtic and Native Canadian myths was quite seamless and displayed much of their similarities and also their differences. His referencing of Taoism as well was of interest to me since I have been studying it in these past few months. His tying together of beliefs has been something I’ve been dealing with in the creation of my own patchwork spirituality.
Be certain that this is a book I would recommend to each of you. It has a strength running through it’s binding that’s hard to ignore, and an enchanting realism that you many never forget, but be glad to remember. This is a worthy novel to save your nickels and dimes for.
The story was primarily set in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, a city that left a strong impact on me the two times I was lucky enough to visit it. De Lint brought it to life with an ease he has shown in the other books he has written (a few of which were also based in Ottawa), and rekindled my want to visit that place again. His mention of other locations, including my home province, Nova Scotia, and Halifax, the city I call home, added a sense of true placement and reality in my own world.
Mr. de Lint’s skillful development and protrayal of characters is always a highlight of reading his works, and this novel was no exception. The characters of Sara, Keiran, Jamie, Blue and Tucker stood out for me especially because they held a sense of being true. While each held elements of archetypes (Tucker the hardened cop, Blue the tough yet sensitive former member of a biker gang, and Sara the untested and hesitant heroine), they all were individuals of complexity. While not as endearing as his characters that reside in Newford, the ones found in this novel will no doubt stick with me for some time due to their potency in gaining empathy and understanding.
Charles de Lint’s blending of myths is always one of the aspects of his work that draws me back time after time. His combination of Celtic and Native Canadian myths was quite seamless and displayed much of their similarities and also their differences. His referencing of Taoism as well was of interest to me since I have been studying it in these past few months. His tying together of beliefs has been something I’ve been dealing with in the creation of my own patchwork spirituality.
Be certain that this is a book I would recommend to each of you. It has a strength running through it’s binding that’s hard to ignore, and an enchanting realism that you many never forget, but be glad to remember. This is a worthy novel to save your nickels and dimes for.