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Book Tour // The Mermaid’s Daughter by Ann Claycomb

March 9, 2017March 9, 2017 Crystal // Dreams, etc. 5 comments
Book Tour // The Mermaid’s Daughter by Ann Claycomb

Note – I received a copy of the book from the publisher through TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. No affiliate links were used in this post.

About The Mermaid’s Daughter

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (March 7, 2017)

A modern-day expansion of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, this unforgettable debut novel weaves a spellbinding tale of magic and the power of love as a descendent of the original mermaid fights the terrible price of saving herself from a curse that has affected generations of women in her family.

Kathleen has always been dramatic. She suffers from the bizarre malady of experiencing stabbing pain in her feet. On her sixteenth birthday, she woke screaming from the sensation that her tongue had been cut out. No doctor can find a medical explanation for her pain, and even the most powerful drugs have proven useless. Only the touch of seawater can ease her pain, and just temporarily at that.

Now Kathleen is a twenty-five-year-old opera student in Boston and shows immense promise as a soprano. Her girlfriend Harry, a mezzo in the same program, worries endlessly about Kathleen’s phantom pain and obsession with the sea. Kathleen’s mother and grandmother both committed suicide as young women, and Harry worries they suffered from the same symptoms. When Kathleen suffers yet another dangerous breakdown, Harry convinces Kathleen to visit her hometown in Ireland to learn more about her family history.

In Ireland, they discover that the mystery–and the tragedy–of Kathleen’s family history is far older and stranger than they could have imagined. Kathleen’s fate seems sealed, and the only way out is a terrible choice between a mermaid’s two sirens–the sea, and her lover. But both choices mean death…

Haunting and lyrical, The Mermaid’s Daughter asks–how far we will go for those we love? And can the transformative power of music overcome a magic that has prevailed for generations?

My Thoughts

A Little Mermaid fairy tale retelling? As soon as I heard about it I was sold!

I have some mixed feelings, though, so I’ll start with what didn’t work for me. The book was told in multiple points of view, with interludes from sea witches. I don’t have a problem with multiple viewpoints, but I had trouble with it in this book. I’m not quite sure why. I also wasn’t a fan of the interludes from the sea witches. It added a unique look at the narrative of The Little Mermaid (and when we’re talking about a Little Mermaid-retelling, it’s the original fairy tale, not the Disney version), but it didn’t work for me. The story also felt a little long to me; it could have been much shorter and the length would have been perfect.

That being said, I thought this was a fantastic retelling of The Little Mermaid! I loved the musical aspect of it–I always love when music is incorporated into the novel. I loved how parts of the original fairy tale were worked into the novel–the stabbing pains in her feet and all of that. It kept the darker tone of the original. The writing was beautiful and there were some quotes that I wanted to write down. I thought this was a really unique take on the original story–it’s not like any other Little Mermaid retellings that I’ve read. I really did enjoy it!

Find It

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Photo by Brian Persinger

About Ann Claycomb

Ann Claycomb’s fiction has been published in American Short Fiction, Zahir, Fiction Weekly, Brevity, Hot Metal Bridge, The Evansville Review, Title Goes Here, and other publications. She has twice been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and has an MFA in fiction from West Virginia University.

About Crystal

About Crystal

Hi! I'm Crystal, a millennial learning how to live slowly and sustainably, while still seeking adventure and following my dreams, etc.

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5 comments

  1. Charlotte says:
    March 9, 2017 at 9:24 am

    As someone who grew up reading the original (and often terrifying!) fairy tales, this is definitely something I’d be interested in checking out. This story was always particularly dark which is why I’m glad the author kept that feeling. Thanks for the recommendation — will look for this one! Xoxo

    Reply
  2. kdwald says:
    March 9, 2017 at 1:35 pm

    The Fairy Tale ending of TLM always bothered me, in the same way The Giving Tree bothered me. This sounds like it has just the right amount of tweaking for me. šŸ™‚

    Reply
  3. HeatherTLC says:
    March 10, 2017 at 11:10 am

    The inclusion of music in a written story is particularly pleasing to me. I love that!

    Thanks for being a part of the tour.

    Reply
  4. Laura says:
    March 11, 2017 at 10:35 pm

    Sounds like an interesting read. Sometimes I like books told from multiple viewpoints, sometimes I don’t!

    Reply
  5. atkinson56376 says:
    April 4, 2017 at 10:49 pm

    We are very impressed to read the book on About The Mermaid’s Daughter. I found lot of interested to read this book and this is also well informed and well helpful for us to know about her.

    Reply

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hi!

I'm Crystal, the storyteller behind Dreams, etc. I'm all about learning how to live slowly & sustainably, while also seeking adventure as we follow our dreams, etc.

Hello, friends! šŸ‘‹šŸ¼ Swipe through for a few g Hello, friends! šŸ‘‹šŸ¼ Swipe through for a few glimpses from January. As 2022 came to an end I had this feeling that I was preparing to hibernate and I guess, in a way, I have. I’ve been slowly easing into the new year, focused on getting back into a few routines after Iceland and the holidays. And it’s been a great month. I can’t believe it’s almost over. What have your favorite moments of January been?
2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of 2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of so many dreams experiences. Whales. Cape Cod/Nantucket. Iceland. I saw musicals that have I’ve been dreaming of with Moulin Rouge, Wicked, and Six. 

It wasn’t without its stresses and rough moments but I’m grateful for the good that can be found, even when it’s hard.
Let’s journey back to November for the second we Let’s journey back to November for the second weekly dam walk of the month. My dad joined me for this one and we made it somewhat fast because it was a chilly day. ā€œThe water looks cold,ā€ I said when we back to the car.

Between Iceland and the below zero, windy, and snowy weather we had last week (which came with requests from my parents not to go) it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been to the dam and I miss it!
Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Vienna and it still lives in my memory today as such a special time. I know December in Reykjavik will be the same—and not just because I came home with a little over $100 worth of ornaments of all 13 Yule Lads AND their mom AND the Christmas cat. (There was a little bit of miscommunication between my mom and me on that shopping trip. šŸ˜‚)

It might have been cold (and when that wind hits you don’t want to be outside or by the harbour…I speak from windswept, breath-stolen experience and will forever be grateful for the library we eventually found respite in) and we only saw the sun a few hours each day, but seeing this already charming city decked out in Christmas lights with a skating rink and the prettiest tree secured it’s place in my heart.

Reykjavik, I hope to see you again one day. Soon. Probably not in December, but I’m glad I got to see you in December once.
Last year my niece and I visited New York at Chris Last year my niece and I visited New York at Christmastime and it was fun to see the city decked out in lights. I can also now say that I’ve seen the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and skating rink and the Saks Christmas lights, but I’ve also seen the crowds they draw.

It was completely different in Reykjavik this year. You actually had a chance to skate on the ice rink if you wanted (and I never did the conversation, but I think it’s cheaper) and you could actually walk up to the Christmas tree. Two very different Christmas in the city experiences.
Iceland, Day 2, Part 2. We ended the Golden Circle Iceland, Day 2, Part 2. We ended the Golden Circle tour with a stop at Thingvellir National Park. My fingers froze as I took these photos but it was worth it to capture this view. šŸ˜ PS - the last photo is from a lake we stopped at on our way from Geysir to Thingvellir.
Iceland, Day 2, Part 1. We went on a rather unvent Iceland, Day 2, Part 1. We went on a rather unventful Northern Lights tour the night before and slipped in a few hours of sleep before meeting our bus for the Golden Circle tour. Our tour guide was @busdriver_annie and she was amazing! Pictured: Faxi (the small waterfall) Gullfoss (the big waterfall), a wool market where we also saw some animals, and Geysir (the hot springs area). Geysir is actually the most famous geyser in the world but it doesn’t erupt anymore. However, Strokkur erupts every 5 - 10 minutes. I’ll share more photos from the tour soon!
Iceland, Day 1. We landed bright and early at 6:30 Iceland, Day 1. We landed bright and early at 6:30 am, dropped off our bags at the hotel, and went exploring. We saw HallgrĆ­mskirkja, the amazing view from the bell tower, the rainbow street, and walked down Laugavegur. Swipe to the end to see the view from our apartment!
Scenes from November, which were mostly at the dam Scenes from November, which were mostly at the dam apparently.
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