The Story Collector by Evie Woods
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Web ID: 19875810A great dual timeline book!
This dual timeline book set in Ireland gives a glimpse into the lives of two young women. Sarah is a woman from 2010 who is searching to find herself after her recent breakup with her husband. She leaves her life with him in New York City and boards a plane to stay with her sister in Boston ... but she doesn't quite end up in Boston. The other main character, Anna, is from one hundred years earlier in Thornwood, Ireland. Sarah learns about Anna from a diary she finds near the home where Anna lived in 1910. The two stories are magically woven together with threads of faerie stories from the past and the present. Irish folklore is written so wonderfully and vividly in this charming story, the characters are beautifully captured and you really get to know them well through the author's wonderful descriptions and narratives. Make yourself a nice cuppa, snuggle into a comfy chair, and get to know these two young women and the others in this delightful story.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
I Loved This Book!
I even loved it more than Evie Woods first book. She is a magical writer, and I loved so many of her characters and their words, such as: "Life was like a great painting; if you only focused on one part, you would miss the full picture." Our ordinary lives can indeed be magical!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
a good read!
Beautifully fantastic story of healing, finding peace and magic. Two extraordinary women who carry grief differently find their way in the world, and look for the magic of hope. Absolutely bewitching. The setting, the myth, and search for truth had me hoping for magic and love throughout it all. Fate brought the Yank and Irish together again in Butler cottage. I do believe this is my few favorite book Review posted: There are stories that bring magic, and then there is "The Story Collector" that paints a vivid land engulfing the reader. From the first page of Sarah & the first entry by Anna, you will be immersed in the magic of Ireland & The Good People. Even ordinary people have extraordinary stories to tell... Past and present dance with each other as these women search for freedom from their past and hope for tomorrow. Eloquently written, and heart-wrenching, Evie Woods will have you racing to find the ending. After all, one should always listen to the whispered wisdom coming from Cnoc na Sí, and take care for the bees.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
More a historical fiction than a fantasy
Fairies are always a favorite topic. I enjoyed the way this focused on history and tradition. The story as it relates to the fairies is well woven. Similarly, Anna’s story is great. I found myself falling in love with Ireland as it existed in her part of the tale, captivated by the story of the town and the way of life back then. Sarah’s ending works. No spoilers but I was happy with the way she chose to wrap things up and honor herself. If you're a historical fiction fan who wants the old Ireland story, you'll likely enjoy this the most. While it does introduce a faerie element, that is more in traditional Irish lore than it is fantastical.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A magical story
A beautiful story about finding stories from the past while also finding yourself with the help of folklore set in the landscape of Ireland. This story touches on grief and loss but is beautifully written.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
will appeal to lovers of fairy folklore.
The Story Collector is the third novel by Irish author, Evie Gaughan who also writes as Evie Woods. Just before Christmas in 2010, Sarah Harper finally decides to quit her failing marriage but, at the airport, instead of flying to her sister in Boston, she impulsively gets on a plane to Shannon, in Ireland. This late in the day, when she arrives, there’s “no room at the inn” and she ends up in a cosy little cottage in Thornwood. Still trying to ward off panic attacks after The Big Bad Thing that happened two years earlier, her somewhat ill-advised outdoor run leads to the discovery of the hundred-year-old diary of Anna Butler. Sarah finds it a fascinating read, as does Hazel Sweeney, the granddaughter of her cottage landlord. Living with her family in a cottage in the County Clare village of Thornwood, eighteen-year-old Anna Butler stays busy with farm chores and lace-making, and wishing that George Hawley, the Lord’s sone at Thornwood Hall, would notice her. They do say “Be careful what you wish for” When, in late 1910, Harold Griffin-Krauss, a serious Californian student of anthropology turns up needing a go-between for his research into fairy beliefs in the community, Anna is glad to help: it will be a change of scene, quite a number in the village have interesting stories to tell, and perhaps she’ll even share with him her own experience with the Good People. When Harold is introduced to the Hawley twins, he’s less impressed by them than Anna expects, even though George’s twin, Olivia seems to have taken a liking to Harold. Amongst all the stories Anna and Harold hear, there’s a tragic one about the Hawley twins and their mother, talk of changelings. And there are rumours about George’s behaviour, but he’s such a charming gentleman, surely they can’t be true? Woods puts a few nice parallels in her dual time line story, and gives her characters wise words and insightful observations. When a couple is grieving: “you end up saying what you think they want to hear. There’s a fear in all of us, that we’ll lose the relationship. But I suppose we end up losing ourselves instead.” However, the characters are not instantly relatable, and the style of the diary is unrealistic. A sweet little novel that will appeal to lovers of fairy folklore. This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Magical
This was a charming, heartwarming, delectable story in which I truly savored. What's not to love about a story told in two time periods in the knolly countryside of Ireland - both in 2011 and in 1911? Sarah, a woman going through a difficult time in her life who makes the questionable decision to hop a flight to Ireland instead of to her sister's house on the West Coast, while grieving the loss of a child. There she finds a diary that one hundred years ago belonged to another young woman named Anna, who was helping translate Irish folklore about fairies to English. Through the power of storytelling and the beautiful mystical land, magic happens. And that's all I'll say. Read the book. Read it now. Then tell your friends.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
3.75 stars
THE STORY COLLECTOR by Evie Woods This story follows two women, Sarah and Anna, a hundred years apart (2011 and 1911), who are connected through a long lost (now found) diary. I really liked the Irish folklore and superstitions described throughout the book. I found it all to be fascinating. It reminded me of the tales my family would share about our Filipino culture’s superstitions and mythical creatures. Sometimes mysteries with a romance subplot make me roll my eyes, but this one didn’t. It did make me want to jet off to Ireland and learn more about “the good people” and fae folk. Note: I chose to listen to the audio book in tandem and Heather O’Sullivan’s Irish accent was lovely. Also enjoyed hearing the correct pronunciation of Irish/Gaelic words as I definitely would have butchered them. Rating: 3.75/5 ⭐️ **ARC courtesy of Netgalley & HarperCollins360
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com