Mermaid

November 8, 2010
In Turgeon's surprisingly dark retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, two women pine for the affections of a prince: mermaid Lenia, who pulls Prince Christopher from the sea, and Margrethe, the princess of the rival kingdom, who witnesses the rescue from the convent where she hides from the war raging between their two kingdoms. Lenia, who falls instantly in love with the prince, sacrifices the sea, her voice, and her health to be with him on dry land. Meanwhile, Margrethe believes that marrying the prince would unite their kingdoms, but when she arrives to arrange it, she finds him already enraptured with Lenia. While he remains unaware that the girl he loves is also the mermaid who saved him, Margrethe recognizes her rival immediately and puts into motion a plan to send the ailing mermaid back to the sea and save her own ravaged kingdom. Turgeon has done a superb job of creating compelling characters and conflict from a story already familiar to readers.

November 15, 2010

Two princesses (one earthbound, one aquatic) vie for the heart of a prince in this new twist on the classic fairy tale.

For 18-year-old mermaid princess Lenia, the world of men could not be a more exotic or fascinating place. Although her experience with humans is limited to the shipwrecks and dead sailors she comes across in her ocean-floor kingdom, she yearns for more. She gets her wish when she is finally permitted to go up and explore the surface, and has to save a young man from drowning during a storm. She delivers him to the shores of a convent and into the arms of a young novice. That girl, Margrethe, is actually the daughter of the northern king, hiding at the convent for her own protection. And, as luck would have it, the rescued sailor, Christopher, is the son of her father's arch nemesis, the southern king. The two royals share an attraction, without knowing each other's identity, and Christopher leaves without knowing Margrethe's secret. Back with her merpeople family, a smitten Lenia pines for the prince and strives to find a way to be with him. Her quest takes her to the sea witch, Sybil, who informs her that becoming human is indeed possible, but comes with a steep price. Lenia has to give up her beautiful voice, and her lovely new legs will cause her chronic pain, like walking on knives. Also, Christopher must marry her if she is to survive and acquire a human soul. No matter. Lenia takes Sybil's potion and goes to her beloved, who is indeed charmed by the mute otherworldly creature Lenia has transformed into. They become lovers, but she has competition. In order to stave off an almost inevitable war, Margrethe hatches a plan to marry Christopher herself, and unite their kingdoms. But while that might be good politics, it does not bode well for Lenia, who is unable to explain her situation to anyone. Faithful for the most part to Andersen's dark fable, Turgeon's (Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story, 2009) version wisely gives voice to the mermaid's rival, making the prince's ultimate choice—and Lenia's sacrifice—even more poignant.

A gothic love triangle with two equally matched heroines. This isn't kid's stuff.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

November 15, 2010

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful mermaid who fell in love with a human prince. She risked everything to be with him, sacrificing her voice and her tail...only to lose him to a rival: a real human princess. So goes Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Little Mermaid, the basis for Turgeon's (Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story) latest novel. The twist in this version is that it is told from alternating perspectives--we get the story as seen through the eyes of both the mermaid and the human princess. Where Turgeon excels is in her lyrical prose and ability to explore different points of view. In giving voice to Andersen's relatively anonymous human princess and contrasting her story with that of the mermaid's, Turgeon adds a mature depth to this classic tale of tragic love. The edges are softened; each character's motives and actions are more complex and less easily judged by the reader. The effect is absorbing, poignant, and heartbreaking. VERDICT Readers who love fairy tale retellings will find this fresh take difficult to put down.--Leigh Wright, Bridgewater, NJ

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2011
Turgeon refashions Hans Christian Andersens beloved classic, The Little Mermaid, into something altogether darker and more foreboding. When two women from two decidedly different worlds fall for the same prince, what else can ensue but heartache and misery? After rescuing a human from the sea, mermaid Princess Lenia falls hard for Prince Christopher, even agreeing to give up her beautiful voice and to endure the constant pain caused by her new legs in order to pursue him on dry land. Meanwhile, Princess Margrethe has also set her sights on the handsome prince in hopes of uniting their two warring kingdoms. With Lenias life on the line and war looming on the horizon, the princes choice is bound to have catastrophic consequences. More robust than a fractured fairy tale, Turgeons brooding retelling gives voice to both women, fleshing out an essentially tragic tale of destiny and desire. Not exactly a cozy bedtime story, but guaranteed to keep you guessing whoif anyonewill live happily ever after.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)