The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic

When Nora Fischer, a graduate student, takes a wrong turn while on a solo hike, she--like Alice--crosses the boundary into an alternate world in which magic is commonplace and looks can be deceiving. Alyssa Bresnahan's enchanting performance keeps listeners spellbound as they follow Nora's struggle to find a safe haven and a useful occupation in a strange land. With spot-on expressiveness, Bresnahan captures the personalities of the characters, such as a taciturn housekeeper and a deliciously manipulative fairy queen. Thanks to Bresnahan's fine sense of tempo and emotion, listeners feel Nora's fear in battle as easily as her joy at learning new skills. An outstanding narrative performance combined with a compelling plot makes for a stellar audiobook experience. C.B.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

June 3, 2013
Nora Fischer has lost everything: dumped by her boyfriend, her dissertation going nowhere fast, her life an empty shell. She decides she needs an escape. In this ambitious, densely packed debut by journalist Barker, Nora finds that instead of getting a small break from normality, she has escaped into another world in which magic exists—and is not as cute and cuddly as she might have imagined. Though the story starts with a classic tale of unpleasant fairies working their will, it morphs into something deeper and more nuanced when Nora meets the magician Aruendiel. Barker weaves together classic fantasy and romantic elements (including shout-outs to Pride and Prejudice and hints of Wuthering Heights) to produce a well-rounded, smooth, and subtle tale. Agent: Emma Sweeney, Emma Sweeney Agency.

November 15, 2013

Doctoral student Nora Fischer goes to a wedding one weekend and wanders off--right into the arms of a fairy queen in a different world altogether. Nora's life is transformed by beautiful glamours, until she realizes one day that things are not always as they seem with her new friends. She is rescued by a magician, Aruendiel, and lives with him at his modest castle, eventually learning magic from him as well. There is an obvious lead-in to a sequel, which could help explain the slow start and middle to the long novel. Nora spends time defending her intelligence, but said intelligence does not seem to crop up until near the end. However, she is a character worth following, and her relationship with Aruendiel is enticingly complicated. Narrator Alyssa Bresnahan presents a decent range of voices, and only the slightly too long pauses between tracks disrupt the flow of the story. VERDICT This is a good bet for fans of Deborah Harkness's A Discovery of Witches and Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.--Samantha Matush, Clara B. Mounce P.L., Bryant, TX

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