Muse and Reverie: A Newford Collection

Charles de Lint always delivers...if you love finding pockets of magic in everyday life this is a writer you should get to know.

I've been reading Charles de Lint since the 70s. He writes about Native American, Celtic and fae mythology (mostly) and while I have loved everything he has written, his Newford books are dear to my heart. Set in a made-up city in Canada, there is magic in Newford, where mermaids live in the harbor and the Queen of the Fairies lives inside the local mall. Full of legends, art, music and an unforgettable cast of characters. I bought the book used and it was in great condition and arrived quickly.

in 'muse and reverie', a collection of charles de lint's stories, he casts an array of engaging and recurring characters as he blends magic and myth to weave entertaining tales of an inter-dimensional world where the fantastical meets the eye and the unbelievable becomes undeniably real. this type of fiction may not be everybody's dish of tea.. i guess i'd call it 'magical realism'. he is not afraid to tackle the dark side especially when it comes to the issues many children and young adults face such as tragic misadventure, parental ineptitude, homelessness, neglect and abuse including sexual. not too much of that in this collection, but one very graphic passage which is told from the spirit of a brutally raped and murdered girl. so, not children's stories fer sure. i might add that the copy i purchased through amazon turned out to be a beautiful first edition hardcover with cover art i love.

I have to start out by saying that Charles de Lint is one of my favorite authors so I tend to be favorably inclined towards his work from the get-go. However, this collection of short stories exceeded even my expectations. There is a perfect mix of characters I met in his earlier collections and with whom I got to catch up and new friends that I got to know for the first time. As always with his Newford stories, he entertwines the mythical and the practical, the mysterious with the mundane to create a fantastic landscape filled with adventure and discovery. De Lint provides a wonderful juxtaposition of the ancient with the modern, using his stories to help highlight the challenges of everyday life. I highly recommend this, and the rest of his Newford tales, to anyone who enjoys mythology, folk lore and fantasy.

De Lint's book Muse and Reverie makes for an entirely engrossing read- each story will leave you breathless for more! De Lint's descriptions are so realistic and his characters seem so believable. De Lint's narrations and dialogues give the characters unforgettable personalities and leave readers with a sense that these ink-and-paper people really exist somewhere. De Lint takes a reader on an unforgettable journey through the hearts and minds of all his characters, never quite revealing all the secrets but still giving readers tantalizing glimpses into a world beyond their own. Muse and Reverie, like many of De Lint's books, will leave a reader half-believing in the hidden world of the faerie hidden just beneath the surface of the world of humans. I recommend it to everyone who enjoys De Lint's many wonderful works!

I am a huge fan of Charles de Lint's work, and this book does not disappoint. This collection of Newford stories has it all - sadness, laughter, music, life, love, death, cats... and some of our favorite characters - the irrepressible Crow girls, Jilly - and some less familiar characters that are so enjoyable to get to know.My favorite story is "Riding Shotgun". It focuses on the idea that you CAN have second chances, but maybe those second chances aren't what you think they'll be...A definite must for the de Lint fan, and a good introduction to those new to his work.

And this one is absolutely no exception. I've got about 20-30 de Lint books and I just love the ones that are about Newford! Jilly, Sophie, and the gang are all represented delightfully (there are people not directly mentioned or just have cameos but you know they're there just the same). And, the Crow Girls are the best - I can never get enough stories of them. De Lint has been my favorite author for a long time and all of his books are great - I keep everyone I buy because I know I'm going to reread them.

I am a fan of this author's urban fairy tales. Many of these short stories are written in the first person, and the protagonists are a diverse and interesting collection of characters. The writing is excellent, and I am quickly drawn in to the stories, set in a modern urban setting, but with twists of mythic creatures that exist alongside us in the normal world, mostly unseen and unnoticed. A great bedtime read, unlike his full-length novels that I can't put down until I've read until way too late into the night!

This is Charles de Lint's 5th Newford collection, and it doesn't disappoint. Some of the stories have appeared in other collections, but this book brings together a host of old favourites - Jilly Coppercorn, Meran Kennedy and the Crow Girls, as well as a few newer characters in stand alone stories. The tales themselves range from the mystical 'somwhere in my mind there is a painting box' and the sweetly funny 'crow girls christmas'. Some of the stories have that dark, bittersweet urban edge, some are more magical. But none of them are boring! De Lint at his best! Just the thing for curling up on a winter's night with a warm quilt and a hot toddy.

Charles de Lint has once more reached out with imagination and creativity to tickle the mind and emotions of his audience. This collection of short stories is just what I needed to brighten my spirits during those house bound winter storm hours.

Reading this book was like getting news from good old friends that you haven't seen for a while: Jilly, the Crow Girls, etc. Charles De Lint is always a good read!

brilliant book to add to my collection of many Charles DeLint books. Wonderful! Into the GreenInto the Green