Title: The Thorn and the Blossom: A Two-Sided Love Story
Author: Theodora Goss
ISBN: 9781594745515
No. of Pages: 82
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis:
”One enchanting romance. Two lovers keeping secrets. And a uniquely crafted book that binds their stories forever.
When Evelyn Morgan walked into the village bookstore, she didn’t know she would meet the love of her life. When Brendan Thorne handed her a medieval romance, he didn’t know it would change the course of his future. It was almost as if they were the cursed lovers in the old book itself . . .
The Thorn and the Blossom is a remarkable literary artifact: You can open the book in either direction to decide whether you’ll first read Brendan’s, or Evelyn’s account of the mysterious love affair. Choose a side, read it like a regular novel—and when you get to the end, you’ll find yourself at a whole new beginning.”
Thoughts: One cannot discuss The Thorn and the Blossom and not discuss the book’s format. Reading it takes some adjustments, as without a traditional spine, it is all too easy to let the book open up completely, exposing all of its accordion pages. Once a reader gets the hang of holding the book and reading it, the format itself disappears, allowing the reader to focus on the story itself.
Reading such a two-sided novel is especially appealing to readers who always wondered what other characters were thinking or feeling. Ms. Goss takes that guesswork away from readers but does so in such a way that readers will not be disappointed. Certain scenes from Evelyn’s perspective suddenly make more sense when seen through Brendan’s eyes and vice versa. This is especially important given how short each story is. Only so much can be stated within 41 pages, so Evelyn’s and Brendan’s individual stories help fill the gaps that by necessity are left due to their story’s brevity.
That being said, one cannot help but wish that the individual stories were longer. Ms. Goss’ ability to draw pictures with words is marvelous, and her descriptions are absolutely luscious. There is so much potential within either character’s world that it seems an absolute tragedy to have the individual stories abbreviated to such an extent. The gaps in time and the lack of fully-fleshed characters do the story itself a disservice, although the fact that a reader feels this lack so keenly is a testament to just how effective the story is given its current constraints.
The Thorn and the Blossom is a creatively-presented story that packs quite a punch within its few pages. Evelyn and Brendan are extremely likable and sympathetic, and their struggles to find happiness touch a reader’s heart with surprising swiftness. The two stories balance each other perfectly and make it the type of novel that one can read and re-read in order to catch every nuance, hint, and explanation that rounds out the story in its entirety. While the story itself could certainly be told in a more traditional format, bouncing between perspectives, the accordion pages make The Thorn and the Blossom a fun and effective alternative.
Acknowledgments: Thank you to Eric Smith from Quirk Books for my review copy!
I know what you mean. It just isn't a great book.
Oh, you should have told me sooner and I would have sent my copy to you. I donated it to my library a few weeks ago!
Not that it wasn't good. I worded that badly.
I really liked this book when I read it earlier this year. It is just a pretty book even if the story wasn't good… 🙂
I remember being fascinated by the format when I first heard about this one – but haven't found time to look for a copy yet!
Me too. It definitely works for those looking for something romantic.
I've never read a book with this format. This seems like the perfect book to read when in a romantic mood. I'm such a mood reader…
It is short, and the story is definitely not quite as fleshed out as one would wish, but it is still enjoyable. It takes some getting adjusting to hold it without the entire thing flopping open, but once you get the hang of it, it is a quick read!
😉 Enjoy!
Interesting and potentially great marketing gimmick, for lack of a better word. Although, if you can't figure out how to hold it, I assume it can be frustrating. Story sounds quite good too, as I always like a clever romance. But the 41 pages seems kind of short. Whatever, there is enough here to tempt me to read it 🙂
82 pages? I'm adding that to my TBR right now.
It sounds pretty cool, I'll put this on my list of books to request 🙂
It was very much a clever format, and the story itself was great!
It was necessary and gimmicky, if that made sense. It made for a more intriguing novel to read each character's story one at a time. It could all be combined into one novel of course, but I do think it would lose some of its appeal that way.
This was my first experience of two books in one. There were things I liked and things I didn't. However, it was fascinating to see how the two stories intertwined. Ms. Goss recommends going back and reading the first story over again after reading the second one. It is definitely worth doing so.
Thanks, Juju! It is definitely interesting. At 82 pages, it is an easy read too.
This sounds like a clever format to me. And the summary is intriguing!
The story itself sounds fascinating, I'm not sure about the format though. Did it seem necessary? Or gimmicky? Hmmm.
I've read two in one books before, with one book upside down from the other–but this is the first I've heard of a format like this–and with two connected stories told in this particular format. It's definitely unique! The story itself sounds interesting too and it's good to hear the two stories compliment each other so well. I will definitely have to look for this one!
Wow. This sounds fascinating. I really want to see this book now. Great review.