The Thorn and The Blossom

Description:


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.


My Review:

The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I borrowed this book from a friend, and let me tell you, it was completely worth it!  The best thing about this book is the accordion style binding.  Read one side, and then flip it over and read another.  I loved how I was able to read two points of view at the same time.  The second best thing about the book?  The Celtic myth intertwined in this book!  I love the greenman and any Celtic myth, so the fact of how Ms. Goss intertwined this into the story was great!

I loved Ms. Goss’ play on names.  The Blossom is Evelyn, but her middle name is rose.  It is also very close the name of the heroine of the Arthurian tale.  And Brendan Thorne is (of course) the thorn of the story.  This is not to say that he is the “thorn in the side” kind of character.  Actually, both Evelyn and Brendan each have a “thorn in the side”; Evelyn with what she thinks is her psychosis and Brendan with his wife.

I found it interesting how this story doesn’t end with a happy ending.  There is what I’d like to call a contentment ending.  This just means that both characters find a contentment that leaves the book at a type of resolution without ending the book on a cliffhanger or a neatly tied up bow. 

With the intertwined story of Gwain and his lover and Evelyn and Brendan, you can be sure that you are not misinterpreting it when you feel déjà vu.  Feed into those assumptions, and you will be glad you did.

Overall, I find this book to be delightful and a must for anyone to read.  But the key to enjoy this book the most: Must be a “real” book – No E-books allowed for this one! 

I highly recommend this book. 

Happy Reading!


Cana