A Pocketful of Crows is based on one of the Child ballads -- specifically, 'The Brown Girl'. I have to say, I was pleased to see a retelling that isn't based on one of the most well known stories or songs. The Child ballads are a huge resource of stories, some of which totally need retelling to make proper sense of them, but people often go for retelling the same stories over and over again. I haven't seen anyone play with 'The Brown Girl' before, and it's refreshing.

Joanne Harris' writing has a lovely clarity to it; this book is just a dream to read, with a strong narrative voice. The things that frustrated me are things that frustrate me about the ballad as well -- how does the girl not realise her lover's insincere? Harris manages to make me believe it at times, but I still find it frustrating that she's so naive. Mind you, it also makes sense, given the extra narrative Harris draws in: the story of Mother, Maiden, Crone. I love the way she weaves the ballad into that shape and makes it more than it is on the surface.

Definitely enjoyable, and I have a feeling the physical copy is going to be gorgeous.

Review goes live on 25th August.

Wow! They say the best things come in small packages, and this little book demonstrates this perfectly! Such a stunning cover too!

This is a wonderfully staged 'fairytale' with a twist! It's a very simple story - girl meets boy, girls falls in love, boy betrays girl, girl gets revenge - but the writing style is so beautiful that it creeps under your skin and holds you spellbound throughout. It is based on the poem 'The Child Ballads, 925'

The 'wilding girl' is one of the travelling folk. They don't mix with the villagers, they just watch from afar, and she collects coloured things that the villagers drop. One of these things turns out to be a charm left by a girl with the name of 'William' left on there. From that moment it seems that the wilding girl is destined to meet William, and her whole world is turned on its' head.

Before she is happy to live her life through the nature she is surrounded by - one day she is a vixen, the next a hawthorn - but when the emotion of 'love' appears in her life she can think of nothing else. And this powerful force that enters her life is soon her downfall as her beloved William betrays her in the worst way, and all she can think of is revenge.

I loved how the story switches from traditional fairytale with its' beauty and wonder, and then soon draws into the darker side of fairytales and human emotions and how far she is willing to go to free herself of her strong feelings to William and how this impacts the villagers she once kept away from

Such a magical read from the way she transforms into a variety of wildlife and the simplicity of life she leads, to the perspective of first loves and how it consumes you and blurs who you were and who you become, to the desperation of finding out love is not all it seems. It really takes the reader on a twisted journey and I can't wait to read it all over again!

I confess I wasn't really sure what sort of a book this was nor whether it was my sort of book. I very quickly discovered it was my sort of book even if I don't recall reading anything quite like it before. It's inspired by, and takes its story from, "The Brown Girl" which is one of the Child Ballads. While these were collected together in the 19th century they are far older than that. This and the other ballads are essentially old folk tales a number of which have become folk songs. It is about a wild girl, unnamed, who lives in the woods and falls in love. She calls herself a traveller.

Depending which version of the ballad you look at there is a maximum of 16 four line verses. To make that into this book seems remarkably creative. It weaves myth, legend and folk stories into a tale about love. For me it also asks if the wild can be tamed and what happens then; is madness a possibility.

The writing is really beautiful as I read it - poetic and magical. It also gives a real sense of time and place while being timeless and unbound. I don't recall reading anything quite like this before. It manages to be light and dark and compelling and engaging and much more all at the same time. I guess I'm not absolutely sure who the target audience is however if it appeals to you I think you are the target and you should enjoy this wonderfully rich tale. I rarely re-read books these days - this one may well be an exception. I was simply blown away by this and would love to read another from this author if it was anything like this.

Based on a poem, this short story tells the tale of an unnamed wilding girl who lives alone in a forest until she meets a local lords son and falls in love. Bound by a name, but then betrayed, she seeks revenge on all who scorn her in her attempt to reclaim her powers.

This was a beautiful, almost lyrical book. The prose describing the woods throughout the seasons were delightful, and really transported me into the forest and the world of this untamed girl. I especially loved the times we got to see her transported into the eyes of the forest creatures around her, from vixen to doe, and her interactions with the hawthorn.

Each season is divided into chapters, and start with a poem relating to that season or month. The poems may be old folk tales or rhymes, and I thought they were a lovely touch and added another layer to the story itself. I've heard that the finished book will also include illustrations, which I can image will be just as gorgeous as the writing and the cover of the book, and I can't wait to see them.

At times I found the unnamed girl unlikeable and naive, especially at the beginning. She shows no respect or understanding of the Folk she lives near, although as the story progresses we see this prejudice stems from the Folks misgivings about her. The growing rumours and suspicions and talk of witchcraft that surround the girl as the story progresses really highlights that awful side of humanity that seems to rear its ugly head when we face people we don't truly understand or are somehow different. I also really disliked William, who seemed so easily able to discard this girl he first sees in the woods after showering her with declarations of love, and quickly moves on to the next woman he finds. I felt sorry for Fiona however, I felt that if only the unnamed girl could see how similar they were, both fooled by the same man, they could have been allies but instead she ends up bearing the brunt of the unnamed girl's retribution.

I thought the ending was well concluded, and came full circle. I wasn't expecting it either, which is always a bonus. A wonderfully crafted and magical story.