📚📚📚📚 1/2
The Astral Library
Kate Quinn
304 pages
William Morrow
I have been very mixed on Kate Quinn’s historical fiction; I have loved some of it and some has bored me to tears. This is a huge departure for Ms. Quinn because this is not historical fiction but fantasy. However, there were familiar elements to this book that rendered it a bit less of a departure than other fantasy novels. I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Quinn’s foray into a new genre. Although I am not normally a fan of fantasy, I do like one from time to time, if done right. This one was.
I loved the protagonist in this novel. What is there not to love about a plus size book lover who is down on her luck? We meet Alix Watson, a refugee from the foster care system, who never had the opportunity to attend college and who is working three jobs to try and make ends meet. It is a difficult life but the character has a self-deprecating wit that keeps her from becoming too depressed and depressing. It is impossible not to root for her. There are few people on earth who do not dream of escaping when life becomes hard. Those of us that are bibliophiles will wish upon occasion to escape into the literature we read. I have; I really and honestly believe that there is not a booklover on this planet who has never wanted to become a character in their favorite novels. That is a given and it takes a childhood much less difficult than Alix’s to fantasize about that; it is probably why many of us read to begin with. We want to escape into worlds that we can become part of.
One day, when Alix escapes to the Boston Public Library to forget about life for a while, she opens a hidden door and finds herself in a very special library: one that provides visitors with the opportunity to become a character in a novel. This is where Ms. Quinn finds some familiar territory. Some of the authors whose works visitors escape into include Sherlock Holmes, Jane Austen and the Great Gatsby. There was “research” as there might be in a historical novel into the worlds of these authors’ works. My only difficulty with the book was in this part. I found some of the actual adventures into these novels fascinating and others a bit dry. This was where my attention flagged a bit.
While Alix explored these fictional worlds, she discovers that things are not okay in the running of this library. Since this quickly becomes an important place in her life, offering her refuge and hope, she becomes involved head deep into what is happening in this library, so that she can preserve it.
Not everyone will appreciate this book. I am not necessarily sure that hard core fantasyphiles will. This is clearly fantasy; there is no question. However, I do not believe this to be the kind of fantasy that those who are true fans of the genre love. It will appeal to those of us that love books, even to many that are not predisposed to the genre, because this is a fantasy that most of us that have. We can relate to it.
I would love to see a sequel to this book. There are so many things that can happen in this world of literary characters coming to life, so to speak, and I can envision Alix spending more time in this world while still trying to cope with life on the outside, as well as her burgeoning romance (you will need to read the book for this information). I love it when authors expand their horizons and try something new. Their efforts do not always succeed but it is a brave thing to do and it worked here.
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with the opportunity to read this book. All of the opinions here are my own.
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