A Little Bit of Magic...

One of my favorite fiction genres is magical realism.  I recently picked up the Creativity Issue of Writer's Digest magazine, and there was a fun article all about writing and reading magical realism.  The author of the article defines this genre as "a literary genre grounded in reality and imbued with mystical elements," which I think sums it up rather nicely.  The author included a reading list for those authors/readers interested in exploring the genre, and although I haven't read all of the selections, I loved the list and thought I would review a few that I have read.

The list included:

• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
• Beloved by Toni Morrison
• 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
• The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
• The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
• The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel
• Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
• The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
• Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
• The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
• The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
• The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
• Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
• Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I thought I'd pick my top three favorites from this list and share my thoughts about them (it wasn't easy to narrow down to three, but I also didn't want to make this post a million words long).

1. The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman is one of my absolute favorite authors of all time.  I count the days between each of her amazing books and seriously can't get enough once I pick one up.  Her writing is stunning, and The Museum of Extraordinary Things is no exception.  The novel takes place in New York during the early twentieth century when Coney Island was new and sideshows were all the rage.  The story is of a young girl, Coralie, whose father operates the Museum of Extraordinary Things in NYC.  Coralie is raised in a world of different characters with talents and oddities, and eventually becomes the main attraction in her father's museum.  On the other side of town (away from the city), immigrant Eddie, with talents of his own, becomes involved in a case of a missing girl who was thought to have been in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. 

This novel is bookended by tragic fires (which are historically true and accurate) and tells a story that you will easily find yourself getting lost in.   You will root for the love story, cry for the individuals who are caught in tragic circumstances, and wonder what it would have been like to live through it all yourself.  

I have loved many of Alice Hoffman's books, but this one is definitely in my top 5 by her.  (Other top choices by Alice Hoffman include: The River King, The Probable Future, and for YA Incantation.  But ANY Alice Hoffman book is worth a read!)

Find out more about Alice Hoffman and her books here.

2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

This book is incredible.  I was mesmerized from start to finish.  The novel is a story about two young magicians who are trained as a part of a competition between their instructors.  The scene of their duels: the night circus.  The night circus only opens after sundown, and the world Morgenstern creates within this circus is spellbinding.  With the most glorious and unique characters and descriptions, this circus is anything but ordinary.  I don't want to give details away, because I want everyone who hasn't read it yet to discover it for the first time without any pretense.   It's a world to easily become immersed in and one that is sad to leave once the last page has been turned.

The upsetting news: this is Erin Morgenstern's first and only novel.  She published short works entitled "flax golden tales" (which are also very fun to read) on her website and blog for many years, but has now stopped posting those as well.  Hopefully this means she's working on her next novel...?

Check out Erin Morgenstern's website here.

3. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

This book immediately caught my eye when it was released because I was in love with the folktale The Snow Child as a child.  Specifically the version by Freya Littledale.  So, I had to read this novel.  I'm so glad I did.  This is Eowyn Ivey's debut novel, but her writing is that of an established author.  The way she spins the folktale to fit a more "realistic" storyline is fantastic.  The story begins with a man and his wife moving to Alaska in 1920 to establish a homestead.  They endure difficult times and despite desperately wanting children, have born none.  One night they build a child of snow, and in the morning their snow child is gone, but the woman sees a young girl running behind the trees.  Thus begins a marvelous tale of family, overcoming hardships, loss, and love.  I'm still in awe of how Eowyn Ivey keeps the beauty of magic from the folktale, yet gives the story some twists that make a reader think... this may have truly happened.

Eowyn Ivey supposedly has a new novel in the works, but no release date has been given.

But, you can keep tabs on developments on her website here.

There are a lot of incredible authors of dabble, or write exclusively, in the magical realism genre.  Alice Hoffman was probably my first addiction when it came to this writing style (and she's never let me down), but I have also enjoyed the works of Sarah Addison Allen and Lisa Van Allen (two newer authors who are very similar to Hoffman).  And now, thanks to Writer's Digest, I have even more titles to add to my never ending list of books to read.

What are some of your favorite magical novels?  Have you read and enjoyed any of the books mentioned in the Writer's Digest article?  

**If you'd like to read the rest of the article I mentioned, be sure to check out Writer's Digest's website, or here's the bibliographical information for the print article:  Bair O'Keeffe, Kristin. "Making Magic." Writer's Digest July 2014: 30-33. Print.