[Grizzly]

<p><a class="H-lightbox-open" href="http://www.kickrunners.com/content/type/61/id/61851/width/1000/height/800/flags/" target="_blank"><img alt="51kyO50UZqL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" class="lightbox-enabled" data-id="14783" data-type="61" src="http://www.kickrunners.com/content/type/61/id/14783/width/300/height/300" style="; width: 300px; height: 300px"></a></p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:left;">Charles De Lint is known as a master of urban fantasy, but has recently taken a shine for the US SouthWest and the fit seems to be a good one.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:left;">The main character, Grace, is a tattooed gear head who loves her cars and Rockabilly with a side dish of surf music.  Trouble is, she dies pretty early on before meeting Mr. Right.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:left;">The title is a triple entendre.  Quite literally there is a mystery surrounding the fate of Grace.  De Lint also uses and has used the word "mystery" in place of "spirit" or "manitou" in several of his works, and yes, this crosses into the spiritual realm and a discussion of the fate of Grace's spirit..  Finally there is the meaning of Grace as a gift freely given from God. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:left;">Yes, there is a portion of the book towards the end where an anonymous Deus ex machina appears or is invoked, but if you believe a book about spirits and shamans - hey, what's wrong with throwing a bit in about the hereafter too.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:left;">Good book.  Soon to be a major motion picture?  Well, I think it'd be a good one, but who knows.</div>

 

[altoids]

<p>I read this last year, enjoyed it immensely.  de Lint is wonderful.</p>

 

[Grizzly]

<p>I read a lot of his very early books and stopped for a while there (The Newford ones), and have recently picked them up again, partly because my mom (!) has struck up a correspondance with him and partly because we connected when we wrote articles for the same folk music journal.  He really has a way with a phrase and is one of the best writers I know who can combine good dialogue with great descriptive prose.</p>

 

[runNYtrails]

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<p>yer review piqued my interest so i bought this book today. cant wait to get started <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif"> .   just finished up with  The Book Thief which i really, really liked and then</p>
<p>A Reliable Wife which was pretty good too, tho i thought it was a little  a little 'overdone' in parts.  have never read any charles de lint. </p>

 

[solarpowered]

<p>Based on this thread, I was intrigued about this book.  I don't normally enjoy sci-fi/fantasy, but I gave it a go anyway. </p>
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<p>I read it in about 3 days.  Once I started it, it was tough to put down.  (And I'm a teacher with tons of grading/no fun reading time!) </p>
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<p>I enjoyed the dual perspective narration, and the subject matter (life after death) piqued my curiosity.  I found myself reading to find out what happened with the characters and NOT obsessing over whether I agreed with the author's idea of what happens after one dies.  I was recommending this book to people before I even finished it. </p>
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<p>I will say that I didn't enjoy the ideas (witchcraft, etc) presented near the ending.  I felt like that's where I started to question the validity of the ideas.  Without dwelling on that, however, and pushing through to the end as I stayed up waaaaaaay past my bedtime, I finished the book pleased.  It was a good read!   </p>
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<p>I agree, Grizzly -- it would make an interesting motion picture.  It definitely makes for interesting conversation. </p>

 

[zohahunt]

<p>That is a very ineresting book .. After reading this I found out the difference between respect and disgrace and totally I believe in it.</p>
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