Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale

Ok, at first I loved the book, I'd say the first 120 pages or so. I loved being swept into the mermaid's world of an underwater sea palace, hair floating in the water, shimmering hard skin, tail powerfully propelling the mermaid through the depths, the fish the mermaids ate as they swam by, the treasure chests and adventures in sunken boats. I also enjoyed the princesses point of view, I think it was very thought out in the beginning, the colors and scents, the dreary almost gothic picture of the convent on the sea. I could really see how the mermaid and princess initially were head over heels for the prince as well.Now for the cons:After the first hundred pages, the story was beginning to feel rushed. The mermaid made a drastic decision to change herself without putting any thought into it. The princess acted spoiled and bratty half the time and noble and wise the other half. This bi polar disorder behavior was beginning to annoy me. I just couldn't like the girl. The mermaid was constant with her behavior, always despairingly hopeful, naive, heartbroken. I won't lie, I felt bad for her and wanted her to end up with the prince throughout the whole book. But then I realized I really didn't want any of them to end up with the prince. He was a shallow selfish @$$ hole who didn't think how his actions would hurt or ruin SPOILER the mermaid. He gets her pregnant then right after his daughter is born, doesn't mind marrying the princess and never seeing the mermaid again.What I really hated was the last two pages of the book. I think the author had 5 min to write it or something. I hated how she made it so negative saying how everyone just SPOILER forgets the mermaid ever existed and the princess and prince raise the mermaids human daughter as their own who never becomes a hero or queen or anything and never sees her mermaid mother again or even questions her real mother because she's raised to think the princess is her mother and the princess doesn't have the audacity to tell her the truth so there can be some kind of an reunion or something. I would have loved an ending that made it so the mermaids actions of giving up everything, almost her life, to be with the prince, ended with something a little better off than never seeing her child again.Also, there were some pretty interesting characters that were never developed such as: Sybil the sea witch, theres hints as to her past but not too many clues, Agnes the woman doctor, hints here and there but she should have really been developed more. Overall, I was waiting for these characters to be developed because there was SUCH potential there! There were by far the two most interesting characters in the book yet they maybe got a couple pages each towards their name!Okay last point, King Erik..the princesses father, is the war hungry king who all of a sudden changes his mind and allows his daughter to marry the son of his enemy. THIS IS SO RIDICULOUS AND WOULD NEVER HAPPEN!!!!!!! I don't know what the author was thinking but it makes me SO mad that she would change character personalities and traits just to make the ending that much more predictable. I wish she would rip out the last half of the book and make a better ending thats twice as long so its well thought out and the characters actually respond how they would and the endings not so fake. I'm actually considering writing a better ending just to calm my mind.Overall, if you love mermaids and wonder what it would be like to live as one, go to the library and read the first hundred pages of this book then put it down. Don't bother paying for it or renting it, you'll just be disappointed.If you like mermaids but also want a good story, don't read the book.

I initially read about this book on Entertainment Weekly, with the announcement that it was going to be made into a movie. I was immediately intrigued by the fact that it was based much more closely on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale than the *ahem* other mermaid stories out there currently. In other words, there are no talking animal sidekicks or murderous French chefs, and the sea witch actually ISN'T evil.Lenia is the daughter of the Sea King, and has just turned 18. It's a mermaid tradition that all merpeople are able to go see the land above for one day, only on their 18th birthday. Lenia emerges from the ocean's depths to a violent storm, and sees a ship breaking apart before her eyes. She decides to rescue one of the sailors, as watching them all die is too terrible, and carries him to shore and safety. She is fascinated by the human man, remembering stories that her grandmother told her about humans and their souls. Mermaids live 300 years, and on that day gracefully turn to foam and become part of the ocean. Lenia finds this prospect too bleak, and is more attracted to the idea of the human soul, which lives forever in heaven.Meanwhile, Margarethe, the daughter of the Northern King, is in hiding in a convent by the sea from the enemies of her father's kingdom. She is out in the convent garden and sees the mermaid wash up on shore carrying the prince. She is entranced by the beautiful woman from the sea, and even more so by the love she shows the near-drowned man. At that moment, Lenia catches her eye and telepathically tells her to help the man. With a flick of her tail, she returns to the sea.The mystery man is quickly nursed back to health at the convent, but both women remain haunted by their encounters with him and each other. Both are willing to make extreme sacrifices to recapture the sense of magic that they felt at experiencing the other's world...I'd read the original Hans Christian Andersen version of this tale, and while I was absorbed in the story, had a slight sense of dread for fear of the ending. I had trouble getting attached to both female leads because of the impending sense of tragedy. This is a gorgeously written book, both consistent in its period voice and attentive to detail in both the undersea kingdom and the world above. Both women are complex, though the fascination of each with religion gets slightly tedious (Lenia's desire for a soul and Margarethe's conviction that God sent the mermaid and man to her).Turgeon takes a well-known tale and rewrites it beautifully- very few books are able to move me to tears, and this one definitely joins their ranks.

I have to say that this turned out to be my favorite retelling of The Little Mermaid. It was rich, dark, and enchanting. I loved the atmospheric feel to it, and how it highlighted the moral lessons of the story.Carolyn Turgeon wrote this so poetically. It flowed beautifully and painted magical images in my mind as I was reading. It was detailed and deep, considering how short the book was.Lenia’s story was heartbreaking. She gave up everything to be with a man she thought she loved. She sacrificed who she was, and it obviously did not end well. That was the main moral to the story in my eyes. You should never sacrifice your true self for anyone!Margrethe’s story was beautiful and poignant as well. She grew as a character in such a short time, and I loved how she interacted with Lenia. Together, the two women brought about another moral to the story about not giving in to jealousy, as well as putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, or tails.The book stayed pretty true to the original tale, but also spun it a little and made it unique. There were several unexpected surprises, and even an ending that had me tearing up. It was beautiful. I hadn’t expected to feel such emotion and enchantment from this one, but I did. The story also reminded me a little of TV shows like Reign and Siren, as well as the movie Ever After. It was deeply satisfying and I loved every minute of it!

I was attracted by the lovely, vivid colours on the cover as well as my interest in all things Mer.The novel alternates between the view point of the Mermaid and the Princess who both fall in love with the same man, whose boat is shipwrecked. The mermaid saves him and the princess (who is in hiding in a convent)sees the mermaid bring the man to land.Really, the experience of both females mirrors each other. The princess falls in love with the man and her vision of him as her destiny because the magical, beautiful mermaid "brought him" to her. The mermaid falls in love with him because she longs to have a soul and feels his soul as she carries him through the storm. So both women are in love with their idea of him as much as with the man himself.This is a vivid reworking of The Little Mermaid, with a different ending. It starts a little slow, but soon captures the glamour that a mythical being can cast - however unwittingly - on a human being. Also the longing of the mythical being to be human. Just as the princess is half in love with the idea of the sea kingdom, so the mermaid is in love with the mysteries of life on land.Well worth a read - especially for the happy ending for both mer and princess.

The Little Mermaid is my favourite story, and I love both the original and the Disney version very much. The idea of an entire novel being written about the story filled me excitement.The story has a twist, rather than the witch being evil she is not, and the other love interest is a genuine good girl - so you aren't sure who will win the princes heart. What I disliked was Prince Christopher, he does not seem loving - more a red blooded male who refuses to stand up for himself. Because of this is makes the unrequited love feel a bit silly, they both spend such little time with him and yet love him so much.The first three quarters of the both was gripping, and I did love it. I won't spoil the ending but in all honesty i felt quite cheated. For the most part, it was a very good adult telling of the book, but what lets it down is the personality of Prince Christopher and the ending itself.if you love mermaids its worth a read, and I WOULD recommend it. However it does have its flaws.

I got this for my Kindle and it's such an amazing book. I love it! It's brilliant and has so much depth!

i loved this book it had me wishing and fantasising abiut life and posabilitys under the sea it made me feel like i was right there with her all the way through her pain and loves great book.

The ending made me cry, although I wished that the ending would be different. It was a good read.loved the book :)