An ages-old family secret breaches the boundaries between reality and magic in this fresh retelling of a classic fairy tale. When Berkeley student Will Taylor is introduced to the mysterious Feierabend sisters, he quickly falls for enigmatic Livvy, a chemistry major and accomplished chef. But Livvy's family - vivacious actress Maddie, family historian Rose, and their mother, absent-minded Sylvia - are behaving strangely. The Feierabend women seem to believe that luck is their handmaiden, even though happiness does not necessarily follow. It is soon discovered that generations previous, the Feierabends made a contract with a powerful, otherworldly force, and it is up to Will and his best friend to unravel the riddle of this supernatural bargain in order to save Livvy from her predestined fate.
The Uncertain Places
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
Review
"Goldstein is in fine form with a darkly compelling modern fairytale." --www.JanuaryMagazine.blogspot.com (September 2011)
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
"A long time ago there lived a poor woodsman. One day he was walking in the forest when a man came out of the trees and hailed him. 'Good day,' the man said. 'And how are you doing today?'
"'Very poorly,' the woodsman said. 'My family and I have not eaten for three days, and if I do not find food for them soon I fear we will all die.'
"'I can help you,' the main said. 'But you must promise to give me the first thing you see when you return home today.'"
All long-time readers of fairy tales are familiar with stories that begin like this, or similar to this, and they all involve people who are down on their luck who are mysteriously offered a great boon. The boon isn't free because it involves a bargain that may change the lives a family throughout time forever.
Just stories, of course, with morals in them about getting something for nothing, being too quick to give away something not clearly specified, and trusting anything that happens at crossroads, boundaries and other undertain places.
In Lisa Goldstein's wonderful contemporary fantasy "The Uncertain Places," protagonist Will Taylor looks back on the events that occurred after his college roommate Ben introduced him to Livvy Feierabend in 1971. Will is smitten with Livvy; Ben is smitten with Livvy's sister Maddie. Livvy and Maddie live with their mother Sylvie and younger sister Rose in an odd and rambling house in the Napa Valley.
Will notices on his first trip to Napa that Sylvie is rather scattered. On subsequent visits, it becomes more and more obvious that the house and the family are, in ways that cannot be pinned down, also scattered as though they aren't quite living in the here and now, or that if they are present in the here and now, that the line between the family's house and vineyard on one hand and their secrets on the other hand is not altogether well defined.
Will and Ben slowly discover that stories they always believed were "just stories" might be more than that. How exactly did the Brothers Grimm come by old fairytales about woodsmen and witches in their famlous books of "Children's Tales" published in multiple editions beginning in 1812? Growing up, the Feierabend sisters were not allowed to read fairytales. How odd. But Will finds out why, and that "why" has to do with the kinds of fortune and fate that befall those who find themselves confronted by friendly helpers in the uncertain places.
The consequences of decisions made in such places are forever. There's good fortune, to be sure. But it comes at a price, one that Will doesn't want Livvy to pay. All of this happened in California during the rather abnormal times of the 1960s and early 1970s, and Will narrates the events that followed the weekend when he became smitten with Livvy Feierabend as though he's telling a fairytale that contains fairy tales.
Will's telling of the story is one of the novel's greatest strengths, but also a lingering weakness. Looking back, as he is, Will places Ben, Livvy, Rose, Maddie and Sylvie into the world of "once upon a time," and this adds to the ephemeral nature of "The Uncertain Places." The Feierabend sisters' world is vague in all the secret ways magic and boundary areas are vague, and that makes them all the more plausible and delightful.
The flasback structure of the novel also blurs the impact of the story because there periods of normal reality in between the odd events Will is telling us about. Readers who are more accustomed to constantly forward-moving plot might say, "get back to the story." While these gaps filled with normacy are not large, they are somewhat distracting.
Nonetheless, the novel sparkles like stars and faerie lights in the woods and old secrets on the cusp of revelation, and is highly recommended for all lovers of fantasy whose ancestors didn't make long-term bargains with those they met in uncertain places.(
"'Very poorly,' the woodsman said. 'My family and I have not eaten for three days, and if I do not find food for them soon I fear we will all die.'
"'I can help you,' the main said. 'But you must promise to give me the first thing you see when you return home today.'"
All long-time readers of fairy tales are familiar with stories that begin like this, or similar to this, and they all involve people who are down on their luck who are mysteriously offered a great boon. The boon isn't free because it involves a bargain that may change the lives a family throughout time forever.
Just stories, of course, with morals in them about getting something for nothing, being too quick to give away something not clearly specified, and trusting anything that happens at crossroads, boundaries and other undertain places.
In Lisa Goldstein's wonderful contemporary fantasy "The Uncertain Places," protagonist Will Taylor looks back on the events that occurred after his college roommate Ben introduced him to Livvy Feierabend in 1971. Will is smitten with Livvy; Ben is smitten with Livvy's sister Maddie. Livvy and Maddie live with their mother Sylvie and younger sister Rose in an odd and rambling house in the Napa Valley.
Will notices on his first trip to Napa that Sylvie is rather scattered. On subsequent visits, it becomes more and more obvious that the house and the family are, in ways that cannot be pinned down, also scattered as though they aren't quite living in the here and now, or that if they are present in the here and now, that the line between the family's house and vineyard on one hand and their secrets on the other hand is not altogether well defined.
Will and Ben slowly discover that stories they always believed were "just stories" might be more than that. How exactly did the Brothers Grimm come by old fairytales about woodsmen and witches in their famlous books of "Children's Tales" published in multiple editions beginning in 1812? Growing up, the Feierabend sisters were not allowed to read fairytales. How odd. But Will finds out why, and that "why" has to do with the kinds of fortune and fate that befall those who find themselves confronted by friendly helpers in the uncertain places.
The consequences of decisions made in such places are forever. There's good fortune, to be sure. But it comes at a price, one that Will doesn't want Livvy to pay. All of this happened in California during the rather abnormal times of the 1960s and early 1970s, and Will narrates the events that followed the weekend when he became smitten with Livvy Feierabend as though he's telling a fairytale that contains fairy tales.
Will's telling of the story is one of the novel's greatest strengths, but also a lingering weakness. Looking back, as he is, Will places Ben, Livvy, Rose, Maddie and Sylvie into the world of "once upon a time," and this adds to the ephemeral nature of "The Uncertain Places." The Feierabend sisters' world is vague in all the secret ways magic and boundary areas are vague, and that makes them all the more plausible and delightful.
The flasback structure of the novel also blurs the impact of the story because there periods of normal reality in between the odd events Will is telling us about. Readers who are more accustomed to constantly forward-moving plot might say, "get back to the story." While these gaps filled with normacy are not large, they are somewhat distracting.
Nonetheless, the novel sparkles like stars and faerie lights in the woods and old secrets on the cusp of revelation, and is highly recommended for all lovers of fantasy whose ancestors didn't make long-term bargains with those they met in uncertain places.(
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.9 out of 5 stars
28 reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
(4.5) Wistful
1 Aug 2011
By Kelly (Fantasy Literature)
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
The Uncertain Places by Lisa Goldstein is the story of a family haunted by a long-ago pact with the fairies. Like all fairy tales, it's also a story about human problems, so it's easy to find yourself within these pages even if mysterious beings have never cleaned your house in the middle of the night.
In 1971, Berkeley students Will and Ben go to visit the eccentric Feierabend family who live in a rambling house in Napa Valley. Ben is dating the eldest Feierabend sister, Maddie, and wants to introduce Will to the second sister, Livvy. Will thinks Ben's trying to palm off a less attractive "pale shadow" of Maddie, but when he meets Livvy, he's smitten. As their relationship grows, so do the mysteries surrounding the Feierabends -- and then something terrible occurs and Will must outwit the fairies to bring back his love.
Goldstein invents a long-lost Grimm fairy tale that serves as the trail of breadcrumbs to guide Will's steps. But even if Will does win his way to Livvy, he'll need to be careful; fairies can be tricky about the fine print. The climax of the story is the kind I like best; it forces the characters to look within themselves and decide what they value most.
The prose is spare and the plot zips along quickly, sometimes skipping years if not much is happening during that time, and the result is a short novel of 240 pages. This is the kind of story that could have sustained a more ornate writing style and a slower, saga-like pace. (Indeed, many of the books I want to compare it to in terms of mood -- older books like Pamela Dean's Tam Lin, newer books like Freda Warrington's Aetherial Tales -- are far longer.) The characterization suffers a bit from this brevity, but the plot is complete and self-contained. On the whole, I'm satisfied with the story itself but would have loved to spend more time in the setting -- particularly the Feierabend house itself, with its mishmash of architectural styles, its china cabinet full of books, and its forbidden ballroom.
The Uncertain Places has a wistful feel to it. As the story of Will and his entanglement with the Feierabends progresses, it's clear that magic is gradually slipping out of the characters' lives. Though at least some of this happens for supernatural reasons, the losses are the kinds of losses we all understand. Lost youth. Lost idealism. The end of an optimistic time in history. That golden circle of friends that so many of us have around college age, and that so many of us lose.
For readers who enjoy the quieter style of contemporary fantasy, I recommend The Uncertain Places. It's a quick read, but a memorable one. I will definitely be looking up Goldstein's earlier books.
In 1971, Berkeley students Will and Ben go to visit the eccentric Feierabend family who live in a rambling house in Napa Valley. Ben is dating the eldest Feierabend sister, Maddie, and wants to introduce Will to the second sister, Livvy. Will thinks Ben's trying to palm off a less attractive "pale shadow" of Maddie, but when he meets Livvy, he's smitten. As their relationship grows, so do the mysteries surrounding the Feierabends -- and then something terrible occurs and Will must outwit the fairies to bring back his love.
Goldstein invents a long-lost Grimm fairy tale that serves as the trail of breadcrumbs to guide Will's steps. But even if Will does win his way to Livvy, he'll need to be careful; fairies can be tricky about the fine print. The climax of the story is the kind I like best; it forces the characters to look within themselves and decide what they value most.
The prose is spare and the plot zips along quickly, sometimes skipping years if not much is happening during that time, and the result is a short novel of 240 pages. This is the kind of story that could have sustained a more ornate writing style and a slower, saga-like pace. (Indeed, many of the books I want to compare it to in terms of mood -- older books like Pamela Dean's Tam Lin, newer books like Freda Warrington's Aetherial Tales -- are far longer.) The characterization suffers a bit from this brevity, but the plot is complete and self-contained. On the whole, I'm satisfied with the story itself but would have loved to spend more time in the setting -- particularly the Feierabend house itself, with its mishmash of architectural styles, its china cabinet full of books, and its forbidden ballroom.
The Uncertain Places has a wistful feel to it. As the story of Will and his entanglement with the Feierabends progresses, it's clear that magic is gradually slipping out of the characters' lives. Though at least some of this happens for supernatural reasons, the losses are the kinds of losses we all understand. Lost youth. Lost idealism. The end of an optimistic time in history. That golden circle of friends that so many of us have around college age, and that so many of us lose.
For readers who enjoy the quieter style of contemporary fantasy, I recommend The Uncertain Places. It's a quick read, but a memorable one. I will definitely be looking up Goldstein's earlier books.
13 of 18 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Captivating concept poorly executed
17 May 2011
By Richard Mandrachio
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This narrative bears some uncomfortable similarities to a certain television series with three charmed sisters and relies too heavily on arbitrary portals which appear at the most convenient times. Though based on the fairy tale tradition, and unique in concept, the author would have done better to stick to the story of the Bondsmaid as a lost tale by the Brothers Grimm. Instead it veers off into Wonderland territory and becomes a whirlpool of characters appropriated from overly familiar fantasy realms. Tangents notwithstanding, the strongest scenes were those of the real world in which settings were unexpectedly altered by faerie magic. Likewise, the prime focus was on a dull protagonist, whereas the most interesting characters were peripheral to the plot. As intriguing as the premise of this novel is, its execution was a disappointment.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
like a bag of white cheddar popcorn for the addictive bits of fairy tales seasoned with the amiable flavor of Will's narration
3 Sep 2012
By kblincoln
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
A reviewer of Graham Joyce's "Some Kind of Fairy Tale" mentioned this book as a better version of "person kidnapped by fairies with consequences in the real world" So I had to read it.
Uncertain Places definitely fits the genre. A Berkeley undergrad, Will, goes with his buddy to visit the buddy's girlfriend's house in Napa, meets her sister, and falls in love.
Only the mother is slightly vague, and the sisters possessed of a mischievous and devil-may-care air unlike anyone else. Around the sisters Livvy and Maddie, things just seem more exciting and strangely lacking in difficulties.
Then Livvy comes down with a mysterious illness and Will must brave unworldly dangers that seem to come from fairy tales in order to save her.
Will's journey into discovering the stories behind Livvy's illness definitely is a journey into Fairy Tales. Most of this book's fun is in following along and remembering/guessing which tale inspired which character or situation. The plot goes quickly- the removed narrative style kept me from feeling fully immersed in the story until the end.
In some ways, I enjoyed the slow-paced, focus on nuances of human relationship in "Some Kind of Fairy Tale" better. "Uncertain Places" is definitely much more fun. Only at the end, when Will must make choices between family members does it begin to delve into weightier emotions, but by then I was a bit lost in the many characters who appear at the end (various family members of the sisters) and where I wanted more of Livvy and Will's relationship I got instead more snippets of fairy tales.
Don't get me wrong, it was all kinds of fun, but not as emotionally-baring as my personal taste looks for. The book is tame enough in terms of descriptions of relationships and fairy battles (no one dies there) that I would have no fear of ten year old reading it.
This Book's Snack Rating: A bag of white cheddar popcorn for the addictive bits of fairy tales seasoned with the amiable flavor of Will's narration
Uncertain Places definitely fits the genre. A Berkeley undergrad, Will, goes with his buddy to visit the buddy's girlfriend's house in Napa, meets her sister, and falls in love.
Only the mother is slightly vague, and the sisters possessed of a mischievous and devil-may-care air unlike anyone else. Around the sisters Livvy and Maddie, things just seem more exciting and strangely lacking in difficulties.
Then Livvy comes down with a mysterious illness and Will must brave unworldly dangers that seem to come from fairy tales in order to save her.
Will's journey into discovering the stories behind Livvy's illness definitely is a journey into Fairy Tales. Most of this book's fun is in following along and remembering/guessing which tale inspired which character or situation. The plot goes quickly- the removed narrative style kept me from feeling fully immersed in the story until the end.
In some ways, I enjoyed the slow-paced, focus on nuances of human relationship in "Some Kind of Fairy Tale" better. "Uncertain Places" is definitely much more fun. Only at the end, when Will must make choices between family members does it begin to delve into weightier emotions, but by then I was a bit lost in the many characters who appear at the end (various family members of the sisters) and where I wanted more of Livvy and Will's relationship I got instead more snippets of fairy tales.
Don't get me wrong, it was all kinds of fun, but not as emotionally-baring as my personal taste looks for. The book is tame enough in terms of descriptions of relationships and fairy battles (no one dies there) that I would have no fear of ten year old reading it.
This Book's Snack Rating: A bag of white cheddar popcorn for the addictive bits of fairy tales seasoned with the amiable flavor of Will's narration
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 28 reviews
3.9 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
