Reading Journal 2024: Once a Queen
Author: Sarah Arthur
Reminiscent of Lewis, George Macdonald and Madeleine L’Engle, just with a modern twist.
Follows parallel stories, each occupying different sides of a door, one telling the tale of a magical world of Queens and stags the other a story of the real world, mundane happenings of a fourteen year old American girl named Eva who comes to England over a summer to stay with her relatives. A central mystery surrounding the history and secrets of Eva’s family binds both stories together, and as they push forward, one beginning with a cosmic origins the other with the uncovering of family origins and childhood experiences, the line between truth and fiction becomes blurred and the questions of whether and how the two storyline might overlap and be connected become more prevalent.
Loved the English setting, the sense of mystery, the blending of fantasy with magical realism. The book tackles some substantive subject matter, using the relationship between granddaughter and grandmother to anchor the emotional arc in a mix of intimate/personal and broader more spiritual/philosophical/cosmic concern. It also has a memorable cast of characters surrounding the central relationship, making the story entertaining and meaningful. Fills that niche that is classical myth telling (as opposed to the more modern definitions) built around childhood wonder and aged reflection, helping to break open our sense if truth and reality from life’s shackles.
The Stories of my Life 