Alas!
Why is it that Pamela Dean's works so often go out of print? Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary is a fabulous book. It's difficult, certainly--I had to read it at least three times to get all the nuances--but one doesn't read Ms. Dean for easy.
It's really more about Gentian than the other two, who are all sisters. And I'm finding it difficult to try to explain the plot of this book in any way that would convey its absolute uniqueness. There are old ideas there, of course, but like Tam Lin, they are never, ever what one expects. This is, in a way, a fantasy book, but the setting is modern and suburban. Gentian is an astronomer, a scientist, and is struggling with the usual questions of a practical teen facing an impractical world. And then someone new moves in next door...
Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong. But I don't want to give the plot away. *grin*
In addition, if you're into good books, pay attention to what the characters in this story read. I found a wonderful series that way, and would have found another great title if I hadn't read it already.
It's really more about Gentian than the other two, who are all sisters. And I'm finding it difficult to try to explain the plot of this book in any way that would convey its absolute uniqueness. There are old ideas there, of course, but like Tam Lin, they are never, ever what one expects. This is, in a way, a fantasy book, but the setting is modern and suburban. Gentian is an astronomer, a scientist, and is struggling with the usual questions of a practical teen facing an impractical world. And then someone new moves in next door...
Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong. But I don't want to give the plot away. *grin*
In addition, if you're into good books, pay attention to what the characters in this story read. I found a wonderful series that way, and would have found another great title if I hadn't read it already.