2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Fans of CS Lewis will likely enjoy the tale of Chris, Kate, and Holly – two kids and a dog who voyage across the ocean on a ship of their own making. Their dreamy and mystical adventure takes them to strange, fantastical places, and they bump into plenty of interesting people along the way. But when all is said and done, will they be able to find their way home?
Ruth Finnegan’s Voyage of Pearl of the Seas is a lyrical, poetic piece of YA fantasy. I’m sure there are certain kinds of readers that will absolutely adore it, but personally, I had a few misgivings. I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.
Let’s start with the high points. Voyage of Pearl of the Seas tells a deeply layered story, full of allusions to mythology and classic literature. Finnegan pulls inspiration and quotations from the likes of Rumi and Walt Whitman, along with plenty of references to Christian beliefs. These allusions are all pointed out and explained in the Notes section at the end of the book, offering readers a chance to expand their literary horizons and explore the deeper themes of the book.
Speaking of exploration, the author also includes a set of discussion questions to get her readers thinking more critically about the story. I really love when YA authors include discussion prompts – they are wonderful conversation starters for kids and parents alike.
I also adored Rachel Backshall’s gorgeous illustrations. A handful of full-page pencil drawings were scattered throughout the chapters, and each one is brimming with detail. The abstract art style added to the dreamy feel of the story as a whole, and they were probably my favorite part of the entire book.
Unfortunately, that same dreamy feel also plays into what I disliked about Voyage of Pearl of the Seas. Finnegan’s writing style leans far more towards poetry than prose. The semi-abstract, stream-of-consciousness storytelling made it difficult for me to really understand the specifics of the situations that Chris and Kate were in.
I’m a pretty literal person, so this is just my personal preference and not a complaint. I do, however, have a complaint. It seemed like in order to get that poetic feel, the author let punctuation and sentence structure fall to the wayside, which often made sentences confusing. Here’s an excerpt so you can see what I mean.
I think there’s a way to make prose more poetic without sacrificing function for form. More conventional grammar would have made this book easier to parse. As it stands, the writing style took me out of the story instead of drawing me in, which is why I’m giving it a final rating of 2 out of 4 stars.But Kate was deep in a fairytale full of dreams and did not want to be disturbed. And even when she wasn't reading, her secret vi- - well reading wasn't really a 'vice' was it whatever her mum said? More like a 'voice'. (Oh there you go again Katey Kate, voices and vices and wises and songses, and three-sonicked word-fullnesses sound-ringing in her head - we’ll just have to get used to it, you, so just – well, manage)…
While this book isn’t a book for me, I still think there are plenty of readers out there who will enjoy it. If a heady blend of poetry and Narnia sounds like something you’d enjoy, you should definitely give this book a try! If you’re more literal-minded and a stickler for commas, it might not be for you either.
******
Voyage of Pearl of the Seas
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like BookishCreature's review? Post a comment saying so!