When Ophelia's father heads off to Italy for the summer to finish work on his book on the poet Ezra Pound, O - as she prefers to be called - is sent by train to stay with her Aunt Emily, who runs a secondhand bookshop back east called The Green Man. Emily has recently suffered a heart attack. Part of the reason O is sent to stay with her is to see if she can help out with the shop.
Part mystery, part fantasy, this compelling and beautifully written novel slips between the real world, and that of the creative imagination. Cloaked in the simple story of a young woman taking over a bookstore from her aged aunt, The Green Man is an eerie story about finding voice and courage, and about suspending disbelief!
PRAISE FOR
The Green Man:
"Mystery, fantasy, romance, horror, and poetry come together in this classic outsider story with sometimes shocking twists and turns that reveal heartfelt connections.... [T]he action is fast, and the simple prose is pitch-perfect...." -
Booklist"...This atmospheric exploration of what it means to be a poet offers memorable corporal and incorporeal characters, a realistic intergenerational relationship and a deeply rooted mystery connecting past and present. Ideal for those with a penchant for magic, mystery and poetry." -
Kirkus Reviews"Bedard writes with grace and wit, but also with deceptive ease...." -
School Library Journal"...[An] imaginative, gracefully written [story]...." -
The Horn Book"...Bedard takes full advantage of the genre's atmospheric creepiness and sepia-toned timelessness...." - Starred Review,
Quill & Quire"Mr. Bedard masterfully interlaces the real with the supernatural in these passages, evoking a sense of myriad magical possibilities." -
New York Journal of Books
