Publisher's Blurb:.
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: William Morrow (January 6, 2015)
Publisher: William Morrow (January 6, 2015)
Wildalone has a sumptuous, dark and mysterious beauty to it--both the imaginative story itself and the descriptive writing. Even the cover of the book manages to be beautiful but with the faintest bit of menace, much like the images created by the author. Krassi Zourkova (could there be a cooler name???) skillfully blends the modern day with Greek mythology and Eastern-European folklore. I am not an expert in mythology or folklore and she made me want to know more, especially about the samodivi--'wildalones.' (This is an interesting paper on Bulgarian folklore and these wild fairies that were mentioned as 'veela' in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.) Her descriptions of the beauty and history of the Princeton campus had me looking up the university buildings and grounds online to see what parts were real--which turned out to be much of it. For me this folklore and imagery, along with the mystery surrounding Thea's sister were the strongest parts of the book. The romantic triangle with the Estlin brothers was less successful in my opinion. The very stalker-ish and often creepy Rhys and the somewhat less stalker-ish and not-quite-as-creepy-but-slightly-wimpy Jake just weren't that compelling as love interests to me. My other complaint was with the ending--there is a wonderful feeling of foreboding that builds throughout the story but it seems to go out with a whimper rather than a bang at the end. If the ending is to set up a sequel rather than being the ending of a standalone, I get it (and will definitely read the next book) but if not, it left me ultimately unfulfilled and a tad disappointed. This one will appeal to mythology and fantasy fans and it's a good curl up in a blanket and lose yourself kind of book.
Author Notes: Krassi Zourkova grew up in Bulgaria and came to the United States to study art history at Princeton. After college, she graduated from Harvard Law School, and she has practiced finance law in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, where she currently lives. Her poems have appeared in various literary journals. Wildalone is her first novel. Follow Krassi on Twitter, @zourkova.
Although there is not a lot of prominent food inspiration in the book and many meals are described somewhat vaguely, there are some mentions of food. A dinner of sea bass with her college advisor where Thea is trying to identify a taste she says is "not exactly thyme" and turns out to be rosemary. As Thea says, "Rosemary. Or thyme. We all had an herb that could take us home." Rhys arranges dinner at his house featuring Bulgarian dishes like cold cucumber soup, stuffed peppers and feta cheese pie. I was going to make pomegranate sangria like the one Rhys and Thea have at the tapas restaurant but it has been a bit "chilly" here (as much as mid 60-70 degrees F can be chilly) ;-) and for me sangria is a warm weather drink. Ultimately I chose to make something inspired by the poppies on the book's cover and that Rhys conjures up for Thea. Poppy seeds are featured in many Eastern-European dishes, both sweet and savory. I wanted something simple and comforting so I went with pasta.
There are plenty of recipes for poppy seed noodles to be found--with toasted seeds, untoasted seeds, some where the poppy seeds are ground into a paste which seem more traditional but not as 'pretty.' ;-) I wanted a lemony version to use up some local Meyer lemons I had sitting about so I chose a basic recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Noodles that I found on epicurious, swapping out the chives for parsley and some thyme, and adding a bit more lemon flavor.
Lemon Poppy Seed Noodles
Adapted from Gourmet, January 2003 via Epicurious
6 ounces wide egg noodles
1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
(I added 2 tsp fresh Meyer lemon juice)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives (I used flat-leaf parsley and thyme).
Notes/Results: Lemony, buttery, slightly herby with a little "crunch" from the poppy seeds, this is a quick and easy dish for when you want some comfort food or a basic side dish for a piece of chicken or fish. Maybe just don't make it for 'date night' or any time you don't want poppy seeds stuck in your teeth--they are pesky little buggers. ;-) Quick and satisfying, I would make it again.
Note: A review copy of "Wildalone"_0<<
I have a friend who lives in Bulgaria - I'll have to ask her to tell me about the folklore sometime, it sounds fascinating!
Thanks for being a part of the tour.
Sounds like an interesting book!