Here’s a fine case of not judging a book by its cover, or better said, an author by her previous book. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd was going to be a hard act to follow. There isn’t a soul I know who didn’t think Bees wasn’t one of the best books they’d read in a long, long time. When The Mermaid Chair arrived on the scene, there seemed to be a consensus that, before even reading it, Kidd’s new book would not be able to compare to The Secret Life of Bees.
I am almost through The Mermaid Chair, and I think it’s amazing. It’s not long into the book before you forget who wrote it, what she wrote previously or anything like that. And that’s my advice for anyone wanting to read The Mermaid’s Chair — go in letting go of any preconceptions and ideas of comparing. The book, to me, is so totally different from Bees, it deserves to be read solely for its own merits, (as does any book, really), and enjoyed for the rich story it is.
I’ve become immersed in place alone in The Mermaid Chair. More when I’m done ….
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Thanks, Michael!
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