Thomas the Rhymer

I dont know how Ive existed so long without knowing about or reading this gorgeous book. Clearly, Ive been living under a rock. Kushners writing is some of the most lush and inspiring Ive ever encountered. The story, ancient and twisted, is beautifully told through the voices of four distinct and familiar characters. Each voice is profoundly real, though brushed with Kushners magic. I lived in this book and felt true grief when I finished it. Five stars, and then some.

Im always shocked that Ellen Kushner is not more well known. She blends fantasy with interesting characters so seamlessly. The words are so well written that music is in the background of my mind as I read. There is a reason why there is always a recommendation from Neil Gaiman.

Ellen Kushner takes a traditional Scottish ballad and weaves it into something magical and beguiling in this lovely, haunting tale. The ballad sings of a minstrel lad abducted to Elfland for seven years to serve as the Elf Queens lover, then returned to the mortal world with the gift of always speaking the truth. Kushner deepens the focus of the story and humanizes the characters. Thomas is a footloose and carefree young minstrel and gifted seducer of willing ladies, eager to win fame for his singing and harping. His sojourn in Elfland is conveyed in dazzling prose, rich with the heady, heedless abandon of youth as Thomas gives himself up to the quicksilver Elf Queen and the succulent delights of her bower. Yet, he is tormented, too, by her small, careless cruelties, by the elves constant game-playing, and by his lonely isolation as a mortal in a magical realm. He is scarcely any less isolated when he finally returns to mortal Middle-Earth, a more sober and compassionate man, hailed as both rhymer and prophet, but who never again quite feels in step with his fellow beings. While Thomas Orpheus-like descent into the eerie glamor of the Elvish underworld is the centerpiece of the story, Kushner provides humanistic grace notes in the characters of a down-to-earth farm couple who love Thomas like a son and help to tell his story. They are joined by another narrator, the wild-spirited but careworn country lass who wins young Thomas heart and witnesses the bittersweet epiphany of the storys conclusion. Both fairy tale and love story, full of lusty balladeering, poetry and heartbreak, this novel is truly enchanting. I felt bereft when it was over, as if the portals of Elfland had been shut behind me forever.

As it happens, I quit when I was halfway through through the book as the second part just didnt catch my interest.

This is without a doubt the most beautifully written book Ive ever come across. So lyrical and well written. It inspired me to continually search for more material written by the author. Suffice it to say she had already written her masterpiece and so became a chameleon. I did read her next book and was sorely disappointed. Thomas the Rhymer though I have read over and over again it is that good. I can only say that for J.R.R. Tolkien. So if you have the chance, buy this book and read it to your loved ones.

Oh dear god. It was UTTERLY hopeless to try to get into this book. I stared at the paragraphs and they were so unengaging that my eyes kept sliding around, looking for words that went together, maybe, kind of, sort of. But not really. The prose was just weird and completely uncompelling. It didnt feel in the least like Ellen Kushners other work. Ugh.

Very enjoyable read in four rather distinct sections (each told from the perspective of a different character). Not epic, which is something of a relief, but finely told. The long middle section about the stay in Fairie Land is atmospheric, but so too are the descriptions of regular, mundane medieval life.

Excelent tale that sucks you in from the very first. A rare treat.

Ellen Kushner has used an old ballad to create a fascinating and lovely tale of a young harpist and singer. Thomas appears one day at the door of an older and childless couple in the country who take him in and begin to love him as a son. He in turn, loves and respects them, all the while finding himself fascinating to and fascinated by a neighbor girl whose fiery temperament charms him. Off and on he reappears, leaving behind the courts of the nobility where he sings and plays for their pleasure. One day, while visiting his friends, he wanders onto Eildon Hills and meets the queen of the faeries. She takes him with her to her home where he abides for 7 years. He becomes her lover, her plaything, and a challenge to others in the land, because he is forbidden to speak to anyone except the queen. Having fulfilled his bargain, the queen returns Thomas to his own world, burdened with a terrible gift: He can only speak the truth. Told by Gavin, the elderly farmer, Thomas, and the girl whom he marries upon his return, the story of the life of True Thomas unwinds almost as a song does. There is melody, harmony, and many verses. For those who come to believe, the end will bring tears to their eyes. Readers who enjoy this book might also enjoy Kushners earlier novel, Swordspoint. She does not write often, but she writes well.

Read this book when I was younger. Still remember it. I had checked out the book but finally bought it.