Summary:
Midwinterblood
is the story of the seven lives of Eric and Merle. Each section of
the book represents one of the lives. The story begins in 2073 with
Eric as Journalist. He travels to a mysterious island known as
Blessed Island (the island is featured in all seven stories). He
meets Merle and falls instantly in love with her while investigating
the Dragon Orchids, which supposedly give island inhabitants immortal
life. He is eventually captured by the natives and is to be
sacrificed to the gods when he gets the strangest impression of De Ja
Vu.
The second story
picks up at this point om 2011 when Edward, an archeologist, is
digging for tombs on Blessed Island. A small boy named Erik helps
Edward discover a tomb with the skeletons of two vikings within it.
Edward then meets Erik's mother, who is a woman named Merle.
In the next story
a World War II pilot crashes on Blessed Island, and is taken care of
by Erik, who is a farmer this time. Erik dislikes the pilot, and the
war, but changes his mind when he sees a photo of the pilot's
daughter, a girl named Merle. He helps the solder flee the island,
but is killed in the process.
In 1902, we meet
Merle as a little girl going to pick the dragon orchids with her
mother. She meets up with Erik, who is a famous painter, and
inspires him to finish his painting, which is titled Midwinterblood,
and he then is rejected from the National Musem in Sweden, and dies
unhappily, but not before adding Merle to his painting.
The 1848 story is
about an old woman telling a star-crossed love story to her
grandchildren about Erik and Merle, but it turns out the old woman
was really Erika (this lifetimes erik), and Merle was her forbidden
lesbian lover.
In the next Story
an older Melle recounts a terrifying story about herself and her twin
brother Erik and their Uncle Tor, who adopts the twins and refuses to
let them go even in death, and returns from his gave nightly to look
for them until Erik offers to return to his grave with him.
In the 7th
tale we are revealed the origin of the Erik and Melle line, when we
learn that Erik was originally a King who was forced to sacrifice
himself to appease the gods and save the people of his island, where
everyone is dying of famine and disease. His wife Queen Melle is
devistated by this and King Erikr promises here they will live again
and find each other.
We cut back to
2073 at the point where Merle tries to save Erik and escape with him.
They are both caught and sacrificed together instead, and they both
remember all their lives and time together as they die and all that
is left is the two of them.
Sedgwick, M.
(2013). Midwinterblood. New
York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.
My Impressions:
The stories in
each section of the book could have easily been separate tales, but
tying them together was both interesting and a little strange. I
think the past lives was a pretty cool idea, and I also liked that
the two characters were not always lovers in each life, but still
somehow connected or relater whether it be siblings or parental ties.
It's hard to say too that the ending was happy as they both die. It
was definitely a different book than you normal read, and I am unsure
as to how much I actually liked it.
Reviews:
“Midwinterblood
is
comprised of seven vignettes, with settings ranging from the future
to Viking times and a variety of characters, including vampires,
ghosts, and humans. Common to all the stories is the Scandinavian
island, Blessed; a mysterious dragon orchid; and Eric and Merle, who
play different roles in each story. This unusual book for teens (many
of the stories feature adult characters only) goes backwards in time,
beginning with a story that takes place in 2073. While each narrative
could stand alone, combining them into one volume with the barest
threads of connections (similar to Olive Kitteridge or Let the Great
World Spin) makes the book noteworthy. The audiobook is expertly
narrated by British actor Julian Rhind-Tutt, whose hushed English
voice is perfect for the recording. Sedgwick's sparse prose is
beautifully read with a haunting, dreamlike quality that lets
listeners experience the horror, mystery, romance, and tragedy that
abounds in the book. Melancholy yet lovely music briefly separates
the vignettes.
“
Paladino,
J. (2014). Midwinterblood [review of the book Midwinterblood
by Sedgewick, M]. School
Library Journal, 60(7),
55.
Usage in a
Library Setting:
Perhaps this book could be used for an activity where young patrons
or students are encouraged to create a past life forthem selves in
one of the historic time periods used in the book. Imagine
themselves as a viking and research what vikings did, or a WWII
solider, etc. Use the book as springboard for a history lesson and
creative writing project.
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