Sunday, August 18, 2013
There are books that sit on your e-readers just waiting. They're there, and you pass them when you flip through your library of saved books-to-read, but for one reason or another, you just don't get around to calling that book to the forefront.
Actually, when this happens, I tend to believe there's a reason, and today I discovered why I had this book on my Kindle, but didn't call it up until now. TODAY is when I needed to read it.
As I was reading this book, which is written for the young, and/or the young at heart, I found my mind calling up snippets of Oliver Twist with the character Fagin guiding the children in the fine art of pick-pocketing. At another point, I flashed upon the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. I also found myself comparing scenes in Ms. DeLuca's book to Merlin's antics in the Walt Disney movie The Sword In The Stone.
Ms. DeLuca has masterfully entwined many themes into this one brilliantly told story, but not until the end did I feel the full power of her writing voice.
So had I not already been captivated by the first 7/8ths of this story that final bit when her character, Michael reaches the summit and hears the answer to his question would have given me ample reason to give BETWIXT AND BETWEEN FIVE STARS. This is a KEEPER and most definitely A SHOULD READ for EVERYONE!
Thank you, Ms. DeLuca. You brought tears to my eyes. You know how to enthrall your audience but you also know how to take our breath away and leave us wanting more.
