Malinda Lo
Blog
Sep 2, 2009
ASH news and reviews
If you’re tired of Ash news, feel free to skip this post and/or go read something else. (How about this disturbing news that The L Word is coming back as a reality show — afraid yet strangely drawn!) But if you still want more Ash stuff, I have a few links to share.
- My post about the Big Idea behind Ash for John Scalzi’s Whatever blog, in which and many, many people debate whether lesbians must be persecuted in order to be lesbians. Check it out.
- In which I am interviewed by Cindy Pon (author of Silver Phoenix) at The Enchanted Inkpot
- My interview at The Tenners, in which I answer a very important question: What was it like meeting Joss Whedon?
- An article about me and Ash at SheWired.com
- A brief Q&A at Bites in which I discuss fairy tales
- My interview at Bookworming in the 21st Century
- Steph Su’s incredible ASH Celebration Week with many giveaways of fantastic books
I’m also happy to share with you some wonderful reviews:
“An unexpected reimagining of the Cinderella tale, exquisite and pristine, unfolding deliberately. … Beautiful language magically wrought; beautiful storytelling magically told.” — Kirkus, starred review
“In this groundbreaking, gender-mixing retelling, it’s another woman at court, not the prince, who captures Cinderella’s heart. … Part heart-pounding lesbian romance and part universal coming-of-age story, Lo’s powerful tale is richly embroidered with folklore and glittering fairy magic that will draw fans of Sharon Shinn’s earthy, herb-laced fantasies.” — Booklist
“Described as ‘Cinderella…with a twist,’ Ash is in many ways the familiar fairy tale. … However, while structural similarities exist, ideologically Lo’s beautiful and dark tale takes the story to a new place. Ash will appeal to readers looking for GLBTQ titles, but fans of romance, fantasy, and strong female protagonists will also embrace this fine debut novel.” — School Library Journal
“This debut, a retelling of Cinderella in which the heroine falls in love with a beautiful huntress rather than a prince, should establish Lo as a gifted storyteller. … Lo’s prose is beautiful, her descriptions lush … Lo offers an important twist on a classic story that will appeal to a wide readership, especially those looking for a girl romance.” — Publishers Weekly
Not to mention all the amazing reviews from book bloggers! I can’t possibly list them all, but here are a few of the ones that were sent to me that I thought were especially nice: The Tainted Poet, Bookworming in the 21st Century, Steph Su Reads, Charlotte’s Library, Presenting Lenore, Queer YA.
I am really beyond happy that Ash is getting such a positive reception. What a fabulous release week!
I’m a junior high librarian, and I read the ARC of Ash in the spring. I agree completely with the School Library Journal review: “Ash will appeal to readers looking for GLBTQ titles, but fans of romance, fantasy, and strong female protagonists will also embrace this fine debut novel. I’m processing my library’s copy today and plan to highlight it when I do library orientation in the next two weeks.
I just finished reading Ash today, and I wanted to drop in and tell you how fantastic it is that you wrote this, and that it was published, and that it’s getting so much good buzz. I couldn’t resist posting a review immediately, but I think I remember you saying in a post a while ago that you don’t like to read reviews of your work, so I just wanted to leave a comment to say thank you. This is a huge step forward for lesbian lit, not to mention a lovely, lovely book. Rock on.
Also, what is up with the L Word reality thing? I thought the series finale was the worst it could get, and that was pretty damn bad. Maybe viewers will learn that reality tv lesbians are just like reality tv everyone else, but I’m not sure anybody on reality tv is representative of reality at large…. Lol.
Those reviews are well-deserved! I finished Ash this morning and I really enjoyed it. Slow, gentle, dark, beautiful… It feels so affirming to have a fairy tale where women fall in love with each other and there’s magic there. And no angst! (um, ok, there was angst, but not because of gender!) To move beyond a “coming out” story…. it just feels great.
Uh…. Is Lena Headey busy?
If you want to carry on and reinterpret any other fairy tales, I am so on board! And totally shallow, but if there’s an audiobook in the works, I vote for some scrumptious UK accent. Can’t decide between English, Scottish or Irish.
Hi Malinda:
I just finished reading Ash and wanted to wander over here to say that it’s a beautiful book, and I loved it. I saw mention of it originally on Scalzi’s blog where I lurk, and snagged it my next chance at Chapters.
I loved reading it now, but mostly, I wanted to go back in time and give it to my 15 year old self. I think she would have worn out the pages, rereading.