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Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, July 8, 2013:"McNeal weaves in fantastical fairy-tale details into this inventive and deeply poignant narrative, creating a world that hovers between realism and enchantment."
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Starred Review, The Horn Book, July/August 2013:
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McNeal superbly and elegantly enfolds those stories’ essence and depth into plot, setting, and characters; archetypal figures and situations glimmer through McNeal’s small-town American cast like tantalizing clues in a novel that becomes ever darker even as it sparkles with the dignified, affectionate voice of its ghostly narrator.
— Starred Review, The Bulletin, June 2013:
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Enchanting, romantic, and tinged with terror, this modern story subtly weaves the haunting essentials of the fairy-tale tradition into a fascinating and beautifully written homage to its source material."
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Starred Review, School Library Journal, June 2013:"Whether readers connect more deeply with the suspense, the magical elements, or the gloriously improbable love story, they will come away with a lingering taste of enchantment."
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Starred Review, Booklist, June 1, 2013:
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Reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel, and rife with allusions to Grimm Brothers’ tales, this is a masterful story of outcasts, the power of faith, and the triumph of good over evil."
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Review, Wall Street Journal:"Stunning. [A] beguiling, horrifying and gracefully written novel."
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Review, The Atlantic Wire:“McNeal weaves his modern tale in the fairy-tale tradition, and it will haunt and delight.”
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Review, BookPage:“Far Far Away is an incredibly imaginative modern fairy tale told through the first-person narration of the ghost of Jacob Grimm . . . Suspenseful with a sinister villain, Far Far Away is equally heartwarming as it is scary.”
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Review, Shelf-Awareness:
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McNeal structures the novel like a fairy tale, and the overwhelming sense of danger surrounding the village like a deep forest will keep readers glued to the edges of their seats.”
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“Stunning. [A] beguiling, horrifying,
and gracefully written novel.”
— Wall Street Journal
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“McNeal weaves his modern tale in the
fairy-tale tradition, and it will haunt and delight.”
— Atlantic Wire
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“Enchanting, romantic, and tinged with terror, this
modern story subtly weaves the haunting essentials of the fairy-tale tradition
into a fascinating and beautifully written homage to its source material.”
— Bulletin (starred review)
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“McNeal weaves in fantastical
fairy-tale details into this inventive and deeply poignant narrative, creating
a world that hovers between realism and enchantment. Jacob’s tale is menacing,
at times terrifying, and often strange—much like the stories collected by the Brothers
Grimm.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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“Reminiscent of Hansel
and Gretel, and rife with allusions to Grimm Brothers’ tales, this is a
masterful story of outcasts, the power of faith, and the triumph of good over
evil.”
— Booklist (starred review)
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“Whether readers connect more deeply with the
suspense, the magical elements, or the gloriously improbable love story, they
will come away with a lingering taste of enchantment.”
— School Library Journal (starred review)
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“A unique—and mesmerizing—blending of Grimm
archetypes and tropes with a story of modern-day evil and coming-of-age.”
— Horn Book Magazine
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“Far
Far Away is an incredibly imaginative modern fairy tale told through the
first-person narration of the ghost of Jacob Grimm…Suspenseful with a sinister
villain, Far Far Away is as equally
heartwarming as it is scary.”
— BookPage
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“[Readers] will find it hard to put this novel down until they have read the last page.”
— Children’s Literature