I've been reading Sarah Beth Durst's work for YEARS. The first book I bought by Durst was Ice and I've bought nearly every release since (nearly because there are still a few books I'm trying to find on my shelves before continuing to collect Durst's work). I love the worlds that Durst creates, the ideas that come to life in the pages of the books she writes. When I saw the artwork for Durst's next release, The Faraway Inn, I was immediately entranced. The colors were gorgeous and the depiction of the inn on the cover immediately made me want to step into the pages to learn more about it. I jumped at the chance to read this book and it was the perfect book to open the New Year with and I wish there could be more in this world. The people in it, the places, everything was exactly what I wanted to see and experience. This has become a new favorite of Durst's work for me, at least until Sea of Charms is released.
The Faraway Inn follows Calisa, a sixteen-year-old who has had to overhaul her summer plans after discovering that her ex is a lying cheat. Calisa decides the best way to get over her ex would be her parents' suggestion to help her great-aunt with her B&B in rural Vermont for a few months. When she arrives at the inn, Calisa is surprised by how rundown everything has gotten and when she sees her aunt for the first time in years it becomes clear that Calisa was not invited to stay for the summer. Worse, Auntie Zee wants Calisa to turn around and go straight home. But Calisa is determined to stay, not just to get over her ex but to help Auntie Zee with anything and everything to get the inn in better shape. Trying to prove that she can be an asset, Calisa starts to work on different projects at the inn, cleaning rooms that haven't been used in years, helping with the cooking and working on the landscaping with the groundskeeper's son, who wants to keep the inn open as well. As the pair work together, Calisa starts to notice things about the inn's few guests and the inn itself, things that can't really be explained. As time passes, Calisa realizes there is something special about this inn she has found a space for herself in. But if the inn is going to continue to run, Calisa needs to discover the truth about the inn and her Auntie Zee before it's too late to save it.
It's obvious from the start that there is something special about the inn but the slow unraveling about everything special is what keeps the smile on your face while you're reading. There is so much to discover about The Faraway Inn, from the way the guests talk to the things Calisa sees out of the corners of her eyes. Suffice to say, Durst has a knack for making a setting feel like a real place, filling it with wonders and people you wish you could meet. These things are better left discovered by the readers so I won't delve more into the details. The magic of the place is part of the appeal and the act of reading to uncover the truths will keep the pages turning.
I loved the characters in this book. I felt bad for Calisa's situation and I was sure I'd like her when I read her way of thinking things through, determined to see her ex for what he was and cutting herself off from him to be sure she could move on. I liked that she was willing to put in the work to get the inn cleaned up, spending her days dusting and cleaning bathrooms. A teenager that cleans? A rare sight indeed. It might have started out as a method to get her to stay but Calisa quickly started to want to help, to want to get the inn back to its former glory. I liked how she tried, her strength in continuing on. She was a great lead to follow even if she had a tendency to ignore the rules. I liked the groundskeeper's son, Jack, and the way he helped Calisa, doing the repairs around the place and showing her that she was worth listening to and understanding what she said. Jack helped Calisa to believe in herself and they were so sweet together. It was lovely to see how they supported each other as friends and co-workers.
I loved the guests, sweet Mulligan, regal Kendra, and earnest Melidor. They each had a way of getting Calisa to become a bit more, to getting her to a place where she could listen and learn from the guests so Calisa could be what they needed to help them during their stay. They were each magical in their own way and their being willing to help Calisa in her quest to stay and then her task of trying to get the inn back to the way it was made me love them each a little more. As the story continues and more magical people join the fray, I wanted to learn more about them and where they came from. What little we were given was both enough and not enough. If Durst ever wanted to continue with companions to this book, focusing on the inn's occupants, I'd be first in line to read those books.
This was a comforting, cozy read. The discoveries made and the magic of the book still bring a smile to my face when I think about it. A book automatically becomes a five star read for me when it manages to make me a little teary-eyed and this book managed to do that more than once. I cared about this place and the people it sheltered. I wanted to step in and take a break at the Faraway Inn and now I can once I get the book in my hands.
Rating on my scale: 10 Stars!! This one of the sweetest books I've read in quite sometime. Read this book if you're a fan of Diana Wynne Jones and Patricia C. Wrede.
No comments:
Post a Comment