Publishers Weekly
03/04/2019
Winters (Odd & True) delves into the life of young Edgar Allan Poe in this elegantly scripted, detailed exploration of a world in which muses take corporeal form. Edgar is counting down the days until he departs from the home of his foster parents in Richmond, Va., for the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. While it means leaving behind his love, Elmira, he is eager to escape his foster father, John, who is determined to squash young Edgar’s artistic inclinations. The arrival of Edgar’s muse, Lenore, complicates his plan, though. She appears as the physical embodiment of the Gothic art and prose he is so inclined toward, and she terrifies nearly everyone who sees her, particularly John. As Edgar grows into his talents, he’s caught between following his muse and the desire to conform to his foster father’s wishes. This well-researched and darkly entertaining tale serves as an excellent introduction to Poe and his classic works, and it includes a memorable character in Lenore, whose own story of becoming cleverly parallels Edgar’s coming-of-age challenges. Ages 12–up. Agent: Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman Literary Agency. (Apr.)
Booklist
"Eerie, macabre, and appropriately esoteric, Winters' (Odd and True, 2017) story of a mysterious soul will speak to literary teens"
co-author of the New York Times bestseller The Sha Daniel Kraus
Winters’s smart, silvery, slithering prose finds beauty in the grotesque—and what is art if not that?
#1 NYT Bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns Kendare Blake
Brooding, macabre, romantic, and surprisingly whimsical . . . A must-read for Poe fans, and Poe newcomers alike.
#1 New York Times bestselling author of Stain and A. G. Howard
A captivating and intensively researched tribute to the famous poet and his gothic muse.
School Library Connection
"Fans of Poe will nevertheless find this a 'must read.'"
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Winters effectively infuses Poe’s macabre aesthetic into her fictional retelling of his life. Fans of classic literature will delight in the many references to mythology and other poets; fans of Poe himself are bound to enjoy passages written in a similar voice to “The Raven,” as well as the many allusions to his early works."
Kerri Maniscalco
"A darkly delicious tale that’s sure to haunt readers forevermore."
From the Publisher
Brooding, macabre, romantic, and surprisingly whimsical . . . A must-read for Poe fans, and Poe newcomers alike.”—Kendare Blake, #1 NYT Bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series
"A darkly delicious tale that’s sure to haunt readers forevermore."—Kerri Maniscalco, #1 NYT and USA Today bestselling author of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series
“A captivating and intensively researched tribute to the famous poet and his gothic muse.” —A. G. Howard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Stain and the Splintered series
“Winters’s smart, silvery, slithering prose finds beauty in the grotesque—and what is art if not that?”—Daniel Kraus, co-author of the New York Times bestseller The Shape of Water
“Spellbinding, imaginative, whimsical, and unforgettable. A rattling good tale that is worthy of the master poet himself.”—Dwight L. MacPherson, author of The Imaginary Voyages of Edgar Allan Poe
"Several of Poe's most well-known works enhance the narrative, complemented by the author's own finely crafted writing that flows with gorgeous, Poe-inspired phrases . . . A labor of literary love that will appeal to fans of Gothic horror and anyone who has ever had to assuage a determined muse."—Kirkus Reviews
"Winters effectively infuses Poe’s macabre aesthetic into her fictional retelling of his life. Fans of classic literature will delight in the many references to mythology and other poets; fans of Poe himself are bound to enjoy passages written in a similar voice to “The Raven,” as well as the many allusions to his early works."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Well-researched and darkly entertaining."—Publishers Weekly
"Eerie, macabre, and appropriately esoteric, Winters' (Odd and True, 2017) story of a mysterious soul will speak to literary teens"—Booklist
"Winters strategically creates a physical being, Lenore the Muse, as a metaphor for passion or dreams, a theme that rings true as Poe tries to ignore and escape his gothic poetry . . . teen fans of Poe’s poetry will learn about his life and the included verses will create new fans."—School Library Journal
"Fans of Poe will nevertheless find this a 'must read.'"—School Library Connection
author of The Imaginary Voyages of Edgar Allan Poe Dwight L. MacPherson
Spellbinding, imaginative, whimsical, and unforgettable. A rattling good tale that is worthy of the master poet himself.
#1 NYT and USA Today bestselling author of the Sta Kerri Maniscalco
"A darkly delicious tale that’s sure to haunt readers forevermore."
Booklist
"Eerie, macabre, and appropriately esoteric, Winters' (Odd and True, 2017) story of a mysterious soul will speak to literary teens"
School Library Journal
04/01/2019
Gr 7 Up—Seventeen-year-old Edgar Allan Poe is ready to go to college to escape his overbearing foster father, who believes poetry is a waste of time. Although Poe admires Byron and love poems, he secretly yearns to tell tales of death and darkness. While he is daydreaming in church about 72 people who died in a theater fire, his Muse manifests into a raven-haired girl. Muses of art are frowned upon because they lead to debauchery, and Edgar tries hard to abandon his Muse, Lenore, but it becomes too late as the town and his father have encountered her. Hoping to escape Lenore at the University of Virginia, Poe finds himself in deeper trouble as he is penniless and cannot afford to pay his college debts. This work reimagines Poe as a teen and the circumstances that may have led to his macabre poetry and his untimely death. Winters strategically creates a physical being, Lenore the Muse, as a metaphor for passion or dreams, a theme that rings true as Poe tries to ignore and escape his gothic poetry until it nearly kills him. Although the plot moves slowly, teen fans of Poe's poetry will learn about his life and the included verses will create new fans. VERDICT Purchase where Edgar Allan Poe and Winters's books are popular.—Dawn Abron, Zion-Benton Public Library, IL
Kirkus Reviews
2019-02-20
A fictionalized account of horror master Edgar Allan Poe's life from March 1826 through December 1827.
Edgar "Eddy" Poe is desperate to escape the suffocating life of upper-crust Richmond, Virginia. At college, the 17-year-old will be free from his emasculating foster father's controlling grip and can work on his poetry. The passionate and talented Edgar is close to achieving his goal when she appears. A girl in a dress of ashes and raven feathers, she is Eddy's muse, whom he names Lenore. Lenore is fierce, powerful, and hungry for words, but she needs Eddy to commit to her so she can evolve from her new frail human form into a higher being. Will Poe pursue that which makes him happy, or will he succumb to what's expected of him and live a life without artistic expression? Edgar and Lenore share the present-tense narration in distinctive first-person voices. Several of Poe's most well-known works enhance the narrative, complemented by the author's own finely crafted writing that flows with gorgeous, Poe-inspired phrases. Major characters are white; the family has three slaves, one of whom, Judith, plays an important role in inspiring and guiding Poe. The author's note troublingly refers to her as having "joined the Allans in January 1811," a phrasing in keeping with the benign manner in which these characters' enslavement is portrayed.
A labor of literary love that will appeal to fans of Gothic horror and anyone who has ever had to assuage a determined muse. (poems, author's note, further reading, quoted material) (Historical horror. 13-adult)
