Name: Ria's review of The Mermaid by Christina Henry
Item: The Mermaid
Rating: 4.5
Author: Ria

Christina Henry

From the author of Lost Boy comes a beautiful historical fairy tale about a mermaid who leaves the sea, only to become the star attraction of history's greatest showman. Once there was a mermaid called Amelia who could never be content in the sea, a mermaid who longed to know all the world and all its wonders, and so she came to live on land. Once there was a man called P. T. Barnum, a man who longed to make his fortune by selling the wondrous and miraculous, and there is nothing more miraculous than a real mermaid. Amelia agrees to play the mermaid for Barnum and walk among men in their world, believing she can leave anytime she likes. But Barnum has never given up a money-making scheme in his life, and he's determined to hold on to his mermaid.

The Mermaid

I couldn’t have asked for a better book to be my first read of 2019!!

I absolutely adored this book, I don’t think i’ll ever read a Christina Henry book i won’t love!

The writing was so lyrical and just beautiful and the story...especially the take on mermaids was so cool! I really love these kinds of “retellings” where a completely different spin is put on it, the outcome was so unique and i loved every single word.

I just really wish it was longer! I can’t get enough of this story, it was just so good!

Once there was a fisherman who lived on a cold and rocky coast and was never able to convince any woman to come away and live in that forbidding place with him. One evening he pulled up his net and found a woman in it. A woman with black hair and eyes as grey as a stormy sea and a gleaming fish’s tail instead of legs. The storm in her eyes rolled into his heart. She stopped her thrashing and crashing at his voice, though she did not understand his words. But her eyes had seen inside of him, and his loneliness caught her more surely than the net. So she stayed with him, and loved him, though he grew old, and she did not. Remarks of this strange and unusual woman travelled from village to village and town to town, until they reached the ears of a man whose business was in the selling of the strange and unusual. His name was P.T. Barnum, and he’d been looking for a mermaid.

Amy Maddess

Jelke Lenaerts

This book has content warnings for animal abuse and slavery.

I have heard many great things about Christina Henry and as I'm still new to horror I decided to start with the book that wasn't horror. I kind of think that was a mistake. I did enjoy this book very much but overall I feel a bit meh about it. It definetly wasn't bad but it also wasn't outstanding to me. I did really like Christina Henry's writing though so I do want to check out more by her. The writing felt magical and transported you into the story. I really liked our main character and the social commentary this book gave. I felt about the characters the way I was supposed to. So yeah, I think this book was very well crafted but the story just didn't do much for me personally.

Kath Lau

A re-telling of PT Barnum's Fiji mermaid. Amelia wants to discover more about the human world and travel to different places after her husband disappears in the ocean. She accepted the offer to be one of PT Barnum's attractions in his museum to earn some money thinking that she can leave anytime she wants. Amelia is a very strong character and through her we get to see the position of women (mermaid or not) in the 19th century. I liked the writing so I'll definitely check out Henry's other retellings.

everlinet

I simply love Christina Henry! 

I didn’t know anything about Barnum and his real mermaid hoax that happened in 19th century, so this was extremely interesting retelling for me. I LOVED it. Amelia herself was amazing character, exactly as I’d imagine real mermaid to behave. 
Her love story was great, too. I did not expect it to be about love too, so I was pleasantly surprised. 
It was not as dark as I thought, definitely way less dark than her Alice retelling, but amazing nonetheless. Her writing style is incredible and unique & I just want to read everything she creates.

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

Written by Christina Henry, The Mermaid is NOT a retelling of The Little Mermaid, but is actually a retelling of the Feejee (Fiji) Mermaid that was a P.T. Barnum draw. So, take that idea of The Little Mermaid and throw it out the window now. Right now.

Now that has been taken care of, let's continue.

This novel follows Amelia as she journeys through life and ends up in the American Museum (by that I mean the "museum" that Barnum ran in the late 1800s). Amelia is a mermaid, and no, she isn't a beautiful woman with a tale. She is a creature of the sea with fangs and claws. But, she can turn into a human woman. And this is her story.

The writing was wonderful in this novel. Towards the end Amelia came off as very human, which I think made sense as she has been around them for over 40 or 50 years. She has lived as a human. And now she has to interact with humans CONSTANTLY. From Barnum to Levi, his "partner", to Barnum's wife Charity and their children.

I hate to type it, but this is a novel that would make a great book club book. There, it has been done. Why? Because some characters change, some stay true, and there is so much that can be discussed and dissected in this book, yet it stands alone beautifully.

If you are looking for a book to read with your young child, this might not be the worst, but do be aware that this isn't written for children. I would say it isn't bad for a middle scholar, but there are places in the writing where it is mature.

Who will enjoy this novel? Fans of historical fantasy, those who thought Barnum in the recent movie was portrayed as far nicer and kinder than he actually was, anyone who likes a sweet romance, and a good fight/creepy factor.

Overall, it was an enjoyable, fast read. I would recommend to most anyone.

Lisa Beasley

This was a pretty good story. Predictable in some areas but still a nice read which was easy and enjoyable.

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The Mermaid by Christina Henry

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