What do you get when you combine Ariel from The Little Mermaid and a modern woman trying to keep her marriage alive? In The Mermaid’s Pendant, you get LeAnn Neal Reilly’s main character, Tamarind. Reilly, a first time novelist, has written an epic tale drawing inspiration from the fairy-tale world of The Little Mermaid, while creating a work of fiction that incorporates magic and reality.
* Before we go further, some spoilers lay ahead. Be forewarned *
John Wilkerson has temporarily escaped his bossy girlfriend and tiresome graduate studies for some R&R on a small island of the coast of Puerto Rico. His solo adventure takes a turn when he goes snorkeling alone and has a panic attack. He wakes to find an old hag hovering over him but while he was unconscious and underwater, he dreamed he was pulled ashore by a beautiful woman with copper curls and bare breasts. But was it a dream? And who is this old woman?
Taramind, always fascinated by humans, is drawn to the man she pulled from the water and will do anything to spend time with him. She puts on “glamours” so she can walk along the island to get to know the stranger. She is willing to give up everything for his love, even conspire with Ana, the old hag.
The first part of Reilly’s novel is an adult re-telling of the Little Mermaid. Reilly’s professional background is as a technical writer and you can see her keen eye at work with her lushly detailed descriptions of Taramind’s child-like discoveries and island life. Part 1 ends as you would expect; Taramind sheds her tail to be with John and they marry, as in the Disney version of The Little Mermaid.
In Part 2, the complicated lives that Reilly weaved in Part 1 really come to fruition. The fairy tale is over and now John and Taramind are husband and wife, with a small child and another on the way. Their beginning may have been magical but now they are in the day to day grind of married life. Taramind misses the salt water of the Caribbean and John’s working life is more complicated than he expected.
They have always been able to read each others’ minds but as daily stress increases, their connection is weakened. Forces from the past come weigh heavy on their marriage. John’s former girlfriend inserts herself in his life as a confident and Taramind’s connection to the island grows stronger. There is still magic but not of all of it is for the good of their marriage.
Reilly is clear, it may be the fairy tale that gets you down the aisle but a marriage does not exist in a “glamour”, there are outside forces, and it takes hard work to stay in love. She weaves a tale rich in detail that highlights the complexity of love and marriage. Happily ever after may not be as easy as it appears in fairy tales but it can happen.
The Mermaid’s Pendant by LeAnn Neal Reilly was received free for review by Boston Book Bums
Tags: book review + The Mermaid's Pendant + LeAnn Neal Reilly, LeAnn Neal Reilly, LeAnn Neal Reilly book review, Leann Neal Reilly Mermaid's Pendant book review, The Mermaid's Pendant book review, The Mermaid's Pendant by LeAnn Neal Reilly
Thanks for the expertly crafted review. Reviews are an art in themselves, and even though you have a few “spoilers,” I think you achieved a great balance between revealing enough story details to explain the larger themes and issues.
… and I should finish my thought:
“a great balance between revealing … and not retelling the story.”
That seems to be the hardest thing to get right in a review and you nailed it.
Excellent review. I love what you said about how the fairy tale can get you down the aisle but it takes hard work to stay in love. After 23 years of marriage I am living testament to that!! Thank you so much for being on the tour.