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Keturah & Lord Death Martine Leavitt Teen Fiction / Science Fiction / Historical / Fantasy I will tell you . . . a story of magic and love, of daring and death, and one to comfort your heart. It will be the truest story I have ever told. Now listen, and tell me if it is not so. Keturah Reeve is a beautiful young woman of sixteen who lives with her grandmother in a cottage near the forest owned by Lord Temsland. Keturah is renowned in the village for her captivating storytelling, and this beautifully woven novel is a response to a request from Keturah's eager audience for yet another of her fascinating tales. She tells of her experience of being lost in the forest, her eventual meeting with a dark figure on horseback who is Lord Death and her bargaining with him for her life-and for the lives of the villagers who are threatened by an onset of the plague. With its richly textured medieval setting, Keturah's story exposes the tensions and desires of the villagers, the dangers that loom in their future and how they place Keturah's life in jeopardy. Keturah's escalating bargains with Lord Death allow her to protect her friends and reveal to them their true talents and destinies. But even as she negotiates with Death, she becomes more isolated from the people she is seeking to protect and seems less and less likely to achieve the dreams of her own heart. The startling resolution of the novel confirms Martine Leavitt's reputation as a treasure of a writer, a storyteller who can weave magnificent spells. Leavitt confronts readers with issues and revelations that, while they occur in a setting far from their own experience, bear the intimacy of next door. Reviews “There's a tradition of fleshing out bare-bones fairy tales into
novels, spinning schematic Snow Whites and Cinderellas into living girls with freckles and foibles.
"Keturah and Lord Death" evokes that tradition. . . Readers who think they know exactly where the
story is headed will find themselves pleasantly surprised. Not that Leavitt frustrates all expectations
-- much of what clearly has to happen does happen. But she takes what looks on the surface like a rather
shallow story and plunges it, from time to time, into the depths that come only with pain.” “The passionate relationship of Keturah and Lord Death, blossoming
out of an early fascination and strong friendship, is both realistic and otherworldly. Leavitt integrates
the sweeping romance with a timeless story of a headstrong girl who is certain that, given enough time,
she can create a perfect world.” “Stippled with light and shadow and crowned with an ending that will
leave teens breathless, this resonant fantasy centers on Keturah's attempts to evade destiny.” “Leavitt integrates the sweeping romance with a timeless story of a
headstrong girl who is certain that, given enough time, she can create a perfect world. . . Lord Death,
mysterious and gorgeous, and Keturah, brilliant and beautiful, will be irresistible to romance fans as
well as those who like a bit of passion woven into their fantasy.” “The tension in this novel is masterfully sustained, and the theme
is arresting: not the usual 'choose life,' but rather, welcome death into your everyday awareness, because
it's inseparable from life. The unconventional ending may disappoint some, but there's no denying that
it's an admirably bold stroke.” “Leavitt's novel is an unusual blend of folktale, myth, and romance,
and its unexpected conclusion is thought-provoking. And while the prose is sometimes overly ponderous
('and my heart smote me'), more often it is lucid and arresting.” |
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