Chime

Chime by Franny Billingsley is one of those books I discovered on Goodreads and immediately knew I'd love based on the synopsis (and the gorgeous cover). Briony has a guilty secret - she is a witch. A witch who has destroyed her family: she blames herself for her sister's mental disability, her home being victim to both fire and flood and the death of her stepmother. She only feels at home in the swamp, but before her stepmother died she warned Briony that the swamp only made her powers worse. Then handsome Eldric moves into town and makes Briony question everything. Well, I was so right: I did love this book! I fell in love with it from the first sentence and remained enchanted through the whole story. Briony is one of a kind - her narration was at times angry, sad, eerie, hopeful, scary...but always bewitching. Always interesting. There is no way to see the world through her eyes and not feel drawn to her and wonder about the things she believed she has done. I knew early on that things were not as they seemed - certainly not exactly how Briony saw them - but I definitely did not expect things to unfold the way they did. Eldric is a great character too - I absolutely adored the different ways Briony described him. The descriptive language she uses is very original...but very Briony. I don't remember the last time an author was able to so successfully create someone so complex and layered (not to mention quirky and oddball) and keep the characterization so consistent. Her voice is very distinctive - the blend of wit and irony kept me constantly entertained: "In a proper story, antagonistic sparks would fly between Eldric and me, sparks that would sweeten the inevitable kiss on page 324. But life doesn't work that way. I didn't hate Eldric, which, for me, is about as good as things get." I also loved her descriptions of the other characters: "Father's silence is not merely the absence of sound. It's a creature with a life of its own. It chokes you. It pinches you small as a grain of rice. It twists your gut like a worm. Silence clawed at my throat. It left a taste of burnt matches No, our family doesn't talk much." *** "She spoke in a dark-river sort of voice, as though her throat were filled with dusk. She was staying in a village not twenty miles off, but her dusky voice made it sound like an island of spicy winds and bursting pineapples. Just the place to be marooned." I really cannot recommend reading this book enough - a constantly compelling fantasy plot, an intriguing and malevolent swamp setting and a set of the most quirky and captivating characters you'll ever come across.

There are a couple of authors working in the field of children's books who take three to six years to write each book. It's probably not a coincidence that they are among the best writers out there. Megan Whalen Turner is one, and, as Franny Billingsley proves with her long-awaited book Chime, she is another. Is it horror? Is it fantasy? Is it a gothic novel set in a swamp? Well, yes. I think my first thought was Pride and Prejudice because of the banter between the two leads, plus the Victorian setting. But from there, this book might as well be set in the bayous of New Orleans, since the Swampsea is just that swampy. Alligators would feel right at home here. No, wait: actually, they'd get eaten by one of Billingsley's marvelous British folktale monsters, like the Boggy Mun or maybe Mucky Face. Briony hates herself, especially for what she did to her sister Rose, who hasn't been quite right ever since. What's more, Briony is pretty sure she's a witch, since she can see the Old Ones, the nature spirits and other eldritch creatures who inhabit the Swampsea. If anyone finds out her secret, she will hang. Briony tries to be careful, but it doesn't help when the Boggy Mun sends a fatal coughing disease into the village. He promises Briony he'll withdraw the disease, but only if she can get Mr. Clayborne's crew to stop draining the swamp to build a railroad. Meanwhile, Mr. Clayborne's son Eldric is staying at the vicarage, and he and Briony are instantly attracted to each other. Eldric has a good heart, but he's also a mischief-maker. He quickly sees the wildness in Briony that she has been trying to hide. Then a girl named Leanne starts getting her claws in Eldric. Briony can feel herself getting angry, and that's not good. When Briony gets angry, terrible things happen... The best thing about this book is its characters, especially Briony. She is so vital and good and bad and full of self-doubt that she feels completely true as you are reading. Everywhere she turns, this girl faces a new dilemma, or rather, each time she tries to solve one problem, she seems to create a new one. Despite her stubborn strength, Briony is haunted to the point of being tormented. Other characters are just as rich. Even the most peripheral ones manage to feel dimensional. The golden, leonine Eldric is such a wonderful combination of deviltry and kindness that readers will probably fall in love with him even as Briony does, especially when listening in on the conversations between this couple: you know, the kind of talk that leaves everyone else in the dark even as it illuminates just how perfectly in sync two people can be. Briony's narrative voice is powerful and idiosyncratic, wry, self-deprecating, and very smart. Here is a sample: "'Thank you.' But why should I thank Pearl? She was being paid. Anyone could stand a screaming girl if she was paid, but the sister of such a girl is never paid. I'd like to go farther than twenty feet. France would be nice, and I speak tolerable French. Or Greece, although I speak intolerable Greek, and only ancient. But if I couldn't manage to order a glass of wine, I'd order a wine-dark sea; and I like olives; and I believe I might like squid; and I would certainly like anyplace far away from Rose." Little by little, readers will learn Briony's secrets, even as Eldric learns them. Gradually, her troubles take on surprising shapes, like newly made swamp creatures. Until pieces of the story that didn't seem to be connected suddenly clasp tentacles and feathers before showing us fresh, uncanny faces. Chime is one of those books that makes you astonishingly glad to be a reader. I'm very pleased to hear that it's garnering multiple starred reviews from key review sources. If it doesn't win the Printz or at least a Printz Honor award next year, I will Not Be Happy! Note for Worried Parents: Chime is a book for teens. There is talk about sex and having babies in spots, a threat of rape, and a trio of unforgettable flashers who are witches up in the trees of the swamp. We also get violence, especially in the form of attacks by nightmarish swamp creatures.

This book was provided to me as an audiobook by the library, because the library is awesome. Hear me now and know these words I type are true: This. Book. Is. Awesome. The Chosen One. It’s a common device in the world of fantasy books. While it can be a great tool in the hands of a thoughtful author, after a while one wants something different. Chime is something different. Briony Larkin is, without a doubt, something different. Briony is far and away one of the most engaging and relatable characters I have ever read. Her sister Rose and love interest Eldric are right up there with her. I’ve always smirked at girls talking about “book boyfriends”, but I kind of get it now. These characters are in my head and in my heart. The story is enthralling, twisty, and gives away everything and nothing at the same time. The moment I thought I had it all worked out, there was a new element that I never saw coming. So good! The audiobook narration by Susan Duerden, was very well done. Ms. Duerden does an excellent job of conveying the characters’ emotions. The tonal differentiation between the characters was so well done that I knew which character was speaking without any additional explanation. I look forward to listening to any book narrated by Ms. Duerden. I recommend Chime to anyone over the age of 14. Some scenes might be considered scary to more sensitive readers. There is some alcohol consumption, talk of drug use (arsenic), and poisoning (arsenic), but there is only vague mention of sex.

This is a really great story. The plot is second to none. Its original and exciting and has an intriguing twist. However, I found the writing to be slightly rudimentary. There were some spelling mistakes and the language sometimes seemed too young for the supposed intelligence and maturity of the protagonist. Overall, great story but I recommend it for ages 12 to 16

A lovely, dark read with an amazing writing style. I love the Victorian feel of the world, I love the subtle horror and I love how Billingsley's created one of the most unique character voices I've ever seen with Briony. Still a favourite five years after I first picked it up.

My daughter had already read this book and loved it so wanted to own it so she could read it again. Good seller as well.

Eine ganz schlaue Leserstimme auf Amazon sagt "Entweder man liebt es, oder man hasst es". Voll ins Schwarze getroffen und ich reihe mich direkt bei Letzterem ein. Vorrangig liegt das definitiv am Schreibstil. Der altmodische Touch liegt mir überhaupt nicht, zumindest nicht auf Englisch, sodass ich das Buch beim besten Willen nicht flüssig lesen konnte. Auch die Stimmung hat mir überhaupt nicht gefallen, war sehr drückend, düster und beklemmend und so gar nicht magisch und prickelnd, wie ich es mir eigentlich gewünscht hätte. Von der Story selber kann ich leider auch kein schönes Liedchen trällern. Keine Spannung, sehr vorhersehbar, ständige Wiederholungen. Extrem zäh und schwammig wie auch der Sumpf, an dem das Ganze spielt. Briony ist eine Hexe. Sie hasst sich selbst dafür, dafür dass sie ihre Schwester und ihre Stiefmutter verletzt hat, als sie wütend und eifersüchtig wurde. Sie betet sich Tag für Tag vor, dass sie böse ist, dass sie keine Gefühle verdient hat, dass sie kalt und herzlos ist. Um keinen Preis darf irgendjemand erfahren, was sie wirklich ist. Doch dann wird ihre Schwester Rose krank und Briony versucht mit den magischen Wesen des Sumpfes einen Handel zu schließen, da sie die Krankheit schicken, um sich an den Menschen dafür zu rächen, dass sie den Sumpf austrocknen. Doch Briony macht alles nur schlimmer und ertrinkt schließlich so in ihrem Selbsthass, dass sie darauf besteht, gehängt zu werden, als ans Licht kommt, dass sie kein normaler Mensch ist. Wie gesagt, alles sehr düster, trotz kleiner Lovestory am Rande. Gerade dadurch, dass das Ende aber so schnell klar ist, kann man nicht wirklich mit Briony mitfühlen und auch die anderen Figuren bleiben extrem unnahbar und nicht zu fassen. Für mich eine Enttäuschung auf ganzer Linie. Ich kann beim besten Willen nichts finden, was mir an dem Buch gefallen hat.