The Wild Swans by Peg Kerr (2001)

This wasn't for me.
I didn't particularly enjoy the Elias side of the story.
I'm afraid I was mentally rolling my eyes quite soon in at stuff.
The Eliza part of the story I found more engaging,but as it was broken up all the time by other chapters,it stilted the flow.

I didn't read the cover blurb very carefully when I picked this one up. I was more captivated by the historical setting and the fairy tale. So - no time travel romance here between gay Elias and Eliza of the bespelled brothers. Elias' story is tragic, and the story of the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s needs to be told more, as it devastated a generation of gay men and hemophiliacs. However, it has very little to do with the tale of Eliza and her brothers which is more of a retelling of a classic fairy tale plugged into Puritan New England.

I liked the story set in modern times, but the fairy tale portion read very stilted. I got 3/4s of the way through :/

This was a bit of a surprise. I started this book expecting a straightforward retelling of a fairy tale, but it was a bit more than that. While Eliza's tale certainly is what I expected, Elias's story was quite different. I don't want to spoil too much, but suffice it to say that it was more poignant and much deeper than I expected.

All in all, I though this book was really good. I enjoyed the way the different tales were interwoven. Miles apart at first, they slowly moved towards one another. While some of the parallels were a bit too much for me (such as the writer using the exact same descriptions for Eliza and Lizzie), most of them worked really well. The only thing that really bothered me, was Kerr's way of speeding up the narrative at times. This caused her to skip certain events that I would've liked to see in more detail. Less isn't always more... but apart from that, this book is excellent and I really recommend it.

A strange blend of two stories: the classic fairytale of the brothers turned into swans, and the rise of AIDS in 1980s New York.

I was really interested in the way the author told two stories in parallel: a retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale and a modern story with elements from the fairy tale. I saw this author at a talk about retelling fairy tales in literature about a year and a half ago. I had never read anything by her before and wanted to read this book in particular after hearing the discussion. This is different than the kind of books I usually like and read, but I liked it very much.

It was all there in the background, Elias realized while looking through the album later, like the distant cacophony of traffic on the other side of a closed window. You think you can ignore it, but it keeps getting a little louder, a little closer, irritating at first, and then more and more ominous. There was a kind of anxiety among their friends, even the ones who seemed entirely healthy... [loc 2802]

The story is told in two parallel strands: Eliza, in the 1680s, discovers that her stepmother's changed her eleven brothers into swans; and Elias, in 1980s New York, is learning to live with his sexuality as a gay man, even while his friends are dying of a mysterious illness. Both Elias and Eliza have been disowned by their parents, but find love and friendship elsewhere; both are silent, though silence = death; both find love unexpectedly, though Elias has to endure the lingering death of his lover Sean.

There are other echoes: a man of the cloth questioning his faith; food placed just out of reach; the role of the mother, or the stepmother, in bringing doom to a son; the need to create art in the face of a curse ... And there are hints that the two stories might be connected: that Eliza might be Elias' ancestor, and that another (trans) character might be the reincarnation of someone who deeply regretted her inability to help Eliza. But these are only hints: Kerr has a light touch. She doesn't hammer home the parallels, or sentimentalise either Elias' or Eliza's suffering: nor does she glamourise the gay scene at its brief heyday. Neither protagonist is given to dramatics, but both experience profound emotion. The Wild Swans is a powerful story about love, and hope, and -- to a certain extent -- self-sacrifice.

I read this novel when it was first published in 1999: I haven't reread it since, and recalled very little of the plot, though I did remember the characters and themes. It's aged surprisingly well, and I'm happy that it is now available again, in ebook format, from new publisher Endeavour. (I received a free e-copy from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.) There's also a new foreword by Peg Kerr, which highlights how far we've come in those two decades: not only in treatments for AIDS but in marriage rights.

Read for the 'Either a Favorite or a New-to-You Publisher' rubric of the 2020 Reading Women Challenge

Loved loved loved this book. The paralleled worlds of the two stories was well thought out and beautifully written. You get attached to the characters and the outcome of their stories. I have read other books that use the fairy tale, The Wild Swans, and love seeing it in retelling. The book was a beautiful journey of strength, perseverance and unconditional love.

OK, it started kind of depressing, but by the end, I was hooked. Beautiful, heartbreaking book.

Synopsis
A retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen tale parallels the story of a 20th century young man. Both are cast out of their homes and must discover how to stay true to themselves while being persecuted by the people and circumstances around them.

Review
Unfortunately I found this book difficult to get through. I was not able to connect with either of the main characters and found the supporting characters to be flat stereotypes. The pacing was a bit awkward, and the parallel story lines were confusing at times.

My Recommendation
I was just not a huge fan. 2/5 - If it happens to be around, it's OK.

Originally published in 1999, author Peg Kerr's tale is an exquisite modern retelling of the Fairytale; "The Wild Swans" by Hans Christian Anderson. This retelling combines fantasy and literary fiction in an intense tale for today's world.

Dual timelines with Dual point of views takes the reader between 1680's New England and 1980's New York.

In Puritan New England we meet young Eliza; dutiful daughter, hardworking and god fearing. A secret is revealed to Eliza and her simple devotional life takes a new path, her world will never be the same.

Jumping forward to the1980's, where we meet Elias; homeless street kid, newly disowned hedgefund son by his family- for "coming out".

Kerr masterfully weaves these 2 seemingly separate stories together in ways you can't imagine and dont fully see until...ding doing the lights come on!
It's an homage to silent dying when we should speak up.
4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Endeavour Media and the author Ms. Peg Kerr for the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy of "The Wild Swans".
The opinions expressed in this review are mine alone.