Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
Tamsin
Amazon US TPB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada TPB Amazon Canada HC
Peter S. Beagle
Class/Genre: Fantasy
Roc, Oct 1999, $21.95, 288 pp.
Thirteen-year old Jenny Gluckstein hates leaving her Manhattan’s West Side home to live on a run-down farm in Dorset, England. However, she has little choice in the matter as her mother is remarrying. However, Jenny finds the remote countryside quite interesting when she meets a three-century old ghost, Tamsin Willoughby, who haunts the farm.
Jenny learns that Tamsin is miserable because she still mourns the death of her beloved Edric even if that occurred under the seventeenth century reign of James II. Through Tamsin, Jenny soon means a world of supernatural beings. However, Jenny soon will face the most malevolent spirit of them all. Under the auspices of James II, Judge Jeffries sent many innocent individuals to their violent deaths. Only Jenny can rescue Tamsin and Edric from eternal damnation. However, the more likely outcome is failure and that could force Jenny into joining the loving duo in an endless nightmare.
What makes Peter s. Beagle one of the top writer of fantasy (see THE LAST UNICORN) is his ability to make the impossible seem genuine. His latest tale, TAMSIN, could be the supernatural story of the year as the otherworldly beings seem so real and filled with depth. Jenny is a wonderful teen whose twentieth century New York cleverly contrasts with rural seventeenth century England. The story line is filled with vigor as it entertains the reader from start to finish. Mr. Beagle pumps energy and style in the good Vs evil battle making this great novel a necessary read for sub-genre fans.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
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