Recent Reads: LIVING IN THREES

September 27, 2013

There’s a book I read when I was about 10, in 6th grade, probably, or possibly 5th. Anyway. I don’t remember the title or author, but the gist of the story was about girl who perhaps became ill and traveled back to ancient Egypt and lived there for a time. At the end of the story there’s some question about whether it really happened or was a fever dream. I loved the book intensely (I’m going to have to make the internet tell me what it was CAT IN THE MIRROR, Mary Stoltz: thank you, /murumatsu, for getting it in one! <3 <3 <3). Judith Tarr's LIVING IN THREES hit me right in the sweet spot that old book created in me. I knew it would be good, because I’ve never read anything of Judy’s that wasn’t, but I had a vivid, visceral connection with the story, a feeling of discovery as fresh and intense as if I was a kid again, reading something new and bright and exciting to me.

It’s a story about three young women spread out over 8000 years of time whose commonalities bring them together to solve a dangerous mystery that’s evolved over the millennia. I loved the realisation of Maru’s future world particularly, and the warmth of Meritre’s past, and Meredith’s voice felt so honest and real for a modern kid that she just broke my heart. It’s beautifully structured, with a particular sort of tragedy binding all three girls together and creating an emotional resonance that weaves throughout each storyline and character. It’s just gorgeously done.

LIVING IN THREES was Judy’s first Kickstarted project. It makes me absolutely crazy that traditional publishing houses couldn’t figure out how to market it, because I would have eaten it up as a YA reader, but the flip side is that holy crap am I glad that traditional publishing isn’t the only route available now, because it would have been criminal to not get this story out into the world.

Seriously, I cannot imagine that you do not want to read this book. You can buy it at the link above, wich goes to Book View Cafe and which has epub, mobi and PDF versions of the book.

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2 thoughts on “Recent Reads: LIVING IN THREES”

  1. I remember reading that Mary Stoltz book. (At first it also reminded me of Wraiths of Time by Andre Norton – have you read that one. I bought it in a Baen ominbus (Gods and Androids) and I haven’t had a chance to reread it yet.)

    So clearly, I’ll have to read Living in Threes. I’m embarrassed to admit I funded the Kickstarter and have the book kicking around somewhere, but I didn’t get to reading it. It’s climbing it’s way up my TBR list right now.

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