Mermaid

A Twist on the Classic Tale

By: Carolyn Turgeon

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Two sheltered princesses, one wounded warrior; who will live happily ever after?

Princess Margrethe has been hidden away while rumors of war threaten her kingdom. One gloomy, windswept morning, as she stands in a convent garden overlooking the icy sea, she witnesses a miracle: a glittering mermaid emerging from the waves, a nearly drowned man in her arms. By the time Margrethe reaches the shore, the mermaid has disappeared into the sea. As Margrethe nurses the handsome stranger back to health, she learns that he is not only a prince but also the son of her father’s greatest rival. Sure that the mermaid brought this man to her for a reason, Margrethe devises a plan to bring peace to her kingdom.

Meanwhile, the mermaid princess, Lenia, longs to return to the human man she carried to safety. She is willing to trade her home, her voice, and even her health for legs and the chance to win his heart.

A surprising take on the classic tale, Mermaid is the story of two women with everything to lose. Beautifully written and compulsively readable, it will make you think twice about the fairy tale you heard as a child, keeping you in suspense until the very last page.

Carolyn Turgeon is the author of the novels Rain Village, Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story, Mermaid, and The Next Full Moon. She lives in Pennsylvania and is at work on her next novel, a retelling of Rapunzel.

©2011 Carolyn Turgeon (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Vividly imagined and skillfully told, Mermaid is a dark tale that shimmers with light.” (Cathy Marie Buchanan, New York Times best-selling author)

Love it!

Great, great book! wonderful story that reminds us that we don't know everything, we can't be sure that anything is not real.

Interesting and entertaining

Liked the book, reader did an amazing job, and the book was tasteful. Didn't end how I would have expected.

Average story, weak ending

I Wish the ending was stronger, okay take on the fairy tale, intreasting love triangle.

Satisfying Retelling

The story is a predictable classic, but the author builds off of it well. The Mermaid is to Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid what Ever After the movie was to Cinderella. An excellent balance between happily ever after and deeply human moments.

Wow-I loved it

Would you listen to Mermaid again? Why?

I would, and I plan to...listen to it again, that is. What a great story. I was entranced by it because I could never quite tell where it was going to next. It was unexpected and wonderful. As in life, things just never quite worked out the way the characters hoped it would, because we are all fallible creatures.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It was hard to say...there was the princess and the mermaid. I was cheering for both...but they were at cross purposes, so they couldn't both win.

Beautiful rendition of ‘The Little Mermaid’

I love this story! I read it and was absolutely enthralled with the audiobook version. Great reader who brings the characters to life. The characters are fascinating and have a wonderful depth of character. The author did a fabulous job with unfolding the story, which kept my attention the whole time. Highly recommended!

So So

Would you try another book from Carolyn Turgeon and/or Rosalyn Landor?

Rosalyn Landor is a fabulous narrator! I would listen to anything. And she made this sorta okay book bearable.

Would you ever listen to anything by Carolyn Turgeon again?

Maybe. This book as an excellent idea and started off with a great idea. But then fell apart at then end. I did not feel satisfied with the ending nor was the ending true to the original fairytale (which I love).

Loved this update on the classic

I'll admit to being a lover of all things mermaid, and I stumbled upon this book purely by accident b/c the author has a wonderful book called "The Mermaid Handbook" which is about the history of mermaids in art, literature, fashion, etc.

But I digress. Having actually never read the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson, I'm not sure exactly how closely this follows, but I loved the book. The author does a wonderful job of making both the mermaid and the princess very easy to relate to and sympathize with as they both have good hearts. I felt torn between who loved the prince more and who I wanted to end up being with him. Poor guy doesn't ever seem to have much choice in the matter! HA!

No spoilers, but it's a satisfying ending that didn't leave me feeling heartbroken for the mermaid or the princess. They both demonstrated sacrificial love worthy of a great love story, and I'm not a fan of love stories but I think the ending surpassed that base story line for one about loving others more than oneself, which was refreshing. Beautiful story!