Sailor Twain: Or: The Mermaid in the Hudson

( 5 )

Overview


One hundred years ago. On the foggy Hudson River, a riverboat captain rescues an injured mermaid from the waters of the busiest port in the United States. A wildly popular--and notoriously reclusive--author makes a public debut. A French nobleman seeks a remedy for a curse. As three lives twine together and race to an unexpected collision, the mystery of the Mermaid of the Hudson deepens. A mysterious and beguiling love story with elements of Poe, Twain, Hemingway, and Greek mythology, drawn in ...
See more details below
Hardcover
$17.32
BN.com price
(Save 30%)$24.99 List Price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (Hardcover)
  • All (31) from $6.99   
  • New (21) from $12.16   
  • Used (10) from $6.99   
Sailor Twain: Or, The Mermaid in the Hudson

Available on NOOK devices and apps  
  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK HD/HD+ Tablet
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for Windows 8 Tablet
  • NOOK for iOS
  • NOOK for Android
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK for Windows 8

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

NOOK Book (eBook)    
NOOK Comics presents exciting graphic novel material in stunning detail, allowing you to read in either portrait or landscape mode as well as pinch & zoom to dive into the tiniest details of your favorite comics.
$11.99
BN.com price

More About This Book

Overview


One hundred years ago. On the foggy Hudson River, a riverboat captain rescues an injured mermaid from the waters of the busiest port in the United States. A wildly popular--and notoriously reclusive--author makes a public debut. A French nobleman seeks a remedy for a curse. As three lives twine together and race to an unexpected collision, the mystery of the Mermaid of the Hudson deepens. A mysterious and beguiling love story with elements of Poe, Twain, Hemingway, and Greek mythology, drawn in moody black-and-white charcoal, Sailor Twain is a study in romance, atmosphere, and suspense. Sailor Twain is one of The Washington Post's Top 10 Graphic/Comic Reads of 2012
Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
In a work that calls to mind Conrad’s enigmatic short story “The Secret Sharer,” we follow the story of Captain Twain, a steamboat captain who discovers a wounded mermaid clinging to the side of his ship. Twain secretly brings her aboard, stows her in his cabin, and nurses her back to health, developing a strong attachment to her in the process. As he begins to learn her story, he recognizes that it may have a connection to correspondence between Dieudonné de Lafayette, the womanizing proprietor of the steamboat line, and writer C.G. Beaverton. Lafayette spends his days in endless conquest of the women who board his steamboat, which keeps him distracted enough that he doesn’t discover Twain’s secret stowaway. What readers eventually discover about the mermaid and her world brings about a series of dramatic events that lead to the story’s remarkable conclusion. Siegel’s strength as a storyteller is in knowing precisely how to balance the verbal and the visual, sometimes taking us for two or three pages on a wordless sequence that says so much more than dialogue ever could. As well, the manner in which he presents both the real and the fantastic shows his profound understanding of both worlds. (Oct.)
From the Publisher

"This extraordinary work of fiction pushes the graphic novel well beyond its previous limits.  The narrative takes us on many journeys through space and time, but is more than a mere tale.  It's about past and present, the absolute importance of myth, of language, of stories themselves.  In superb words and drawings, it also explores obsession and love in a way that is original to the genre, and to literature itself.  In the best sense, the completed work succeeds in a very difficult task: making the reader more human.  Bravo!" -- Pete Hamill "Addictive." -- Rachel Maddow "Wow.  Fabulous." -- Robin McKinley "A gorgeous piece of work about moral conflicts, romantic distress, and fishy secrets." -- Laura Kipnis "A romance in the truest sense of the word, Sailor Twain is a marvel of graphical beauty and complex, intelligent storytelling.  Siegel creates a misty, magical Hudson river that is somehow realer and truer and mroe seductive and many fathoms deeper than the real thing." -- Lev Grossman "I had a most engaging voyage on the doomed Lorelei, and I much enjoyed meeting young Captain Twain -- not to mention the mermaid in the Hudson.  This is a gripping novel with compelling characters, enhanged by haunting, erotically charged drawings." -- John Irving 

"Siegel’s illustrations underscore the multiple themes of deceit and deception: softly blurred charcoal riverscapes transform the Hudson into a proving ground for dark magic, and the doe-eyed characters are nowhere near as innocent as they look. You’re never too old for a well-told fairy tale." -- BCCB

 

"Absolutely not to be missed." -- Booklist, starred reivew

Children's Literature - Raina Sedore
Have you ever heard a mermaid's song? Elijah Twain is the captain of a steamboat traveling up and down the Hudson River. When the French owner of the steamboat goes missing, the owner's brother suddenly adopts a playboy lifestyle. But why? Conceived as an epic tale—incorporating northeastern myth, literary legends, lustful temptation, slavery politics, and workplace ethics, this is storytelling on a grand scale. Although it's sexual content and complex mythology makes it suitable for only the most mature high school students and adults; those who read this story will consume this nearly four hundred-page volume in merely a sitting or two. The illustration level is uneven—some panels (notably a panel on page 29) have wildly different amounts of shading and texture than others. Most of the figures are drawn in caricature, which feels dissonant when rendered in charcoal. On the other hand, some of the illustrations are quite glorious, particularly using negative space to great advantage. While not a book for children, this is the very definition of a graphic novel. Though not perfect, this is true graphic literature. Reviewer: Raina Sedore
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781596436367
  • Publisher: First Second
  • Publication date: 10/2/2012
  • Pages: 400
  • Sales rank: 84,701
  • Product dimensions: 6.44 (w) x 8.84 (h) x 1.34 (d)

Meet the Author


Mark Siegel was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and grew up in France. He is the editorial director of First Second and an accomplished writer and illustrator. He is the illustrator of To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel, a Robert F. Sibert Award Honor Book, written by his wife, Siena Cherson Siegel; and author and illustrator of the picture book Moving House, published by Roaring Brook Press.
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 5 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(3)

4 Star

(2)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing all of 5 Customer Reviews

  • Posted March 8, 2013

    more from this reviewer

    Have you heard the song of a mermaid?

    You are doomed. It's a maritime hazard. But is it possible to survive such a curse? This graphic novel takes you to 19th Century Hudson River where steamboats convey passengers and cargo between New York and Albany instyle . Chock full of maritime and period detail.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted January 26, 2013

    Fantastic!!

    Fantastic!!


    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted November 12, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Victorian-era New York, a steamboat captain staying true to his

    Victorian-era New York, a steamboat captain staying true to his ill wife, a lecherous boat owner and a mermaid, all wrapped up in a hardcover graphic novel. The beautiful charcoal drawings really help tell the tale, making more believable the danger of both night and water. Captain Twain pulls a wounded mermaid from the water and hides her in his cabin until she is healed, receiving her promise never to sing to him. But will she still pull him into the depths of the Hudson River? How many men has the mermaid captured with her song? Nudity and a few drawings of sexual acts might put off some readers but are entirely appropriate to the story. A very enjoyable read.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 27, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 3, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 5 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)