If we shadows have offended,Think but this, and all is mended,That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream…
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
What if it wasn’t a dream?
What if the faeries Shakespeare spoke of were real?
Merry and tragical! Tedious and brief! That is, hot ice and wondrous strange snow…- A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
GenreWondrous Strange’s genre is Fantasy, but the way Lesley writes make it very easy to believe that the characters are real. Who knows maybe Central Park is a gateway to the Otherworld!
Tavern on the Green
Point of View
I would say this book is in third person omniscient because the narrator gets into the minds of both Sonny and Kelley.
Main Characters
Kelley- She is a seventeen year old girl that loves to perform Shakespeare. She is very nice to people, but she is somewhat shy.
Sonny- Well respected member of the Janus Guard. Falls for Kelley.
Other CharactersMindi- Stage manager at Avalon Grande
Bob- Actor who plays Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Is he acting?
Quentin- High-strung perfectionist director of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Jack Savage- Actor who plays the faerie king, Oberon, in the show. He is in his early fifties and is often called Gentleman Jack.
Other CharactersAunt Emma- Has helped Kelley’s parents raise her since she was a baby. She holds a deep secret about Kelley’s past and is the one that gave Kelley a necklace that Sonny thinks holds some magical properties.
Auberon/Oberon- King of the Unseelie Court of Faerie and Winter. It is his Janus Guard that guards the Samhain Gate in Central Park.
Queen Mabh- Faerie Queen of Autumn. Mabh likes to cause trouble and therefore has been confined to her own realm. She is the creator of the Wild Hunt.
Other CharactersTyff Meyers- Kelley’s roommate. She is a model and is more than a little high-strung. She is not who she appears to be.
Lucky- A “horse” that followed Kelley home after she rescued it from drowning.
Herne- A man that became a god; he was the original Rider of the Roan horse and leader of the Wild Hunt which was brought upon by a curse from Queen Mabh.
Janus Guard- They kill dangerous Faeries that try to escape the Otherworld into the mortal realm. Members include Sonny, Maddox, Fennrys Wolf, camina, Bellamy, Godwyn, Bryan, Beni, Ghost, Aaneel, Percival, Selene, and Cait.
Kelley and Sonny are the ProtagonistsThe Wild Hunt and Queen Mabh are the
Antagonists
SettingThe story takes place in New York City in present day. Most of the scenes take place at the Avalon Grande, Central Park, and Kelley’s and Sonny’s apartments. The main areas in Central Park that the story took place were the Shakespeare Garden, the Lake, Bethesda Terrace, the Central Park Carousel, Hernshead, and the Tavern on the Green.
Hernshead Bethesda Terrace
Central Park Carousel
ConflictCharacter versus Circumstances
I think this because Kelley is thrust into a world she doesn’t understand. She has a destiny that she cannot run from.
Themes
-Love-Lust for Power-Betrayal -Sense of Self-Loss-Moral Rightness -Alienation
Favorite PartMy favorite part of this book is when Sonny first comes across Kelley. He finds her in Central Park in the Shakespeare Garden. He sneaks up on her to see what she is doing, and assumes that since she is muttering to herself , she must be just another Central Park crazy. He starts to leave when she suddenly shouts and points in his direction…
“Out of this wood do not desire to go! Thou shalt remain here , whether thou wilt or no”
For a second, he believes her to be a member of the Otherworld, but then the rhyming of the words tips him off that it was actually Shakespeare she was reciting. Kelley ends up stumbling over her words, and, in frustration, breaks down and cries. Sonny decides to cheer her up by stepping out of the shadows and presenting her with a rose. As she leans down to smell the rose, he the promptly disappears again leaving her in awe.
I like this part because it is very romantic. It also leaves Sonny as a mystery to her.
Photo Resources
Wondrous Strange Coverhttp://goldiesays.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/wondrousstrange.jpg
Central Park Bridgehttp://environmentalgeography.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/central-park-new-york-city.jpg
Sad Faeriehttp://th01.deviantart.com/fs12/300W/i/2006/311/d/2/__The_Sad_Fairy___by_missy_g.jpg
Hernshead http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/things-to-see/images/hernshead-l.jpg
Photo Resources
Bethesda Terracehttp://www.movie-locations.com/movies/r/ransom_bethesda.jpg
Central Park Carouselhttp://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/22833015.jpg
A Midsummer Night’s Dreamhttp://alumweb.mit.edu/upload/LS/A_Midsummer_Nights_Dream_18029.jpg
Red Haired Faeriehttp://media.photobucket.com/image/fantasyartfairy/nami_yuganashi/Engel/fantasyartfairy.jpg
Tavern on the Greenhttp://www.centralpark.com/usr/photos/large/b4/tavern-on-the-green.jpg
Photo Resources
Mystical Foresthttp://files.myopera.com/dyktily-wizh/albums/775589/Mystical%20Forest.jpg
Lesley Livingstonhttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dcAuU5T-UbQ/SzBCKEsiTpI/AAAAAAAAB9w/fwB_IpEj_EQ/s320/lesley+livingston.jpg
Darklight Coverhttp://www.paranormalpeopleonline.com/media-review/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/DarklightHCc1.jpg
Loving Embracehttp://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAAAwoDanBnAAAABC5vdXQKFllOU01aLVh0M1JHTktOODVvLTVIUFEAAAACaWQKAXgAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg
Informational Resoures
Author biography, book summary, awards, reviews, and other bookshttp://www.lesleylivingston.com/
Quotes, characters, book summary, and settingLivingston, Lesley. Wondrous Strange. New York: HarperCollins, 2009. Print.
Out of this wood do not desire go…And I do love thee…
