Sirena

This book is more an exploration of a character than any kind of plot. She felt very personal, and I deeply felt what she felt and rooted for her. Not for everyone, but people who like very intimate and character-driven books, this was very moving for me. The language was beautiful and affecting, but the pace dragged a little at times.

Wow! That was the word that came to my mind when I finished reading this book: wow! Usually I am not fond of the use of either first person narrative or present tense in the writing of a book, but in this instance I was willing to make a huge exception. So great is Donna Jo Napoli's writing skill that she not only made both of these narration methods work, but more importantly, she made them work really well--something rarely accomplished by the majority of authors. The thing I liked most about the book was that Ms Napoli totally managed to get inside the psyche of the mermaid Sirena--and did so so perfectly that you'd almost think she must be a mermaid herself! The realism of not only this character, but also the other characters, animals, plants and scenery is amazing. In fact, this book is so utterly believable that you might even find yourself suspecting that the gods, goddesses, nymphs and legendary heroes of Greek mythology who regularly pop up in it really do exist. The plot in this book seems simple--a mermaid must win the love of a mortal man to claim her right to immortality. But in this premise's simplicity is a depth and complexity that astounded me. Either this author was extremely knowledgeable about Greek mythology to begin with (because there's way more stuff in here than you'll ever learn just by watching 'Troy' or 'Clash of the Titans') or she's done her research meticulously. It's kind of like a Greek history/geography lesson, but a million times more fun! You will probably want to set sail for Greece right away, just like I do, to see for yourself the glorious places that this book describes. Sirena herself is a wonderful character whom you can't help but empathise with. She is naive at first, having lived a relatively sheltered life, but she is intelligent and adaptable, and learns quickly even the hardest of lessons that life has to teach (for even immortal life is not without its ups and downs.) If your heart and soul are yearning to read a heartfelt love story, but your brain insists on it being a well-written, believable one with candour and wit, then this beautiful tale is for you. It is listed as a young adult book, which means it is suitable for anyone aged twelve and over, but that recommendation shouldn't put off adult readers, who I'm sure will enjoy it just as much as I did!

This book is awesome! Sirena, one of the sirens (Greek mythological mermaids) is very different from the other sirens. She does not want to kill men in order to become immortal. She would rather live out her days alone and die without having to sing her siren song in order to seduce men into coming closer and destroying their boats---and sometimes themselves. So she takes off to the island of Lemnos, where she hopes to live in solitude. However, her peaceful life is soon interrupted by the arrival of some men, who abandon one of their fellow crew members (who has a fatal serpent wound---the handiwork of Hera). She cleans his wound while he is unconscious (although it doesn't stay clean, unfortunately) and finds food to leave with him. She eventually meets this man, although it is at first to her dismay. Find out what happens in this wonderful tale of mermaids, gods, goddesses, serpents, and other mythical creatures. A must-read for fans of mythology/love stories.

Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli is an enticing book that I basically read 3 hours straight. It is a beautiful story about Greek sirens living on a island. Their dream is to become immortal, but to do so, they must be fallen in love with by a man. To do this, they sing an enchanting song to make the men love them, but the men, instead,crash to their deaths on the rocks. Sirena, the "unique" one, disagrees with her sisters' way of getting guys, so follows her own path. I strongly recommend this book, it was wonderful, and, as I've said, enticing. But, I suggest ages 13 and up.

"Sirena" was yet another great novel by Napoli, and one of her best! Napoli always manages to take a story we all know something about, this time the legendary Greek sirens, and turn it into something special.Sirena, a young mermaid, half human and half fish, lives with her many sisters when they are told something important: if they can get a human man to love them, they will become immortal. However, when Sirena sees many shipwrecked men die, she wonders if immortality is worth a loss of life.When tragedy strikes, Sirena swims away to the island of Lemnos where she finds an abandoned Greek soldier. Will they fall in love, and will Sirena become immortal?This book was excellent, and I'd recommend it for ages 12 and up. Be sure to read Napoli's other works, especially "Song of the Magdalene"!

Donna Jo Napoli performs a tremendous service for those of us who hunger to have myths and fairy tales fleshed out and made human. In SIRENA, she takes what little we know about mermaids and sirens and creates the character of Sirena, a young mermaid on the brink of womanhood, who struggles with who she is. As a consequence, this book held resonances for me of my own teenaged years. The language is lovely. The adult relationship is handled with subtlety and sensitivity. I thought that there were plenty of characters in this book--the two castaways are a world unto themselves, and it is the outside world of humans that intrudes here. Napoli does us a favor by keeping them out of this narrative. I highly recommend this book to any reader who enjoys exploring mythology, as well as anyone looking for a good book to read about a love relationship.