The Mirror

i adore this book as does everyone i tell about it. maybe it was a dream but i can picture so many scenes from the book in a movie from the 80's.

The Mirror itself was incredible. Well written. Held my attention throughout.

I first read this book in the early 80's and loved it! Kept it in my collection for years. But it disappeared. Just found it here recently and read it again after many years. Loved it just as much as ever! Great time travel story. Not the typical romance fluff. But a great story with historical content. Once you start, it's impossible to put this book down till you reach the end. I highly recommend. You won't be disapointed.

I just now finished this novel after only two days of reading - quite a feat to read a 383 page book in such a short time! As one who has a passion for social history, genealogy, and re-enacting, this work by Marlys Millhiser was right up my alley. I mean, to have the opportunity to travel back in time to meet one's ancestors, to experience life "as it was," and to know what the future would hold not only for this person but for the world, well, it tends to make the imagination run. The trouble is, in `The Mirror,' Shay Garrett had absolutely no interest in the past, much less wanting to live there. She all but ignored her mother's family history stories, and could have cared even less about the way folks lived 78 years earlier. But, due to a mysterious mirror, Shay - the very up-to-date modern girl of 1978 - unwittingly finds herself living the life of her grandmother, Brandy McCabe, 78 years earlier, in 1900. The author did an absolute tremendous job in her social history research, giving very accurate accounts of what life was like in the year 1900, from slow travel and modes of dress to tools, furniture, bed sheets, sicknesses (like consumption, of which Shay has no idea what it is), and types of foods, as well as slow speech patterns and language usage. And poor Shay (now as Brandy) must conform to that life as well as the mores and morals of a very different time, a time when females had very little say in their lives. Miss Millhiser has used her words and research to paint a veritable picture of the past. No easy task and pretty much a rarity from many authors. Part two of this novel shows the new life that Brandy McCabe - Shay's grandmother - must live. Since her granddaughter, Shay, has inhabited her body 78 years earlier, Brandy has now entered Shay's body 78 years into her future, in 1978. This second part of the book is a bit disconcerting - many different and unexpected avenues are taken that, at times, I questioned where the author was going. But, what Miss Millhiser did very well once again was to describe in vivid detail the awe and wonder that the 20 year old "antiquated" Brandy (now in Shay's body) feels in this futuristic world with talking picture boxes, disco bars, automobiles, electric blankets...heck, she even learned (through a TV commercial) that she should shave her underarms and legs! But Brandy, like her granddaughter counterpart now hopelessly living in the past, is not fond of this new (to her) world, especially with its lack of morals (as she knew them to be), scanty clothing styles (bare arms and legs!), and tasteless food. Brandy definitely has a tougher time accepting her new role as Shay with its freedoms in 1978 than her granddaughter does in her new role as Brandy in 1900 with its constraints, which is surprising. But, I feel it is probably more realistic - morals and mores in the past were much stronger and deeper than today and I feel that Brandy would not so readily accept becoming the modern woman of today

I bought this book when it was first published and read it at least once a year. It's one of my all-time favorites. The story itself features a little bit of the supernatural, time travel, and romance, along with some history. One gets a glimpse of life in another era. The characters are so well drawn that you're pulled into the story and can't put it down. A saga of one girl's dreams that were turned into a nightmare in a blink of an eye. Despite the hardships she endured, the heroine leads an extraordinary life. You won't want to miss this story now that it's back. If you liked this book, try her other time travel one THE THRESHOLD (1984).

This has to be one of the best books I've ever read, and I read incessantly! The characterization is excellent, as is the story line. I hated for the book to end. I'd enjoy hearing from other readers who loved this book. For those who felt as I did, you might also try Time And Again by Jack Finney. - Jackie Tortorella