Title: Over Her Head (buy e-book here)
Author(s):Nora Fleischer
Genre: Historical, Fantasy, Romance, Merfolk
Publisher/Year: Drollerie Press/2009
-Webpage/Blog: Nora Fleischer's Journal (@LJ)
-Free Podcast Story: Discovered Country; or, the Adventures of Rosemary the Librarian
Synopsis: A bicycling young lady scholar writing her thesis on the historical meaning of merpeople tales visits a well-known collector of literature on the subject, determined to get him to let her read his books. She comes armed with cookies, that well-known advent to a man’s heart, and is surprised to discover he’s not at all the old curmudgeon she had imagined him to be. In fact, he’s almost dismayingly handsome, putting her far out of any running, were she so inclined, which of course she’s not. She just wants his books, despite what her landlady may say. Though she wouldn't say no to his friendship.
Review: Merfolk! I love mermaids and mermen (blame it on The Little Mermaid), so I was pleased when I was given a chance to review this title! Garrett, our merman for the story, was charming to say the least. I liked the contrast between his cautious 'dry self' and his playful 'merman self'. He's clearly the same person, but just as clearly Fleischer shows us with his actions and reactions the differences between the two halves. I wouldn't say that Dry!Garrett couldn't be flirty or impulsive, or that merman!Garrett was completely frivolous, but just enough of both sides tinged the other.
Frances was a hoot. While both constrained by the place of women in society of her time (1905) and the freedom women were beginning to experience (socially and academically) Frances navigated both admirably well. She learned to cook and knew it was a good start if she ever were to have a family of her own, but equally she wanted to chase after her education and finish her dissertation, pragmatically viewing her looks as objectively as possible.
Together they are sweet and heart-warming, the both of them slowly trying to work towards their feelings (after a lifetime of feeling they didn't deserve the other), but wanting to hold onto the friendship they shared. Their friendship was important to them, almost as much as building a romantic one together. I liked that, and the fact that Fleischer didn't force obstacles. Frances had valid concerns--given the time period and Garrett's concerns were equally taken seriously.
The surrounding characters--Mrs. Cooper (who I would have gleefully shot) Frances' landlady, Norbert (related to Mrs. Cooper and therefore should also be shot) Frances' academic rival, Hank (a cowboy lawyer in NY) Garrett's partner at the law firm, and various sundry characters were given enough fleshing out to work within the story without taking over. Mrs. Cooper was a harridan and Norbert was a troll, Hank was a solid friend, Frances' two school friends Charlie and Ian were swell guys and the Evans' from town weren't so bad.
There was some things I wish had been elaborated more upon--the nature of Garrett's 'curse' (or disease or whatever you want to call it), how exactly it works and if what happened closer to the end was part of the curse or something new entirely. Whether Frances finished her dissertation (her friend Charlie was already up to 53 chapters after all) and ramifications for Mrs. Cooper's blatant cheating and stealing. Stoning perhaps. I think they still did it back then. Little things.
I liked this story, to put it simply. It wasn't complicated, it told a sweet love story and had thoroughly charming main characters!
