"The snow was crisp and firm, forging a path of granulated sugar. Marietta wandered deeper into the enchantment. It was heavy with the scent of forest, snow and marzipan. Emerald fir trees towered up, brushing against the midnight patchwork of constellations."
The weather has turned much colder in Yorkshire these past few days and my birthday yesterday was frosty white, and so cold I decided to wear one of my faux fur coats. After all the fun of birthday shopping and my first trip to the cinema since the pandemic began (I went to see Spencer which was fantastic!), today I wanted nothing more than to curl up in the warmth with a snowy book. I couldn't have picked a better one than Midnight in Everwood which is an enchanting winter's tale, based upon the Nutcracker ballet.
Set in Nottingham in 1906, it tells the story of Marietta, who longs for nothing more than to be a ballerina and spend her life dancing in a Company. Her parents however, have other ideas and they are pushing her into a marriage with the new neighbour, the wealthy Dr Drosselmeier. Marietta has no intention of marrying anyone, least of all a man who has strange gifts she doesn't understand and certainly doesn't trust, but Drosselmeier isn't one to take no for an answer and so on Christmas Eve, Marietta finds herself spirited away into a magical winter wonderland, where an evil king sits on the throne and fairies and princesses are held captive.
It isn't all bad though, and Marietta is seduced by the pretty magical world around her, where the streets are paved in cobbles made of marzipan, the air smells like peppermint and sugar frosting, and the first bite of a snowberry cake tastes like Christmas morning! Here snowflakes are made from vanilla icing and hot baths are minty fresh and invigorating.
As Marietta tries to find her way in this world of wintry sweetness, she dances for the king, befriends his prisoners and falls in love with a soldier. She is tempted to remain in this land of frosted palaces and sugar mice but she knows it's not where she belongs and she has to find her way back home so that she can be the ballerina she dreams of becoming.
This is a stunning retelling that will sweep you away into the heart of winter and the Nutcracker story. If you love ballet, snow, magic and romance, then you will like this adult novel and the author's take on the famous classical festive ballet. It is written in a very poetic style with lots of ballet references throughout. The words dance off the page like a corps de ballet!
Midnight in Everwood plays like a harp on a sweet tooth, making you crave peppermint candy canes, sugar mice, marzipan, gingerbread and hot chocolate, so it is best enjoyed by the fire with a plate of festive treats and a steaming mug of cocoa. One of the best things about having my birthday in November is that I always gets lots of festive goodies as gifts, so I was nibbling on gingerbread men, sugar mice and candy canes as I read this wonderful book. It really is the perfect stocking filler for anyone with a romantic nature or a love of ballet, and I think it is destined to be a very popular gift this Christmas. Let the Sugar Plum Fairy start dancing in your head!
Happy festive reading!
Marie x
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