"If Ivy had been brave enough to glance over at her dad once in a while, she would have seen the dimly horrified face of a man who is ten steps behind and asking himself why, rather than really listening to the stream of words being thrown at him. "
I liked this story, but I particularly liked this part, mainly because I've *been* that guy and it's not fun, so I identified hard with Pete at that moment.
Enjoyed this. Through the eyes of Ivy, it feels like just the kind of light hearted escapism that I need. Through the way the story is told, there's clearly more going on. The edginess of the early days of the pandemic really came through--reminded me of CS Lewis' Narnia and sending the kids to the country away from London which was in bombing range.
As an introduction to the series--more questions than answers, which is good. I get the sense from what you've described that this will be something of a fantastical story? But there's no hints of it yet, which is good too--you're grounding the story in one reality so when fantasy is introduced it looks and feels different.
Besides all that, we have a great character study while a child travels from point A to point B. We have two additional characters and a vague notion of relationship between all three. And we have hints of an adventure to come.
"Ivy fell silent, disappointed. That was exactly what Auntymack had said, nearly word for word. How can a house be just a house? A house isn’t a condo. A house is different. In the landscape of Ivy’s imagination a house went on forever, room after room, staircases up to mysterious attics and down to mysterious basements. A condo was surrounded by other condos, a soap bubble surrounded by other soap bubbles, delicate-walled.
In school they learned that a seed contains all of the building-blocks, all of the nutrition that a plant is going to need to grow. That’s how Ivy saw a house, if she could put words to it: a house was just a shell holding a magical soup of ingredients for millions upon millions of stories."
As someone who moved from a condo to a house fairly recently the above paragraphs are such good descriptions of how it feels. This is all an excellent setup for the world in and around Ferris Island and I'm looking forward to seeing this story develop especially the hint of a fantasy world hidden in plain sight of the "real" world.
Wow, this is so good. I could almost see Ivy, the kid we all know, who just talks and talks and gets distracted by everything around her. I could understand her nervousness, but I could understand Pete's more. A father looking after his own kid, a child he doesn't know. Lots of room for growth here. It reminds me of my brother-in-law when he had the kids for the weekend. We were living together at the time, and didn't have a clue as to what we were supposed to do for them. So yeah, I want to see how you handle this.
I already love this. The goodbye made me cry, so much unknown and so much unsaid in those silences, it made my heart so heavy. Throughout I could feel the anxiety of the pandemic, the not knowing. An underlying current to the magic and wonder of the unknown. The optimism of the possibilities a house could hold. The way adults don't hold wonder over the everyday the way a child does.
Sal, I love this! The writing is very polished, the mood poignant and intriguing at the same time. I'm so curious to see the family history (and future) unfold, and get to explore this gorgeous island. Well done!!
I am eager to keep reading! This is really good. You've done a fabulous job with just the perfect amount of descriptive detail. I feel like I can imagine myself in Ivy's shoes, and I am eager to know more. Loving this so far! Can't wait for the next issue.
There seems to be a latent sadness to this first chapter - I’m intrigued... how will the house feel to Ivy? Why did Auntymack tell Pete to be patient with her..?
First rate! Beautiful writing, great beginning, plus ... my environs. I live in Birch Bay, the north end of the US part of the Salish Sea. I wonder if we are close by?
"If Ivy had been brave enough to glance over at her dad once in a while, she would have seen the dimly horrified face of a man who is ten steps behind and asking himself why, rather than really listening to the stream of words being thrown at him. "
I liked this story, but I particularly liked this part, mainly because I've *been* that guy and it's not fun, so I identified hard with Pete at that moment.
Enjoyed this. Through the eyes of Ivy, it feels like just the kind of light hearted escapism that I need. Through the way the story is told, there's clearly more going on. The edginess of the early days of the pandemic really came through--reminded me of CS Lewis' Narnia and sending the kids to the country away from London which was in bombing range.
As an introduction to the series--more questions than answers, which is good. I get the sense from what you've described that this will be something of a fantastical story? But there's no hints of it yet, which is good too--you're grounding the story in one reality so when fantasy is introduced it looks and feels different.
Besides all that, we have a great character study while a child travels from point A to point B. We have two additional characters and a vague notion of relationship between all three. And we have hints of an adventure to come.
Really looking forward to getting more of this!
"Ivy fell silent, disappointed. That was exactly what Auntymack had said, nearly word for word. How can a house be just a house? A house isn’t a condo. A house is different. In the landscape of Ivy’s imagination a house went on forever, room after room, staircases up to mysterious attics and down to mysterious basements. A condo was surrounded by other condos, a soap bubble surrounded by other soap bubbles, delicate-walled.
In school they learned that a seed contains all of the building-blocks, all of the nutrition that a plant is going to need to grow. That’s how Ivy saw a house, if she could put words to it: a house was just a shell holding a magical soup of ingredients for millions upon millions of stories."
As someone who moved from a condo to a house fairly recently the above paragraphs are such good descriptions of how it feels. This is all an excellent setup for the world in and around Ferris Island and I'm looking forward to seeing this story develop especially the hint of a fantasy world hidden in plain sight of the "real" world.
Wow, this is so good. I could almost see Ivy, the kid we all know, who just talks and talks and gets distracted by everything around her. I could understand her nervousness, but I could understand Pete's more. A father looking after his own kid, a child he doesn't know. Lots of room for growth here. It reminds me of my brother-in-law when he had the kids for the weekend. We were living together at the time, and didn't have a clue as to what we were supposed to do for them. So yeah, I want to see how you handle this.
Loved this first chapter! Can’t wait to find out what the family secret is!
Ok, I'm hooked! How long to the next Chapter? Thanks
Hi Frank, thanks for reading! Chapters will drop every Friday, so not too long to wait! 😁
This is really good! I’m looking forward to the next chapter!
I already love this. The goodbye made me cry, so much unknown and so much unsaid in those silences, it made my heart so heavy. Throughout I could feel the anxiety of the pandemic, the not knowing. An underlying current to the magic and wonder of the unknown. The optimism of the possibilities a house could hold. The way adults don't hold wonder over the everyday the way a child does.
Already looking forward to the next instalment!
Sal, I love this! The writing is very polished, the mood poignant and intriguing at the same time. I'm so curious to see the family history (and future) unfold, and get to explore this gorgeous island. Well done!!
I am eager to keep reading! This is really good. You've done a fabulous job with just the perfect amount of descriptive detail. I feel like I can imagine myself in Ivy's shoes, and I am eager to know more. Loving this so far! Can't wait for the next issue.
I'm intrigued by the family history around Ivy, and how she doesn't question the way her own father is a stranger to her.
So good! I'm hooked and can't wait to find out how Ivy's new life unfolds.
I've been meaning to read Ivy & Ixos, and I finally have some time to do it!
I quite liked this line - "a tension unique to grown-ups and their conversations" - we grown ups can be a bit too serious, sometimes.
Great start - on to part 2.
There seems to be a latent sadness to this first chapter - I’m intrigued... how will the house feel to Ivy? Why did Auntymack tell Pete to be patient with her..?
First rate! Beautiful writing, great beginning, plus ... my environs. I live in Birch Bay, the north end of the US part of the Salish Sea. I wonder if we are close by?
Loving this. Like an expensive box of chocolates , I'm going to savor each one!