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    Whichwood
    Whichwood
    Whichwood
    Audiobook7 hours

    Whichwood

    Written by Tahereh Mafi

    Narrated by Bronson Pinchot

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Embark on a wondrous journey through the land of Whichwood in this stunning companion to Tahereh Mafi’s acclaimed bestseller Furthermore.

    A Kirkus Best Book of the Year!

    ★ "Deliciously descriptive prose. . . . Darkly fascinating." −Kirkus
    ★ "Unforgettable heroine." −Booklist
    ★ "Mafi's language choices create visually arresting moments." –Shelf Awareness

    Our story begins on a frosty night . . .
    Laylee can barely remember the happier times before her beloved mother died. Before her father, driven by grief, lost his wits (and his way) and she was left as the sole remaining mordeshoor in the village of Whichwood, destined to spend her days scrubbing the skins and souls of the dead in preparation for the afterlife. It’s become easy to forget and easier still to ignore not only her ever-increasing loneliness, but the way her overworked hands are stiffening and turning silver, just like her hair. 

    But soon, a pair of familiar strangers appear, and Laylee’s world is turned upside down as she rediscovers color, magic, and the healing power of friendship. 

    Lush and enchanting, critically-acclaimed author Tahereh Mafi weaves together an all-new magical adventure in this dark, Persian fantasy, a companion to the New York Times bestselling Furthermore.


    ★ "In deliciously descriptive prose, the confiding, familiar narrator directly engages the 'dear reader' with witty asides, explanatory footnotes, and cautionary warnings as Laylee’s woeful tale unfolds... Mafi uses her built world to interrogate norms and relationships in our own while never losing sight of her story. Memorable new characters experience the restorative power of friendship in this darkly fascinating, somewhat ghoulish sequel to Furthermore. −Kirkus, starred review 

    ★ "It's Laylee's personal transformation that shines brightest, giving Mafi's singular fantasy an equally unforgettable heroine." −Booklist, starred review 

    ★ "Whichwood, Tahereh Mafi's companion novel to Furthermore, is as absorbing as (if not more than) its predecessor.... Mafi's language choices create visually arresting moments.... Deftly explores several appealing themes, including the healing power of friendship and the resilience to overcome adversity in her whimsical, Persian-inspired fantasy world." −Shelf Awareness, starred review
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
    Release dateNov 14, 2017
    ISBN9780525493587
    Author

    Tahereh Mafi

    Tahereh Mafi is the #1 international bestselling and National Book Award–nominated author of over a dozen books, including the Shatter Me series, the Woven Kingdom series, A Very Large Expanse of Sea, and An Emotion of Great Delight. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages. She lives in Southern California with her husband, fellow author Ransom Riggs, and their daughter. You can find her online at taherehmafi.com.

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    Reviews for Whichwood

    3.5/5

    50 ratings6 reviews

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    • 4/5

      Jul 3, 2021

      children's middlegrade magical realism adventure (with lots of grisly corpses and ghosts, with only a hint of a boy-girl crush since this is a middlegrade novel after all). Great storytelling from one of my fave authors (even though WARNER!), featuring a Persian-looking heroine living in a magical city #WeNeedDiverseBooks #ownvoices. It has been skillfully written in a way so that it can easily stand alone as a companion book to Furthermore (which I haven't read yet), but also features some familiar characters and details the further adventures of Alice and Oliver from the first book, so it also works as a sequel. Or you can read them out of order, since you'll likely want to read Furthermore afterwards if you haven't already.
    • 3/5

      Sep 30, 2020

      3.75/5 stars. While I did read this in one day, I did not like this one as much as I did Firthermore. It did not engage me as Furthermore did. It was a good book, just liked Furthermore better. Again Alice and Oliver were my favorite characters and it was their relationship that I was more interested in. Over all I would recommend.
    • 2/5

      Jun 30, 2020

      I just couldn't get into it.
    • 4/5

      Nov 20, 2018

      Bronson Pinchot (yes Cousin Balki Bronson Pinchot) has, with this book, become one of my new favorite audiobook narrators. I am going to be actively seeking him out, especially for books for younger readers. He has a wonderful storyteller's style and spending time listening to him was an absolute delight.

      The book itself is also definitely a four-star book, maybe even four-and-a-half, but I can't get over my pleased surprise at Bronson Pinchot.
    • 4/5

      Dec 8, 2017

      Description:

      A new adventure about a girl who is fated to wash the bodies of the dead in this companion to Furthermore.

      Our story begins on a frosty night…

      Laylee can barely remember the happier times before her beloved mother died. Before her father, driven by grief, lost his wits (and his way).

      Before she was left as the sole remaining mordeshoor in the village of Whichwood, destined to spend her days washing the bodies of the dead and preparing their souls for the afterlife. It’s become easy to forget and easier still to ignore the way her hands are stiffening and turning silver, just like her hair, and her own ever-increasing loneliness and fear.

      But soon, a pair of familiar strangers appears, and Laylee’s world is turned upside down as she rediscovers color, magic, and the healing power of friendship.

      Hardcover, 368 pages
      Published November 14th 2017 by Dutton Books for Young Readers
      ISBN 1101994797 (ISBN13: 9781101994795)
      Edition Language English
      Series Furthermore #2

      MY BOOK REVIEW:

      First, let me just say, this is one of the most beautiful covers I’ve seen on a Middle-Grade read.

      I received this ARC from Dutton Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

      Dark and filled with death, yet quirky and oddly strange. This book held my attention right up to the end. A strange twist on a morbid subject for middle-grade/teen readers, this book had me perplexed at times yet peculiarly fascinated.

      The characters were abundantly strange with their bizarre and outlandish behaviors, especially the Protagonist who had a definite and very regimental routine for washing and burying the dead so spirits can leave this world in peace. If the routine is not abided by within the proper time constraints, then you have them seeking “other skins” to wear…
      I couldn’t stop reading it although I wanted to put it away a few times. The author’s injections of sparse explanations for those who didn’t read the first book, Furthermore, (I am one) was effective but sometimes annoying. (Only because I wished I had read the first)

      If you look at the premise, this book is really quite extraordinary in its originality. The author’s voice is clear, transitioning from one element of her story to the next in a smooth and easy-flowing manner. The plot is well defined, thank goodness, and there’s a few plot twists to add a bit of morose appeal to an already twisted adventure.

      The settings are involved, especially the Protagonist’s home, but the world-building is lacking and would be confusing if not for the author’s additional explanations. In all, I followed along without hesitation moving from one avenue of setting to the next almost like I was being fatalistically led to an impeding doom. As the characters develop, you see growth, but I found it took a long time for most of the secondary characters to be clear and their purpose in the story defined. The Protagonist is done well, with her character developing steadily as the story progressed.

      Of course, I would have benefited from a copy of the first book. However, even without it, I was able to understand everything transpiring within the pages thanks to the author’s clever infusions that helped clear away some of the muddier spots. And, although these insertions were helpful, and vaguely annoying… I was glad they were there.

      What struck me the most was the author’s voice. It’s originality and story-telling ability made this book enjoyable. It’s worth a read.
    • 4/5

      Dec 7, 2017

      This book has a few very unusual elements in it. The story is told like a Persian fairytale, so it's descriptive and lyrical. The characters are in their early teens, so the target audience is middle grade, but the most unusual part is that the heroine, Laylee washes corpses for a living. When I get behind on work, my emails overflow and my desk is a mess. But when Laylee gets behind, things happen like body parts fall off when she washes the corpses, and much worse things happen to the ghosts and souls of the departed. This odd mishmash of plot elements sort of works to make this an interesting fairytale. Although, I'm not sure if a young middle grader, or anyone who is squeamish about death, would find this that appealing.