Paula Hayes Libri

When Lily Griffin finds a girl trapped inside a magic mirror, she uncovers a long-forgotten family secret and sets in motion a remarkable chain of events. Lily is a singular character, hilariously funny, sweetly poignant and deeply daggy. Plagued by social doubts and her own peculiarities, she is the perfect person to investigate the many secrets of her grandfather's house and, along the way, mend some family relationships, discover enduring friendship and learn to play netball.

A magic mirror leads Lily into a world of dark mysteries and unexpected friendships. Tasked with helping her new friend, she also navigates the challenges posed by her older brother. As she delves deeper into a long-buried tragedy linked to her own family, Lily must rely on her resourcefulness and the comfort of her Grandad's chocolate ganache cake to find a resolution. This enchanting tale blends adventure with themes of family and the importance of confronting the past.

The narrative unfolds through the eyes of a character reflecting on a pivotal moment of connection in a bustling city. While navigating daily routines, they encounter a charismatic figure in a park, captivating a small crowd with his presence. This moment sparks a deeper exploration of themes like community, human connection, and the contrasting experiences of urban life. The protagonist’s observations set the stage for a journey that intertwines personal growth and the complexities of social interactions amidst the backdrop of city life.

Robert Lowell and the Confessional Voice returns to the poet’s early works, such as Land of Unlikeness and Lord Weary’s Castle , in search of a relationship between Lowell’s early poetry and his turn to a confessional style of writing in the 1950s. Lowell’s early poetry is often overshadowed by the emergence of his confessional poetry (that develops in Life Studies ; however, instead of Lowell’s early poetry being eclipsed by Life Studies , a remembrance of his early poetry is necessary as a way of understanding Lowell’s evolution as a poet. The early poetry provides readers and scholars of Lowell with a Puritan paradigm and the ethos of an American narrative that Lowell never fully abandons but only perpetually deconstructs.