The Mermaid's Muse

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Author David Bouchard

Title The Mermaid's Muse - The Legend of the Dragon Boats

Reviewer Nora Charles
This book was a gift from Ximeria. Thank you so much! It's beautiful, I love it.

Genre Art, fantasy

Kink Dragon/man

Grade ****-  Very good

Explicitness Pure platonic love

Summary As you may know, dragons are neither male nor female, neither fish nor animal. They are the loss of that which is beloved, the fear of the abandoned puppy, the trustingness of the child, the elderly's wondering what may happen now.
(Translated back to English from the Danish edition)
Qu Yuan is banished from the court of the king of Chu, and must live the rest of his life in exile on a small island.
He spends his days wandering along the seashore, writing and declaiming his poetry, and the Dragon of the Sea hears him...

Quality Gorgeous, dreamy paintings. Delicate pastel watercolors, in sad tones for the "legend", and bright, reassuring colors for Grandma telling the Boy the story of when the Dragon of the Sea fell in love.
I have only read the book in translation, but unless the translator is very bad indeed, this is not a children's book; there are many difficult words, and the sentences are long and convoluted. The story is simple on the surface, but deep and achingly beautiful between the lines. It is mostly told in the paintings (12"x20" two-page spreads all of them), but the language is quite poetic, though sometimes a little clumsy (maybe due to translation).
Have you read this book in English? Please contact me.

Sequels/prequels Chinese Legends (they aren't really)
#1 The Great Race
#2 The Dragon New Year
#3 The Mermaid's Muse

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