{"product_id":"the-capital-of-dreams-a-novel-isbn-9780063425996","title":"The Capital of Dreams: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“\u003cem\u003eThe Capital of Dreams\u003c\/em\u003e is not so much a novel to read but one to live (and dream) in. A dark, wistfully comic fable that's as imaginative as it is poignant. An entire world that only Heather O'Neill could create.”—Iain Reid, bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eWe Spread and Foe\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the hugely acclaimed author beloved by literary lights, including Emily St. John Mandel, Kelly Link, and Mona Awad, a dark dystopian fairytale about an idyllic country ravaged by war—and a girl torn between safety and loyalty. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSofia Bottom lives in Elysia, a small country forgotten by Europe. But inside its borders, the old myths of trees that come alive and faeries who live among their roots have given way to an explosion of the arts and the consolations of philosophy. From the clarinetists to the cabaret singers, no artist is as revered as Sofia’s brilliant mother, the writer Clara Bottom. How can fourteen-year-old Sofia, with her tin ear and enduring love of ancient myths, ever hope to win her mother’s love?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen the country’s greatest enemy invades, and the Capital is under threat, Clara turns to her daughter to smuggle her new manuscript to safety on the last train evacuating children from the city. But when the train draws to a suspicious halt in the middle of a forest, Sofia is forced to run for her life and loses her mother’s most prized possession. Frightened and alone in a country at war, Sofia must find a way to reclaim what she has lost. On an epic journey through woods and razed towns, colliding with soldiers, survivors, and other lost children, Sofia must make the choice between kindness and her own survival.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this stunning novel set in an imaginative world yet reflective of our own times, Heather O’Neill delivers a vivid, breathtaking dark fairytale of life, death, and betrayal.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\"A new Heather O’Neill novel is always a reason to celebrate!\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBook Riot\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“O’Neill, an award-winning, best-selling author, has crafted a narrative that is beautiful, emotional, and, ultimately, heartbreaking.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWoman Around Town\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"In \u003cem\u003eThe Capital of Dreams\u003c\/em\u003e, Heather O'Neill unpacks meaty themes around identity and coming-of-age; mother-daughter relationships; and war, occupation, and genocide . . . .This novel reads like a modern Grimms' Fairy Tales, the original dark, twisted tales, rather than the kinder versions we tell children as bedtime stories.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBookBrowse\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A stirring combination of a picaresque quest . . . and a poignant interior exploration of the challenges inherent in mother-daughter relationships . . . . truly one of Heather O’Neill’s most imaginative and richly allegorical works—and one that can undeniably be read as a reflection of our current geo-political times—\u003cem\u003eThe Capital of Dreams \u003c\/em\u003ewill appeal to readers of fantasy and adventure, as well as those interested in a novel that explores the dark corners of human relationships, the limits of love in the face of survival, and the toll of war.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChicago Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eThe Capital of Dreams\u003c\/em\u003e is a profound and powerful example of the search for renewed self in dark, desperate times.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAncillary Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eThe Capital of Dreams\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eis one of those rare books that when finished leaves the reader both slightly mystified yet completely held in its thrall, dazzled by the imaginary world created by author Heather O’Neill.\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eIt defies standard genre classification as this novel-length fable blends magical realism with literary fiction in a dark dystopian setting . . . . [and] leads the reader on a surreal journey into uncharted territory filled equally with terrors and enchantment.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBookTrib\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“O'Neill presents a dark fairy tale set in a tiny European country, Elysia, which renounces its pantheistic, forest-dwelling ways to build a thriving artistic culture centered in the Capital. . . . . Like the heroines of her favorite folktales, Sofia navigates her own adolescence along with the treacherous landscape, emerging from the woods with a hard-won sense of self. O'Neill's feminist fairy tale will appeal to fans of Kelly Link and Karen Russell, [and] Sofia's coming-of-age fairy tale will [also] resonate with teens.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Uncommonly poetic, nuanced and insightful, \u003cem\u003eThe Capital of Dreams\u003c\/em\u003e is a masterpiece of the tangled threads and beating hearts that make us both ordinarily human and extraordinarily magical. I wish every girl could replace her mirror with pages of O’Neill’s work, to see herself as a fierce and lusty creature well-placed to weave new worlds. \u003cem\u003eThe Capital of Dreams \u003c\/em\u003ewill make you grateful you wandered up a dark path and tumbled down a rabbit hole.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCherie Dimaline, bestselling author of Empire of Wild and VenCo\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A haunting fantasy . . . O’Neill masterfully blends moments of whimsy with the grim realities of war, exploring themes of art, loyalty, and the complexities of mother-daughter relationships. The lush prose and fantastical elements draw readers into a magical and heartbreaking world. Like the best fairy tales, the result feels both timeless and painfully relevant.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The novel is told in fairy tale cadence and peppered with sophisticated animals, sensitive objects, and the enduring magic of folklore forests; its raw power lies in the way it blends the realities of war with the equally trenchant realities of its child narrator’s perspective as she navigates her suddenly irredeemable world . . . . A powerful novel—heartbreaking, magical, and real.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A refined but dark fairy tale . . . . A harrowing and all too timely account.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Literary Review of Canada\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Magical and brutal, haunting and searing . . . . Against the harsh backdrop of war, O’Neill elegantly tackles intimate, complex questions about maternal devotion, freedom, individuality, creativity, and sexuality.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Quill and Quire (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eThe Capital of Dreams\u003c\/em\u003e will thrill readers who enjoy a bit of darkness with their dystopian fairytales.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNovels Alive\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Heather O’Neill’s \u003cem\u003eThe Capital of Dreams\u003c\/em\u003e is a feminist adventure with all of the darkness of a war novel, the charm of a fairy tale, and the heart of a coming of age story. O’Neill’s crystal-clear, aphoristic prose reveals complex themes about freedom, desire, and destiny. I underlined passages with one hand and turned pages with the other, rapt right through the stunning final twist.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMaria Adelmann, author of How to Be Eaten\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"The Capital of Dreams\u003c\/em\u003e is not so much a novel to read but one to live (and dream) in. A dark, wistfully comic fable that's as imaginative as it is poignant. An entire world that only Heather O'Neill could create.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIain Reid, bestselling author of We Spread and Foe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44890813694181,"sku":"NP9780063425996","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780063425996.jpg?v=1730234156","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-capital-of-dreams-a-novel-isbn-9780063425996","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}