Maresi
by
Maria Turtschaninoff
Translated from the Swedish by
A.A. Prime
published by Pushkin Press
14 January 2016
“My name is Maresi Enresdaughter and I write this in the nineteenth year of the reign of our thirty-second Mother. In the four years since I came to the Red Abbey I have read nearly all the ancient scriptures about its history. Sister O says that this story of mine will become a new addition to the archives.”
Described as folkloric feminist fantasy, Maresi is the unique story of an all-female island where the Goddess-worshipping sisters of the Red Abbey offer refuge and education to girls with few choices in their homelands. It is a beautiful story of feminine magic, power and friendship. Turtschaninoff is well known in Finland as a master of thoughtful and gripping young adult fiction with a fantastical twist.
My much anticipated English translation has received excellent reviews all round. It has also been picked up by US publishers Abrams Books. It is the first volume in the Red Abbey Chronicles series, for which I will be the sole English translator.
Praise for Maresi
“A spellbinding read that is completely unputdownable”
- Guardian Children’s Books
“[The] deceptively simple, occasionally almost fairy tale-like prose is a
joy”
- Rebecca Hawkes, Telegraph
“Atmospheric, immersive and definitely original, Maresi has a quiet, urgent
magic that makes her story powerful, poignant and memorable”
- Jane Bradley, Founder & Director of For
Books' Sake