Keturah and Lord Death Kindle Edition

Lovely story it was. A bit cheesy, but that sort of things are forgivable in Fairy Tales and the story was undeniably more Fairy Tale than Fantasy. The story had quite a simple plot: a girl brushes with Death and gets the opportunity to learn the true meaning of Life.Keturah’s story is a perfect read to cheer your up. I read it while I was very ill and it definitely helped to feel better. There is something charming how everybody get their HEA in the end of the story.All the characters in the story are very nice, all of them very caring and kind. Especially Keturah herself.I only wish there were more Romance in the book. I hoped that it will have the ending that the story had, I was afraid she will choose Lord’s son instead of Lord Death… I was so glad she didn’t, but then it quite obvious from the title. I really realy love dark, brooding love interest. I think the ending was perfect and very romantic, especially the bit about Grandmother. But I wish the falling in love was a bit more developed, it felt somewhat out of nowhere. I think their interaction needed a bit more page time. But I can’t explain how happy I was for the love interest, and well for everybody.

More than any other resident of her village of Tide-by-Rood, Keturah Reeve has walked with Death her whole life. Given life with her mother's final breaths, Keturah subsequently loses her father and beloved grandfather to the inexorable pull of Death, but not before she learns what it is she wants most in life -- to be well and truly loved. One day Keturah makes the fateful decision to follow a legendary and elusive hart deep into the woods, where, after wandering and lost for three days she reaches the brink of death and meets its fearsome lord. But unwilling to relinquish her dreams of love Keturah refuses to go quietly with the handsome Lord Death and strikes a daring bargain -- she spins a tale of a love so true it would conquer death, but refuses to reveal the story's conclusion until the following evening. Lord Death, much taken with Keturah's beauty and spirit, agrees to this most unconventional arrangement. And so begins Keturah's delicate dance with Death as she strives to save her village from the threat of plague and realize the dreams of her heart -- but will her desire for true love blind her to its very presence?Keturah and Lord Death is a richly compelling, darkly seductive fairy tale, at once both comfortingly familiar and hauntingly original, this is a tale that will remain with you long after you finish the final pages. With a poetic, lyrical style reminscent of Robin McKinley's fairy tale retellings, Leavitt spins the brave Keturah's story, recalling hints of Persephone and Scheherezade legends. Similar to Hades's power in the Persephone tale or the volatile King who holds Scheherezade's future in his hands, Lord Death is all-powerful, the great equalizer before whom both peasant and prince will one day bow alike. Like many of my favorite literary romances, an unlikely heroine unexpectedly discovers she holds the key to a seemingly untouchable man's heart. What makes this novel so compelling is the truly all-powerful nature of man Keturah faces, and the decision she must make when she quite unexpectedly discovers that she's become the object of Lord Death's desire. When Keturah's relationship with the most feared and loathed entity of all comes to light, she's faced with a choice and must decide if the cost of following her own heart's call is worth the risk of estrangement from the only life she's ever known.In addition to the deliciously atypical romance, the greatest strength of this novel lies in its setting and colorful cast of supporting characters. Leavitt doesn't burden readers with an overabundance of historical fact, instead briefly touching on the superstitions and lifestyle of the Middle Ages time period -- just enough to ground her story while allowing it to retain its glorious fairy tale feel. And I adored Keturah's two best friends, the songbird Beatrice and seamstress Gretta and how Keturah proves instrumental in helping them attain their own happy endings. I particularly loved Gretta's romance with the gentle tailor and how his children were instrumental in bringing the couple together. It is wonderful to see such a network of sweetly supportive, self-sacrificing friendship in young adult literature of this type, and equally heart-rending to witness Keturah's growing realization that as she becomes the woman she's meant to be, her relationships must undergo irrevocable change.Keturah and Lord Death was a delightful surprise, a gorgeously-rendered coming-of-age fairy tale, rich in romance and imagination. Were Leavitt to pen more tales in this vein I would be ecstatically happy -- this is a strong, fresh voice in the fantasy genre. Keturah's growing realization that the treasures of life are enriched by their transience, that the only constant in life is change, is a powerful reminder of the gift of life and choice. This is a story to savor!

This one kept me up well into the night, wondering how it was going to end (which says it all right there, really--any book that I can't quite see where the ending is going until the last few pages is a keeper in my book). Not that this is a mystery story in ANY way; the cover, the synopsis, the title...it's all right there, folks. But author Leavitt did such a wonderful job weaving Keturah's love of life vs. her newfound appreciation of the role of Death that I did feel for a while that her ultimate romantic choice could go either way ("life" hero vs. Lord Death). The villagers were winsomely depicted, with names like "Tailor" and "Choirmaster" that reminded me just a bit of Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley--another point that did this book no harm in my eyes.

Well, we have a young woman in a remote, rundown town drawn to a gorgeous but cruel immortal. She is special in ways she can't comprehend, but everyone around her seems to see that she's marked somehow. She must choose between living with those she knows and loves and the everlasting undead existence he offers. His kisses are cold, his allure exquisite, her heart torn. Sound familiar?Well, this book is quite a bit better, I promise. For one thing, it's the middle ages, and it's England, not Washington state, and Lord Death is much more compelling than that other guy. He's just as beautiful, just as proud, just as sad. But much better-written.This is an utterly charming book. While it's full of magic, it's also full of charming domestic details of the Middle Ages--the storage of spoons, the taking of stitches, the pigs and fences and witches and charms and proud farmers. People have surnames like Teacup and Thermidor, a winsome touch. The great threat that looms over Keturah's beloved village is the Plague, but that doesn't stop her friends from their amusing pursuit of true love. In this way, the book excels, looking at men and women, the differences and obstacles between them, what makes a good match. I was delighted by the side stories of Keturah's friends, and the active role she took in making things come out right.When it comes to Keturah, I was heartened by her resourcefulness, her sexual curiosity (this story is chaste, there is nothing overt but she's a real girl with real feelings), her domestic longings and her acceptance that she will have to make painful sacrifices to have what she wants most. Never does this girl stomp her foot and say "It's not fair!" and I can't tell you how much I appreciated this.Looking at her final choice, it's a poetic, beautiful consideration of the role of dying in living. Her awareness of Death's role in the sweetness of life is heartrending and to me, quite convincing.

Sadly I was a bit disappointed with this one - the premise of it sounded right up my street but unfortunately some parts of it just didn't translate well for me.I liked the idea of the storyline and I didn't dislike Keturah as a character but I also wasn't overly fond of her. She was a little lacking in personality for me.Death was quite intriguing and attractive if you like dark, mysterious and potentially dangerous men (which I definitely do) but there was virtually no chemistry between the pair at all. His attraction to her was obvious in his slight touches (or almost touches in most cases) and his willingness to grant her requests however bold they might be, but I didn't get any emotion from Keturah at all.The plot itself felt a little dragged out. Keturah managed to win herself a reprieve from death for a few nights and then spent the time scampering around town trying to identify who her true love was whilst also trying to save the town from the Plague that was imminent. The side characters were ok, some were more memorable than others but generally they were all fairly dull - much like Keturah.There were a few other niggly things for me - at one point it's declared that no-one will want to marry her after discovering she can converse with Death, then only a few chapters later she receives two proposals!It all just felt like a lot of forced drama that led to very little.The saving grace for this book was the writing. Martine Leavitt has such a beautiful and lyrical way of weaving the story that even though I wasn't keen on the content, the style and delivery helped keep me reading. Ultimately I only stuck with this to find out who Keturah ended up with and sadly that was all on the last three or so pages, so very little HEA or epilogue.Settled on two stars - mainly for the quality of writing and for the Character of Death who was the only one I genuinely loved.

What can one say about such a heartbreakingly beautiful book other than "wow"?Don't let the cover fool you -- this is not a lust-in-the-dust style romance. It is an artfully written folktale surrounding Keturah, a young storyteller who makes a bargain with Death to let her live one more day, and her struggles as she tries to escape his grasp and save her village. I was enthralled with the author's skill to keep me hooked every single page. When I was finished, I had to sit back and sigh and read the last chapter again because it took my breath away.The style of the telling is artful as well -- it evoked the feeling of a tale from the 17th or 18th century with a dash of Chaucer.This book has definitely taken a place in my top 10 favorite books of all time.

Sehr schnelle Lieferung wunderschöne Geschichte und ich würde es wieder und wieder lesen ich mag die Story einfach.Das buch ist wirklich superschön und gebunden das hat mir besonders gut gefallen

... und nicht nur für Teenies!Ein Buch für ein Sommerwochenende, wenn man auf dem Balkon oder am See entspannen will. Leicht und flüssig geschrieben aber ohne anspruchslos zu sein.Eine schöne Liebesgeschichte eingebettete in die Geschichte eines kleines, einfaches Dorf und ihren Bewohner.Ein tolles Buch, um nicht nur ein mal gelesen zu werden.

I loved this book. I read it in middle school and recently had a desire to read it again. It was everything I remembered.