Patience and Not-Forsaken by Alix E. Harrow

Patience and Not-Forsaken Reviews

• 
  Kerri

  A very good long short story (or short novella) with a moderately creepy feel to it. A nice reminder that I have a copy of one of the authors novels, which I will read sometime next year.
• 
  Justine

  Spotted this on the new AudiblePlus catalogue and decided to give it a bash. It’s a good not quite fantasy, not quite horror short story about a troubled girl and her friend on the other side of the mirror. Would recommend if you want a nice, short listen.
• 
  Heather

  This was gay and I loved it. OMG.
  
  I came for the appeal of Alix E. Harrow (I haven't started The Ten Thousand Doors of January yet), but stayed for the queerness, the story, and a redemption arc.
  
  Patience Gravely is "difficult," it's the 1950s and she's sassy. She loves Wonder Woman and knows that she's hard to put up with for her father. When he inherits Gravely House, Patience's doctor suggests that the open country air would be good for calming her disposition. However there's something lurking in Gravely House's mirrors.
  
  Patience meets a girl in her mirror without a name so Patience lets her have one of hers, dubbing her Not-Forsaken. Over the years, Not-Forsaken keeps Patience company as she navigates her teenage years and falling in love with her classmate, Lori.
  
  First loves end as they do and we reach the climax, which I'll leave you to hopefully discover. I greatly enjoyed the redemption arc through the story, sometimes I want a bit of a harsher ending, but I will still be pleased by a happy one.
• 
  Tania

  I wasn't sure if I would enjoy
  The Once and Future Witches and
  The Ten Thousand Doors of January, so quickly read an listened to two of her novellas. Although I liked
  A Spindle Splintered more than this one, I have decided to rather pass on her other books. I like that she has a very distinctive and quirky writing style, but her stories are a bit juvenile for me. I did however recommend them to my daughter.
• 
  Carlos

  Book: 3/5
  Audiobook: 4/5
• 
  Queen Ophilia III

  I wouldnt say this was a horror, maybe a bit more like fantasy. It reminded me of the book "Caroline" you know with the other mother and the other life. Truck you into coming to the other side.
  
  It was a short Listen. I found it on my AudiblePlus for free.
• 
  Ashley

  Star Rating: —> 3.5 Stars
  
  
  Hmmmm maybe this just wasn't for me? I kinda DID like the ending though. Had MILD Coraline vibes; which is why I gave it 3.5 Stars. Makes me nervous to read any other Alix E. Harrow books? I know they are hit or miss for most people & so i'm really not sure. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Anyone have advice as to which book is better to read— The Ten Thousand Doors Of January, or The Once & Future Witches? ANY comments are appreciated.
  
  But it WAS free. So can't complain TOO much ;) haha.
• 
  Elyse

  What an exciting little story! I wanted more! It was eerily reminiscent of
  The Yellow Wallpaper, a short story I LOVE. So much packed into 45 minutes!
• 
  Perrilyn Pringle

  Very good and beautiful twist
• 
  Filip

  This was originally posted over at my blog,
  
• 
  Taylor

  Alix E Harrow has really grown as an author since writing this short story. It was still enjoyable though 3.65
• 
  Anna

  Super gay, super good.
• 
  Sona

  A fighter is born!
  
  I loved it, but there's a lot to unpack here, don't think I can do it after the first read.
  
  The apparent themes I've sifted through are taught inadequacy and shame, forced conformity, unattainable standards, righteous indignation, the hope and despair of first love, the comfort of impossible daydreams in the face of reality.
  
  I would've preferred a quieter ending with loose ends, wasn't a fan of the heartwarming conclusion. Did not like the survivor-to-fighter-to-rescuer arc. It watered down the poignancy. An ending with the will to fight, restored, would've been brave and hopeful enough.
• 
  Chloe

  This was a lovely sapphic feminist gothic fantasy story, I just adore this author's writing and messages!
• 
  Katie

  Rating: 8/10
  
  I haven’t read any of Harrow’s work on audio, so the fact that this story was an audio-only offering from her was interesting. I’d say her themes and her style are still definitely there, though, and I liked how they were brought to life here.
  
  I liked the anger of the female protagonist in this story. The way she talked about seeing her mother in restraints, obviously suffering from a mental illness, and her father and medical professionals treating her like she was damaged goods as a result was well done. Of course, no one ever told her that her anger about what happened to her mother and her having to witness how she was treated was totally justified. I liked how she gravitated to the girl in the mirror, and I liked the representation of other angry girls who felt trapped in this story.
  
  This felt very gothic, more so than other things I’ve read from Harrow. Interestingly, the protagonist’s surname, Gravely, is the same surname for a character in Harrow’s next novel, so I wonder if they’re related. Maybe she just likes the name.
  
  Anyway, I thought this was an interesting exploration of female anger and the need for freedom from restrictive expectation for girls. I love how Patience clings to her comics as a form of rebellion and escape.
  
  Blog: awonderfulbook.com | Instagram: katiemotenbooks | Twitter: katiemotenbooks
• 
  Sanja_Sanjalica

  This story is a great interlude into the style of fantasy you can expect from Fractured Fables series. I love it, the themes of loss and running away from problems, deception and love..and cats, of course.
• 
  Amber Bismillah (scriptedsolstice)

  The perfect amount of spooky atmosphere packed into such a short audiobook!
• 
  Jade Courtney

  It had a fun premise but I don't think I have any strong feelings about it tbh 😅
• 
  MaKensie Dodd

  Great short story on a girl struggling with her insecurities, her sexuality and growing into her own. Thrown in a little mirror madness and this was an entertaining, well written read.
• 
  Heather

  Very nice. Loved the Coraline vibes.
• 
  Freesiab

  This is a good listen to develop a good spooky feeling. Unfortunately there wasn’t as much development as I was hoping for.
• 
  zahraa al lawati

  That was a very pleasant surprise!
• 
  Lis Carey

  Patience Not-Forsaken Gravely's mother died in an asylum, suffering from what sounds like bipolar disorder. Patience herself has been diagnosed as having "a nervous disposition." When her father inherits Gravely doctor who treated her mother and is treating her recommends that a quiet, rural location will be good for Patience.
  
  It's the 1950s, and Patience is "difficult." She loves superhero comics in general, and Wonder Woman in particular, to the grim disapproval of her father. In Gravely House, she meets a girl in the mirror. The girl has no name, and Patience gives her one of her own, Not-Forsaken. But who is Not-Forsaken, and why is she in the mirrheror?
  
  Patience adopts a stray cat who doesn't like Not-Forsaken. When Patience has friends in school, Not-Forsaken shows signs of jealousy. This is most clear when Patience falls in love with Lori, her classmate. But this is a love that, in the 1950s, there is no safe space for, and first loves do end.
  
  Patience is ready to abandon the real world and go into the mirror world that Not-Forsaken promises her is perfect.
  
  There's a truly unexpected twist coming, and the cat is a heroic character.
  
  Recommended.
  
  I bought this audio novella.
• 
  Elle

  After inheriting the land, Patience finds herself moving to the countryside with her father to live at Gravely House. Her mother dead, she is deemed a troubled child and doctors believe that the country air will be good for her mind. When she arrives, she discovers all is not as it seems and there is something unnatural living in the mirrors. She meets a girl trapped inside them, who Patience calls Not-Forsaken, desperate to escape, and the two become companions of a kind.
  
  I found this for free on AudiblePlus and listened to it while I was working. It’s short and whimsical, with a captivating world and charming characters.
• 
  Kristi

  This short gothic tale is a reflection on feminine pain and sapphic love. Through a coming of age story set within the horrors of homophobia and the treatment of mental illness in the 1950s United States, an adolescent girl learns how to courageously live in the world as a woman, saving herself and other women trapped within an illusory societal image.
  
  I listened to the Audible Original courtesy of the Audible members library.
• 
  Michael

  Pretty creepy story about a tempting mirror with a price.
• 
  Stevie

  Alix E Harrow’s writing never ceases to amaze me. I specifically enjoy audiobooks if her work because her prose has such a lyrical quality.
  
  Patience Not Forsaken Gravely is moving upstate with her father to her recently deceased Aunt’s house. Her doctor has diagnosed her with a nervous disposition, just like her mother and living in the calm upstate world is supposed to be good for her.
  
  But on the first night, Patience meets the girl in the mirror. She doesn’t have a name, so Patience gives her one of her own. Not Forsaken.
  
  This short story gave amazing Coraline vibes and it sucked me right in. It was so easy to connect with Patience’s pain and heartbreak.
  
  I would have liked if the history of her mother had been expanded a little more. Patience is worried about being locked in a mental ward, like her mother. By it also seems that part of what Patience is afraid of is being locked away for conversation therapy. So I’d be curious to know if something similar happened to her mother or if her “nervous disposition” is related to her sexuality.
  
  Take the time to listen to this short story, you won’t regret it!
• 
  Leebs

  Patience and Not-Forsaken
  By Alix Harrow
  Narrated by Jennifer Nittoso
  
  Popsugar prompt 24: a book you can read in one sitting
  
  3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
  
  This was free with my Audible subscription and very short at just 47 minutes. It was an easy and spooky little listen which sadly left me wanting more. I felt it was TOO short and I wanted to know more about the main character, her story and her relationships.
  
  I love how Harrow writes her characters and how descriptive she is. I adored The Once and Future Witches! I think her writing style lends itself better to longer novels where her characters have room to spread their wings. It was a great little story, nonetheless, and I enjoyed the ending.