The Motion of Puppets

By: Keith Donohue

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

From the best-selling author of The Boy Who Drew Monsters and The Stolen Child comes a modern take on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice - a suspenseful tale of romance and enchantment.

In the Old City of Québec, Kay Harper falls in love with a puppet in the window of the Quatre Mains, a toy shop that is never open. She is spending her summer working as an acrobat with the cirque while her husband, Theo, is translating a biography of the pioneering photographer Eadweard Muybridge. Late one night, Kay fears someone is following her home. Surprised to see that the lights of the toy shop are on and the door is open, she takes shelter inside.

The next morning Theo wakes up to discover his wife is missing. Under police suspicion and frantic about her disappearance, he obsessively searches the streets of the Old City. Meanwhile, Kay has been transformed into a puppet, and is now a prisoner of the back room of the Quatre Mains, trapped with an odd assemblage of puppets from all over the world who can only come alive between the hours of midnight and dawn. The only way she can return to the human world is if Theo can find her and recognize her in her new form. So begins a dual odyssey of a husband determined to find his wife and of a woman trapped in a magical world where her life is not her own.

©2016 Keith Donohue (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

The ending.

This book has great description, slow narration and an ending I should've seen coming.

Simply captivating

It’s curious, and well done. Vivid details that stir the mind. I’ve read 4 times now.

Very enjoyable

I like all of Keith Donohue’s books and I always look forward to any new books coming out. This book kept me engrossed till the end. I could imagine a follow-up book, but if not that is ok too. The narration by Bronson Pinchot gave the story so much more depth. He really is fabulous.

Underwhelming.

This was a strange one for me, in that I didn't care much about the plot or the two main characters, but enjoyed the supporting characters enough to read on. Even so, can't say I recommend it, on the whole. The "suspenseful" conclusion, supposedly the book's big draw, seemed inevitable to me.

not my kind of book

the story sounded like it would be really thrilling and horrifying but I found it to just be boring. it took me so long to finish it coz I just dreaded having to listen to this story. if the story is enjoyable for me I could finish it quickly. this story was not the case.