I knew this book made a big splash when it first came out in 1978, but the plot and blurbs sounded so campy I never read it. Big mistake! The Mirror has to be one of the best books I have read in quite awhile and I can see it having appeal for a broad audience. The 'hook' of the story is a strange mirror first brought to San Francisco around 1800 on a ship from Asia somewhere. A very brief prologue follows the mirror around, which always seems to leave a trail of death and madness behind it. Wor...

Fascinating and unusual time-travel story in which two women (Grandmother Bran and Granddaughter Shay) swap lives and bodies inadvertently through an old and strange wedding mirror.1978: Shay Garrett (who is 20) is going to be married. Her Grandmother Bran (who is in her 90's) has been released from the nursing home to go to the wedding. Shay is given an old mirror as a wedding present. But when Shay looks into the mirror at the same time her Grandmother happens to look in it Shay is catapulted ...

4.5 StarsTHE unsightly antique MIRROR is evil and often deadly, and within its reflection, Marlys Millhiser brings to life an electrifying time-travel story....The journey begins in 1978, but quickly reverts to 1900 after Shay Garrett innocently examines the freaky heirloom she receives as a bridal gift and unknowingly causes the entire Gingerbread House to tremble, Shay to faint, and grandmother and granddaughter to trade places right on the eve of their respective weddings....Both disillusione...

**** REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS *****This was a really strange book - sort of "Back to the Future" meets "Freaky Friday." The premise was fascinating but the story was unevenly written. At first the whole timeline didn't make sense to me, until I realized that it was published in the 70's. This also made me wonder if the author was maybe enjoying some herbal refreshment at the time she was writing it.It's hard to even explain this crazy plot but I will make an attempt. A mysterious, evil Chinese m...

Will be re-reading this one soon for NetGalley.
I have good memories of it, which is why I requested it for review.
I wonder if my opinion of it will change after 33 years?
I'll let you know...

The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser tells the strange but original tale of four generations of woman from 1900 to 1978-79 and how their lives are interwoven and complicated by the machinations of an evil mirror. Shay Garrett and her grandmother Brandy McCabe are switched, mentally and physically on the eve of their respective wedding day, though the ceremonies are separated by over seven decades. Far from being a comedy spun and packaged by Disney producers (although there are some humorous scenes) t...

October, 2021I am bumping up another story to the top of my feed because of October, Halloween and Gothic-like whispers.Update, October, 2014Most of her stories are available on Kindle but they are also available to read (free!) on openlibrary.org. The updated ORIGINAL review, 2017Sadly, I recently read that the author passed away in 2017. "The Mirror was Mrs. Millhiser's most famous book, one that was so popular with readers that it was one of the most frequently stolen books at public librari...

This is perhaps my favorite book of all time. I discovered it through rather unusual circumstances. While working for an eye doctor in Boulder, Colorado, I met the author who was a patient of ours. When I learned that she was a published author, I started searching used book stores for some of her works and came across a first edition paperback of this book. I finished it in just a few days and was fortunate enough to have the author sign it for me during a follow-up visit to our office. I have ...

This is one of my favorite books of all time. Ive read at at least a dozen times over the years. I borrowed it from the lirary one day(long ago :) and was about a dozen pages in when the author had me hooked. I rushed right out and bought the book, knowing nothing about the rest of the book. I hardly EVER do that! The book is definitely different, but unique enough to stand on its own. I finished this book in one day and while I give it 5 stars and stand behind it, I feel as if the ending could ...

This is probably one of the best books to me that I've read. I loved it. Time travel done the best ever. History and love but not overly mushy.