This meme was started by Books by Proxy, whose fabulous idea was to compare UK and US book covers and decide which is we prefer. This week we decided to give ourselves a treat and go for our favourite book. I don’t have an outright, alltime favourite – there are a cluster of outstanding reads that will tick that box, depending on my mood and circumstances – but this one would always made that final cut – and these covers are all beautiful. So here are a selection of covers for Jo Walton’s extraordinary, award-winning book Among Others.
This one was produced by Tor in 2011 and adorns the copy I’ve got. I love the colours and the otherworldly feel of it, which most of the other editions emulate.
This version was produced by Corsair in 2013 and is more than a nod to the original, though the focus on the foreground, blurring the figure of the girl gives a beautiful sense of loss and poignancy which runs through the book.
The French edition, published by Denoël in 2014 has changed the title to the protagonist’s name – I rather like it. It certainly reflects the intense first person narration. Again, there are strong echoes of the first cover in the design and use of colour.
This Turkish edition, produced by İthaki Yayınları, has quite a different take with a departure from the tones of yellow and orange and depiction of a girl on the cover – but there is still the same sense of otherness and beauty.
This Polish offering, published in 2013 by Akurat, is the most accurate reflection of Morwenna. She walks with a heavy limp and is in almost constant pain with her leg – I particularly like the way the colour changes throughout and the sense of longing as the girl gazes into a landscape she no longer is able to access.
I love them all – they’re all beautiful, every single one managing to evoke a sense of the book. And my favourite is the one I own. But that Polish cover comes a very, very close second. What do you think? Have you read the book?
Brainfluff 
I like the Turkish one, but they’re all very good.
They are, aren’t they? That’s why this was my featured book this week – not only is it a cracking read, the covers are all gorgeous…
I’ve got to go with the Turkish one, not sure why but there’s just something about it that stands out. 😊
It is very pretty – but I’ve now got Lynn’s comment about it reminding her of a hobbit hole ringing in my ears!
I’ve just looked after again, didn’t notice it before but now it’s been thrown out there, yep, hobbit hole! 😂
I know… I know… *sigh* I’ll never be able to look at it in the same way, again.
They’re all beautiful, couldn’t choose between them. Love the book 🙂
Oh, it is, isn’t it? Have you read any of the Thessaly series?
Not yet but they’re on my mental list!
This is a tough one… I’m tempted to pick the first one from Tor. But based on each tidbit you’ve given (I haven’t read the book yet myself), it seems they all fit the story well, and they’re all lovely and ethereal in their own right.
They are, aren’t they? It is a lovely book – and it’s a joy that ALL the covers do it justice:)
Hmmm. I think the Corsair cover is my favorite of the group. But all of them are pretty.
This is one of the reasons why I chose this particular book – it doesn’t hurt that it also is a fantastic story, either…
I love the top two covers but the first is probably, if pushed, my favourite. One of these covers looks like it’s about to lead to a Hobbit hole!
Lynn 😀
lol… I think Frodo popping up in the middle of this particular story would somewhat throw a spanner into the works:).
I love the one you own too!
As for the titles, I didn’t like the French change, as “Morwenna” tells me nothing (“yet another name”), while “Among Others” has some enticing ring to it. But maybe it works on the French market. 🙂
As for the Polish title, I kind of liked how they translated it, due to multiple meaning of the word “others”. The translation is accurate, but in Polish the title reads “stronger”, as “Among strangers/aliens”. It’s because the word closest to the “others” (“inni”) also has a meaning of “different ones” and while in the context it wouldn’t be a problem, in a title it was safer to gofor the other one.
But look at me, I’m ranting about linguistics.
No! That’s really helpful – ‘others’ can have those overtones here, too. But it is quite subtle – and the Polish translation is spot on. Morwenna finds herself stranded in a school among people she has nothing in common with – and so she finds solace in science fiction and fantasy books – among others… I thought it was a really clever, apt title that needed thinking about. I’m so glad you picked up on it:). One of my all-time favourite books.