A Continuing Thread - The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson [Review]
I didn't intend to, but I ended up taking a week off of blogging for Thanksgiving (time off from school to relax, spend time with family, and ... work on school assignments). =P If you celebrated the holiday, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did this year! This week, I've got a couple new book reviews for you all, starting now!
 |
| (c.) 2015 by Thomas Nelson |
Author: Melanie Dickerson
Published: 2015 by Thomas Nelson
About the Book:
"The one who needs rescuing isn’t always the one in the tower…
Rapunzel can throw a knife better than any man. She paints beautiful flowering vines on the walls of her plaster houses. She sings so sweetly she can coax even a beast to sleep. But there are two things she is afraid her mother might never allow her to do: learn to read and marry.
Fiercely devoted to Rapunzel, her mother is suspicious of every man who so much as looks at her daughter and warns her that no man can be trusted. After a young village farmer asks for Rapunzel’s hand in marriage, Mother decides to move them once again—this time, to the large city of Hagenheim.
The journey proves treacherous, and after being rescued by a knight—Sir Gerek—Rapunzel, in turn, rescues him farther down the road. As a result, Sir Gerek agrees to repay his debt to Rapunzel by teaching her to read. Could there be more to him than his arrogance and desire to marry for riches and position?
As Rapunzel acclimates to life in a new city, she uncovers a mystery that will forever change her life. In this Rapunzel story unlike any other, a world of secrets and treachery are about to be revealed after seventeen years. How will Rapunzel finally take control of her own destiny? And who will prove faithful to a lowly peasant girl with no one to turn to?"
The Artist Librarian Review:
I've been enjoying Melanie Dickerson's sweetly romantic fairy tale adaptations since her debut title, The Healer's Apprentice, in 2010. Following in the footsteps of her previous novels, The Golden Braid loosely connects to the nobles of Hagenheim Castle and is the first of Dickerson's novels to provide another perspective or point of view of past books' events. With an unexpected twist, Dickerson clearly demonstrates why she writes fairy tale adaptations with happily ever afters!
Dickerson always strives to give a more rounded complexity and depth to fairy tale characters. While not my favorite of Dickerson's heroine/hero duos, Rapunzel and Sir Gerek's lives felt more realistic to their medieval historical time period than some of her previous novels. With Rapunzel, she touches upon themes such as the role of women, legalism, and coming of age. Sir Gerek's past reveals a darker side to medieval family life than the one we've come to know through Duke Wilhelm and Lady Rose's.
Even characters such as Mother Gothel (with her suspicion of all, especially men) have a unique past. One of the most interesting things I found was how the second half of this novel tied in to the events of The Princess Spy. In fact, there were several times in this book where I wanted to re-read Margaretha's story (great cross-marketing potential here)! I was especially not expecting what Gothel's connection to Hagenheim was, nor the "mystery" alluded to in the title's summary that's tied to Rapunzel! At first, I disliked these revelations, but I can't really fault Dickerson since I am happy for the characters it affected. I suppose in a way it takes "happily ever after" to its ultimate conclusion ...
The story of Rapunzel is one of my favorite fairy tales, so I've read A LOT of adaptations. I didn't think this was Dickerson's best, but it's definitely a unique take on the tale, which is always a good thing! Regardless, I still would recommend her fans to check out The Golden Braid for the sweet fairy tale romances we’ve come to expect from the one and only Melanie Dickerson.
I look forward to seeing what fairy tales Dickerson will put her spin on next!
 |
| Author Melanie Dickerson |
"Melanie Dickerson is the Author of The Healer’s Apprentice, a Christy Award finalist and winner of the National Reader’s Choice Award for Best First Book. Melanie earned a bachelor’s degree in special education from the University of Alabama and has been a teacher and missionary. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Alabama. Visit her online at melaniedickerson.com"
[Disclosure: I received a hardcopy of this book from the publisher via Litfuse for review purposes.]
Have you read any of Melanie Dickerson’s books? What did you think? Or what’s your favorite fairy tale adaptation?
Blog Tour
Book Review
Books - Adult
Books - Christian/Inspirational
Books - Historical
Books - Teen/YA
Fairy Tales & Adaptations
More
Posts
0 comments
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts! Comments are always welcomed and appreciated.