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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Well written, but lacks 'Story', January 27, 2009
It's not often that I just don't know what to make of a book, that I just don't get it. But that is how I feel about Damosel. It is a story of Arthur, Guenivere, Lancelot, etc. told from the perspective of Damosel - the Lady of the Lake, and Twixt - a court dwarf and jester.
The writing is excellent. At two hundered pages, my original thought was that it is intended for a younger audience, but the word craft seemed geared toward older.
The story of Arthur is told from a distance. Other people relay his doings back to Damosel, or Twixt tells of things he saw, but didn't really participate in. Neither Damosel or Twixt themselves had a true story of their own. Things happened to them, but there was no sense of a character ARC or character journey.
The author's notes at the end explains the author's inspiration as: "A story about her (Damosel) began to form in my mind, one that gave interesting (if not plausible) reasons for her stranger behavior." And this is possibly why I had such a hard time loving this. The book is a bunch of vignette, loosely tied together, to give a background to Damosel's behavior. However, as a novel, this just didn't work for me. I end up with lots of information, but very little `story.'
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enchanting Reviews: Damosel, April 28, 2009
DAMOSEL (IN WHICH THE LADY OF THE LAKE RENDERS A FRANK AND OFTEN STARTLING ACCOUNT OF HER WONDROUD LIFE AND TIMES)
STEPHANIE SPINNER
Fantasy YA
Rating: 4 Enchantments
DAMOSEL, is the Lady of the Lake and is approached by Merlin to make a beautiful sword for the future King Arthur, a task that will take years. But she makes the wonderful Excalibur and presents it to the young King almost nine years later, setting off a chain of events that will change things forever.
DAMOSEL wasn't quite what I pictured when I read the jacket blurb. I expected more interaction between Damosel herself and Arthur and the rest of the characters anyone familiar with Arthurian legend would expect, but that wasn't quite the way things were. However, DAMOSEL was a very well written, easily engaging story with a novel twist on things. Most of the story is told through stories told to Damosel or things that happen to Twixt. I have to say I really enjoyed the character of Twixt, the dwarf who Sir Tor rescues from his two evil masters most out of all the characters. Damosel herself was also enjoyable, especially in the early part of the book as she bartered to get the gemstones to make Excalibur and as she shared the Rules that the Lady of the Lake must live by and which Damosel strictly adheres to, which added a nice bit of humor to the story as well.
All in all, DAMOSEL is a very unique read, capturing a side of Camelot I hadn't read before.
Stephanie Spinner is the acclaimed author of many books for young readers. After a distinguished career in children's book publishing, she is now a full-time writer. She lives in Sherman, Connecticut.
Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
March 2009
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thrilling, Imaginative, and Amusing Retelling of Arthurian Legend, January 16, 2009
DAMOSEL, like Stephanie Spinner's other books, offers unusual and illuminating perspectives on a long-ago time. Although her narrators range from the dwarf Twixt to the Damosel herself, the total effect is of absolute authenticity. She makes the marvelous seem real. Even my mother-in-law loved this book!
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