11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Cute, Funny, Romantic Take on the Rapunzel Story, February 19, 2008
When the sorceress Melisande catches her neighbor stealing the herb known as rapunzel for his pregnant wife, she makes a deal: the wife can have as much rapunzel as she likes, but if she cannot love her baby just as she is, Melisande will take possession of the child. Of course, the vain, selfish mother cannot bring herself to love the baby when it is born completely bald, so Melisande takes the child, who she names Rapunzel. Rapunzel never grows hair and is therefore considered something of an oddity by most people, but she is loved by Melisande and is, for the most part, quite happy. Rapunzel also makes friends with a tinker named Mr. Jones and his handsome adopted son, Harry.
When Rapunzel is sixteen, a heatwave causes a drought and crop failure and Rapunzel is rightly worried that a mob will take its frustration out on the local sorceress and her oddly bald daughter. After abandoning their home, Melisande reveals her secret to Rapunzel: she has a biological daughter named Rue who has been trapped in a tower and Melisande thinks that Rapunzel is the one who can free her. Although Rapunzel agrees to help save Rue, doing so will not be easy. Fear, hurt feelings and jealousy threaten to come between the girls. Both girls are envious that there is another daughter in Melisande's life and Rapunzel fears that Harry, who has come to the tower to watch over her, has fallen in love with the utterly beautiful Rue, whose perfect golden locks contrast sharply with Rapunzel's bare head.
This is definitely one of the best of the Once Upon a Time series, and my favorite after another of Dokey's works,
Beauty Sleep: A Retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" (Once Upon a Time). My biggest complaint for this book is the same for most of the Once Upon a Time books: it's too short and needs at least another 50-100 pages to be properly fleshed out. However, even given its short length Dokey does an amazing job of bringing the Rapunzel story to life and creating characters to really care about. Melisande is not the wicked witch she is usually portrayed as, but instead is a wise old woman who genuinely cares for both her daughters. Rapunzel is a clever and strong heroine who nonetheless deals with the typical teenage concern that the guy she likes favors the prettier girl. I especially liked Harry, the tinker boy, and his interactions with Rapunzel. GOLDEN is cute, sweet and funny (I laughed out loud at some points) and a great addition to the Once Upon a Time series.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved this one, May 2, 2010
A retelling of the fairy tale Rapunzel from the Once Upon a Time series reimagined with a completely bald Rapunzel. How can that possibly work, you say? Well, all I can say without giving anything away is that Dokey makes it work. With the exception of Belle, all of Dokey's retellings have been filled with inventive and often unexpected twists that somehow manage to be not only enjoyable, but also beautifully compliment the original tales. It also helps that her characters are endearing and fun to read, and Golden's characters are no exception. Also continuing her pattern is the presence of not one, but two sets of lovers whose eventual pairing is left up in the air until the very end. Recommended.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Quite strange, October 7, 2009
Wow. I appreciated the reason behind writing this version of Rapunzel this way and "Rapunzel" herself was entertaining, but there were just too many strange happenings in the story. It seemed very random. A trinket seller, a nearby prince, a lost daughter: yeah, it was just really bizzare. I love retellings of fairy tales but this one was just not my favorite. Dokey's "Wild Orchid" is much better.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
