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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, October 10, 2007
This review is from: Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale (Hardcover)
What would you do if you were torn away from your life and everything you knew and forced into slavery? If you were taken to new places where people spoke different languages than you, how would you persevere?
Meet Melkorka, the oldest daughter of an Irish king. As members of royalty, Melkorka and her brother, Nuada, and sister, Brigid, enjoy life at the top of the social structure. In Dublin, travelers from around the world gather to sell their wares. The "heathen" Vikings are among them. Melkorka wants nothing more for her birthday than to visit the stores in Dublin with her family and find the perfect brooch for her cape. The trip ends tragically when her brother is attacked in one of the shops. Although Nuada has survived, he is disfigured and, therefore, no longer able to be the future king.
Melkorka's father, the king, develops a plan for revenge against the Viking offenders. The plan involves luring a Viking ship to their town. Melkorka and her younger sister, Brigid, are sent away in the dark of night to assure their safety.
Before they can reach their destination, Melkorka and Brigid are abducted and taken aboard a ship bound for an unknown destination. Although her instinct is to announce her royal status and demand to be treated as such, Melkorka succumbs to the hints from Brigid and the word she has heard her mother utter so often, "Hush." She becomes silent, refusing to speak to her abductors, the other prisoners, or even to scream at the horrors she sees inflicted upon others.
While Brigid manages a daring escape, Melkorka remains captive, forming silent bonds with those she is held prisoner with and captivating one of her abductors. Her silence becomes her strength, an unbreakable and enticing gift. But how will a princess adapt to life as a slave? Will she ever escape or will she remain silenced forever?
HUSH is based on an Icelandic folk tale. Donna Jo Napoli has gone to great lengths to create a story for the princess/slave described in the tale. Her writing draws you into the story; you can almost feel the cold air from the deck of the Viking ship. This is an amazing tale of strength and perseverance in the face of insurmountable challenges. A highly recommended reading experience.
Reviewed by: JodiG.
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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
What "Hush" is and what it isn't, October 29, 2007
This review is from: Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale (Hardcover)
I didn't really know what to expect from Hush Having never read a Napoli book before, it's discription is a little ambiguous and upon reading the first few pages I realized that the story was not what I thought it was going to be.
Hush is told in first person from Melkorka's point of view, which gives the novel the feeling of a story your being told, rather then a story your reading. As though an elderly Melkorka is sitting with you relating the story of her life directly to the reader. The year is 900A.D. At 15 Melkorka has never known anything but extreem comfort and security, She is a Princess and in no doubt that her future is bright. But a birthday trip to Dublin and a random act of violence against her younger brother changes everything.
Things seem to snowball from there, Melkorka and her eight year old sister Brigid are sent away for their own safety but their journy goes nightmareishly wrong. They are kidnapped by Russian slave traders, the Princess finds herself just another face in a mass of human cargo, her only power lies in her silence for she refuses to speak. The ships captain is fascinated and wary of Melkorka, and through him she gains some small amount of protection. Even so, hardship has hummbled the once hauty Princess she no longer feels herself above anyone. She bonds with her fellow captives, and uses her small amount of influence to help them. Then the worst happens. Brigid manages to escape while Melkorka is left on board.The ship eventually lands in the middle east and Melkorka watches powerless as those she has grown to love are sold away. Loss after loss and she can do nothing but endure. I wont say more, I dont want to spoil the end.
What you should know before buying this book. This is a short one at 308 pages, this causes the story to feel some what rushed. This is not a romance. if your expecting love on the high seas and a daring rescue followed by a happy and for all involved, you will be disapointed. The ending though not tragic is far from rosey. Hush is meant to be testament to the strength of the human spirit. Enjoyable is not a word I would use to discribe Napoli's work here. I think Powerful is more accurate.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A promise of epic adventure that lets you down in the end, November 29, 2007
This review is from: Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale (Hardcover)
When Zel was first published, I fell in love with Donna Jo Napoli's writing style. Her beautiful prose, intense adventures and heart-braking romance caught me up in stories that legends are made of. But Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale let me down.
Melkorka is an Irish Princess whose brother is mutilated by a Viking, causing her father to retaliate. Mel and her sister are sent to hide in the pre-Columbian Irish wild where they are kidnapped by slave traders and end up on a ship heading for Russia.
With all the promise of an epic adventure, this 320 page book falls short of that promise. The plot moves slowly and is quite disjointed, going from one bad situation to the next without any room to breathe. While the plot is lacking, I did still learn to love Mel and hope that things would work out for her in the end, yet the ending didn't leave me satisfied either.
With authors the caliber of Shannon Hale ( Book of a Thousand Days), Jessica Day George ( Princess of the Midnight Ball) and Tamora Pierce ( Melting Stones), Napoli just doesn't stack up.
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