Customer Reviews

The Magic Circle

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Donna Jo Napoli writes tasty little morsels derived from myths, legends and fairy tales. Here the Grimm's HANSEL AND GRETEL provides her a magical springboard for a short, but pithy essay on the extraordinary strife the human spirit will endure for the sake of doing what's right. The witch here is not inherently evil, but is herself a victim of simple ignorance and substantial bad advice. As mentioned elsewhere, this reviewer always enjoys new and imaginative explanations for all those fairy tale elements which are as familiar as gingerbread houses and wicked stepmothers, but never are quite entirely elucidated in the classic tales. Napoli's take on the candy house, while entirely logical and appropriate for the story, is nevertheless a bit bizarre and unsettling, descriptors most apt for this short novel. As another reader said, you'll never again see this tale in quite the same manner. Napoli is generally considered a young adult author; this reviewer is not so certain that this would be much help for those average "troubled teen readers." Still, Napoli's style is like a thread-dense Egyptian cotton bedsheet for smoothness and comfort, even if, again like those bedclothes, it feels a bit chilly to the touch.

I'm a devoted fan of fairy tales, and this one does not disappoint me. It has a deep, intriguing story line, undeparted from the original plot, polished with simple, yet powerful, prose. I am quite certain that everyone is familiar with the story of Hansel, Gretal, and their visit to the candy cottage. In this amazing retelling, we are priviledged to see the tale from the *witch*'s side, and the torment she suffered through. It is extremely phsycological, yet is not overbearing. The Ugly One, otherwise known as the Witch, is a kind, God-fearing midwife in a small village in medieval Europe. Through her innocence and good heart, she is slowly, unwillingly, lead down a dark path, where she is finally under the power of demons. Yet through it all, her good heart manages to keep her out of trouble. She hides from human contact, fearing the demon presence would become too powerful. That is, until two children become lost in her woods. This is a finely crafted novel about a poor soul who is tortured, and I shall never be able to look at "Hansel and Gretal" the same way ever again. It is beautiful, delightfully creepy, and sprinkled with symbolism. Napoli, as stated at the beginning of the book, researched medieval European culture, spirituality, and superstition before writing this book. While I really wouldn't recommend this for children, it is deeply satisfying for anyone else.

This is a haunting little story of courage, pride, and redemption. Although the story sits loosely on the framework of the tale of Hansel and Gretel, it is a different story altogether.

This is the story of an ugly, hunchbacked woman, with a deep appreciation of the beauty which she will never have. Through love for her beautiful daughter, and the wish to give her beautiful things, the Ugly One (as her neighbors call her) is tempted into the dangerous healing arts, and dealings with devils. And devils are always tricky...

The story is told in lyrical, lovely prose which adds to the sense of magic and antiquity. It is a gripping, short book, that is difficult to put down until its wrenching end. The story examines the concept of personal pride closely, with some religious overtones.

While the short length of this book may make some people believe that this is a book for children, quite far from it. A dark retelling of the traditional "Hansel and Gretel," Napoli shows true talent in the twists of this story. She manages to combine the beautiful with the evil, telling the story of a good woman who sells her soul to save her daughter, and then hides herself so she won't be forced to do horrible things to people. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under eleven...its very dark, but uplifting and touching, too.

Donna Jo Napoli's trademark technique of fleshing out a fairytale is in fine display in "The Magic Circle," her retelling of "Hansel and Gretel". Napoli's stories often reveal motivations behind some of the action that takes place in the traditional fairytales, reasoning out some of the fantastic elements and explaining the behaviour of the familiar characters; which usually results in the villain becoming more sympathetic and understandable. Such is certainly the case in "The Magic Circle", in which she explores the background of Hansel and Gretel's wicked witch.

The hunchback woman is known as the Ugly One by all her neighbours, but has the gift of healing which she uses to aid pregnant women and sick people in her medieval Europe community. She is the proud mother of a beautiful little girl called Asa, and enjoys her simple life as midwife in her country cottage. But her friend Bala has other ideas, getting her work with wealthy families and in researching demonic activity so that Ugly One may earn some more money - with much of the proceeds going to Bala of course.

Ugly One is unsure about extending her talents to exclude exorcisms, knowing the danger is extremely great, but as a devout Christian and a healer she feels compelled to comply with Bala's wishes - surely God will aid her, and no harm will come to her if she places herself within a magic circle that will protect her from the demons' tricks. After cleansing a little boy from a demon's influence, Ugly One knows that she has found her new calling in life.

But once several years pass, her confidence in her own abilities grow and in a mistake that will haunt her forever, she is careless with the protective magic circle. What follows is an escalating series of events that has her transformed into a witch by the vengeful demons and tied to a stake by the terrified villagers. Bartering with the demons for her daughter's life, Ugly One manages to use her newfound malevolent powers to escape and hide in the forest.

In Napoli's book the term `witch' is used in the traditional Christian sense, not the New Age one, so be prepared for a negative usage of the word (personally I found it quite refreshing this way - evil witches are so rare these days!) However, it's not so black and white, for though Ugly One can no longer shed tears, bleed or sleep, has demons whispering in her ears and an appetite for children, she is determined to not give in to her weaknesses. Living in isolation, she manages to keep the demons at bay - until she hears the voices of two lost children outside her home...

Napoli's story is poignant and thought-provoking, as she raises questions concerning the nature of evil, the will of God and the strength of the individual against temptation. Like all her other books, her spin on a traditional folktale is fascinating and will change your perception of "Hansel and Gretel" forever. Although her interpretation of the gingerbread house is a little weak and a revelation concerning Bala is raised only to be ignored, "The Magic Circle" is an intriguing little book. The demons and magical rituals mentioned are all based in real Biblical and Occult study (so you'll learn something practical alongside the retold fairytale!) and its length means you can probably finish it within a day. Though it is not my favourite Napoli novel (that would have to be "Zel" and "Spinners"), "The Magic Circle" is a great little read.

Ugly One lives a simple existence with her daughter, Asa. She works as a midwife in effort to gain riches for Asa, whom she has to support on her own. Her helper, Bala, tells her that she should be a healer, but the Ugly one doesn't want to tempt her fate, knowing that devils are just on the edge of a healer's domain, attempting to seduce a healer to the dark ways. Ugly one knows she cannot turn to the dark ways, everything rests on her abilities and her faith in serving God. She knows that her position as midwife is tenuous at best --- most nobles are very superstitious and do not want an ugly, hunchbacked, deformed crone bringing their child into the world for fear her bad luck would rub off on the infant. But her skills prove that superstition is superfluous and she lives for many years in this manner, acquiring trinkets and candies to add to Asa's dowry and decorate their simple home.

Years later, after some usage of the magic circle to aid in her birthings, the Ugly one is tempted by a ring. When she picks it up the demons surge about and within her, and she is no longer a common midwife. From here things go down hill, she and Asa are pronounced witches, and they barely escape from a burning with their lives intact. Ugly one makes it after transforming, but the downside is that she can never see Asa again, and that her sleep is tinged with visits from the demons, not to mention horrible cravings for the flesh of children. But she is strong and manages for nine years to avoid eating flesh or rousing anymore demons... until a fateful day when two children named Hansel and Gretel happen upon her doorstep.

This is a very entertaining, albeit short read. Napoli deftly blends the story of "Hansel and Gretel" with the mythology of the supernatural to create a retelling worth reading. One feels compassion for the Ugly one who has already endured so much suffering, and there is much that can be read between the lines in this inventive adaptation. Fairy tale fans will not be disappointed.

Fans of retold fairy tales, such as those by Angela Carter and Tanith Lee, should order this book immediately. It's marketed as a children's book; whether it's entirely appropriate for that age level, parents will have to decide for themselves, but I can definitely say from one adult to another that this book isn't just for children. It's the Hansel and Gretel story from the witch's point of view. The story of how she came to be a witch is moving and satisfying. Ironically, I had just previously read Max Luthi's EUROPEAN FOLKTALE, which argues that part of the power of fairy tales is the one-dimensionality of the characters. Napoli adds dimensions to the witch, and it only enriches the character and the story.

Knowing that it was Napoli's take on the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale I was really excited to read this book. And, don't get me wrong, "The Magic Circle" started off great. Napoli is an amazingly talented author, however, I couldn't help but feel that "The Magic Circle" was lacking towards the end of the book. As soon as Hansel and Gretel were introduced into the book, I felt that Napoli was in a rush all the way to the ending. I did not really get a good insight into the caracters of Hansel and Gretel and their relationship with the Witch. In the end, I was just disappointed that a book that started off so amazing could be such a let down. I have not read all of Napoli's books yet, and the neutral feeling for "The Magic Circle" will not prevent me from doing so. However, I prefer "Crazy Jack" over this particular Napoli work.

Now, every time I read another version of this story (Hansel and Gretel), I think "No! That's wrong! It wasn't like that!" You might be a little surprised at the fact that devils and demons and hell are all accepted as true in this story, but you have to realize that it is a story based on the beliefs of the time. Although it is very short in length, it is only appropriate for ages 13 and up. (I was 13 when I first read it and am now 15.) This is on my list of my favorite books of all time. It is simply INCREDIBLE. Read it!

The Magic Circle, written by Donna Jo Napoli is a book filled with beauty and terror, and a sense of compassion. This is a story of a poor midwife in a midevil times, how is convinced by her neighbor, bala, to become a healer. It is a sort of twist off of the folktale "Hansel and Gretel ". Just like many other of the finest horror novels, this chilling tales looks at another side of the well-known story of two children and a candy house. Although I liked her great attention to detail and discription describing the physical features of the characters in the book. In the story a good healer is turned bad, because of greed and trickery by the devils. She then runs off to a fairytail forest where she lives alone as a witch. After 9 years suddenly two children show up unexpectedly. Despite all of her efforts the devils still seem to find out they are living with her. All in all i think this book was good and worth reading.