Snow [Mass Market Paperback]

Tracy Lynn (Author), Kinuko Y. Craft (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003

Snow White, Rose Red

In a tiny Welsh estate, a duke and duchess lived happily, lacking only a child -- or, more importantly, a son and heir to the estate. Childbirth ultimately proved fatal for the young duchess. After she died, the duke was dismayed to discover that he was not only a widower, but also father to a tiny baby girl. He vowed to begin afresh with a new wife, abandoning his daughter in search of elusive contentment.

Independent -- virtually ignored -- and finding only little animals and a lonely servant boy as her companions, Jessica is pale, lonely and headstrong...and quick to learn that she has an enemy in her stepmother. "Snow," as she comes to be known, flees the estate to London and finds herself embraced by a band of urban outcasts. But her stepmother isn't finished with her, and if Jessica doesn't take control of her destiny, the wicked witch will certainly harness her youth -- and threaten her very life....

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-"Once upon a time," a child was born to a duke and duchess in a remote corner of Wales- but the wife died giving birth, and the duke, in his grief, refused to have anything to do with the child. So begins this Victorian psychological thriller based loosely on "Snow White." When Jessica is about to enter adolescence, her father marries a vain, brilliant woman who longs to be taken seriously as a scientist. Her "experiments" combine medieval superstitions and modern scientific equipment to help her bear a male heir for the duke and are juxtaposed with sessions before a mirror held up for her by a literally spellbound servant/musician. When her stepdaughter's emerging beauty drives the duchess to murderous plans, the musician warns Jessica to escape, but only after her jealous stepmother has kept her a virtual prisoner for several years, rendering her complexion pale enough to earn her new name, Snow. The naive girl flees to London, where she immediately loses her purse in the confusion of Paddington Station and, wandering the streets, stumbles into the den of an unlikely band called "the lonely ones." No, there aren't seven of them-only five-but the many parallels to the folktale are imaginative and inventive. Like Donna Jo Napoli in her novelistic retellings of old tales, Lynn delves deeply into the psychological underpinnings of the folktale while maintaining a fast-paced plot with ingenious twists and turns that will keep readers as spellbound as some of the characters.
Connie C. Rockman, Stratford Library Association, CT
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689855567
• ISBN-13: 978-0689855566
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,740,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Rather Bizarre Retelling of Snow White, December 4, 2003

By 

Silmarwen (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Snow (Mass Market Paperback)

Jessica never really knew what it was like to have a family. Her mother died giving birth to her and her father was not interested in having a daughter. She saw her father once a year when he did his inspection and the rest of the time she had the run of the Welsh estate that belonged to the duke, her father. More then a bit of a tomboy, Jessica did not come to the notice of her father and her coldly beautiful new stepmother until she accused one of the sons of the nobility of attacking her. Suddenly, it was not okay for Jessica to run around playing with the other boys. Instead, she was under the tutelage of her stepmother, who was determined to instruct her on everything she needed to know about being a lady. However, her stepmother quickly grew jealous of Jess' beauty and, with her father gone, locked her away with only a few mice for company. Warned by her stepmother's minstrel, Jess managed to flee for London when her stepmother's jealousy was replaced with the belief that she could only have a child if she had Jess' heart.

Jess was only in London for a few moments when all of her money was stolen. Bereft and alone, she took refuge in an alley, until a cat-like girl attacked her and kidnapped her. When Jess awoke she was stunned to see herself surrounded by a group of animal-like humans. There was Chauncey, the rat-like leader of the ragtag band; Cat, the only girl who had attacked Jess in the alley and seemed determined to hate her; Sparrow, a short, plump boy who was very quiet; Raven, a tall, dark and handsome fellow who never seemed to say anything; and Mouser, who was as elegant as the high-born lords of London. Jess, or Snow as she now called herself, settled into her peculiar new life and found that she was happier as a serving maid than as a duke's daughter. But her stepmother did not give up easily and was ready to use any trick to get Jess to participate in her new "experiment"...

This was a very peculiar adaptation of Snow White, but it was still very enjoyable. Snow herself is still much the same, but the 7 dwarfs are turned into the 5 Lonely Ones (the animal-like people described above), the magic mirror is the minstrel and the wicked stepmother is a scientist of sorts who actually created the Lonely Ones. Even though the details of the story were quite different, it is still a happily ever after tale and I enjoyed the different twists and turns that the author took in creating the tale. If you enjoy fairy tales, then you will enjoy this book!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars awesome "modernized" (sort of) fairy tale., April 21, 2003

By 

katie s. (Edmonton, AB, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Snow (Mass Market Paperback)

"Snow" is a quirky,new version of the fairy tale classic "Snow White". Jessica, the main character, is the headstrong daughter of a duke in Wales. A neglected, though lovely and strong-willed child, Jessica lives happily among the servants of the household, making friends with the stable boys and the animals. Then, at the age of 16, Jessica is forced to flee her country estate after an attempt on her life by her deranged new stepmother, and she escapes to the city, taking the name "Snow" with her. In the city Snow is taken in by a small group of societal outcasts, the Lonely Ones, people with both human and animal characteristics and purely human hearts and personalities. Chauncey, Mouser, Raven, Cat, and Sparrow soon come to care for the beautiful stranger in their midst, and she for them. Suddenly, at the height of Snow's newfound happiness, disaster strikes when her stepmother appears out of the blue and casts a spell apon her from which there is no awakening. Her new "family" is desperate to break the curse and have their Snow back, but it looks as if the evil duchess has finally won...
I loved this book! Some of the plot was rather dark, admittedly, but the original story was, too. Many of the main points of "Snow White" were retained in this novel, but new twists and turns were added, along with vivid characters, to make "Snow" a new, fantastic reading experience. I really liked the idea of the Lonely Ones, who, personally, I think are the best characters in the book. Keep it up, Ms. Lynn!!!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars genuinely good, March 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Snow (Mass Market Paperback)

I dont read that much any more, because a lot of books seem too cliche, or even tacky. Everything seemed like it had been done before. However, this book was actually, totally, completely genuinely excellent. Although a little slow at the beginning, the pace was soon picked up and the book flourished. It was amazing, and defenitely one of my favorites.
:-)