The Storyteller's Daughter [Mass Market Paperback]

Cameron Dokey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002

How do all great stories begin? With "Once Upon A Time..."

Once upon a time, there lived a king whose heart was heavy. He had been betrayed by the woman he loved. Though the queen's schemes were discoverd before she could deprive her husband of his life, her dying curse killed something deep within him: his ability to love and trust.

And so he makes a terrible resolution: He will take a bride for one night only. In the morning she will face a horrible fate. Then he will choose another. Nothing can change his course, until one brave woman steps forwward. Shahrazad, the Storyteller's Daughter.

Steeped in the ancient art of her mother's people, Shahrazad embarks upon a perilous course. With words alone, she will seek to restore the king's heart. As she tells her tales a bond forms between them that neither can deny. But will it be strong enough to hold them together when unexpected danger erupts?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10-A story inspired by the magical and romantic tale of Shahrazad from The Arabian Nights. When betrayed by his queen, Shahrayar's heart turns coldly to stone. He vows to take a new wife once each month, at the full moon, but to keep her only one night, killing her in the morning. Shahrazad, the 17-year-old blind daughter of the king's vizier and Maju, a blind storyteller, concocts a plan to reach the king's heart. She will begin a story each night that will not be finished in the morning. Three stories-within-a-story run through the retelling, all with parallel themes and morals. This is a delightful retelling, tweaked by the author to create a fresh, often quirky feminist who is not afraid to speak her mind. Indeed, the king remarks, with humor, that wise women people Shahrazad's stories, but the kings and princes are idiots. Dokey's style blends just the right amount of old-fashioned phrases and figurative language with touches of contemporary tongue-in-cheek humor. The author actually manages an element of suspense in the present-tense retelling, even though readers familiar with the tale will know its outcome. There's plenty to tantalize teens: tower imprisonments, decapitations, intrigues of the court, an attempted coup, riots, fighting, and, of course, the blossoming love between Shahrazad and Shahrayar. An appended note includes more about the tale and the author's retelling. Pair this title with Susan Fletcher's Shadow Spinner (Atheneum, 1998) for two different versions of the story of Shahrazad.
Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse; 1 edition (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743422201
• ISBN-13: 978-0743422208
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So many stories, so little time, September 2, 2002

By 

Heidi Anne Heiner (SurLaLune Fairy Tales.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Storyteller's Daughter (Mass Market Paperback)

"Storyteller's Daughter" is the story of Shahrazad, the daughter of a vizier and a storyteller who saves her country. It is the frame story from the Arabian Nights in which a woman tells stories each night and never finishes them before dawn in hopes of living another day. For if she doesn't give her husband, the king, a reason to extend her life, she will be executed at dawn. The next night she finishes the story from the previous night and then begins another.

In Dokey's version of the story, Shahrazad is blind and brave. She has learned to see with her heart and knows that the king has been deeply wounded by his first wife who betrayed him. As she helps the king heal through her stories, they both learn how to forgive, trust, and love each other. However, other forces are also seeking to destroy them and gain the throne. How the story ends is different from the original tale, but should prove satisfying to most readers. The romance in the story is not heavy-handed nor the only theme of the book. This should appeal to those who love a romance or simply a historical adventure.

This paperback appears to be the first in a series of fairy tale retellings with a "Once Upon a Time" theme. "Storyteller's Daughter" is the first, soon to be followed by "Beauty Sleep," also by Cameron Dokey. Then "Snow" by Tracy Lynn will follow later.

Another great book to read as a companion to this one is "Shadow Spinner" by Susan Fletcher.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Storyteller's Daughter, January 5, 2004

By 

Jessica (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Storyteller's Daughter (Mass Market Paperback)

This magical story was the inspired by the folktale Arabian Nights. King Shahrayar, a just and loved king, turns his own heart to stone when betrayed by his queen. His people's love turns to hate when he makes a terrible procliamaiton: every night of the full moon, he will take a new wife-- only to kill her the next morning. Shahrazad, the wise blind seventeen-year-old daughter of the the blind storyteller, Maju, and the king's vizier, plans to complete her destiny and reach the king's heart. After telling her tales, a bond of love forms between Shahrazad and Shahrayar that neither can deny or admit. But in order to break the former queen's dying curse, Shahrazad must learn to surrender her heart, and Shahrayar to let his free. This is a truly amazing tale whose magic lingers long after the book is finished.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, October 1, 2003

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Storyteller's Daughter (Mass Market Paperback)

Once upon a time there was a King who's wife betrayed him, and when sentenced to death, her dying curse killed his ability to love and trust women from that day forth. So he decides on a new way to be happy. He shall take a new wife every day, and keep her for one night only, in the morning, she shall die. This is what he plans on doing, until one young woman, Shahrazad, the Storyteller's Daughter changes his mind. With words, and stories alone, Shahrazad plans on restoring the King's heart, so he shall be able to love and trust once more. But before she knows it, a bond has been created between Shahrazad and the King. One that will link them forever.

This is a fantastic re-telling of the novel "The Arabian Nights." The stories in THE STORYTELLER'S DAUGHTER are intricate and entertaining. Stories that will haunt you forever. A fantastic start to the "Once Upon A Time..." series.

Erika Sorocco