Customer Reviews

Book of a Thousand Days (Thorndike Literacy Bridge Young Adult)

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Book of a Thousand Days" ranks right up with "Briar Rose" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" as one of my all-time favorite books. I honestly can't say whether it's Dashti, the music of Hale's language, or the story itself that kept me reading til 3 AM and now sitting in front of the computer trying to compose a review that's even halfway fitting to the tale within.

When you are done with this book, you do want to tell people. In my case, I want to give this book to several lovely young women of my acquaintance to sit along with others that I hope they'll read and be inspired by. I know our local schools are always looking for donations, too.

The story is written as entries in Dashti's 'thought book.' It opens with Dashti recounting being sent to her new assignment as a lady's maid. Orphaned at 14, the child of the steppes had walked to the city and given her last horse as payment for a job. When The Mistress learned she could sing the healing songs, she trained her as a lady's maid and sent her to Lady Saren.

Before she knows the circumstances, Dashti pledges herself to the 16-year-old Saren. Then, she learns her oath will trap her in a tower with her charge for 7 years because Saren has refused to wed Lord Khasar, the man her father has chosen for her.

You'd think a tale of two women stuck in a tower for many days would be boring--it's not. The contrast between Dashti and Saren's reckoning of the situation is riveting. Saren weeps at her misfortune, but Dashti rejoices--she has a place to live and food for seven whole years!

And those contrasts are what keep you reading the book long past your bedtime into the night. Next, we see two suitors--one kind and one unthinkably cruel.

Dashti is what keeps you reading. Despite whatever misfortunes are dealt her, she works to keep her heart full of song and faith. She believes both in herself and others and that's a powerful message for people of all ages. "Book of a Thousand Days" is one of those stories that's good to find during your own hard times because Dashti's faith and message are inspiring to the reader as well.

I strongly recommend that you reserve about 4-5 hours to read this book and perhaps a bit more time just to look back on some of the lovelier passages. I hope if you love this book, you'll be passing it along to others as well. Dashti's is a worthwhile message to spread.

The second I finished this book, I wanted to TELL someone how good it is, so here I am!

Main character Dashti's voice is what makes this tale come alive, and in broader terms, Shannon Hale's prose sings. Pun intended--one lovely component of the book are the healing songs Dashti sings to her mistress Lady Saren and others. As the story progresses, it becomes increasingly apparent, in an understated way, that the songs really are magic. I like the fact that the words of the small songs both do and do not seem to relate to the pains Dashti heals with them. These fragments of folk song and folk magic, tiny pieces of poetry, evoke images from the life Dashti remembers growing up on the steppes.

Which reminds me--what a wonderful and unique setting for this story! Medieval Mongolia with a dash of folk magic makes for a refreshing change of venue in today's crowded fantasy market.

Another thing I like about Book of a Thousand Days is that Dashti's evolution as a person who comes to believe she is as valuable as the gentry she reveres is so unforced that it doesn't seem like a device or jar with the culture Hale describes. Plot-wise, the early build-up might seem a little slow, but the oddity of the girls' being locked in a tower for years and the ways in which Dashti handles her imprisonment, not to mention the visitors (good and evil), make the first half of the book compelling in its own right.

The legal dilemmas at the end of the story form quite a tangle, but their solution is kindly as well as sensible, giving poor beleaguered Lady Saren a chance to finally come into her own. Saren is a strange character, but an intriguing one. It's nice to see her gradually emerging from her seemingly endless state of terror. Her relationship with Dashti also raises interesting questions about the sometimes uneven nature of friendship.

Despite its fairy tale roots, the romance in this story reads with such ordinary happiness that it, too, sings. The growing friendship between Tegus and Dashti is all the more sweet because she is so determined to ignore it (it's inappropriate!) and because their appreciation of each other is refreshingly real. Tegus is appealing because he's a person, not a stereotypical handsome prince.

I haven't even touched on how Dashti handles the big villain of the piece, but that's a great subplot, too. One last thing--I love the names of these tiny kingdoms, and the way they allude to a rich religious culture which ends up playing a subtle part in the plot.

Shannon Hale got off to a promising with Goose Girl, and she just seems to get better with every book!

Shannon Hale's BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS is a riveting read that allows you to see into the soul of a young girl.

Angry at her for not marrying the ruler of a nearby kingdom, Lady Saren's father locks her and her maid in a tower. He plans to leave them there for seven years. It is Dashti, the maid's, responsibility to keep them fed and in good condition, no matter how hot or how cold it may be.

With evil lords, unresponsive guards, and dreamy suitors knocking on their tiny window on a daily basis, they have enough views of outside life to keep living through to the next day. But when all signs of outside human life suddenly vanish, they find themselves in a race against time to save the eight realms and their own lives.

I started and ended this book in a single day (despite having household tasks, homework, and a to-do list longer than it's ever been before). I was caught up in the world of Dashti and her dear Lady Saren. Their tale brought me to tears and made me laugh.

This novel was definitely an enjoyable read that kept me turning pages as fast as I could.

Reviewed by: Jessica Cave

(This review is spoiler free. I don't even mention the plot.)

I have read quite a few good reviews of Book of a Thousand Days, by the wonderful Shannon Hale so I was expecting good thing.

It was better than I could have ever hoped for. It was perfect.

It was a story that made you forget every story you have ever read before. I had no idea what was going to happen with the characters--I was reading something new and raw, with no expectations. I read as if it were the only book that existed in the world.

Why? Because of Dashti. Dashti is the author of the book. The book is her journal. I usually end up understanding characters, relating to them, and liking them. I loved Dashti. I loved her as if she were my best friend, as if she were my sister. As if she were real. I've read many books and stories where the characters are real, but I haven't loved them as I have loved Dashti. I loved Lady Saren as Dashti loved her. I knew these people and I became a part of their world.

The setting was magnificent. Gone with the Western norm, this was set in a world based off of Asia. Gone was the cliched magic of fantasy books. It was Shannon Hale magic in its best: subtle, gentle, feminine, beautiful.

The voice and tone were Dashti. The words were so different from what many books are, but the newness and rawness of the words became part of me. There was beauty, and there was deep, deep sadness in the book. I have never read a book that so adequately portrayed the sadness of life and war--it could have been real. This never seemed like a word of fiction, ever, it was real. Instead of pretty heroines with feisty attitudes, the book offered something heartfelt, real, and full of inner beauty.

I love Book of a Thousand Days. Wow. Wow. Wow. Please read it. It isn't an enjoyable, fun read. It isn't something that you laugh through and are entertained. You do laugh, but it is the deep laugh that comes from sadness. You cry, but it is because you are happy. You see these characters and you join them and can weep for them, laugh with them, and rejoice with them. This book is what any book should aspire to be.

The first time I read Book of a Thousand Days, I wasn't entirely sure that I liked it more than The Goose Girl. After my second reading, I know for sure that Book of a Thousand Days is my favorite book of all times.

Based on the Grimm's fairy tale Maid Maleen, Book of a Thousand Days transports readers to the Eight Realms, a world inspired by Mongolia. After her mother dies, teenager Dashti receives the position of lady's maid to Lady Saren. Lady Saren, however, refuses to marry the man her father has betrothed her to, claiming that she is betrothed to another, and her punishment is to be locked up in a tower for seven years. Dashti chooses to accompany her mistress and records their imprisonment and their adventures in her journal.

Book of a Thousand Days starts slowly but very quickly builds up pace until it becomes hard to put down. The first time I read it, I read it slowly, savoring every word, but I still finished it in one night. Dashti's voice is very clear, and she is such an amazing character. Unlike many fantasy heroines, Dashti is only a maid and staunchly believes that she is inferior to the gentry. Shannon Hale is also such an amazing writer, and in just this three hundred page book Shannon Hale has created an entire, detailed world. I can picture the Eight Realms perfectly.

Book of a Thousand Days had the fairy tale quality of The Goose Girl, the darkness of Enna Burning, and the humor of River Secrets. The healing songs, too, were reminiscent of the quarry songs of Princess Academy, making Book of a Thousand Days into a beautiful combination of Shannon Hale's previous works while still remaining its own beautiful story and creative retelling of a little-known fairy tale. All in all, an absolutely amazing book, one that I will read again and again.

Hale has proved herself adept at finding obscure fairy tales and reworking them in mouth-watering new ways. Her latest offering is based on the little-known "Maid Maleen" by the Brothers Grimm. A lady and her loyal maid are locked in a tower for seven years as punishment for the lady's refusal to marry the man her father wants her to. The story details their imprisonment in the tower and the adventure that follows. Hale's version is told in diary format from the point of view of the maid--Dashti.

I finished this one with mixed feelings. The conclusion I came to is that I wanted more. There was so much potential yet I felt I wasn't allowed to scratch past the surface of things. I liked Dashti, but she didn't have to struggle that hard to get what she got. Or at least her struggle wasn't given the gravity it deserved. Lady Saren, who had quite clearly been driven mad by some atrocious event, was so wonderfully vacant and creepy. I wanted to get to the root of her madness. When I finally found out, it was appropriately weird but it wasn't given enough time or depth. I wanted more. More psychological exploration, more emotion, more pages in general. Her previous books are chock full of it and so this one came off a bit...flat. These comments aside, I always recommend Shannon Hale highly and I eagerly await the fourth Bayern book.

Shannon Hale is the Newbery Honor author of Princess Academy. Book of a Thousand Days is based on the Grimm brothers' fairy tale, Maid Maleen.

Dashti is a new maid and she doesn't have time to learn her new job. She speaks an oath of loyalty to her mistress, Lady Saren and they are immediately locked in a tower (by Lady Saren's father) for seven years because her mistress refused to marry Lord Khasar, a cruel and evil man.

Their food runs low and the days pass slowly. Dashti keeps herself sane by taking care of her mistress, their dismal surroundings and writing in her journal.

Through a small hole in the wall, Dashti comes in contact with Lady Saren's two suitors. One visitor is the evil Lord Khasar (the reason she has been imprisoned) and the other is her true love, Tegus. They speak to Dashti through the dump hole. Lord Khasar's violence is felt physically and emotionally. Tegus soft, loving conversations thrill Dashti and she falls in love with her mistress's suitor.

An unexpected gift from the resident tower rats allows the two women freedom. But rather than that being the end of the story, it is really the beginning. Dashti cares for Lady Saren and finds a life she couldn't imagine-and Lady Saren discovers her true self.

Shannon Hale's ability to take tales and retell them in an exciting, dramatic manner is a gift. Her lyrical language draws in the reader and their heart and imagination is filled with love, redemption, fear, horror, adventure and romance.

If there's any distraction, it's one of adoration for Hale's use of the language. "Maybe I got a few words wrong, but that's so near how the conversation went, I'm going to call it truth." Or; " Things worn closest to the skin, to the heart, carry the scent of a person, and of course, scent is the breath of the soul." Or my favorite: "So I ate my portion and then lay on my back, watching the clouds. Seven years of food isn't worth trading for the sky."

Armchair Interviews says: Children and adults alike will be thrilled with the wonderful stories spun by the master who is Shannon Hale. She is a modern day fairy-tale teller.

I have read every book by this wonderful author, and loved this one in particular. It was set in a very unique culture and time, but was seamlessly written. It has been a long time since I stayed up into the middle of the night to finish a book, but I did for 1000 Days. It is my favorite Shannon Hale re-tell next to the Goose Girl. Very appropriate for girls 12+. There is one "nude" scene, but it is very carefully crafted. It is not vulgar in any way, and it's appropriate/essential for the story. Coming from me, a very careful and judgemental LDS mom and teacher, it says a lot that I would endorse a book with a nude scene so whole-heartedly.

I read this book for hours at a time today - and when I would set it down, I could not stop thinking about it. I felt as though I might miss something if I didn't hurry back to it! Shannon Hale has such a gift with words and description. It's impossible for me to wrap my mind around how she sees things the way she does, but her stories are like poetry to me.

The main character in this book in particular, Dashti, is one of the strongest, most likable voices I've ever read. She invites you right into her world, and I wanted to hear more and more of her story. Very few writers could make nearly three years in a tower (the first half of this book) a finger-burning page turner, but Hale made me feel like I had a broom in my hand and was happily bashing rats alongside Dashti.

I LOVED the relationship between Dashti and Tegas. It was so genuine and sweet - so true to the nature of love. I couldn't get enough when they were together. And I'm not generally a cat fan, but My Lord the cat was one of the best sidekick characters (and storytelling devise) I've ever seen in a novel.

I can't praise this story enough!! Well done!! Hale's best novel yet, and that's truly saying something :)

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book. It was a nice little read, but it just seems to be missing something. I love how it is written in a diary format, but the setting seems to be slightly dull and lacking descriptions at times. Having read 'Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World', which the setting was based on, for a world history class, I just can't help but to wish that the book was set more heavily on Mongol culture. I also wish it was longer. I finished the book in one night and once I had finished it, I no longer thought about it. Book of a Thousand Days wasn't a bad read, but I probably won't ever return to it.