The Life and Times of Rapunzel [Paperback]

Staci Layne Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 2003

Everyone knows the story of Rapunzel. Rapunzel of the golden hair, Rapunzel who lives in a tall tower. But who is Rapunzel, really? Does she like living way up high in that tower?

The answer is "no," and the story that unfolds is of what she does after her escape. First she falls in love with a prince, but he turns out to be a cad. Then she goes to work for a silversmith, but he turns out to be a cad. Then she meets another prince, and he turns out to be a cat! He's actually a human, but an evil hex has given him the feline form. There could be worse fates, but Prince Hemingway really needs to save his kingdom and that's not easy when you have a fluffy tail and furry little paws. He and Rapunzel form an alliance, and despite her naivete, she is determined to help him.

Fly through time, space and dimension with Rapunzel and Prince Hemingway, as they seek out their only hope: Ernest Hemingway, the mortal Word Wizard who holds the key to the prince's future.

There's just one small problem...Ernest doesn't know he's in on it!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...fantasy rules in...Wilson's clever and witty romp through a world of fairy tale wonders..." -- Travis Edward Pike, Author of Grumpuss

"A delightful read...Will tickle the heart of any cat lover..." -- Carole C. Wilbourn, The Cat Therapist - Author of Cats on the Couch

"A unique blend of fairy tale and cat tale. Amusing, and to be enjoyed by all ages." -- Linda Larson, Cat Caretaker at the Hemingway Home and Museum

Product Details

• Paperback: 202 pages
• Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC (April 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592799353
• ISBN-13: 978-1592799350
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,139,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Cheers!, April 24, 2003

By 

Brenda Thatcher "www.mystiquebooks.com" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Life and Times of Rapunzel (Paperback)

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RAPUNZEL is a humorous and enjoyable trip through Punsville, USA. This fantasy world is filled with wonderfully imaginative things like Trolls, gargoyle monkeys (who resemble those found in Oz), dragons, hags and crones, and even historical figures (caricatures?) in cameo roles. Equally "punny" are the book's characters: Sigmund Furred, Manny Manx, Siameez, or King Paathrea of Khatt (no cats allowed there, however). I laughed until my ribs ached, and kept turning pages eager for the next surprise.

In a market of crossover books and literary genres expanding beyond normalized boundaries, I have to say that no one I've read writes a fractured fairy tale like Staci Wilson. This is the first time I've reviewed for her and I'm glad I did. She's already a noted author in horror and it looks like she's well on her way to creating a niche for herself as a fantasy author as well...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fun adult fairy tale, May 4, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Life and Times of Rapunzel (Paperback)

Rapunzel feels gratitude towards her rescuer Prince D'arius for she loathes the tower where she was incarcerated until he freed her. She falls in love with her hero, but alas this is not a fairy tale where they live happily ever after. D'arius is a married man. Rapunzel is saddened but wiser to the insincere male world she has just joined.

Rapunzel refuses to let down her hair ever again when the next male in her life, Master Eremis the silversmith, turns out to be as much as a cad as her prince. On the other hand, she feels quite safe with a male cat Hemingway that she finds until she learns that her feline is actually a prince caught in a changing spell. He persuades the kind but still naive Rapunzel to save his people from an evil that wants to destroy them, but to do so they must to travel through time to enlist a help of a twentieth century word wizard sharing a surname and more with the feline prince.

This adult fairy tale will leave readers laughing especially at the puns and other bon mots that would send Sigmund Furred to a littered couch. The story line is loaded with amusing action as Rapunzel gains insight to the road rules of the real world which leads to fans enjoying this facetious follow-up to the Rapunzel tale. Aside to Staci Layne Wilson: In an emergency room in Germany, doctors perform surgery opening the stomach of a wolf in an attempt to free a senior citizen swallowed alive while the woman's red hooded granddaughter walks the waiting room.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What happened to Rapunzel after she got out of the tower?, May 3, 2003

By 

Robin Taylor (Brockton, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Life and Times of Rapunzel (Paperback)

Thanks to Argus, a wizard, we get to finally get to find out what happened to Rapunzel after the tower. Though the story of Rapunzel is a fairy tale to us, to Argus and the Othruthians, the people among whom she lives, Rapunzel's quite real. Even though the Orthruthians live in a parallel universe, there are a few similarities to ours. After Rapunzel is rescued by Prince D'arius, she discovers that Earth and Othruth co-exist.

Before I go on, I'd like to tell you that in the land of Orthruth, they have computers and electricity, but no cars--a case of magick meeting science. It is things like this that make this story so intriguing. Some of the modern conveniences help to balance out the story of helping Rapunzel find her way.

What Rapunzel believes for her future is not to be. So she seeks a future that can bring her some peace. In her travels, Rapunzel runs into an injured cat. He tells her ... tells her? *g* ... that he is trapped and that he needs her help. This cat is named Hemingway, and if you were not already into THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RAPUNZEL, from here on you will not be able to take your eyes off of the page!

Hemingway is actually Prince Hemingway, of the kingdom of Khatt. His half-sister hexed him in order to take over the kingdom, and turned him into a cat. He escaped to try and find a wizard with similar skills to remove the hex, in order to try and save his kingdom. Rapunzel and Hemingway embark upon a journey to find just the person they need. They get into all kinds of scrapes, and even end up on Earth more than once in their trek.

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RAPUNZEL is a wonderful fantasy story blended with a nice tale of romance and humor. This book was full of everything fantasy - wizards, gargoyles, dragons and more. The excitement was non-stop.

Rapunzel truly loves Hemingway as he's her only friend, whereas Hemingway cannot believe how strong Rapunzel is and what she is going through in order to help him. The character development was amazing in THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RAPUNZEL. Rapunzel is truly awesome. She kept her head in all situations. She proved loyalty beyond belief. Hemingway will impress each and every reader. He never lost sight of his objective. He had to endure quite a bit in order to achieve his goals. As a feline and a man, Hemingway made an incredible impression on me. Ms. Wilson did a tremendous job, and I'm pleased to add THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RAPUNZEL to my keeper shelf.