Customer Reviews

Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood (Action Packs)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I agree with previous reviewers that this book has many good elements, however, the author does not carry these through to the end of the book. As a result, it is an uneven read.

When we first meet Hannah, in the guise of Brown Hannah (winter), it's interesting to see her struggle toward her own identity. Her world is fascinating, the flowers growing from her scalp are intriguing, and her magical abilities work beautifully within the context of the story. Her interactions with the villagers are at times touching and very revealing. The wizard who controls her is a figure of mystery. The Knights are also mysterious as they vanish into the woods on a quest for the unknown treasure. Foxkith, before his transformation into a fox, is an engaging character and love interest. One wonders how Hannah will change and grow into her powers in this environment. However, after the confrontation with the wizard, the narrative wanders.

Sending Hannah to wander through the countryside is not necessarilly a poor decision, but the wandering doesn't produce much of a result. It gives us tantalizing glimpses of a world that never quite becomes fully realized. In order to keep the narrative going, the author needs to keep Hannah in ignorance, which becomes a problem. She doesn't grasp the very basic details of the stories she hears. She never correlates the idea of the Spring Maiden (or any other seasonal maiden) with the changing of her own hair and gown. Even when people name her Spring Maiden and run, fearing to offend her, she doesn't get it. I understand that keeping her ignorant of her true identity until the end is the intention, however, she simply becomes too stupid to sympathize with.

Then, of course, there's the end. She finally finds what she's looking for but doesn't realize it, even though the reader realizes it instantly. The mysterious tree/woman/sorceress she speaks with, while supposed to be awe inspiring, is simply tedious. The entire ending is completely the Sorceress telling Hannah what happened. It becomes very boring. Of course, the Sorceress is also very vague about things. She frequently looses focus and has to make an effort to continue with her narrative. After taking forever to get to the point, the Sorceress becomes a non-character. Hannah does not seem to have been deeply moved. In fact, instead of tending to her beloved Foxkith immediately and changing him back into a human, she tends to others. There is no resolution with the wizard, either. An unfortunate ending.

I would recommend Pierce's Darkangle Trilogy as a much better work.

'Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood' can be best described as a story set out in three distinct parts. The first (and most interesting) introduces us to Hannah - a young girl who lives in the Tanglewood with flowers and vines growing in her hair who must be plucked out regularly to make a drought for the Wizard that lives in the forest's heart. Apart from him, the folks of a nearby village, and her talking animal friends, the only people she comes across are the namy nameless knights that go into the Tanglewood, searching for it's mythological treasure. With one particular knight however, Hannah falls in love. She names him Foxkith, and tries to keep him from the death that inevitably awaits him.
Part Two tells of Hannah's journey into the world, trying to find Foxkith's sorcerer-queen. On the way, Hannah's hair and clothes change in colour and form, as the seasons change around her. It is here that the story begins to slow, as we become aware of the truth of things long before Hannah and her comrades do.
By Part Three, when Hannah reaches Foxkith's island home and the wind-up begins, we already know everything the 'sorcerer-queen' has to say. Consequently, it isn't that interesting.

The fairy tale elements of the story bear a great resemblance to the Greek myth of Persephone - when this goddess walked the world it was spring and summer, when she returned to her husband in the underworld, it became autumn and winter. Another familiar motif present us the triad of goddesses of many ancient religions - Crone, Mother and Maiden, although in this story it becomes Mother, Matron and Maiden. Along with these three titles to describe Hannah and her mother, Hannah is also refered to, not only as Brown, Green, Golden or Russet Hannah, but as the Spring Maid, the Summer Girl, the Autumn Lass or the Winter Damsel. Needless to say, all the titles can get a bit confusing.

This is not Pierce's best work, (disappointing after a five year absence) especially when compared to the brilliance of the Darkangel trilogy, but it *is* a worthwhile read. Meredith Ann Pierce is a masterful storyteller, and all of her works are unique. Despite the faults, the story is intriguing, drawing on ancient stories and giving them a new look, setting them in a believable fantasy world. It reads like a fleshed-out fairytale, and the though the ending is predictable, the beginning draws you in in far enough that you are compelled to keep on reading.

"Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood" is definitely one of the best books I've read in a while. It featured all the best of Meredith Ann Pierce: good characters, a good plot, and an interesting world to explore through the book.

Tanglewood's main character, Hannah, is very well developed. It was interesting to see the changes in her personality over the course of the book manifest in the changing color of her dress. I was disappointed to find that the character Foxkith spent most of the book silent and amnesiac, and I would have liked to see more development of his character. This is my main bone to pick with the book, which brought it down to four stars instead of five stars. Also, I would have liked to have known more about the Wizard and about the Tree-Goddess. I was very curious about what the Wizard's real feelings for Hannah were, and I didn't feel that this topic was explored enough.

As with her previous Darkangel and Firebringer Trilogies, Pierce has managed once again to take a somewhat clichéd plot type and, through her style, make it fresh and interesting. I didn't understand why Hannah et al spent a good deal of the latter half of the book wandering around the countryside--this did not seem to serve any purpose in the plot, except being the medium for her change from Green Hannah to Golden Hannah. Also, I thought that Hannah's discovery of love should have been a bigger event than it was--before meeting Foxkith, she had agonized over what "love" was, but it was not clear in the story when exactly she discovered this emotion within herself.

Finally, I was intrigued by the bits and pieces of the world that Pierce showed us during the story: the Tanglewood, the village, the Holymen. The book left me wishing for a sequel, so I could continue to read more about this particular world. Pierce, as always, does an excellent job creating an engaging fantasy milieu for her story.

Overall, "Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood" is a very well-written book, which I would not hesitate to recommend to any of my friends. My greatest wish is that Pierce would make this book part of a series, as there is so much unused material from the book to work with.

This is a wonderful book for children and grown-ups alike. Hannah is a girl who never seems to age, yet she cannot remember where she comes from. She can heal anything by just plucking the flowers and plants that sprout from her head with her hair, and using them with instructions that form in her mind. She will lead you through her world, where she is looked after by her animal friends, when she confronts the wizard that says he created her, when she falls in love, when she leaves Tanglewood and embarks on a quest to find her lovers queen, and finally when she returns home and descovers what really lays at the heart of Tanglewood. If you are a fan of Ms Pierce's work, I highly recomend this wonderful book.

Meredith Ann Pierce has made a name for herself in unique and atmospheric fantasies such as "The Woman Who Loved Reindeer" and "Darkangel" trilogy. Her latest book, "Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood" is an amazing fantasy with a truly amazing lead character.

The main character is Brown Hannah, a young woman with plant bugs woven in her hair, and without the memory of how she came to the Tanglewood. She lives with an assortment of odd animals - and a strange wizard who tells her not to leave the forest.

Supposedly within the Tanglewood forest is a great treasure guarded by the Boar. When one knight survives an encounter with the Boar, Hannah nurses him back to health - and enjoys his company, as she has never truly had a companion before. When the wizard takes an awful revenge on the unsuspecting knight, Hannah rebels and flees to turn the knight back into his human form. She transforms along the way into Green Hannah, then Golden Hannah. When she returns to the Tanglewood she is now Russet Hannah, her role shifting as the seasons change into autumn.

Meredith Ann Pierce outdoes herself in this sedate tale of nature and magic. Though "Woman Who Loved Reindeer" did not entrance me as much as the Darkangel trilogy, this one captivated me from the first page.

Hannah herself is a great character. She manages to encompass traits such as naivete and innocence, while still being brave and intelligent. Her transformation of knowledge as she goes through her various incarnations is believable, as are her interactions with such people as the knight and wizard. As I read this story, I also read the story of the Scottish goddess Beira, who also transformed with the passing seasons.

The writing style is lyrical and captivating, skillfully evoking the images that Pierce clearly wanted to show. Descriptions of the Tanglewood are especially beautiful, as Ms. Pierce always does an excellent job with nature descriptions.

A thoroughly enjoyable fantasy!

Meredith Ann Pierce is known as a writer for "young adults", and I've seen, and bypassed, her books over the years. For some reason, what I'd seen just hadn't grabbed me. However, I came across the "Treasure At The Heart Of The Tanglewood" and read the inside cover, and said, "Well, that sounds interesting..." And it was.

"Treasure" (I'm going to shorten it for all our sakes) is written in fairy tale format. It doesn't start "Once upon a time..." but it very well could. Instead it begins:
"Brown Hannah dwelt at the verge of the Tanglewood. The Tanglewood rose dark and deep..."

Pierce's writing is appropriately archaic, pleasantly so, and her story of the entrapped maid living on the edge of the Tanglewood, reminded me of some of the work of Patricia McKillip. Brown Hannah lives alone in a cottage except for a magpie, a badger, and some fox kits with whom only she can talk. The local villagers come to her for healings and "simples", but seem very much afraid of her. And although physically she seems to be a teenager, the village grannies remember her.

Once a month she removes various herbs and flowers that grow amidst her hair, and brews a potion for a wizard who lives in the heart of the Tanglewood, and seemingly is her protection against the bad old world.

Her story really begins when she saves a knight who is questing for "the treasure at the heart of the Tanglewood" and is forced to challenge the wizard who instead of her protector, is actually her captor.

As the story moves along, Brown Hannah must set out on a journey across the wide world, and becomes Green Hannah, then Golden Hannah, and finally Russet Hannah. Of course the reader unravels the clues long before our Hannah does, but hey, she hasn't been herself. After all, she HAS been deep under a spell.

The imagery, the use of unusual but appropriate words and terms, and the creation of a beautiful nature myth, make Treasure stand out, and be well worth the reader's time.

This book is simply fantastic. It really is a treasure. As the other reviews already state a great description of the book, I'll spare you. I will say however that this book is probably the best fantasy that I've read in a while. It takes the traditional fairytale and does something with it that just completely captivates the reader and makes you want to know more and more about the characters and their stories! There is magic, without being magical. It makes no sense, I know, but read it and find out for yourself how wonderful this book is! And, if you like this one, Ms. Pierce has several other great writings for you!

This book was amazing. It is mysterious and exotic and hints at something deeper than I can understand. I would reccomend this to people 14 and up.

The Enchanted Trees!!!!
*****
This book is called Treasure at The heart of The Tangle Wood. A few things about this book are that it is a fantasy book but it doesn't have too many magical things. Almost believable but once you read on it has things that add up and you end up realizing that it's not all realistic. I advise all twelve year olds and up to read this book because if you like things happening all of a sudden then this is your book.
The main character is Brown Hannah. She is around the age of sixteen and grows an exotic herb garden in her hair, which is unlike normal girls. The reason she is called Brown Hannah is because her clothes are brown her skin is brown and her hair and eyes are the same color. But eventually she turns into a golden angel colored and then Hannah is called Golden Hannah!
The problem in this story is that she has been living in The Wood and she has been worshipping a selfish wizard. She doesn't live with any family members but she has a couple interesting friends which I am not going to describe I'm going to let you try to think what these friends could be. It ends up that she As in Hannah finds her true love and has to try to find his Queen. The wizard turned her true love into an oddball creature. So then she goes on an adventure to find his Queen and Golden Hannah speaks and meets many unique people on the way.

With "Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood", Meredith Ann Pierce has written a gorgeous new fairy tale with elements of pagan spirituality blended into a highly original narrative. Brilliantly layered into the tale is the mythology of the Triple (or four-fold) Goddess, as Hannah the heroine cycles through the maiden, mother, queen and crone aspects of the Great Goddess. (Brown Hannah/Green Hannah/Gold Hannah/Russet Hannah.) Her healing powers with plants and her affinity with animals and the entire realm of nature identify her with the Green Spirit of the land, Natura, a facet of many different goddesses, ie. Green Tara. Forests and wild places are the abode of Natura, and her green is a magic hue that heals, comforts and protects the entire world. As the story unfolds, Hannah comes to personify the Green Goddess fully, (Dylan Thomas's green fuse). Every green growing thing, flower, tree or plant is a microcosmic expression of her work, which is to nurture and empower all beings through the power of the feminine soul. This book is an absolute "Treasure"!!