The Wager [Hardcover]

Donna Jo Napoli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2010

Don Giovanni was once the wealthiest and handsomest young man in Messina. Then a tidal wave changed everything. When a well-dressed stranger offers him a magical purse, he knows he shouldn’t take it. Only the devil would offer a deal like this, and only a fool would accept.  

Don Giovanni is no fool, but he is desperate. He takes the bet: he will not bathe for 3 years, 3 months, and 3 days. Beauty is a small price to pay for worldly wealth, isn’t it? Unless he loses the wager—and with it his soul.

Set against the stunning backdrop of ancient Sicily, Donna Jo Napoli’s new novel is a powerful tale about discovering what truly matters most.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—Set in 1169, The Wager is a retelling of a traditional Sicilian fairy tale. As the story opens, Don Giovanni is a well-to-do spendthrift who gives little thought to anything but his own pleasure. An earthquake and subsequent tidal wave change his circumstances dramatically, and he is soon wandering the land as a vagrant. In classic Faustian style, the devil appears on the scene to offer a wager: he will provide Don Giovanni endless wealth in exchange for relinquishing his beauty—he may not change his clothes, shave, comb his hair, or wash for three years, three months, and three days. The devil provides the don with a magic purse, and the game is on. Suffice to say, the rot that grows on this hero is truly foul. Readers will be engrossed by descriptions of his decay, including vermin, worms, and open sores. Obviously Don Giovanni undergoes a dramatic change in how he treats the lowliest members of society. Evocative of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, this marvelous story is well told, and the rich, sophisticated language will grip skilled readers.—Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

A fallen nobleman beats the devil in Napoli’s latest fairy tale–inspired novel. Based on a Sicilian story and similar to the better-known Grimm Brothers tale “The Bearskin,” Napoli’s novel begins in twelfth-century Sicily, when handsome, young Don Giovanni loses his wealth in the aftermath of a tsunami. Reduced to begging, he travels the countryside until a stranger offers him a magical, bottomless purse of gold coins if he agrees not to bathe, groom himself, or change his clothes for three years. Realizing that he is wagering his soul with the devil, Don Giovanni nonetheless accepts and begins his long trial. Napoli’s vivid descriptions contrast the Edenic landscapes with Don Giovanni’s increasingly festering body, from his abscess-covered backside to his lice-infested scalp. The colorful detail, while sometimes stomach-churning, underscores the story’s fascinating themes about the importance of appearance, what it means to be civilized, and the line between human and beast. A surprise twist leads to a satisfying love story and closes the novel with more joy, and fewer devilish triumphs, than the original tale. Grades 8-12. --Gillian Engberg

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (April 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805087818
• ISBN-13: 978-0805087819
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,042,237 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For all information about Donna Jo Napoli (books, events, biography, awards, contact information), please go to http://www.donnajonapoli.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fairy tale dressed in adult prose., September 12, 2010

By 

D'ARCY CLOSS (Sudbury, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wager (Hardcover)

I enjoyed much about this book, but particularly the craft that went into the prose. Napoli knows the power of the short sentence and uses it to good effect, especially in the first few chapters where she puts on a virtual clinic in short sentence usage. To flesh out a fairy tale and make make believe real is no easy task, but Napoli seems to revel in this kind of writing. The story and characters quickly become "real" after a surreal(ish) opening, and the author is not afraid to jar the reader with gritty images that are far from fairy tale, making this a book that refreshingly does not try to kiddie things up to protect the Innocent Child reader. Not that there is anything overly alarming in the novel, but there is also nothing overly cloying.

Essentially, this is a coming of age story, where the main character must learn (the very hard way) to leave his immature, selfish, adolescent ways behind and become a caring, charitable, selfless adult. A timeless tale, then, with mythic power, made even more powerful by the higly crafted and precise prose.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, May 7, 2010

By 

Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wager (Hardcover)

Don Giovanni had grown up accustomed to a lavish lifestyle, complete with a castle, exquisite foods, servants, and extravagant parties. Although he lost his parents at a young age and missed them terribly, he liked to think that he carried on with their values, especially their generosity, love of the arts, and carefree ways. All that changed, however, when the earthquake struck and an enormous tidal wave decimated the city, including every source of Don Giovanni's wealth and support. Overnight, he had become destitute.

As a beggar, Don Giovanni experienced months of intense hunger, cold, physical pain, hard labor, and humiliation. When a handsome stranger came his way and offered him a magic purse that could produce an unlimited amount of gold coins, Don Giovanni had trouble resisting, despite his gut feeling that he was dealing with the devil. Surely the ability of that purse to meet his material needs would be worth the discomfort of satisfying the devil's one condition: Don Giovanni could not bathe, shave, comb his hair, or change his clothes for three years, three months, and three days.

Adapted from the folktale Bearskin, this novel shines as a delightful blend of exciting action, nauseating revulsion, and meaningful reflection. Thoroughly entwined in the plot is the importance of economic incentives in influencing the decision-making process not only for Don Giovanni, but also the assorted characters who cross his path. Be forewarned, though, that with its emphasis on Don Giovanni's steady physical decline into filth, decay, and putrefaction, this book is certainly best left for those readers with strong stomachs.

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it. It has earned a place on my Favorite book list, July 22, 2011

By 

Misty Evans "Misty" (Usa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wager (Hardcover)

I picked up this book as Napoli is one of my favorite authors. The cover was a little...stranger to me but nonetheless I scooped it up. I was not disappointed! Beautifully written, and wonderfully crafted. Napoli has the magic of writing on her side in this book. I am a big fan of the old fairy tales and have started reading 'new' versions by different authors a few have left me disappointed, but this was definitely not the case. I read through it so quickly but it kept me wondering what was going to happen next and an sitting-on-the-edge-of-my-seat feeling. If you Love fairy tales I suggest you pick this one up. Remember just because one person didn't like it, doesn't mean you will feel the same!!

Always give the benefit of a doubt.

Semper Fi!