Zel (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL was my last day in Pennsylvania..." (more)
Key Phrases: barren woman, paper bird, church police, Pigeon Pigeon, Count Konrad

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As she has done for The Frog Prince and Hansel and Gretel, Napoli here visits her magic upon the tale of Rapunzel, creating a work of depth and beauty. In mid-16th-century Switzerland, Zel, on the threshold of adolescence, accompanies her mother on a rare trip from their remote cottage to the village. By chance she meets a youth named Konrad; unknown to her, he is the son of the count, and he is charmed by her apparent simplicity and forthright manner. Napoli gently guides the reader through the inevitable consequences of this meeting, mining every movement in the fairy tale for its psychological treasures. Zel's mother, no longer a routine villainess, has sacrificed everything, even her soul, for the witchcraft that enables her to have a daughter; a desperate fear of Konrad's attentions drives her to imprison Zel in the famous tower. Isolated, Zel wavers between recognition of her mother's sacrifices and her own fury, and wanders into madness. Konrad, meanwhile, must discover the difference between love and obsession. Napoli imagines the precise quality of the mother's supernatural powers, the colors of the stones in Zel's tower, the rustle of the trees in the forest. But the genius of the novel lies not just in the details but in its breadth of vision. Its shiveringly romantic conclusion will leave readers spellbound. Ages 11-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up?This retelling of the story of Rapunzel is no simple fairy tale retold for the entertainment of children. Instead, it is a searing commentary on the evil that can result from human longings gone awry. Napoli sets the novel in 16th-century Switzerland and alternates the various characters' points of view. Zel and Count Konrad's narratives are presented in the third person, while Mother tells her own story. All are told in the present tense. Readers learn that the barren mother's obsession for a child drove her to give herself up to eternal damnation in order to have a daughter. Now, she seeks to keep the child away from the world so that the innocent girl will choose her mother above all others. That this will mean Zel's damnation also does not deter Mother in the least. When the inevitable happens and Zel meets the young man, Mother locks her away in a tower. Unlike most versions, this story realistically portrays the dismal effects of isolation on the girl's mind and spirit. She goes quite mad but is still able to accept Konrad's love when he finds her at last. Konrad's transformation from arrogant noble to a man with an obsessive love for a girl he barely knows is less realistic but follows the traditional story line. In his final confrontation with Mother, evil appears to have triumphed. Even the eventual "happily ever after" ending cannot clear the air of the darkness that pervades this tale. Mother's fatal possessiveness and the horror of Zel's life in the tower are the dominant themes that readers will remember. This version, with its Faustian overtones, will challenge readers to think about this old story on a deeper level. It begs for discussion in literature classes.?Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525456120
• ISBN-13: 978-0525456124
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,138,343 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I will always be grateful that I read this book, November 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Zel (Paperback)

I wavered on the prospect of buying this book for at least a month before finally purchasing it, simply because I wasn't sure if I would be getting a "kid's book" that would interest me or a more mature novel. Because Donna Jo Napoli's books are mostly listed as "young adult," and because some of her other titles, such as "Soccer Shock" and "Shark Shock" looked like "kids' books," I kept putting this recommendation aside.

I wanted to read fairy tales, but not Disney-style, written for children with children's themes. I was (and am) interested in the adult side to these tales, but every time I would search Amazon.com for fairy tales, this was one of the first recommendations. Eventually, I succumbed, and I am unbelievably grateful.

"Zel" is one of the finest novels I have read, period. Napoli's fierce command over language, tone, content, setting and narrative prose shines so brightly in this book that I re-read it every day for three weeks just to absorb it all.

Zel, of course, is the story of Rapunzel, but as with most of Napoli's work, the details have been rearranged. Zel's love of life is corraled by her mother, who loves her daughter so much that she can't bear the thought of losing her to anyone or anything. And besides, Mother is a witch.

The character of Mother is a careful, powerful description of a woman in torment, as well as the crushing ability of love. Her internal struggles take root in the very fundamental question of evil: why do bad things happen? In Mother's case, the "bad thing" is her inability to have children. The desire is so intense that her barreness drives her away from God (at one point, she asks how He could make her want one so badly and yet not let her have one). She is unconcerned with selling her soul for the powers that allow her to acquire a child.

Mother has a need to both justify her actions and suffer for them. The increasing amount of control she imposes over her daughter - to the point that Zel is locked in a tower - drives both Mother and Zel to madness, but while Zel's madness is born from loneliness and isolation, Mother's is driven from guilt and fear. Mother works to bring her daughter wonderful gifts -- which Napoli describes in a way I've yet to see another author master, through patient mentions of foods, receipes, and other basic goods -- yet knows as she delivers them that Zel doesn't want them.

Konrad is the impetus for placing Zel in the tower. Zel's chance meeting with the 15 year-old count arouses all the fear Mother has of her child growing up and leaving her - as well as loving anyone besides her. But Mother can't control Konrad, who seeks Zel out everyday.

The alternating views -- between Mother, Zel and Konrad -- keep the book balanced with everyone's viewpoint. Mother is kept from being a black-hat villain because she can tell her story and therefore allow the reader to understand. Of course, you have to cheer for the young lovers, but despite the ending, I could sympathize with Mother's position.

Napoli doesn't shy away from adult situations -- including sex -- but she handles them tastefully and powerfully. "Zel" has themes that I don't think younger children or even younger teenagers can entirely grasp. It certainly isn't a novel to keep kids away from, in my opinion, but it is strong in nature.

The final paragraph is perhaps the most powerful of the entire novel, and it's probably why I keep rereading. Those are always the best kinds of books, I think; the ones that _make_ you read them again. I would recommend Zel to everyone except the very young. This book has caused me to gobble up nearly every book by Donna Jo Napoli, and for that, I will always be grateful to Amazon.com, who continued to recommend it no matter how many times I ignored it.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars disturbing, different - these words describe the book Zel, December 31, 2001

By	Shannon B Davis "Nepenthe" (Arlington, MA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Zel (Paperback)

Zel is a retelling of the Rapunzel story. It shows the story from three alternating perspectives, a spoiled young prince, an enthusiastic peasant girl - Zel, and her aging foster-mother. Unlike the original story, we are brought to understand why the foster-mother keeps her captive in the tower - it is to keep her ever a child, and to save her from men. It is all mother's impulses taken to an extreme. Zel's ensuing madness acquired in captivity is disturbing, yet realistic for this fairytale situation. The mother-daughter relationship is something most women will be able to relate to, particularly the struggles for independence of young womanhood. In particular, I could recall my own desire for a boyfriend, my mother's protective urges that forbade me from dating.

While the book is written for a teen audience, I found some of the subject matter rather mature.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review, November 24, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Zel (Paperback)

Firstly, I want to ask why people seem to make such a huge deal about Zel sleeping with the prince. They exchange marriage vows, and nothing is actually said. It was implied, and the only part the story tells is when Konrad wakes up, the next morning. From the way people seem to carry on, you would think it was graphically detailed. I didn't even realize they'd slept together until I skipped back and put two and two together.

While I still wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under twelve, that's only because of the descriptions of Zel's madness in the tower. It was very disturbing, and I cried when I read it. People younger than me might have found it more traumatic, but I think teenagers and preteens could handle it, because it makes the story more emotional and realistic. Overall, it was a great book, disturbing and very romantic toward the end.