White Jenna (Mass Market Paperback)

by Jane Yolen (Author) "Then Great Alta looked down upon her messengers, those whom she had severed from her so that they might be bound more closely to her..." (more)
Key Phrases: northern countrie, scarred eye, dark sister, Great Alta, New Steading, Mother Alta (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This sequel to Sister Light, Sister Dark follows Jenna into adulthood as she reluctantly fulfills the prophesy naming her the Anna, the warrior queen who will lead her people out of oppression. In the land of the Dales, conquered by the patriarchial Garunians, women living in communities known as Hames train girls to be warriors. They are able to call up their dark sisters, shadow souls who appear in the flesh with the moon or firelight to fight and work and love as their light sisters do. Jenna and two companions--Petra, a priestess in training, and Catrona, a warrior, plan to warn the other Hames of the danger from the usurping Lord Kalas. The small band joins up with the deposed king and his brother, Jenna's love Carum, whom she had rescued years before. The king uses Jenna to gain a greater following, but they are still too few. Yolen weaves a magical tale with wry, true-to-life observation, poetry and a touch of wit.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
“A magical tale.” —Publishers Weekly

“A strong book that will expand the horizons of its readers.” —Library Journal
-- Review --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Tor Classics (August 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812509072
• ISBN-13: 978-0812509076
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,147,474 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, But Not Without Flaws, December 18, 2000

By	Amanda M. Hayes (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Jane Yolen is a superbly gifted artist. In _Sister Light, Sister Dark_, she introduced us to White Jenna, the Anna of prophecy and a young woman caught up in matters beyond her understanding; the end to Jenna's story is found in this sequel, _White Jenna_. Here we see a continuation of a very intriguing, original theme: the difference between myth, legend, history, and truth, where what really happened may strike historians as the incredible thing of all.

It's a shame, though, that the story itself isn't quite as mesmerizing as the theme behind it. The large role promised to Skada on the bookflap is never actually given; rather than sister, Dark Queen, and equal, she seems more like Jenna's convenient and helpful servant, showing up only in times of trouble. Large spans of time are skipped over; the fast-forwarding through the rest of Jenna's life was particularly irritating. Most of the characters either weren't developed as fully as they could have been or seemed like clones of earlier ones--there was remarkably little difference between Pynt and Petra, given that the latter originally seemed much more serious-minded. And despite what I said earlier about the main charm of the book being its comparison of history and truth, myth and reality, Jenna really did seem to accomplish amazingly little for a woman whose coming has been foretold for centuries and who was supposed to be a Goddess's good right hand.

Still, it's not at all a bad book. People who enjoyed the first in the series should likewise enjoy this one, for even with all its flaws, Jenna is as intriguing a heroine as ever, Carum as winsome, and Skada as entertaining. I probably wouldn't advise anyone to read this unless they've already read _Sister Light, Sister Dark_, though; whoever tries to do so is likely to end up very confused.

5.0 out of 5 stars PERFECT, October 6, 2008

By	Debra Schuster (Woodridge, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: White Jenna: Book Two of the Great Alta Saga (Mass Market Paperback)

This book showed up so quickly and in perfect condition! My daughter was so thrilled.

5.0 out of 5 stars Warrior women, a goddess on earth; what more cold you want?, July 20, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: White Jenna (Paperback)

This book was a wonder! I couldn't put it down and read it in one hour flat!! The sequel to Sister Light, Sister Dark explained what it's predessor didn't and became one of my favorite books in the world!<P>I was entranced by the descriptions of how the dark sisters vanished in light and reapeared in the shadow. I as well hope a sequel comes along too