Spindle's End

Renowned fantasy writer Robin McKinley, author of the lush "Beauty and the Beast" retellings Beauty and Rose Daughter , has produced another re-mastered fairy tale, this time about the dreamy Sleeping Beauty. Much like in the original story, the infant princess, here named Rosie, is cursed by an evil fairy to die on her 21st birthday by pricking her finger on a spindle. That same day, Rosie is whisked away into hiding by a peasant fairy who raises her and conceals her royal identity. From that point on, McKinley's plot and characterization become wildly inventive. She imagines Rosie growing up into a strapping young woman who despises her golden hair, prefers leather breeches to ball gowns, and can communicate with animals. And on that fateful birthday, with no help from a prince, Rosie saves herself and her entire sleeping village from destruction, although she pays a realistic price. In a final master stroke, McKinley cleverly takes creative license when the spell-breaking kiss (made famous in "Sleeping Beauty") comes from a surprising source and is bestowed upon the character least expected. Although the entire novel is well written, McKinley's characterization of Rosie's animal friends is exceptionally fine. Observations such as "...foxes generally wanted to talk about butterflies and grasses and weather for a long time while they sized you up," will spark reader's imaginations. It won't be hard to persuade readers of any age to become lost in this marvelous tale; the difficult part will be convincing them to come back from McKinley's country, where "the magic... was so thick and tenacious that it settled over the land like chalk dust...." Highly recommended. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert From Publishers Weekly With a protagonist known mostly for being gorgeous and drowsy, Sleeping Beauty may seem an odd choice for a retelling by the author responsible for inventing the staunch, action-oriented heroines of Beauty and The Hero and the Crown. But as Newbery-medalist McKinley embroiders and expands upon this tale, readers quickly will see that she has created a character (indeed, a cast of characters) worthy of these fictional predecessors. When the evil fairy Pernicia lays her seemingly fatal curse upon the infant princess, the royal child's nanny entrusts the baby to Katriona--an orphan brought up by her powerful fairy aunt--to rear in the safety of her distant, cloistered village. In one of the many sequences that endow this novel with mythic grandeur, Katriona and her charge travel surreptitiously through the fields and woods, while the female animals of the countryside (vixens, a she-bear and countless others) suckle the royal baby to keep her alive. This unorthodox diet may be the reason the princess--whom Katriona and her aunt call Rosie--can communicate with all creatures. Unaware of her royal heritage (and bored by fairy-tale fripperies), Rosie makes a best friend of Peony, the wainwright's niece, and becomes an apprentice to Narl, the kind but uncommunicative village blacksmith. When the princess's true identity is finally revealed, and the fate of the realm hangs in the balance, Rosie, Narl and Peony fight a true battle royal to defeat Pernicia's schemes. Dense with magical detail and all-too-human feeling, this luscious, lengthy novel is almost impossible to rush through. Additional treats include a vast array of believable, authentically animal-like characters, complete with inventive, evocative names (a cat called Flinx, dogs that answer to Zogdob and Throstle, and so forth). By the end of this journey through Rosie and Katriona's enchanted land--so thick with magic dust that good housekeeping remains a constant challenge--readers will feel that they know it as well as their own backyards. Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Grade 7 Up-McKinley once again lends a fresh perspective to a classic fairy tale, developing the story of "Sleeping Beauty" into a richly imagined, vividly depicted novel. At Princess Briar-Rose's name-day, the fairy Pernicia, feeling snubbed, presents the baby with a gift: a curse that will cause the princess to prick her finger on a spinning-wheel spindle on her 21st birthday, and fall into a sleep from which she will never awaken. To save the princess, the fairy Katriona spirits the infant away to her backwater home in the village of Foggy Bottom, where the child is raised as a village maiden. Her years of growing up are described in detail, with suspense building as the critical birthday approaches. To confuse Pernicia's curse, Rosie and her friend Peony trade identities at a gala birthday celebration. It is Rosie's kiss that wakes the sleeping Peony, who continues the pretense and marries the prince. This leaves Rosie happy as a village lass, tending animals and in love with the fairy blacksmith. The language evokes ancient bards and stories of long ago, with arcane and invented words that create an otherworldly atmosphere that blends the real and the magical. The landscape is rendered in minute detail; the characters are developed through interior monologues, parenthetical observations, and long asides. Magic permeates this world, with animals that talk and castles that protect. The compelling climax reinforces the triumph of good over evil, and the transformative power of love. McKinley's telling of the tale is as boggy as Foggy Bottom, and the verbiage as intricate and complex as the thorny roses that encase the castle. However, those who stick with it will unearth a good story. Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. Robin McKinley works pure magic with this upside-down retelling of the tale of Sleeping Beauty. McKinley's characters are strong and intricate. Woven within all the charming tales of love and family is an adventure - well paced, exquisitely magical and just frightening enough. The book is as much concerned with the bonds of family, friendship and home as it is curses and quests; it most certainly isn't all that worried about golden curls, pearl-like teeth and silken skin. (In an amusing touch, it seems the fairies forgot to add beauty to the list of idealized features.) If ever there was a Princess that was going to prevail, it's Rosie, carrying with her an inner strength and set of friends with power equal to that of sword and spell. Even the most romantic twelve year old readers will agree that maybe 'Happily Ever After' has more than one definition. A 2000 Parents' Choice® Silver Honor. Reviewed by C. Corey Fisk, Parents' Choice® 2000 -- From Parents' Choice® Robin McKinley is a winner of the Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown and a Newbery Honor for The Blue Sword . Read more