<i>Entwined</i> (review)
2011; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 64; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2011.0230
ISSN1558-6766
Autores ResumoReviewed by: Entwined Claire Gross Dixon, Heather. Entwined. Greenwillow, 2011. [480p]. ISBN 978-0-06-200103-0 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 6–9. Princess Azalea, the eldest of twelve sisters (conveniently named in alphabetical order), becomes de facto parent when their mother dies. The king, whose emotional stiffness would give Mr. Darcy a run for his money, runs away to war, leaving his daughters to follow enforced social conventions of mourning that forbid them to dance, an activity deeply embedded in their connection to their mother. Resentful, grieving, and stir-crazy, they discover an enchanted world under the castle where the mysterious, dashing Keeper welcomes them and conjures up nightly balls for their entertainment. The devolution of this ritual into the sinister (the castle’s magic is a remnant of the power of a long-ago tyrant, gained through the capture and torture of souls) coincides with the king’s return home and his attempts to make amends by reopening the castle to visitors, including the rumpled, earnest Mr. Bradford, of whom Azalea is unaccountably fond. The fact that much of the climax rests on the men in Azalea’s life charging to the rescue only mildly undercuts the depiction of Azalea as a strong, independent-minded character, and readers will sympathize with her even as they might wish for her to be accorded a bit more power. Copious Britishisms both lighten the mood and intriguingly complicate the nonspecifically royal setting, while the magicked palace (teacups, rug, portraits, etc.) proves a rich source of both comedy and chills. Dixon also has a way with metaphor (“Her heart screamed instead of beating”) and detail, wedding poetic descriptions of dance steps to both plot and theme. Readers who grew up with “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” will also appreciate the incorporation of the tale’s classic touches. Recommend this cozy, quirky retelling to fans of Marillier’s Wildwood Dancing (BCCB 3/07), Bunce’s Curse Dark as Gold (BCCB 3/08), or Zahler’s The Thirteenth Princess (BCCB 3/10). Copyright © 2011 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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