The Golden Braid

Such a great book! I really really liked this re telling of Rapunzel, but most of all, the message in the story. This is my favorite book of the series so far.

Originally posted on Creative Madness Mama. The one who needs rescuing isn't always the one in the tower...
Rapunzel can throw a knife better than any man. She paints beautiful flowering vines on the walls of her plaster houses. She sings so sweetly she can coax even a beast to sleep. But there are two things she is afraid her mother might never allow her to do: learn to read and marry.

Fiercely devoted to Rapunzel, her mother is suspicious of every man who so much as looks at her daughter and warns her that no man can be trusted. After a young village farmer asks for Rapunzel's hand in marriage, Mother decides to move them once again—this time, to the large city of Hagenheim.

The journey proves treacherous, and after being rescued by a knight—Sir Gerek—Rapunzel, in turn, rescues him farther down the road. As a result, Sir Gerek agrees to repay his debt to Rapunzel by teaching her to read. Could there be more to him than his arrogance and desire to marry for riches and position?



As Rapunzel acclimates to life in a new city, she uncovers a mystery that will forever change her life. In this Rapunzel story unlike any other, a world of secrets and treachery are about to be revealed after seventeen years. How will Rapunzel finally take control of her own destiny? And who will prove faithful to a lowly peasant girl with no one to turn to?

I always know I will enjoy Melanie Dickerson's books!

The Golden Braid

 

 
This review was originally posted on Creative Madness Mama.

This book made me cry and blush. I liked the ending, even though I could see it coming.

2.5 stars
First, it took me four tries to get into this story. It's very disjointed in a lot of places, and the first-person POV has an odd distance...“Rapunzel thought that...Rapunzel was sure...” types of sentences felt like momentary lapses into some form of second-person POV. Many sentences don't lead logically from one to the other within a single paragraph.

Because of a challenge, I decided to power through so I could count the title. The last half is more active and interesting, but one thing I really cannot agree with is her continual deception of her mother, even before she realizes her mother stole her instead of taking her in. Is a girl really justified in lying point-blank to her adoptive mother just because she's not a mother by blood? Hm, not sure I want to deal with some of the logistical outcomes of that attitude...

I really enjoyed it once Rapunzel went to Hagenheim. There was more action and more balanced writing, and the ending was truly enjoyable.