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manda4sports, September 17, 2010 (view all comments by manda4sports)
This is my favorite book of all time. After I read it at the Library I went and bought the book. This book has everything: romance, adventure, broken harts, lies, sad truths and a girl who just wants to make things right. Dashti just wants to make things right with Lady Saren and khan Tegus. They must be kept in dark tower for 7 years because sad, shy Lady Saren does not want to marry the horrible demanding Lord Kasar. this book is amazing and you will love it with all your heart. I had to do a book report on the book i could not stop reading it over and over again every time i opened a page finally after 3 long hours I got the book report done and almost without knowing read the book over again. this book is absolutely amazing and don't just take my word for it go and read it yourself!
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Cioccolata16, October 29, 2009 (view all comments by Cioccolata16)
Fun, gripping, but typical fairy tale ending. I really enjoyed how Hale builds up the cultural differences between her characters. It makes their struggles more real and provides a deeper reading of the novel. Good book over all!
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Emme, August 1, 2009 (view all comments by Emme)
After her refusal to marry Lord Khasar, who she knows is evil, Lady Saren and her maid Dashti are locked in a tower for seven years. This book is told as Dashti's journal. As they suffer from heat, cold and lack of food, Dashti tried to take care of her mistress, who's mind becomes damaged with fear and isolation. Saren becomes steadily more and more unhinged, and Dashti decides that that they must find a way to escape.
I really liked this book, Dashti was a strong and interesting person and I admired her ability to help keep Saren from giving up. The writing was very good and lyrical and I liked the drawings and doodles that Dashti had in her journal.
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mcfellie, May 30, 2008 (view all comments by mcfellie)
"Book of a Thousand Days" might be categorized as young adult fiction, but I recommend it to people of all ages. Shannon Hale weaves the fascinating tale of a maidservant and her princess who are to be locked in a tower for seven years. How do they stay sane? What kind of relationship develops between them, and between them and the outside world? How do they physically survive? ... Do they get out? In a book that feels almost like fantasy, Hale creates a timeless chronicle that captures the imagination and empathy of the reader. She has a wonderful talent for telling the stories of worlds not her own. "Book of a Thousand Days" climbed my list of favorites as I read it, and remains very near the top.
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If you haven't heard of Shannon Hale...well, now you have! Try Book of a Thousand Days, which is her newest feminist fairy tale. The very first page will inexorably pull you in with Jungian, gothic images of mad women suffering patriarchal cruelties. Finish this book, and you will be satisfied by Hale's visions of a world that includes true-blue heroines.
by Mary Z.
"Staff Pick"
by Mary Z.,
If you haven't heard of Shannon Hale... well, now you have! Try Book of a Thousand Days, which is her newest feminist fairy tale. The very first page will inexorably pull you in with Jungian, gothic images of mad women suffering patriarchal cruelties. Finish this book, and you will be satisfied by Hale's visions of a world that includes true-blue heroines.
by Mary Z.
"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"Hale (River Secrets) delivers another winning fantasy, this time inventively fleshing out the obscure Grimm tale, Maid Maleen, through the expressive and earthy voice of Dashti, maid to Lady Saren. A plucky and resourceful orphan, Dashti comes from a nomad tribe in a place resembling the Asian Steppes, and is brought to the Lady's house in the midst of a crisis. Lady Saren, having refused to marry the powerful but loathsome Lord her father has chosen, faces seven years' imprisonment in an unlit tower. Initially, Dashti believes her worth is tied to her ability to care for her 'tower-addled' lady until she can join Khan Tegus, to whom she is secretly betrothed. When the gentle Tegus comes to the tower, Dashti must step in for her traumatized lady, speaking to him as Saren through the one tiny metal door. Hale exploits the diary form to convey Dashti's perspective; despite her self-effacing declaration that 'I draw this from memory so it won't be right,' the entries reflect her genuinely spirited inner life. The tension between her unstinting loyalty and patience and burgeoning realization of her own strength and feelings for Tegus feels especially authentic. Readers will be riveted as Dashti and Saren escape and flee to the Khan's realm where, through a series of deceptions, contrivances and a riotously triumphant climax, the tale spins out to a thoroughly satisfying ending. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Review"
by Booklist,
"Fans of Gail Carson Levin's Fairest will embrace this similar mix of exotic, fully realized setting; thrilling, enchanted adventure; and heart-melting romance."
"Review"
by VOYA,
"It is a refreshing change from the typical princess story, and a nod to democracy. Smith's illustrations enhance the story, which is well-written and fast-paced, and which will captivate readers."
"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews,
"A rousing, even spellbinding tale."
"Synopsis"
by Netread,
When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years for Saren's refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.
As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. But the arrival outside the tower of Saren's two suitors--one welcome, and the other decidedly less so--brings both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.
With Shannon Hale's lyrical language, this forgotten but classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise.
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