2010, ISBN: 9780857200778

edizione con copertina rigida

Knopf Books for Young Readers. Very Good. 5.93 x 1.11 x 8.52 inches. Hardcover. 2008. 320 pages.<br>Helen Lowe reimagines the Sleeping Beauty story fro m the point of view of the pr… Altro …

Knopf Books for Young Readers. Very Good. 5.93 x 1.11 x 8.52 inches. Hardcover. 2008. 320 pages.<br>Helen Lowe reimagines the Sleeping Beauty story fro m the point of view of the prince who is destined to wake the enc hanted princess in this lush, romantic fantasy-adventure. Prince Sigismund has grown up hearing fantastical stories about enchant ments and faie spells, basilisks and dragons, knights-errant and heroic quests. He'd love for them to be true--he's been sheltered in a country castle for most of his life and longs for adventure --but they are just stories. Or are they? From the day that a my sterious lady in a fine carriage speaks to him through the castle gates, Sigismund's world starts to shift. He begins to dream of a girl wrapped, trapped, in thorns. He dreams of a palace, utterl y still, waiting. He dreams of a man in red armor, riding a red h orse--and then suddenly that man arrives at the castle! Sigismu nd is about to learn that sometimes dreams are true, that the wor ld is both more magical and more dangerous than he imagined, and that the heroic quest he imagined for himself as a boy . . . begi ns now. Editorial Reviews From Booklist Confined to a country c astle while his father fights in the south, bored Prince Sigismun d dreams of adventures he believes happen only in stories. The ne arby Wood is the source of most of his fantasies; it's been forbi dden since his great grandfather's time, and stories abound as to why. No one visits the castle, and the gates rarely open, so whe n Sigismund spies a wealthy carriage on the road, he rushes to me et it and is flung headlong into an adventure involving the dange rous Wood, an enchanted palace, and a princess sleeping among tho rns. Aided by a dragon and other allies, his own magic, and a leg endary sword, Sigismund must break the spell before the evil fair y who cast it can gain enough power to take over his world. This reimagining of Sleeping Beauty follows the prince as he develops from a wistful little boy who longs for his stern father's approv al into the worthy hero he is destined to be. This version fittin gly has more swordplay and dangerous escapades than romance, but it still ends happily ever after. Grades 4-7. --Krista Hutley Re view A quiet hero anchors this nicely crafted blend of fairy tale and dreamscape. . . . A narrative that begins as an exploration of fairy-tale archetypes thus moves into a very human and neverth eless magical drama. Thoughtful and understated. --Kirkus Reviews The charming modifications hang together nicely with the tradit ional elements of the story, and romance readers as well as fairy -tale aficionados will delight in this deft handling of the tale. --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books This reimagin ing of 'Sleeping Beauty' follows the prince as he develops from a wistful little boy who longs for his stern father's approval int o the worthy hero he is destined to be. --Booklist Review This S leeping Beauty retelling skillfully expands the basic story of th e uninvited guest seeking revenge into a full-blooded tale of amb ition and romance . . . romance readers as well as fairy tale afi cionados will delight in this deft handling of the tale. This 'S leeping Beauty' retelling skillfully expands the basic story. Rom ance readers as well as fairy-tale aficionados will delight in th is deft handling of the tale. Confined to a country castle while his father fights in the south, bored Prince Sigismund dreams of adventures he believes happen only in stories. The nearby Wood i s the source of most of his fantasies; it's been forbidden since his great grandfather's time, and stories abound as to why. No on e visits the castle, and the gates rarely open, so when Sigismund spies a wealthy carriage on the road, he rushes to meet it and i s flung headlong into an adventure involving the dangerous Wood, an enchanted palace, and a princess sleeping among thorns. Aided by a dragon and other allies, his own magic, and a legendary swor d, Sigismund must break the spell before the evil faie who cast i t can gain enough power to take over his world. This re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty follows the prince as he develops from a wist ful little boy who longs for his stern father's approval into the worthy hero he is destined to be. This version fittingly has mor e swordplay and dangerous escapades than romance, but it still en ds happily ever after. -- Krista Hutley Review Crown prince Sigi smund is tired of being sequestered in a castle far away from his father and the court, but he is fascinated by local legends of t he ancient wood that borders royal lands. People are fporbidden t o enter the wood, which is said to have a castle at its heart, an d none can say whether the occupants of the mysterious castle are friends or foe; Sigismund himself encounters a lady through the castle gate who is clearly gifted with power as well as beauty. W hen Sigismund is finally allowed to come to court, he takes part in a hunt that claims the life of one of his retainers, and his g rief distracts him so that he finds himself captured and imprison ed in a fairy hill ... This Sleeping Beauty retelling skilfully e xpands the basic story of the uninvited guest seeking revenge int o a full-blooded tale of ambition and romance. Additional richnes s accrues from the prince's having magical powers of his own, and the loopholes in the sleeping counter-spell that allow prince an d princess to meet before her awakening are clever indeed. The ch arming modifications hang together nicely with the traditional el ements of the story, and romance readers as well as fairy tale af icionados will delight in this deft handling of the tale. Review Prince Sigismund always dreamed of a life of heroism, adventure, beasts, and fair maidens in need of rescue. What little boy hasn 't? But, in Helen Lowe's first novel, she takes a behind-the-scen es look at the classic Sleeping Beauty and puts it in the perspec tive of the prince, the one who awakens her from her sleep. With engaging characters and an energetic and magical plot, this book should capture the attention of all readers, breaking away from i ts genre of Young Adult. This book honors prince Charming's quali ties, and does not damage the old story in any way. With a handfu l of plot twists and dangers lurking behind every page, this book will keep the reader engaged well after the final page, and Hele n Lowe will be sure to have a cult following waiting anxiously fo r her next installment in her fantasy series. Book Description A ward-winning poet Helen Lowe's first novel, Thornspell, is a poet ically and dramatically rich fairy tale. Her magical suspense sto ry parallels the German epic poem and opera, Parsifal, a man's se arch for the Holy Grail, as well as the film, Sleeping Beauty. It is an imaginative story with distinctive and complex plots and e xtraordinary characters. Sequestered within the castle walls fo r his own protection, young Prince Sigismund spends his time dayd reaming about the enchanted world of King Arthur's knights, unawa re that soon he will embark on a quest of his own. As the prince approaches his 18th birthday, a carriage with the evil fairy (fai e), Margravine zu Malvolin, arrives at the castle gates. She atte mpts to entrap the prince. This bold move prompts the King to ass ign Balistan, master-at-arms, to prepare his son for the inevitab le. The prince discovers, with meditation and interpretation of d reams, his own magical powers. The prince learns that Margravin e placed an evil spell a hundred years ago on a kingdom in the Wo od where a princess remains asleep. Sigismund, a true-blood princ e, is the only one who can rescue the sleeping princess and her f amily. If Margravine can control Sigismund, she will have a power over both the fairy and mortal world. Sigismund goes against Mar gravine's strong magic. He discovers his own strength, and with t he help of a magic sword, Quickthorn (like King Arthur's Excalibu r), he is able to escape Margravine's control and lift the spell. Lowe suspends the reader's reality and thrusts us into an imag inary world with vivid descriptions and lyrical language such as the final confrontation. Sigismund sees Margravine floating in th e air, her hair streaming out like a banner and billowing into th e growing storm. Shadows flared on either side of her like the ba twings he remembered, and the clouds rolled close, dark as nightf all with lightening at their heart. This young readers book is a thrilling read. Like the story of Parsifal, it conveys messages of compassion and honor. --Kate Padilla From the Publisher I'm always amazed by the power of a fairy tale and the many ways it can be told and retold. Just when you think you've read every pos sible variation on a story, some wonderful new author arrives to spin it fresh and make it new again. Such was the pleasure of rea ding Helen Lowe's remarkable Thornspell--a new take on the Sleepi ng Beauty story--for the first time. By approaching the story fro m the point of view of the prince who is destined to wake the sle eping princess, she found a whole new way to send shivers up my s pine. Her language is rich and romantic and there is a perfect ma gical kiss at the end. But this is very much the prince's tale. I t's a swashbuckling story, filled with sword fights and danger an d dragons that will keep readers' hearts racing. --Nancy Siscoe From the Publisher I'm always amazed by the power of a fairy tale and the many ways it can be told and retold. Just when you think you've read every possible variation on a story, some wonderful new author arrives to spin it fresh and make it new again. Such w as the pleasure of reading Helen Lowe's remarkable Thornspell--a new take on the Sleeping Beauty story--for the first time. By app roaching the story from the point of view of the prince who is de stined to wake the sleeping princess, she found a whole new way t o send shivers up my spine. Her language is rich and romantic and there is a perfect magical kiss at the end. But this is very muc h the prince's tale. It's a swashbuckling story, filled with swor d fights and danger and dragons that will keep readers' hearts ra cing. --Nancy Siscoe About the Author Helen Lowe won the inaugur al Robbie Burns National Poetry Award in 2003 and was the recipie nt of a New Zealand Society of Authors/Creative New Zealand award for emerging writer. For Thornspell, she received the Sir Julius Vogel Award for best young adult novel. She received a second Vo gel Award as best new talent in the fantasy field. In addition t o her writing life, Helen has a second-dan black belt in aikido a nd represented her university in the sport of fencing. She lives in a ninety-year-old house with a woodland garden in Christchurch , New Zealand, which she shares with her partner, Andrew, and two cats. Excerpt. ® Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. The Silent Wood A boy was lying on his stomach on the topmost to wer of a small, square castle, basking like a lizard in the sun. There was a book open on the lichened stone in front of him, and one slightly grubby finger traced the illuminations on the page. Neither he nor the book was supposed to be there at all, but he h ad slipped away from his many guardians to lose himself in the en chanted world of Parsifal and the Grail quest. When he was done w ith reading, he would simply doze on in the warm afternoon sun or look out, lofty as a falcon, over the world that surrounded the castle. Even from the high tower it was a small enough world, fo r the castle, the gardens, and the parkland that surrounded it we re contained by a high stone wall. The wall snaked for miles betw een the park and the white dusty road, and even the local village lay inside the great wrought-iron gates. Sigismund, for that w as the boy's name, couldn't remember the gates opening since the day his father had first brought him to the castle, several years before. He supposed they must open sometimes to let his father's couriers pass, and the merchants who brought luxuries from the c apital, but he had never seen it happen, not even when he raced t o the top of the tower to watch a departing caravan. There was al ways something that distracted his attention at the critical mome nt--or the dust in summer, or snow of winter, would be too thick for him to see the gate at all. Sigismund could lie for hours wa tching the road and imagining the long leagues to the capital, wi th all the towns and great houses, woods and fields, along its le ngth. He would daydream of the adventures that might befall a tra veler along the way, for there were still tales told of both faie and ogres dwelling in these remoter provinces. Sigismund's tutor , Master Griff, might look down his nose at such tales, but Sir A ndreas, the castle steward, would shake his head and say that you couldn't take anything for granted, not in this country. Sir And reas himself would never say more, but Wenceslas, who worked in t he stable and was a particular friend of Sigismund's, said that S ir Andreas's own father had been killed fighting ogres. He too ha d been the King's steward and led his men against the ogres when they began killing travelers and raiding outlying farms. This st ory always gave Sigismund a shiver down his spine, because it was both exciting and sad at the same time. He liked to imagine ridi ng out in the same way when he was older, protecting the people f rom outlaws and monsters, except that in these daydreams Sigismun d always overcame his opponents and set any wrongs done to right. His favorite dream, however, was of the day when his father woul d come riding back from the endless rebellions and outright wars in the southern provinces. Then, thought Sigismund, his eyes half shut against the sun's glare, they would go adventuring together --perhaps along the fabled Spice Road and into the Uttermost East , where dragons flew like silken banners in the noonday sky and m en spoke in strange tongues. He didn't like to think about what would happen if his father never came back, if he was killed figh ting in the south. Sigismund supposed that he would have to retur n to the capital if that happened and be crowned king in his turn , although he would much rather ride out alone, like Parsifal on the Grail quest. I could be a knight-errant, he thought, and make my own way in the world, as princes used to do in the high days of King Arthur--or the Emperor Charlemagne, when Roland held the pass at Roncesvalles. But not crown princes, Master Griff had sa id on the one occasion when Si, Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2008, 3, Simon & Schuster. Very Good. 234mm / 153mm. Paperback. 2010. 436 pages. <br>They met in rehab - but some of them had rather mo re therapy than they bargained for. Supermodel Amber Peters shou ld have the world at her feet. But her secret addiction has led h er down a dangerous path. Lap dancer Skye Ellwood is desperate to get out of the life she's living, but has no idea how - until a client makes her an unusual proposition. Following an ultimatum f rom his fiance, A-list movie star Joe Jeffreys is finally heading to rehab to sort out his sex addiction - and save his squeaky-cl ean image. Spoiled daughter of a legendary rock god, Petal Gold i s convinced she's a huge star in waiting, and she'll trample on a nyone she thinks is standing in her way. Passion, jealousy, betr ayal, revenge and scandal: during their tumultuous thirty days at Cascabel clinic, the lives of Amber, Skye, Joe and Petal will be transformed forever. But for one of them, the stakes could not b e higher - or more dangerous. ., Simon & Schuster, 2010, 3<