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Overview
High in the mountains, Zel lives with her mother, who insists they have all they need — for they have each other. Zel's life is peaceful and protected — until a chance encounter changes everything. When she meets a beautiful young prince at the market one day, she is profoundly moved by new emotions. But Zel's mother sees the future unfolding — and she will do the unspeakable to prevent Zel from leaving her... "Will leave readers spellbound."— Publishers Weekly, starred review
Based on the fairy tale Rapunzel, the story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Zel, her mother, and the nobleman who pursues her, and delves into the psychological motivations of each of the characters.
Synopsis
Based on the fairy tale Rapunzel, the story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Zel, her mother, and the nobleman who pursues her, and delves into the psychological motivations of each of the characters.
Publishers Weekly
As she has done for The Frog Prince and Hansel and Gretel, Napoli here visits her magic upon the tale of Rapunzel, creating a work of depth and beauty. In mid-16th-century Switzerland, Zel, on the threshold of adolescence, accompanies her mother on a rare trip from their remote cottage to the village. By chance she meets a youth named Konrad; unknown to her, he is the son of the count, and he is charmed by her apparent simplicity and forthright manner. Napoli gently guides the reader through the inevitable consequences of this meeting, mining every movement in the fairy tale for its psychological treasures. Zel's mother, no longer a routine villainess, has sacrificed everything, even her soul, for the witchcraft that enables her to have a daughter; a desperate fear of Konrad's attentions drives her to imprison Zel in the famous tower. Isolated, Zel wavers between recognition of her mother's sacrifices and her own fury, and wanders into madness. Konrad, meanwhile, must discover the difference between love and obsession. Napoli imagines the precise quality of the mother's supernatural powers, the colors of the stones in Zel's tower, the rustle of the trees in the forest. But the genius of the novel lies not just in the details but in its breadth of vision. Its shiveringly romantic conclusion will leave readers spellbound. Ages 11-up. (Sept.)
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
As she has done for The Frog Prince and Hansel and Gretel, Napoli here visits her magic upon the tale of Rapunzel, creating a work of depth and beauty. In mid-16th-century Switzerland, Zel, on the threshold of adolescence, accompanies her mother on a rare trip from their remote cottage to the village. By chance she meets a youth named Konrad; unknown to her, he is the son of the count, and he is charmed by her apparent simplicity and forthright manner. Napoli gently guides the reader through the inevitable consequences of this meeting, mining every movement in the fairy tale for its psychological treasures. Zel's mother, no longer a routine villainess, has sacrificed everything, even her soul, for the witchcraft that enables her to have a daughter; a desperate fear of Konrad's attentions drives her to imprison Zel in the famous tower. Isolated, Zel wavers between recognition of her mother's sacrifices and her own fury, and wanders into madness. Konrad, meanwhile, must discover the difference between love and obsession. Napoli imagines the precise quality of the mother's supernatural powers, the colors of the stones in Zel's tower, the rustle of the trees in the forest. But the genius of the novel lies not just in the details but in its breadth of vision. Its shiveringly romantic conclusion will leave readers spellbound. Ages 11-up. (Sept.)The ALAN Review -
This enchanting tale transforms Rapunzel into an intriguing psychological drama of love and its denial. When thirteen-year-old Zel (Rapunzel) goes with Mother beyond their isolated mid-16th century Swiss Alps home to shop in town, the innocent child-woman captures the heart of Count Konrad and enchants his mare Meta. Though sharing the same birthday, he and Zel seem doomed as star-crossed lovers because their parents have other plans for their destinies. Bursting with evocative sensory images of stolen rapunzel (lettuce), ripening melons, moon blood, and secret seeds, Zel resonates with passionate energy. The story's familiar motif of Rapunzel letting down her golden hair twists around themes of awakening sexuality, teens' struggle against parental control, love, betrayal, loss, and renewal. If readers suspend disbelief upon entering this fantasy world, they will delight in the way Napoli skillfully weaves narrative threads into a rich tapestry of the timeless fairytale metamorphosized.Children's Literature -
Napoli's captivating retelling of Rapunzel is as true to early versions of the tale as it is to the sanitized story handed down by the Grimms. The author depicts a reasonably authentic, deliciously subtle, historical background: 16th Century Switzerland, during the Reformation. Zel and her "mother," the witch, live together on their farm in the Alps. Trouble begins when Zel reaches an age at which boys pay attention to her and she to them. Unlike some retellings, Zel is neither facile nor predictable. Napoli uses multiple viewpoints (Zel, Mother, and the Prince) to reveal conflicted, absorbing characters. Many readers won't realize that Zel retells Rapunzel until about 80 pages into the book, when the word Rapunzel appears for the first time. Zel's world holds no pat solutions to complex problems. Betrayal and suffering are real. Napoli handles adult themes, e.g., lovemaking and pregnancy, with extraordinary indirectness and skillfulness. The material has adult depth, but remains suitable for young people. Zel is a tour de force of characterization and suspense. Fantasy and magic blend seamlessly with reality. Poetic conceits enrich the reading. A tremendous achievement. Highly recommended.VOYA -
This retelling of Rapunzel explores the story from three points of view: that of Zel (Rapunzel), Mother, and Count Konrad, the young man who loves Zel. The most gripping story-and the only one told in the first person-is Mother's. Far from being the stereotypical wicked witch, Mother is a barren woman who trades her soul for the "way with plants" which enables her, ultimately, to acquire the thing she wants most in all the world-a daughter. She adores Zel, and raises a happy and loving child. When Zel is thirteen, however, and has just met Konrad, Mother moves Zel to a tower to keep her safe and pure until she can convince Zel to freely offer her own soul in exchange for magical powers and thus remain with Mother forever. Napoli describes Zel's descent into madness in the tower and her journey to recovery and forgiveness afterward in simple but effective language. Konrad's years-long search for Zel is also the story of his growth from boy to man. This is an exceptional book that fans of McKinley's Beauty (HarperCollins, 1978) will love. It is also a moving exploration of the age-old question: "What will I do-and what will I give up-to achieve my heart's desire?" VOYA Codes: 5Q 4P J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written, Broad general YA appeal, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9 and Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).School Library Journal
Gr 9 UpThis retelling of the story of Rapunzel is no simple fairy tale retold for the entertainment of children. Instead, it is a searing commentary on the evil that can result from human longings gone awry. Napoli sets the novel in 16th-century Switzerland and alternates the various characters' points of view. Zel and Count Konrad's narratives are presented in the third person, while Mother tells her own story. All are told in the present tense. Readers learn that the barren mother's obsession for a child drove her to give herself up to eternal damnation in order to have a daughter. Now, she seeks to keep the child away from the world so that the innocent girl will choose her mother above all others. That this will mean Zel's damnation also does not deter Mother in the least. When the inevitable happens and Zel meets the young man, Mother locks her away in a tower. Unlike most versions, this story realistically portrays the dismal effects of isolation on the girl's mind and spirit. She goes quite mad but is still able to accept Konrad's love when he finds her at last. Konrad's transformation from arrogant noble to a man with an obsessive love for a girl he barely knows is less realistic but follows the traditional story line. In his final confrontation with Mother, evil appears to have triumphed. Even the eventual "happily ever after" ending cannot clear the air of the darkness that pervades this tale. Mother's fatal possessiveness and the horror of Zel's life in the tower are the dominant themes that readers will remember. This version, with its Faustian overtones, will challenge readers to think about this old story on a deeper level. It begs for discussion in literature classes.Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NCKirkus Reviews
A passionate, painful elaboration of the story of Rapunzel, from the author who did the same for Hansel and Gretel in The Magic Circle (1993).Here again, the "witch" is the tragic figure: A woman unable to bear children but unable to exist without a child sells her soul for an eldritch power over all plants, bullies her terrified neighbors into giving up their newborn daughter, and spirits her away to a remote Swiss farm. Lovingly nurtured, Zel grows into a joyful, creative child, wholeheartedly devoted to the only mother she knows until she meets Konrad on a rare visit to town. Brutally torn between love and need, the witch imprisons Zel, and watches in anguish as the child's sanity begins to slip away with the seasons. Writing in present tense, using three alternating points of view, Napoli (Jimmy, The Pickpocket of the Palace, 1995, etc.) makes each incident immediate, each character's needs and longings sharply felt. She adheres closely to the traditional plot and, to a story already abrim with symbol and metaphor, she adds even more. This rich, complex reading may require an adult's sensibility and level of experience to absorb fully, but it powerfully renders the tale's inherent terror and tragedy.