Thursday, April 02, 2015

Rapunzel: The One With All the Hair

Twice Upon A Time: Rapunzel The One With All The Hair. Wendy Mass. 2006. Scholastic. 205 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I wanted to enjoy this adaptation of Rapunzel by Wendy Mass. I'd read Wendy Mass and really enjoyed her work in the past. So my expectations were high, perhaps TOO high.

Both Rapunzel and the Prince are on the young side--around the age of twelve. So this isn't a fairy tale romance that sweeps you away. (Not that the original story is oh-so-romantic. Far from it, as I see it. The Disney movie is another story almost!) Was I reading it FOR romance? Not really. That's not where I was disappointed.

I'll be honest. I didn't enjoy the writing style or narration. The story is narrated by Rapunzel and the Prince. His name is Prince Benjamin. Both narrators are on the childish or immature side. (For example, Rapunzel is EQUALLY concerned about a pimple as being locked away in a tower by a witch.)

I guess what disappointed me the most was how light it was. It wasn't a substantive story in terms of characterization or action. It was almost impossible to take it seriously. Perhaps that was the point. Perhaps I was in the wrong mood for this one. But the writing wasn't wonderful or witty enough for me to see it as a comedic retelling. And it wasn't dramatic enough or action-packed enough for me to take it seriously.
© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hey Nice job on the website but i have my different own thoughts about this book :D comment me back please