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Terri
Registered User
(11/7/00 1:24:54 am)
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Seven Swans
I see there's a new fantasy novel out by a new Australian writer based on The Seven Swans fairy tale:
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. I haven't see it yet, just the review on the Rambles site:
www.rambles.net/marillier-daughter.html.
It looks like Celtic swords-and-sorcery rather than a literary treatment
of the tale judging by the review...but I shouldn't be judging by
the review. Has anyone here read it yet?
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Kerrie
Registered User
(11/7/00 5:27:01 am)
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Re: Seven Swans
I haven't read it, but did read an article about it in Romantic Times a few months ago. It sounded like a good book. There was one sentence I wasn't happy with (though I suppose it may have been included for sarcasm's sake):
If there is one thing to be learned from these tales, it is that stepmothers are to be avoided at all costs!
(I think that's what it said, or at least very close) I don't have a stepfamily, but I think that might be hurtful to some women readers who do, or make them cautious, as I find many of their readers are very passionate about their romance novels.
(I actually have been trying to get them to let me write an article about the Endicott group and others, introducing a new world of literature to an audience that may not know of it, but have not heard yet on my preliminary proposal- would anyone be interested? Ideas?)
Edited by: Kerrie at: 11/7/00
5:40:01 am
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Kerrie
Registered User
(11/7/00 6:09:23 am)
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Re: Seven Swans
Oh, this may sound odd, but in the 12 Days of Christmas, does anyone think the 6 geese and 7 swans have anything to do with the fairytales (Goose Girl and the swan brothers story), as opposed to the religious definitions I always hear? Dual meanings? Ideas?
Edited by: Kerrie at: 11/7/00
6:10:23 am
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Gail
de Vos
Registered User
(11/7/00 6:59:44 am)
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Re: Seven Swans
I have read Daughters of the Forest -- it is the first book in a trilogy and the only one of the 3 that deals directly with the Wild Swans (I have just finished the draft of this chapter for my new book on fairy tale reworkings). I did not mind it but I prefer Peg Kerr's reworking. I think the comment on stepmothers is for effect -- although it truly is a cruel and nasty character in Daughters of the Forest -- but there are numerous other motifs in there that make for an interesting discussion. Like the idea about geese and swans -- need to thing about it for a moment.
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La
Reine Noire
Registered User
(2/19/01 7:58:13 am)
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Seven Swans
I've been looking for a nice retelling of "The Seven Swans/The Wild Swans" for the longest time! I was tempted to write my own, but gave up after reading Peg Kerr's book and loving it as much as I did.
I'll have to look for this one. I'll admit a rather guilty-pleasure
liking for "Celtic swords-and-sorcery" novels.
~Kavita
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Karen
Unregistered User
(2/20/01 3:56:25 pm)
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Celtic swords
I haven't read the book, but here's a link to the author's website, including a plot summary, reviewer's comments and an extract from the first chapter
www.vianet.net.au/~marill/daughter.htm
Karen
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tlchang
Registered User
(3/21/01 8:41:12 am)
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Re: Seven Swans
I just finished reading "Daughter of the Forest", which I quite enjoyed. (I'm not sure if I fully understand the distinctions between literary retellings and 'sword and sorcery' - but to me it felt like a good mix of the two. I re-read all the versions of the fairy tale I had in my house to see how closely she followed the 'traditional' storyline - and many of the overall elements were well integrated)
This is apparently the first of a trilogy. This novel covers the Swan tale - and I presume the next two will continue the storyline after the 'happily ever after' - which is after all, not all that happy for many of the characters (the brothers are all 'changed' by being made wild animals and their home and lands and father are hugely damaged by the 'evil stepmother', etc...)
I'm looking forward to 'what happens next'!
Tara
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