My hair was like threads of gold flowing down my back and past the floor. If I didn’t tie it up, it would sweep across the stone and collect dust like a broom. I could lean out my tower window and it would fall out like an avalanche, gleaming like the sun hitting the water. It was as bright as sunflowers or daisies, softer than fur, stronger than an iron chain.
In den USA ist letzte Woche Carolyn Turgeons neuer Roman erschienen. Wie der Vorgänger “Mermaid” basiert auch er auf Märchen, kombiniert sogar zwei sehr bekannte Geschichten. “The Fairest of them All” macht Rapunzel zu Schneewittchens böser Stiefmutter:
What if Rapunzel was Snow White’s evil stepmother?
Living in an enchanted forest, Rapunzel spends her days tending a mystical garden with her adoptive mother, Mathena. A witch, Mathena was banished from court because of her magic powers, though the women from the kingdom still seek her advice and herbal remedies. She waits, biding her time to exact revenge against those who betrayed her.
One day Rapunzel’s beautiful voice and long golden locks captivate a young prince hunting in the forest nearby. Overcome, he climbs her hair up to her chamber and they fall into each other’s arms. But their afternoon of passion is fleeting, and the prince must return to his kingdom, as he is betrothed to another.
Now king, he marries his intended to bring peace to his kingdom. They have a stunning daughter named Snow White. Yet the king is haunted by his memories of Rapunzel, and after the mysterious death of his wife, realizes he is free to marry the woman he never stopped longing for. In hopes of also replacing the mother of his beloved daughter, the king makes Rapunzel his queen.
But when Mathena’s wedding gift of an ancient mirror begins speaking to her, Rapunzel falls under its evil spell, and the king begins to realize that Rapunzel is not the beautiful, kind woman he dreamed of.
“The Fairest of Them All” explores what happens when fairy tale heroines grow up and don’t live happily ever after.
Das Buch liegt schon auf meinem eReader. Demnächst berichte ich hier mehr darüber.
Wer ebenfalls neugierig geworden ist: Der Roman ist als Taschenbuch und als ebook erhältlich.