Bound by Donna Jo Napoli

Writing a post last week about Breath got me thinking about Donna Jo Napoli again and how much I love her books, and how heavy a phase I went through some years ago. This is not to say I don't still love her, but for a while I was ordering her books one by one from over seas and reading them all in a row. I recently reaslised how many of her books I've yet to read and was a little daunted but very excited at the prospect.

So, here I am, writing a review for a book I read years ago, but is still fresh in my mind because I thought it was fascinating and skillfully executed.

As you might be aware, Donna Jo Napoli's 'thing' is to adapt and flesh out traditional stories and fairy tales. Bound is fantastic because it is a Cinderella retelling set in Ancient China. The reason it works so well is that, as the title suggests, it brings into it the practice of foot binding. The match is perfect and feels effortless, even though I'm certain a lot of research was involved.

Unlike my review of Breath, I'm not going to spell out exactly how this setting and story fits into the story arch we know so well from so many versions of Cinderella. But I will say, that I loved this book because it gave the main 'Cinderella' character some pluck. She is a girl who can stand up for herself and isn't the flouncy-I-need-someone-to-do-everything-for-me girl of many other stories.

I'm surprising myself with how well I'm remembering this book, it would be at least 6 years since I've read it and I can still see Xing Xing trying to please Stepmother, praying to her Ancestors, hiding a gown in a hole in a cave, making her own way to Emperor's festival, the food, the performers and her holding her own in the face of royalty. I think that goes to show how good a book it is, and how brilliant Donna Jo Napoli is.

You should read this book.

 

4.5 Gold Stars

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Breath by Donna Jo Napoli

You may know from the prevalence on my blog of things that relate to fairy tales and classic folklore that I love that kind of thing. I particularly like a well realised adaptation, such as the ones Donna Jo Napoli is renown for. The Pied Piper of Hamelin is one such story that it is fascinating to see what people do with it. For example, The movie 'The Sweet Hereafter' is amazing. Then, I was jealous I didn't think of it first when the lost children of Hamelin turned up in Garth Nix's Keys To The Kingdom Series. It truly is a fascinating story and there's a lot that can be done with it.

But best of all, I think, is Donna Jo Napoli's Breath. This is a thorough retelling from the perspective of the boy on crutches that gets left behind. Like all good historical fiction, if feels very well researched. Being fiction, there's always scope to play around with fact but at no point did I question what I was being told. It fit perfectly into this story and the whole thing works as a possible explanation to the history behind the traditional tale.

Clearly, rats were pests of the worst kind, carrying disease etc themselves and in the fleas that rode them cross-country. It is perfectly understandable that a town would want to rid themselves of an infestation. But they should have know to pay their dues.

Salz, the main character, is a boy who is suffering from what we now know is cystic fibrosis. He is a boy who thinks about things through with logic and reason. He very nearly works out the connection to various illnesses and events to a fungus called Ergot which has grown on the plants and crops after a particularly wet year. This fungus, when ingested through bread, or beer not only makes people sick, but can also contains lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD as well as has similar effects as Viagra.

Perhaps I'm not explaining this in the right order, or correctly, but I'm trying to entice you into reading this book to find out how all of this plays into the story we all know.

*This next paragraph may contain SPOILERS*

Just so it's not too much of an obscure blog post, I'll let you know that while rejoicing the absence of the rats, the whole town goes on a bit of a acid trip, due to the Ergot, and don't react while their children are enticed away by the begrudged piper. Salz, our poor hero, is unable to keep up with the rest of them and, just outside of town, becomes the only witness to the disappearance of all the children. The only problem is, he is on a bit of an acid trip himself and the only what he can describe it later is to say that the mountain opened up and swallowed them all.

Now I feel like I've given too much away and have ruined the wonderful surprise of Donna's work. She does it so brilliantly all the time, so many of her adaptations have a delightful twist that makes you think 'ahhh, so that's how she's fit it into the original storyline!'

But this one, I think, is my second favourite of her books that I've read so far, and even with my spoilers I still think you should read it.

 

4.5 Gold Stars

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The Magic Circle by Donna Jo Napoli

This book was originally lent to me with a slip of paper taped over the blurb on the back cover. I was instructed to read it without reading the blurb on the back, or any other descriptions about the story. I wish I could do the same for everyone, because I LOVED reading it that way, not knowing was so good.

Not knowing? you might ask. Not knowing what? Well, you won't find out on this blog. I'm going to have to try and craft this review without giving the game away. What you do with your own time, and if you want to take that extra element of surprise away from yourself, that's up to you.

This is the book that led me to a love of all things Donna Jo Napoli. Return readers might know my love of fairy tales and their adaptations, and technically, this post should be part of my 'Fairytale Friday' series, but unfortunately the questions I pose myself in those posts would reveal too much.

Instead, what I'll say is this: this is an adaption of a fairy tale that puts an entirely different spin on the events and characters. The first half of the story takes place before the story that we know, and there are hints as to where it's going, but it's not until one point where you sit back and go AAAHHHHH!

So very good! Donna Jo Napoli is a genius of re-working a well known story and adding so many layers to what we think we know, adding depth to characters that turn out to be misunderstood. She gives me shivers. It's one of my goals to read everything she has written, which is A LOT!

I recommend hunting this one down with your eyes closed. Trust me.

4.5 Gold Stars

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