Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Book of a Thousand Days/Shannon Hale

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale; young adult, fantasy; 320 pages (about 6.5 hours on audio CD)

This is probably my favorite Shannon Hale book so far. It's a retelling of the fairy tale Maid Maleen, which, like The Goose Girl, is a story that is left out of most collections. The twist here is that the story is told by the princess's servant, a simple lady's maid named Dashti. Dashti is a great character, and very likable, even if the princess is not. Over the course of the book, we see Dashti grow from a humble, loyal servant who puts up with a lot of abuse from the nobles, to a true heroine who manages to save the kingdom. To make it even more interesting, this version is set in a world reminiscent of the central Asian steppes, and Dashti's narration is filled with bits of folklore and custom that left me wanting to know more. I loved this book, and highly recommend it. I have to especially endorse the audio book: much of the story involves Dashti singing traditional songs, and audio version has added melodies that the reader sings.

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