Rapunzel ...
In the original telling, she was stuck in the tower, and relied on the prince to rescue her...
In Disney's "Tangled" she wields a frying pan with force!
In Melanie Dickerson's The Golden Braid
she is no pansy, shrinking violet or other fragile flower,
as she can throw a knife with the best of them to stop a knave in his tracks
(although, she is rather fond of flowers,
and paints them on the plaster walls of each home in which she lives).
The Golden Braid takes place in a Medieval setting, and Rapunzel is the sweetly singing, brightly painting, something of an outcast daughter of a somewhat gypsy-footed midwife. Her life is fairly simple, but she is very lonely, as her mother has warned her away from making friends with any of the youth (boys or girls, but mostly boys) she happens to meet.
Here's a bit of information from the publisher:
About the book: The Golden Braid (Thomas Nelson, November 2015)
The one who needs rescuing isn't always the one in the tower...
Rapunzel can throw a knife better than any man. She paints beautiful flowering vines on the walls of her plaster houses. She sings so sweetly she can coax even a beast to sleep. But there are two things she is afraid her mother might never allow her to do: learn to read and marry.
Fiercely devoted to Rapunzel, her mother is suspicious of every man who so much as looks at her daughter and warns her that no man can be trusted. After a young village farmer asks for Rapunzel's hand in marriage, Mother decides to move them once again---this time, to the large city of Hagenheim.
The journey proves treacherous, and after being rescued by a knight---Sir Gerek---Rapunzel, in turn, rescues him farther down the road. As a result, Sir Gerek agrees to repay his debt to Rapunzel by teaching her to read. Could there be more to him than his arrogance and desire to marry for riches and position?
As Rapunzel acclimates to life in a new city, she uncovers a mystery that will forever change her life. In this Rapunzel story unlike any other, a world of secrets and treachery are about to be revealed after seventeen years. How will Rapunzel finally take control of her own destiny? And who will prove faithful to a lowly peasant girl with no one to turn to?
About the author:
Melanie Dickerson is the author of The Healer's Apprentice, a Christy Award finalist and winner of the National Reader's Choice Award for Best First Book. Melanie earned a bachelor's degree in special education from the University of Alabama and has been a teacher and a missionary. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Huntsville, Alabama.
Connect with Melanie: website, Twitter,Facebook, YouTube
Connect with Melanie: website, Twitter,Facebook, YouTube
My teenage daughter and I both enjoyed reading this book, and appreciated the addition of a spiritual slant, as Rapunzel learns to read from the pages of the Bible. Her strength of character is only improved, and further developed as she learns upon Whom to rely, and those around her reap the benefits of her gracious personality.
If you (or someone you know) appreciate re-imagined fairy tales as much as I and my daughter do, then you may want to pick up Melanie Dickerson's newest novel, The Golden Braid (Nice gift to find under the tree, or some great recreational reading during the Holiday break).
For myself, I know that I'll be looking up her previous works, and checking out any new titles by Melanie Dickerson.
Blessings~
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