Ever since I was able to read (when I was about four years old, I believe), I always found something admirable about authors. Perhaps it was just so magical the way they picked out words, stuck them here and there, sewed them together, and, voilà! had their stories collected in nicely-bound books. It was as if they were a sort of literary witches and wizards. But now, they also strike me as chefs; some give you a tasty but calorie-packed hamburger with deep-fried French fries that fill you up but make you want something more (your everyday fluff fiction—which I’ve read none of), others cook up a plate filled with a perfect piece of filet mignon along a delectable side dish of vegetables (beautiful classics, e.g. Pride and Prejudice), and a few serve way a Thanksgiving dinner-type meal with too much to take in but are very good otherwise, like a Thanksgiving dinner ( War and Peace, A Tale of Two Cities—not that I’ve actually read or finished either). If this was so—if those cheesy YA lit authors flipped burgers at McDonald’s and Jane Austen was the Julia Child of this world—then Shannon Hale would most likely be a sous-chef of the latter. Or perhaps I’ve just been watching a tad bit too much Food Network and cooking-related shows. Summary: Everyone gets grounded by their parents for misbehaving once in awhile; sometimes a ten-year-old can’t watch his or her favorite TV show for a week, or a teen is forbidden from calling their friends every night for a month. What would you do if you had the option to stay with a friend who was to be grounded for seven years in a tower, and if you didn’t step up to stay with her, no one would? This is exactly the question that Dashti, a young mucker living in medieval Mongolian times, faces when given the chance to become the maidservant of Lady Saren, who is given this sentence for refusing to marry a man she has feared ever since she was a young girl. If Dashti said no, this story would be nonexistent; but she said yes, and thus, an adventure began. I really can’t say more than that, or I’ll give it away, but if you read the “recipe” above, that is exactly what this three hundred-odd paged book contains: an intriguing plot, marvelous lyrical writing, characters you feel like you’ve known all your life, and fantastic adventure fantasy with the right amount of romance that will keep female readers young and old swooning (here’s a secret: I totally LOVED the romance and swooned for days on end :D ). Thoughts: I’ll be honest. I love fairy tales, especially Brothers Grimm ones. But never in my life had I heard of “Maid Maleen”, not until I heard about this novel. So after reading the synopsis of it on Wikipedia, you’d think Hale’s version of it would be exactly the same, just written and lengthened in typical Hale flair. In reality, it’s almost as if the author combined “Maid Maleen” with a trillion other classics: Mansfield Park and Persuasion (Jane Austen), Cyrano de Bergerac (Edmond Rostand), Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë); in addition, there is a scene towards the end that is easily comparable in artistry and intelligence to the famous pivotal trial in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Even if you don’t know me very well, you would—and should—be aware of my secret and unbearable obsession with this book, which I recommend to even the most reluctant readers. But allow me to put it this way: if you hate plots that are absolutely stunning, if you hate fantasy with a classic feel to it, if you hate heroines who have a little naïve goody two-shoes side to them, then you won’t like this book. But really, who doesn’t want at least one of those things? Pros: Pretty much everything and anything about it, but see below for the one thing I didn’t like. Cons: As much as I rave about this book, I may honestly say that there was one part near the ending that turned the story into complete YA (which is a little shocking, being that this is a Hale novel) and almost adult; it was a somewhat edgy scene (I don’t know if that’s the right word), and it totally came as a surprise for me. I wasn’t fond of it, and I think it could have been done without and changed. Recommended For: I’ve heard of a few guys who have read this book and enjoyed it, but I don’t personally know any guys who like reading, so…I guess I should say I recommend this to any girl fourteen and up, and a very mature, bookworm-ish guy fifteen or sixteen and up.Grading: Plot: 10/10 Characters: 10/10 Writing: 10/10 Overall: 10/10 Also Recommended: - The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale- Princess Academy by Shannon Hale- Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne JonesFor more reviews like this one, please visit my blog, Butterfly Forest.
Do you guys know that feeling when you just have finished an astonishingly excellent book? You feel full of life and understanding. It's why as readers we come back and back again and hope this will be the book that gives us that exhilaration. I guess it's akin to a literary high. This book did that for me and more. It deserves more than the five star rating.Let's see if I'll be able to give a concise review without confusing people. This story is loosely based on an obscure Grimm fairy tale (Hale mentions which one it is at the end of the book). The premise is that Lady Saren will be locked up in a tower for seven years because she will not marry Lord Khashar. Lady Saren takes Dashti who oddly doesn't mind this arrangement. She comes from a harsh background and the guarantee of having food for seven straight years while serving someone of royal blood? It seems like the gods have smiled upon her. Things start to look not so rosy anymore though, and Dashti and Lady Saren will be caught in a web of lies that will lead to an adventure neither of them could have seen coming.The strongest point of the book for me was the character of Dashti. She is resilient, funny, caring, and loyal to a fault. The refreshing aspect about her is that she is definitely not your typical flawlessly pretty character. It's her spirit that brings forth her beauty, and that may sound cheesy but it's true. Like any other character she has her shortfalls, but comes to realize how stunted her view of things was. The author does an excellent job of weaving in the Mongolian setting and customs so the reader feels as if this is a real place. Since this is written in journal form we really get the mood Dashti's in and the progression of her and Saren's growth. Throughout we see some illustrations that aid in the storytelling. I imagine this would be a great story to read out loud. I LOVED Khan Tegus, and that's all I have to say about him because anything else I would say wouldn't even come close to describing his wonderfulness. Shannon Hale has permanently become one of my favorite authors, she was already but now she is cemented, written in black sharpie, engraved permanent. Hale is more than an author, she is a bona fide storyteller.I will have to retire from this review before I totally botch it up, but I want to conclude that the characters are lovely, the story enchanting, and displays the power of the written word.
Do You like book Book Of A Thousand Days (2007)?
I loved this Young Adult book! Hooray for Shannon Hale! I probably wouldn't recommend this book to girls under 12, but I think Hale has produced a wonderful heroine for the older teen set. I liked this book better than Princess Academy. I felt the themes were more accessible--everyone can relate to having a crush on someone totally out of your league. And who can’t envision the horror of being betrothed to a grotesque villain or locked up with rats? I loved how the two girls-- Saren, a princess and lady, and Dashti, a peasant “mucker” maid--reversed roles in the course of the story. The story begins with Dahti thinking that Saren is so much more valuable as a person because Saren is gentry. However, Dashti comes to realize that Saren is weak and cowardly. Slowly, Dashti evolves into a heroine partly out of necessity (she can see Saren doesn’t possess what is needed to save them) and partly because she comes to realize that she is in love, and is loveable. Hale’s writing style is amazing, as usual. And the setting of Mongolia with a dash of the mystical I found refreshingly different in today’s fantasy market. I can’t even describe what a fantastic book this is. I am always looking for books with great role models for my daughters, and this is definitely one of them!
—Heather
After her mother's death, Dashti the mucker leaves the desolate steppe in search of her fortune (or at least, survival). On her first day as a maid, she is assigned to Lady Saren--who is promptly locked in a tower for refusing to marry the formidable Lord Khasar. Although Saren is silly and clearly too traumatized to think straight, Dashti is so overwhelmed by their class differences that she lets Saren do whatever she wants, even eat all their food. To make matters worse, Khasar shows up outside their tower and swears he'll tear down the tower to get Lady Saren. Dashti is clever enough to figure out a way to escape the tower, and she hauls Saren along with her like dead weight. They make it to the city ruled by Saren's childhood friend, Lord Tegan. Saren (who is practically catatonic with shock) forces Dashti to switch places with her, and while Saren works in the kitchen Dashti is forced to pretend to be a lady. But then Khasar shows up at the city walls, demanding Saren, and Dashti's true identity is revealed. Unique characters, a haunting and creepy story, set in a fantasy world that is not medieval Europe--I should have loved this. As it was, I could barely get through it. I think it's mostly because the target audience for this book is much younger than I. The book felt really manipulative, to the extent that I got extremely frustrated with Dashti for A)not realizing how damaged Saren was and B)being soooo perfect and humble. In fact, her wide-eyed amazement that nobility could ever deign to talk to such a low-class mucker as herself got really, really old really, really fast. Dashti is consistently smarter and braver than everyone else, and it got unbelievable that she never notices this.
—Wealhtheow
If I had not started blogging and reading other blogs I don't think I would have ever read a Shannon Hale book. I'd never even heard of her until I read reviews of her books on the Internet. But about 20 or so pages into my first Shannon Hale book I thought, uh-oh, I don't think I am going to like this book. I've heard so much about Shannon Hale and her books but I'm not gonna like them. The problem is that I have never been a fan of fantasy, but before I knew it I was half way through the book and totally engrossed in the story. I stayed up until after 1:00 last night so I could finish reading it.Here is what the publisher says about Book of a Thousand Days:"When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years for Saren’s refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment. As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. But the arrival outside the tower of Saren’s two suitors—one welcome, and the other decidedly less so—brings both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows."I become engrossed in the story because I really wanted to know what was going to happen to these girls and for the most part I really liked Dashti's voice as she wrote in her diary. A great deal of the book was a bit predictable but even though I could guess what was going to happen, it did not make the story any less enjoyable to read. At times, I did feel that Dashti used language and phrases that were a bit modern and western and therefor felt foreign and misplaced in this tale. And there were some parts that seemed a bit contrived and hokey but overall I really enjoyed this book. Book of a Thousand Days is a wonderful story about love, friendship, family and loyalty for young or even not so young readers.
—Jeanette
