Golden: A Retelling of "Rapunzel" (Once upon a Time)

I think the idea of Repunzel actually being bald is intreging. But this book is actually rather tedious to read. It was a nice story, but it didn't have the character development or storytelling skill that would make it a real keeper.

I am an adult and I simply and quite frankly thoroughly enjoy this series for a young adult audience…it’s just plain fun to read. Golden is not my first encounter with this series (at this point I’ve read nearly all of them…only four more to go) and while it’s not the worst in the lot

Show More

(Water Song, IMHO), it’s not the best either (Before Midnight, Scarlet Moon, and The Storyteller’s Daughter are my personal favorites). I also have to admit that Dokey is one of my favorite authors writing for this series, two of her books are listed as my personal favorites. Golden is an adaptation of Rapunzel with a few new twists which add to the fun. I found it interesting that Dokey chose to omit, from the very beginning of the story, the golden hair element of the story (or at least it seemed so), but went with it hoping that a clear reason for this would come later in the story…and sure enough it did, in spades.

The remaining elements of the story are fairly traditional…though Dokey does make the witch more of a sorceress and give her a “good guy” part in this particular version. Here there is no “ultimate bad guy” (a la wicked step-mother)…rather the “bad guys” are more subtle, much less ‘in your face’ than us usual for a fairytale. Here Rapunzel (for what else could she be named?) comes by her circumstances in almost exactly the traditional way (mother craves rapunzel, a kind of parsley; husband gets parsley; husband gets caught and a bargain is struck)…but here is where one of the twists occurs. The sorceress doesn’t demand the child, she strikes a bargain whereby if the mother cannot love the child “as is” when it is born, she will take the child away. The father is mortified and doesn’t want to agree, but ultimately an agreement is reached…and of course, Rapunzel winds up with the sorceress -- the mother being entirely too vain and selfish to accept her newborn (because she is bald as an egg). The mother hands the child over quite readily, much to her husbands dismay and sadness, and away the child is whisked.

This particular version goes much more in depth with regards to Rapunzel’s childhood and her time with the sorceress (Melisande) and allowing us to get to know Melisande as well. Usually, we learn nothing of the sorceress or the reasoning behind wanting the child in the first place. Dokey does a fine job, giving us a plausible and emotionally satisfying reason for it, which made me quite happy. Unfortunately, the author spends so much of the book on this element that the twist with the hair and the tower comes almost too late and is somewhat awkwardly shoved into the storyline. Don’t get me wrong I adore the idea and think it highly clever, but the timing is unfortunate. It is near the three-quarter mark that Melisande’s real daughter is introduced into the story and this, quite naturally, creates hurt feelings for Rapunzel who has only just found out Melisande is not her real mother. Additionally, the time-frame for the two girls to work out a solution to the second girl’s imprisonment makes the ending a bit hard to swallow. I did love the trick with the hair and how it worked as the conveyance into the tower…quite a nice take on the traditional “throw down your hair” method.

Overall, it’s a fine addition to the Once Upon a Time series and an enjoyable adaptation of the classic fairytale, Rapunzel. I give it 4 stars though because the ending was a bit too rushed and I felt like Rue was not given adequate time for the reader to get to know her (or even really care about her) and that the interaction between her and Rapunzel (and the Prince) suffered simply by being too rushed. I would have liked to see this part of the story given a bit more time and space to develop more fully. I feel that would have made the ending all the more enjoyable. While I didn’t completely enjoy the ending, I would still recommend Golden for any reader who loves fairytale adaptations, you could do a lot worse!

Show Less

this book is about a girl named rapunzel. her mother was obsessed with a parsley named rapunzel when she was pregnant with her. so she made her husband go steal rapunzel from her neighbor, who was a witch. one time, the witch found out. she made the couple make an oath; the lady could have as much

Show More

rapunzel as she wanted, but she had to give the child away if she couldnt love her at the first sight. then rapunzel was born. she was bold. her mother hated her because of it. to the witch got her. she grew up with the witch. a tinker and his boy ocassionally came, and they grew to be friends.
when repunzel almost turned 16, marrilyn (I think thats the witch's name. im not sure) told her she had a daughter. and the daughter had to come down. marrilyn asked her to go rescue her daughter and she said yes. so repunzel and marrilyn and tinker and his boy went to the tower woe (witches daughter) was in. a handsome prince came in the middle of the night and asked repunzel to marry her. she told her to come in the mornig, but he ran into a tree, i think and gave himself a concussion. tinker's boy took care of him, though he was mad at him for asking repunzel to marry him cuz he was in luve with her. so repunzel tricks the prince into thinking that woe was her, and when woe excepted the proposal, the tower disappeared. repunzel gave her name to woe. repunzel named herself sally and she and tinker's boy got married.
THE END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kinda cheesy

Show Less

A story about Rapunzel like no other, and I am appreciating Cameron Dokey's amazing creativity at re-inventing fairy tales! The story starts the same - husband sneaks into the witch's garden to steal some rapunzel for his pregnant wife with crazy cravings. He gets caught, and the witch strikes a

Show More

bargain with him that involves possession of his child-to-be.

The unique aspect of Rapunzel is that she is born bald and forever remains that way. So how exactly does she "let down her long hair" for the prince to climb up and rescue her? Good question - the "truth" behind this fairy tale involves a case of swapping places.

Show Less

Cameron Dokey's version of Rapunzel certainly puts a new spin on the girl with the long golden hair. In Dokey's version, Rapunzel is born to a vain mother, who sees Rapunzel is born without hair, and rejects her. A sorceress neighbor takes the baby when she sees that the mother refuses love to the

Show More

child. She names the baby Rapunzel because that it the herb the mother craved when pregnant with her. Rapunzel grows up knowing the sorceress isn't her mother but loving her as if she were. The Sorceress loves Rapunzel like her own and the two live together for many years in relative happiness. Now this may not sound much like the Rapunzel story we have all heard and loved, but I assure you there is a princess with long, golden hair locked up in a tower, there is a prince, and there is hair braid climbing! But the heart of this fairy tale is that love does find a way...whether love between family, friends, or with a handsome prince. The story was slightly shorter than most of the previous Once Upon A Time books I have read and I would have liked to have it thickened up a bit. Otherwise, this was a great mixed up fairy tale.

Show Less

A great new take on the classic tale of Rapunzel. I love the Once Upon a Time collection and this held its own with the other greats within Once Upon a Time. I loved the characteres that were formed throughout the story. What really made me like this book more than i thought i would was the

Show More

originality of the take that Cameron Dokey took on the tale that has such a classic history.

Show Less

very random and slow not her best

From the moment you begin reading this book, you can tell it's different from your typical fantasy novel. There's a quality to the storytelling that is easy to fall for in its first person, conversational manner, and it similarly is a story that has a certain mysterious trait-- a hint, maybe, like

Show More

the old, truly magical and special tales have to them-- a curious quality that you can't quite place your finger on and put to words, but that you know makes this book special out of all the others you've read.

It didn't take me very long to realize that if I had read this book when I was a kid, or a young teen, this book would be one of the books to forever influence me and change my life. Even now, reading it when I'm a little bit older and a smidgeon perhaps wiser in the world, it left such a tangible taste of a good story in my mouth that I'd be forever doing you a disservice if I didn't say that you should go out and pick up this book, even if you have to buy it, to read it. It's a book that not only entertains and is enjoyable, but it teaches you, too. It opens your eyes. And that's why I say, If I was younger and I'd read this book, it would have changed my life.

As it is, it still hit me profoundly, and I fell in love with the characters swiftly. They had their faults, but this is a fairy tale, my friends, and the most amazing part is that in this day and age I had the chance to stumble upon a fairy tale that was uniquely retold to make it profound and engaging. It's a book that's captured my favor to the point where I can't imagine living my life without sharing the story with everyone I know. I will make them read it, because it's this fantastic!

It's humble. It's of love in the purest and most understandable, relatable sense. It's of beauty being more than appearance. It's of selflessness even when you could lose the few things that mean the world to you. It's of patience. And the best? It's completely plausible as an addition or "what really happened" telling of the fairy tale that it was inspired by.

It's one of those old, classic fantasies. It feels utterly simple when put into words, but carries well when you're reading it, experiencing it for yourself, and means more than what a review can contain. Perhaps, it will mean different things to different people. What spoke to me out of this story may not be what speaks to you, but it has that potential to tell more than just one tale, and send more than just one message. That's what makes this one so special.

If you're a fantasy lover, if you love fairy tales and their retellings, if you're a fan of the Rapunzel character or story-- read this book. If you love romance, if you love tales of knights in shining armor, if you love books about messages concerning the physical appearance and deeper beauty-- read this book. If you love old medieval magical stories, or strong main characters, in particular strong female characters, too-- read this story.

It is so worth it. It's timeless and just as wonderful.

Show Less

Fun and short Rapunzel retelling. I did enjoy the little twist the author did but I think it should have been a little longer. If there had been more time with Rapunzel and Rue I think it could have been a 5 star read for sure!

"I am not your true love," I said. "You just met me not five minutes ago."

"I am not your true love," I said. "You just met me not five minutes ago."

This is a great re-telling of Rapunzel with a lot of surprises and twists as well as some great characters that will keep the reader interested until they reach the end.