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William C. Morris Award 2009
A
Curse Dark as Gold
by Elizabeth C. Bunce
(Levine/Scholastic)
review
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How the Horn Book reviewed
the winner
Elizabeth C. Bunce A
Curse Dark as Gold
Levine/Scholastic
Reviewed 3/08
In this slow-simmering but rewarding retelling, first-novelist Bunce
presents an innovative interpretation of Rumpelstiltskin. When Charlotte's
father dies, she and her sister Rosie struggle to keep the family
mill — the lifeblood of their small town of Shearing —
solvent. But obstacles abound: a foppish, meddlesome uncle shows
up to claim guardianship of the girls; a series of disasters that
seems like more than mere coincidence leaves the mill in dire straits;
and a bank representative demands payment on a mysterious loan.
So when a stranger appears with the ability to spin straw into gold,
practical-minded Charlotte is a bit more receptive than she might
otherwise have been. The pastoral microcosm of Shearing is classic
fairy tale, but it gains traction in the gritty social and economic
details of small-town life, and the sisters, subtly differentiated,
are strong characters defined by fierce loyalty, pride, and determination
that goes beyond simple feistiness. Similarly, the villains are
rendered with nuance. The result is a fully realized dramatic conflict
characterized by the folkloric magic of memory imprinted upon place;
inherited legacies; and the power of recognition, recompense, and
forgiveness. CLAIRE E. GROSS
2009 ALA awards
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