Stardust by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Charles Vess

“There was once a young man who wished to gain his Heart's Desire. And while that is, as beginnings go, not entirely novel (for every tale about every young man there ever was or will be could start in a similar manner) there was much about this young man and what happened to him that was unusual, although even he never knew the whole tale of it."

So begins Gaiman’s enchantingly beautiful adult fairy tale full of romance, magic and adventure. Every nine years the Victorian town of Wall is disrupted from its sleepy ways by people who come from the ends of the earth to see the fairy market held in a meadow on the other side of the wall. On one such market day, Dunstan Thorn falls in lust with a fairy woman. 

Nine months later a basket is left at the entrance to the meadow containing Tristan Thorn. Now, 17 years later Tristan, knowing nothing of his heritage, has fallen in love with the beautiful and aloof Victoria Forrester. He makes a bargain with her, that if he brings back a falling star that fell that night from the sky into the lands beyond the wall, she will give him his heart’s desire. His quest takes him into adventure and finally to the discovery of who he really is, for in fairy the star is not just a lump of metal, but a beautiful girl named Yvaine, a daughter of the moon. 

Finding her is not difficult, but getting her back to Wall is trickier, for Tristan is not the only one searching for her. The dying Lord of Stormheld knocked Yvaine out of the sky with a gem that one of his sons must retrieve to become the next Lord and an ancient witch is pursuing the star, determined to cut out her heart so she and her sisters can be young again. Enhanced by stunning illustrations from Charles Vess, delicate and yet full of detail that captures the very essence of the tale, Stardust is an entrancing, twisting, magical witty and scary-at-times timeless tale that has unsurprisingly won many awards.

To request a copy from the JCLC catalog click here or find out about the movie (now out on DVD) by clicking here.

Chalice by Robin McKinley

Mirasol is a beekeeper, brought up on a small woodlot in the corner of Willowlands. She knows little of the manor house and the Master’s Circle that governs their lands. When the Master and his Chalice die in a fire without naming heirs, Willowlands is thrown in to turmoil, but Mirasol barely has time to notice as her goats are producing vast amounts of milk and honey literally pours out of her beehives, leaving her little time to care for the woodlot.  So, when the Circle come to her cottage, she believes they will send her away for her poor tending of the land she holds, but instead she discovers she is to be the new Chalice, the most important member of the Master’s Circle.  She will be the one who binds the Circle, land and people together and creates harmony among them.

Although ill prepared for her new life and uncomfortable in the presence of the other members of the circle, Mirasol wants their new Master to have a fair chance. But how can she reconcile the demesne and it's Master when the Master is a Priest of Fire, taken from his training by the death of his older brother, a man whose very nature is fire and whose touch burns flesh to the bone?
 
This enchanting retelling of beauty and the beast, smoothly weaves together a tale of magic, healing and honey.

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Ella Enchanted - The Movie

Having read this wonderful reworking of the well known Cinderella story and reviewed it here, I thought to give the film of the same name a try.

Supported by a star studded cast, Anne Hathaway plays Ella: a girl placed under the gift or curse of obedience by her well meaning fairy godmother, Lucinda. The spell forces Ella to obey any command, be it ridiculous or sinister. After being forced to give up her best friend by her horrible step-sisters, Ella decides it is time to look up Lucinda and get the spell removed. With the help of a Benny, man accidentally turned into a book, and Slannen, an elf who wants to become a lawyer, Ella sets off to Giantville. On the road she is captured by ogres, rescued by the prince (Hugh Dancey), then saves him from a royal conspiracy and learns the strength to break the curse must come from inside herself.

Also featuring Vivica A. Fox, Cary Elwes, Minnie Driver, Joanna Lumley and Eric Idle.

As a movie in its own right, this glitzy, feel good story works well. There is humour, evil to overcome and a love story. Unfortunately fans of Gail Carson Levine’s novel are left wondering what went wrong. Gone is Ella’s sassy spirit, her ambition and determination. The friendship between Ella and the prince is put aside for a love-hate relationship and the steadfast King, who governs his lands so well, is put aside for an evil regent.

All in all, if you enjoyed the book, skip the movie, but if you haven’t read it, then you will find this a charming family flick.

Rated: PG.
Run Time: 96 minutes

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

This enchanting Newbery award winning tale tells the story of Ella, a spirited young girl who was given an unusual and disastrous gift by a fairy as a baby. When she wouldn’t stop crying, the fairy, Lucinda, bestows on Ella the gift of obedience which meant she had to obey any direct command. "If you commanded me to cut off my own head, I'd have to do it."

Follow Ella into a world filled with ogres, giants, elves and fairy godmothers as she takes matters into her own hands and sets out to win her freedom and her prince with intelligence, ambition and courage.

Read by Eden Riegel, who gives this inventive retelling of the Cinderella story a youthful and saucy charm as the fairytale weaves in and out and finally twists away from the original tale.

To request this book from the JCLC catalog click here