The Wager by Donna Jo Napoli

This might be my new favorite book by Donna Jo Napoli. (Although Crazy Jack still holds a dear place in my heart.) This is the retelling of a Sicilian version of Bearskin, which is also somewhat obscure though at least familiar to those of us who have a solid handle on The Complete Brothers Grimm.

Don Giovanni loses his home and his possessions after a massive wave destroys the city he grew up in. He wanders about for a bit before a run-in with a demon or devil, in which the dark creature offers him a wager: an endless purse, all the money he could desire, but in return, he must not bath, change clothes, or clean himself in any way, for three years, three months, and three days. At the end of his rope, Giovanni accepts, hardly understanding what he is getting himself in for.

With thought-provoking philosophy on loyalty, persistence, and the value of wealth, and a nice dose of history, I'd call this one of Napoli's most successful retellings. Well worth reading, especially if you've enjoyed her other work.

Hush by Donna Jo Napoli

Hush tells the story of Melkorka, an Irish princess who was kidnapped by Vikings and taken to Iceland, and rebelled against her captivity by becoming completely mute. Napoli draws from Icelandic folklore, namely the Laxdœla saga, in which Höskuldr purchases Melkorka, believing her to be a mute thrall, and it's not until her son is born and he overhears her speaking that he realizes she can talk.

Napoli's version follows Melkorka from before her capture with her sister Brigid, through the birth of her son in Iceland. I found the story particularly effective in that Napoli is able to portray Melkorka in difficult situations, in a fairly passive role, without making her seem weak or submissive.

It's one of her more difficult books, in that it is often harsh subject matter: kidnapping and slavery being only the beginning of the story. It's not a happy fairy story, that's for certain, and I didn't find it as enchanting as some of Napoli's other works. For all that it's a hard story, it's well told, and if you enjoy the darker side of mythology, I'd suggest this one.

Crazy Jack by Donna Jo Napoli

Crazy Jack is one of my favorites by Donna Jo Napoli, one of the big authors of fairy tale retellings. Sometimes her writing style doesn't really work for me: it really does for this story.

This one sticks pretty closely to the original story, as far as the bare bones. She doesn't rearrange many of the elements of the story, but rather fills them in delightfully, with a romance story that I found far more satisfactory than the relationships in Hush or Zel. Crazy Jack is so well told that even though I know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, Napoli's skillful weaving had me wondering until the meaningful and pleasing ending.

Bound by Donna Jo Napoli

I came across Bound, by Donna Jo Napoli, incidentally at the library. I've enjoyed her work in the past, so I picked it up.

Napoli has taken some of the oldest known versions of the Cinderella story, from China, and spun them into a beautiful narrative. I don't know why it never occurred to me before, but of course where else would you find that small feet would be such a strong factor in how beautiful a woman is? Now that it's been pointed out, it makes perfect sense to me.

This is one of my favorite's by Napoli: quick pacing and interesting characters keep the story moving right along for a quick read and great variation on Cinderella (even with as many versions as there are out there).

The Magic Circle by Donna Jo Napoli

I just finished reading The Magic Circle, by Donna Jo Napoli, and it's one of my favorite books by her.

A lot of the time I find Napoli's style of narration to be a distraction from the characters she is trying to create--this is a personal opinion and I know that her style works for many readers. However, in this case, I think her normal voice fits so well with the unnamed protagonist in this retelling of Hansel and Gretel--that is to say, the witch.

And Napoli has done an impressive job of taking a character typically represented as wholly evil and making her into a sympathetic protagonist. I won't say, of course, just how she does it, because I wouldn't want to give anything away. But if you're a fan of new viewpoints in old fairy tales, I definitely recommend it!

http://www.donnajonapoli.com/