For this morning’s show, we were back in our element with a working phone (except for the part where my line dropped out for about 10 minutes as I searched for a replacement that worked).
Enchantment is a fantasy re-telling of the legend of Sleeping Beauty. In it, our hero Ivan, a scholar of ancient Russian/Slavic languages, finds an enchanted glade in the Ukraine with a sleeping woman. He finds his way to the woman, awakens her, and is transported back to the 9th century.
“Happily Ever After” does not arrive with the kiss that awakens the princess. First, Ivan must prove to the king and the villagers that he is worthy. They expected a great warrior to awaken Katarina and save them from the imminent invasion of their lands by the Evil Witch, Baba Yaga.
Baba Yaga is just that. Evil. As we discusssed the robust characters of the story, it was generally agreed that Baba Yaga did what Baba Yaga wanted to do, without remorse.
Ivan desperately tries to learn to be the warrior that the people need; but, he fails. Katarina and he must flee for their lives, back to Ivan’s family in the 20th century. As Katarina and Ivan spend time together, their love and respect for each other grows as they recognize the hidden talents each possess.
This is a fun, whimsical tale about listening to your gut feelings, using your talents, and striving to do the right things. There is also some fascinating interweaving of the traditions of many faiths including early Christianity, paganism, mulit-god worship, as well as modern and orthodox Judaism. The questions of faith, and what we take from it, add an extra layer to the plot.
If you are looking for a light, entertaining novel for this summer’s vacation reading, perhaps Enchantment is the book for you. (But, not if you don’t groove on fantasy and magic…)
If you’ve read Enchantment, take some time to listen to the show. You can click on the player in the sidebar, or visit the radio show homepage at Blog Talk Radio.
by Orson Scott Card, a fun twist on the tale of Sleeping Beauty.
. If you’ve read her earlier works, such as 
or 
, you would know Ms. Jackson’s prose to be full of quirky humor and good for a big belly laugh. Her newest book is much more somber. While her characters are still robust and quirky, they are deeper and plagued with self doubt and some loathing. The pace of this novel was a bit slow, but halfway through, I realized I was hooked. I wanted to find out the solution to the mystery, and she kept me wrapped up in the people involved as well as the outcome. Sometimes we have to stop treading water to make progress.
. For a pre-teen target audience, I do find it engaging and smart. The best perk is that I can discuss a book with my child. He has been on pins and needles waiting for me to get to the end.
