A Curse Dark As Gold

by Elizabeth C. Bunce Narrated by Charlotte Parry

Overview

The gold thread promises Charlotte Miller a chance to save her family's beloved woolen mill. It promises a future for her sister, jobs for her townsfolk, security against her grasping uncle -- maybe even true love. To get the thread, Charlotte must strike a bargain with its maker, the mysterious Jack Spinner. But the gleam of gold conjures a shadowy past -- secrets ensnaring generations of Millers. And Charlotte's mill, her family, her love -- what do those matter to a stranger who can spin straw into gold? This is an award-winning and wholly original retelling of "Rumplestiltskin."

Editorial Reviews

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up- Too stubborn to let go of the troubled mill that has supported her community for generations, Charlotte Miller takes over after her father's death, fighting impending disaster with bargains with a mysterious Jack Spinner that eventually threaten her infant son. Set in a rural valley in the late 1700s, this reworking of the "Rumplestiltskin" story includes ghosts, witchcraft, elements of Georgian society, and much earlier folk magic in the guise of a novel of manners. The leisurely paced narrative gathers steam as it becomes clear that the family and the mill have not simply had a long run of bad luck, but are seriously cursed. Readers need not be familiar with the folktale to see where Charlotte's efforts to save her mill are headed. Though their roles in the narrative are clear, secondary characters are distinctive: foppish Uncle Wheeler is more than a stereotyped villain, and Charlotte's eventual husband is an admirable romantic lead with unsuspected talents. A rich opening to Jane Austen's world for teens.-Kathleen Isaacs, Towson University, MD

Kirkus Reviews

In a hefty, thoughtful Rumpelstiltskin tale, Charlotte Miller fights and strains and sacrifices to embody her surname. The Miller family runs Stirwaters, a river-powered textile mill in a pre-industrial village. It's been passed down haphazardly because no Miller son ever lives to inherit it. Charlotte and sister Rosie take over upon their father's death, but troubles persist. Non-superstitious Charlotte resists the idea of a family curse; she insists the ongoing destruction is simply bad luck and vandalism. A perfumed, dandy uncle arrives to wrest power away from the sisters. Bunce writes the mill as a character too, bound into the family "by loss and grief and vengeance." As stubborn Charlotte fiercely defends Stirwaters against physical and financial ruin, misguided habits of secrecy and fear lead to a near-loss of her infant son to the Rumpelstiltskin figure, a classic tortured ghost from ages past. His origins unravel the tangled mystery. Slow pacing and a protagonist with infuriating secretiveness may deter some readers, but those who stick it out will find substance and beauty. (author's note) (Fantasy. YA)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171234249
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	11/01/2010
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

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