Author: cherylmahoney

I'm a book review blogger and writer. I have published four novels, The Wanderers; The Storyteller and Her Sisters; and The People the Fairies Forget; and The Lioness and the Spellspinners. All can be found on Amazon as an ebook and paperback. In my day job, I'm a Marketing Specialist. Find me on Twitter (@MarvelousTales) and GoodReads (MarvelousTales).

Classic Review: Silver Woven in My Hair

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Juvenile, Reviews5 Comments

I don’t know about you, but what with one thing and another, I find myself in a fairy tale mood!  So until I have time to finish reading something fairy tale-related and review it for you, here’s a classic review of one of my very favorite retellings of Cinderella…

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Silver Woven in My HairI originally read Silver Woven in My Hair by Shirley Rousseau Murphy from the library when I was…maybe nine?  I don’t really remember.  Young.  I read it several times, and then it somehow disappeared off the shelf.  Miraculously, I remembered the title–I usually don’t.  I usually remember something like, there was a bit in there where the girl is watching the royal family come back from the island and she sees the goatherd, and then she invites him into the kitchen at the inn to have dinner and it makes her stepfamily mad but he just laughs so it’s all right…oh and then they had a picnic later on in the book, and there was that really good part about the owner of the sword.

And that’s not going to help anyone find the story they’re looking for.  But fortunately I remembered the title, and by the time I was in high school the wonderful world of online booksellers existed and I was able to buy Silver Woven in My Hair for my very own, and I spent an entire afternoon rereading the whole book.  It was lovely.

It’s one of the best retellings of Cinderella I’ve ever read.  It’s a story about Thursey, and her terrible stepfamily.  The royal family was coming back from that island because they were there while the queen and the prince recovered from being captured in a war.  Thursey’s father went to the war and never came back, so this Cinderella actually has a reason to stay where she is–even though she knows he’s probably never coming back, she can’t bring herself to leave, just in case.

Thursey doesn’t have a sparkly fairy godmother, but she does have friends who want to help her go to the ball at the palace.  There’s Anwin the monk, and there’s Gillie the goatherd, who’s funny and charming–and very far from a sparkly fairy godmother.  🙂

I love that Thursey is a Cinderella who loves Cinderella stories.  Her family runs an inn, and she collects stories from the travelers who pass through–all the different Cinderella stories from different cultures, Cendrillon and Aschenputtel and Catkin and so on.  Even though Thursey’s life isn’t very good, she never stops dreaming.  The ball is one aspect of the story, but Thursey’s dreams have a lot more substance than dancing a single night at a ball.

The characters, from Thursey to Gillie to the nasty stepfamily, are well-drawn and life-like.  The story is very grounded in reality, in a practical world where dishes have to be washed and goats have to be fed and there’s none of the impossible and incomprehensible leaps that the original fairy tales often make.  Yet there’s also something whimsical about the tale.  For some reason the word “gossamer” keeps coming to mind, and I think it has to do with the writing style.  Murphy has kept some of the poetry of the old tales, while giving us characters and a plot that are more substantial.

Silver Woven in My Hair isn’t exactly a fantasy…or it could be.  Murphy leaves it up to the reader to decide whether some elements are really magic or not, and I’m not entirely sure what I think.

But even if you decide it’s not a fantasy, it’s definitely a magical story.  And a marvelous tale.

Author’s Site: http://www.srmurphy.com/

Other reviews:
Ex Libris Draconis
Mel’s Desk
Anyone else?  I am sad that this book is not better known…

Buy it here: Silver Woven in My Hair

Cats and Mice in Victorian London

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Juvenile, Reviews2 Comments

I was between audiobooks recently, and browsed through my library to stumble upon The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright.  How could I resist a story about a cat set in Victorian London?  And even better–read by the amazing Katherine Kellgren!

“He was the best of toms.  He was the worst of toms.”  So says the opening line, describing alleycat Skilley.  He sets out to improve his lot in life by slipping into Ye Old Cheshire Cheese, pub and inn famous for making the best cheese in the realm.  With a grand display of mousing, Skilley earns a place at the inn.  Except he has a secret–he hates eating mice!  Skilley forms an alliance with Pip, the leader of the inn’s mice, but this happy arrangement becomes complicated by the arrival of another (much more vicious!) cat at the inn, as well as the presence of a royal raven who insists he must be returned to the Tower, or England will fall.

This is a delightful little tale with a lovely cast of characters (including Charles Dickens in a supporting role).  The friendship that develops between Skilley and Pip is sweet and genuine, and not without challenges.  I like that the book doesn’t oversimplify the challenges of two traditional enemies forming a friendship.  They have to deal with outside prejudice, and both make mistakes along the way.  It’s a light story, but I like that more complex thread.

That complexity and depth aside, this book has wonderful fun moments.  I particularly enjoy the image of Skilley showing off his mousing skill, by trotting through the inn’s common room all day long, always with a mouse in his mouth–except that it’s Pip, every time, because it’s part of their plan.  So he just keeps catching the same mouse, again and again…

There are some more violent moments in the interactions between cats and mice, but nothing too graphic.  Just be warned the book doesn’t ignore the reality of normal relations between cats and mice.

Besides Mr. Dickens, there’s a good crop of supporting characters, from the hard-faced and terrifying cook, to the hysterical servant Adele (who always seems to be the one who sees mice), to the tiny mouse Too and the wise but condescending raven Maldwyn.  There are a lot of threads of story in here, including Dickens’ writers block, all well-balanced and keeping the adventure moving quickly.

I would not recommend thinking too hard about the sanitation issues of 10,000 mice living in an inn (kind of like Ratatouille that way), but I would recommend having some cheese on hand while reading!  Or listening–because Katherine Kellgren’s reading, of course, was wonderful.  And obviously I recommend picking up this book in one form or another!

Book’s Site: http://cheshirecheesecat.com/

Other reviews:
Ms. Tami Reads
Reads 4 Tweens
Cat Chat
Anyone else?

Buy it here: The Cheshire Cheese Cat

What Are You Reading – and Give-Away!

On By cherylmahoneyIn Novel News, What Are You Reading?5 Comments

It’s a busy week in the blogosphere, with Carl’s spring Once Upon a Time reading challenge starting on the 21st!  As a fantasy reader, I have some books lined-up…and as a fantasy writer, I have another fun idea for celebrating fantasy in the spring.  Since this is a What Are You Reading post, shall we start there?  (And if you just want to know about the give-away, scroll on down to the second picture.)

What Are You Reading OUaTWith fantasy and fairy tale retellings on my mind, I’ve just started Hero by Alethea Kontis, sequel to Enchanted.  Cramming together massive numbers of fairy tales, I look forward to picking out the different threads!  I also have the last book in Diana Wynne Jones’ Chrestomanci series to read, The Pinhoe Egg, a fantasy novel that will finish my rereading of the series.

Mixing things up with some non-fantasy, I have Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness.  I finally read The Knife of Never Letting Go a few weeks ago (a few years after it exploded all over the blogs I follow), went promptly on to the sequel, and am looking forward to the final installment of the trilogy.  And in marked contrast to that dystopia read, I’m also midway through the nonfiction Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert, all about how the mind works and why the things we expect to make us happy don’t–and vice versa.

Wanderers 8 - Small CopySome nice variety, and a nice start to Once Upon a Time.  And speaking of which…I decided to celebrate the fantasy reading season by also offering a give-away of my fairy tale retelling, The Wanderers.  One winner will receive a signed copy of the paperback!*  If you don’t already know you want to enter, here’s a little about the book:

You might recognize the landscape.  You may think you know the rules.  But you’ve strayed beyond the tales.  Come join a wandering adventurer, a talking cat and a witch’s daughter as they fight monsters, pursue quests, and learn that sometimes, rules are no help at all.

The give-away will run from NOW until April 30th, so if the winner wants to read the book during the Once Upon a Time challenge, there will still be time.  But how can you be that lucky person?  🙂  I’m doing this raffle-style, so you can enter multiple times, and multiple ways…

1) Leave a comment anywhere on my blog with the hashtag #WanderersGiveAway, for ONE entry per comment

2) Tweet using the hashtag for TWO entries per tweet

3) Mention the give-away on your blog (and send me a link) or on Facebook (and send me a screenshot) for FIVE entries

And if you want to comment during the next month without entering, I’ll just assume you already have a copy and ask no questions.  🙂

I think that covers all the bits of business today…don’t hesitate if you have questions, and don’t hesitate to enter!  Now onward to the reading…

*Note for International Readers: Due to prohibitive shipping costs, I can’t mail a book outside of the United States–but I don’t want to bar my lovely readers from the UK, Canada and Australia (and if you’re from somewhere else, I’m sure you’re lovely too!) so if you win, I’ll send you the book direct from Amazon, and mail you a signature you can paste into it (or sell on eBay…whichever!)

Saturday Snapshot: Celebrity Sightings at Comic Con, Lando Edition

On By cherylmahoneyIn Saturday Snapshot5 Comments

In my last Saturday Snapshot, I shared some photos of celebrity sightings at the Wizard World Convention.  This week I have photos of one more very exciting guest…

WizardCon (3)Billy Dee Williams, who you may recognize as Lando Calrissian from Star Wars.  Maybe it’s the influence of the Star Wars books I’ve read (more on that in a moment), but to me, Lando seems just about as exciting as anyone else in the Star Wars universe.

Billy Dee Williams is on this season of Dancing with the Stars, and his dance partner was a surprise guest.

WizardConShe dressed appropriately for the venue. 🙂

I posted once already about my souvenir from the convention, but I’ll share it again…I suspect that The Lando Calrissian Adventures contributed greatly to my excitement at seeing Billy Dee Williams, so it’s beautifully fitting that I got him to sign my copy–and it’s much more unique than an 8×10 photo!

WizardCon1One more photo from Comic Con next week…in the meantime, visit West Metro Mommy for more Saturday Snapshots!

Embarking for Fairylands…

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations23 Comments

onceup8300My favorite reading challenge of the year is back again!  Once Upon a Time, hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings, is a celebration of fantasy reading, especially with a fairy tale bent.  As Carl put it in his launch post this year…

“…that still small voice is calling, “Come away…”

It is that voice that beckons us to Middle-earth and Newford, that calls out from the gap in the village of Wall and from the world of London Below. It is the voice that packs so much promise into four little words…

“Once upon a time…”

The “challenge” is low-key (hence my quotation marks) and focused more on the fun.  No participation is too small, no pressure is involved!  This will be my fourth year participating (!) and it’s begun to feel like a little reunion of bloggers every year, as old friends come out to share their posts.  The “challenge” runs throughout spring, promising lots of good fantasy reading in the next three months.

Some years I’ve gone into this with a long list of books (and possibly a tall stack somewhere in my apartment) but this year I’m feeling a little more freeform.  I’m hoping for some impetus to read more fairy tale retellings, a plan for this year that I haven’t fully pursued yet.  Along those lines, I have Cress by Marissa Meyer on reserve at the library–#47 in line, so hopefully it will come before the challenge ends!

Beyond that, I want to finish up my rereading of Diana Wynne Jones’ Crestomanci series, and start a rereading of her Dalemark Quartet.  And beyond that…I will see where the spirit moves, and expect to get many good ideas from what everyone else reads!

And if I might shamelessly self-promote for a moment–may I suggest that my novel about a wandering adventurer and a talking cat, adventuring through fairy tales, would be a perfect read for this challenge? 🙂  (Edited: And you may also want to investigate my give-away…)

Happy voyaging, wherever your reading takes you!