Product Description

"Spindle's End" is a retelling of the fairy tale, "The Sleeping Beauty", which takes the reader into a magical world filled with modern characters who encounter adventure, love and loss. The curse placed on Rosie at her christening will hunt her down through the years.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44936 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 259 pages

Review
This is an absorbing read dealing with genuine teenage issues. 13-year-old Jules is mostly looked after by her dad, a scriptwriter. Jules is happy with this arrangement but hates the frequent arguments caused when her financier mum is late home. But on her grandmother's birthday a real fight flares up and Dad leaves home shortly afterwards, making no further contact with Jules. Totally mystified and deeply wounded, Jules pursues her ambition to become an actor like Dad's brother, Uncle Derek. She has already auditioned for the part of Lyra in an adaptation of Philip Pullman's Northern Lights. Her success was to be a surprise for Dad but when she finally skives school to track him down he hardly can bear to talk to her. Granny Sophie and Uncle Derek too avoid offering explanations and Jules finds her support in her theatre group and her friend Marty. Then, suddenly, she finds that she is the subject of a high-profile court case. She is Child X! The success of this novel lies quite simply in good writing and plotting. The language Jules and her friends use is realistic and the first person narrative explores Jules's thoughts and feelings with sensitivity. The plot moves quickly and we see her anger with her family explode into her acting. It is the play, too, which finally points her towards forgiveness. Detail is well observed. Her relationships with contemporaries undergo changes which will be recognized by teenagers and adults alike. Marty's initial jealousy when Jules gets the coveted role is put aside when her friend is in trouble and the unpleasant class bully turns out to have been thoughtless rather than actually evil. The characters in this novel are three-dimensional beings who learn and progress. Responses and relationships are meticulously detailed, and sensitive issues are covered with delicacy and humour. Strongly recommended for readers aged 11 and over. (Kirkus UK)

The Financial Times, 23rd March 2002
Electrifying storytelling, a must read for fans of quality fantasy of any age

The Bookseller, 19th July 2002
What starts off as the story of Sleeping Beauty twists and turns, becoming ever more magical. Prepare to be enchanted.

Customer Reviews

Good story, to long.
I thought that the story line was quite good but it was to long about 5 chapters to long and the ending was a bit rushed. I don't think this is one of her best books.

Spindle's end
I think this book is very well written, i got into it straight away and couldn't put it down!This is a definet read there is always something going on in it and i think that all ages would really enjoy this book.

Re-telling of Sleeping Beauty
I must admit, I was curious about a modern re-telling of the story of Sleeping Beauty so I picked this book up.

The story overall was quite good, with a few twists here and there to originate it from what many people perceive as the story of Sleeping Beauty (ie, the Disney version). For example, there are not just three fairy godmothers, and the entire kingdom is full of magic.

But, while the story was good, I didn't care for the incredible amount of description that was put into it. I found it a bit heavy in that respect, which is why I've given it four instead of five stars.