“Day 1. My lady and I are being shut up in a tower for seven years.” — First Sentence
Synopsis from the back cover:
When a beautiful Lady refuses to marry the Lord her father has chosen, her father is furious. So furious he locks her in a tower with her maid. But the maid realizes there is something deeply sinister behind her Lady’s fear of the Lord, something which means they could be in more danger beyond the walls of the tower than imprisoned within them…
The Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale is a young adult fairy tale retelling and romance. This post will be in a Q&A style.
What led you to pick up this book?
I was browsing at Borders at Tropicana City Mall when I came across this book. I have three of Shannon Hale’s books (The Goose Girl, Enna Burning and River Secret) and adding one more to my collection would not hurt… Plus, the premise interests me. I adore fairy tale retellings, and this one is a retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Maid Maleen with a Mongolian setting.
What did you like most about the book?
The book format is similar to journalling, where Dashti the maid writes her thoughts regularly; hence, the book title. The jottings stop at exactly Day 1,000. If computers were available, then I think Dashti would probably be blogging. She is a special maid because she can read and write, unlike her mistress, Lady Saren of Titor’s Garden. The book becomes very important toward the end of the story.
What did you think of the main character?
Dashti, the maid, is strong and loyal. She has sworn never to leave her Lady Saren, and she does exactly that, even though the Lady’s father banished them to seven years of imprisonment in a tower after her Lady refused to marry the man her father had chosen. Dashti takes good care of her weak Lady and does everything she asks, even disguising herself as her Lady when Khan Tegus from the land called Song for Evela comes to seek her at the tower. They could not see each other face to face. Dashti knows the healing songs and she speaks well. She and Khan Tegus (who thinks Dashti is Lady Saren) get on very well while her Lady watches and listens. I really admire her courage to face anything that life throws at her. She is vital to their survival.
What about the ending?
I loved the ending. It is well done and I loved the twist. Clever plotting is all I have to say. It is a fast read and a page-turner.
Would you recommend this book? Yes.
Should anyone NOT be encouraged to read it? Why? None that I can think of.
Would you read more books by this author?
Yes, most definitely. I have The Goose Girl, Enna Burning and River Secret in my TBR (to-be-read) pile.
Would you re-read the book? Probably.
