Briar Rose A Novel of the Holocaust

by Yolen, Jane; Windling, Terri

• ISBN13: 9780765342300
• ISBN10: 0765342308
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-03-15
• Publisher: Tor Teen

Summary

A powerful retelling ofSleeping Beautythat is "heartbreaking and heartwarming." An American Library Association "100 Best Books for Teens" An American Library Association "Best Books for Young Adults" Ever since she was a child, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma's stories about Briar Rose. But a promise Rebecca makes to her dying grandmother will lead her on a remarkable journey to uncover the truth of Gemma's astonishing claim:I am Briar Rose. A journey that will lead her to unspeakable brutality and horror. But also to redemption and hope. Born and raised in New York City,Jane Yolenattended Smith College and then received a Master's in Education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Yolen also composes songs and is a professional storyteller on the stage. She lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts, and St. Andrews, Scotland. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults A 1992 Nebula Nominee This celebrated fantasy novel offers a new and insightful version of the German folktale of the Briar Rose, also known as the Sleeping Beauty story. In Yolen's graceful, historically sensitive retelling, the fable is set amid forests patrolled by the German army during World War II. Confronting the deeply tragic events of the Holocaust, Yolen employs lyrical prose and rich characterizations to communicate a tale of good and evil, light and darkness, hope and despair. AsThe Washington Postobserved: "[This is] a terrifically moving story of the Holocaust, one that finds hope and bravery behind the barbed wire and reminds us of love's power to heal even the most terrible and enduring wounds . . .Briar Rosetakes on the timeless quality of a true myth, with its depiction of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the face of nearly incomprehensible evil." "[A work of] surpassing feeling and resonance . . . Yolen has given the fairy tale a life far more real, more poignant, than anything the Disney wizards could possibly achieve."Analog "A compact knockout of a novel . . . Recommended."Feminist Bookstore News "Utterly superb."Interzone "Yolen is a national treasure.Briar Roseis an exquisite and heartrending story that fulfills the promise of the finest fairy tales: truth, pain, and entertainment."Greg Bear "Both heartbreaking and heartwarming, Yolen's novel is a compelling reminder of the Holocaust as well as a contemporary tale of secrets and romance."Booklist "One of [the Fairy Tale series'] most ambitious efforts, and only a writer as good as Yolen could bring it off. Yolen takes the story of Briar Rose (commonly known as Sleeping Beauty) and links it to the Holocausta far-from-obvious connection that she makes perfectly convincing . . . She handles a difficult subject with finesse in a book that should be required reading for anyone who is tempted to dismiss fantasy as a frivolous genre."Publishers Weekly

Author Biography

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Nowegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1
 
 
“Gemma, tell your story again,” Shana begged, putting her arms around her grandmother and breathing in that special smell of talcum and lemon that seemed to belong only to her.
“Which one?” Gemma asked, chopping the apples in the wooden bowl.
“You know,” Shana said.
“Yes—you know,” Sylvia added. Like her sister, she crowded close and let the talcum-lemon smell almost over-whelm her.
Baby Rebecca in the high chair banged her spoon against the cup. “Seepin Boot. Seepin Boot.”
Shana made a face. Even when she had been little herself she'd never spoken in baby talk. Only full sentences; her mother swore to it.
“Seepin Boot.” Gemma smiled. “All right.”
The sisters nodded and stepped back a pace each, as if the story demanded their grandmother's face, not just her scent.
“Once upon a time,” Gemma began, the older two girls whispering the opening with her, “which is all times and no times but not the very best of times, there was a castle. And in it lived a king who wanted nothing more in the world than a child.
“ ‘From your lips to God's ears,' the queen said each time the king talked of a baby. But the years went by and they had none.”
“None, none, none,” sang out Rebecca, banging her spoon on the cup with each word.
“Shut up!” Shana and Sylvia said in unison.
Gemma took the spoon and cup away and gave Rebecca a slice of apple instead. “Now one day, finally and at last and about time, the queen went to bed and gave birth to a baby girl with a crown of red hair.” Gemma touched her own hair in which strands of white curled around the red like barbed wire. “The child's face was as beautiful as a wildflower and so the king named her…”
“Briar Rose,” Sylvia and Shana breathed.
“Briar Rose,” repeated Rebecca, only not nearly so clearly, her mouth being quite full of apple.
 
Copyright ©1992 by Jane Yolen

Excerpts

CHAPTER 1
 
 
“Gemma, tell your story again,” Shana begged, putting her arms around her grandmother and breathing in that special smell of talcum and lemon that seemed to belong only to her.
“Which one?” Gemma asked, chopping the apples in the wooden bowl.
“You know,” Shana said.
“Yes—you know,” Sylvia added. Like her sister, she crowded close and let the talcum-lemon smell almost over-whelm her.
Baby Rebecca in the high chair banged her spoon against the cup. “Seepin Boot. Seepin Boot.”
Shana made a face. Even when she had been little herself she’d never spoken in baby talk. Only full sentences; her mother swore to it.
“Seepin Boot.” Gemma smiled. “All right.”
The sisters nodded and stepped back a pace each, as if the story demanded their grandmother’s face, not just her scent.
“Once upon a time,” Gemma began, the older two girls whispering the opening with her, “which is all times and no times but not the very best of times, there was a castle. And in it lived a king who wanted nothing more in the world than a child.
“ ‘From your lips to God’s ears,’ the queen said each time the king talked of a baby. But the years went by and they had none.”
“None, none, none,” sang out Rebecca, banging her spoon on the cup with each word.
“Shut up!” Shana and Sylvia said in unison.
Gemma took the spoon and cup away and gave Rebecca a slice of apple instead. “Now one day, finally and at last and about time, the queen went to bed and gave birth to a baby girl with a crown of red hair.” Gemma touched her own hair in which strands of white curled around the red like barbed wire. “The child’s face was as beautiful as a wildflower and so the king named her…”
“Briar Rose,” Sylvia and Shana breathed.
“Briar Rose,” repeated Rebecca, only not nearly so clearly, her mouth being quite full of apple.
 
Copyright ©1992 by Jane Yolen

---

Excerpted from Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.