The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling Of The Arabian Nights (2002) - Plot & Excerpts
Once Upon a Time’s The Storyteller’s Daughter(Cameron Dokey) Dec. 1-2, 2014A fairy tale that is new to my hearing. I was hesitant to read it because I’m not a big fan of fairy tales, but I really don’t know what I have eaten that made my mind open up this book. I guess I just want some new taste of magical story with moral lessons. I’m now planning to read this Once Upon a Time series or collection of fairy tales. I’m expecting to discover new fairytales which I haven’t seen or learned before. I’m also open to some retelling of these classic fairytales.The story has a good moral lesson about allowing your heart to see the good things that the eyes are blind to see. The story tells the tale of a great storyteller aka drabardi. Shahrazad was born to be different from every child. Aside from the fact that her mother came from faraway land, her mother is also blind. The people don’t like her mother, Maju, so they came to hate Shahrazad also when she was born. She, too, wasn’t liked by other children. She has no friends so she was always alone. One day she was bullied by other children and she got bruised and asked her mother why she was being treated that way. Maju said that she was different. But Shahrazad doesn’t want to be different she wants to be like them. In order for Maju to make her daughter understand her life she told him a tale that is similar to her life. From the tale Shahrazad learned a great lesson which was: “That I should know my own value and never seek to be what I am not.”I don’t want to give much of the story away so I won’t give a complete plot though. I was already making it, but thought of it better not.If you love tales, this is surely a good one I would love to recommend. Really! Really! It’s not just the lesson that you can extract from it, but the uniqueness of the story. It’s a tale that was not told much. It’s my first encounter with this, but it’s really good. It’s a story that contains more than one story. If you want to know what I mean, then read it, NOW!. Jk! :DSome passages of the story that I want to share with you are: “… If eyes are all one needs to see and know another’s heart truly then answer me this: When you look at me now do you see and understand my heart?”“Though you are a king. I see that you are still as many other men are. You do not see what you have, but long to see what you have not.”The statement below is debatable. You can see from it how the old century treats women. Nowadays, we can see the big difference. Women and men are almost equal when it comes to human rights. “Women are weak creatures,” the third brother said, now picking up the refrain. “They require great guidance and careful watching.” Surely, “freedom” was a word that had no place in a woman’s vocabulary, “ he went on. In fact her vocabulary contain as few words as possible: Husband. Obedience. Duty. Hearth. Home. These words a woman should learn well. If she knew these, she need know little else.”“There is no sense on dwelling on what cannot be altered.”“With the eyes of the heart,” the fisherman replied. “They alone will show you the treasure you seek. If you fail in this, you will suffer the same fate as all the others.”
The Storyteller's Daughter is a wonderful story, by far my favorite book. Its a different but more remarkable telling of the Arabian Nights. The book portrays a faraway kingdom, where a king has been betrayed, deeply hurt and bitterly angry, he vows never to be deceived again. Unfortunately, the king's plan to protect himself will endanger all of the realm's young women, unless one of them will volunteer to marry the king and surrender her life. Sharazada steps forward. Now Sharazada is the daughter of Maju the Great and Almighty storyteller and the King's Royal Vizier and best friend. Sharazada was made fun of by everyone in the palace walls because her long dark black silk like hair was different and one of a kind and her eyes had a sparkle and not a shine and that the fact her mother was blind and soon shall she be. And then When the Day Of her mother parted she became ill with a disease that left her blind. You see this book is not only a fantasy, but its a love story. Also each part of the story holds a new chapter in the characters life. I recommend this story to everyone. If your a hopeless romantic you would love this book, if your a action pack guy or thriller fan this book would leave you shivering . The author really took her time writing a book to please all her audiences. The book's prologue is probably my favorite part because, Shahrazad comes alive, speaking poetically and directly to you about the nature of stories and catching your interest: "A story is alive, as you and I are. . . . A story beats with the heart of every person who has ever strained ears to listen. On the breath of the storyteller, it soars." In this book, we get to hear not only Shahrazad's own story, but also some of the fantastical stories she tells to keep herself alive each night. We learn why the king was so coldhearted and how Shahrazad brings him back to life and love. We follow palace intrigues and watch characters grow.The book is a must read. Also the title is very affective. I saw the word Storyteller and picked it up right away and I don't regret it. The book's title fits it so well its ridiculous. You would think since the book says Storyteller's daughter its going to be about some girl who's the daughter of a Storyteller, and its not. Its much more than that and I really hope you decide to read this wonderful book.
What do You think about The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling Of The Arabian Nights (2002)?
I love fairy tale retellings. I mean, I love them. I love seeing what authors do with the old stories, how they twist them and pull them apart and add feisty heroines and princes with a bit more depth than the average Grimm paragon. It helps if the retelling comes with lovely writing, romance, and a dollop of humor - but adds something entirely new to the old tale.And as fairy tale retellings go, this is a good one. The writing is not lovely, but it's interesting and fits with the plot and the setting; there is plenty of romance, though I have to say it was a tiny bit unconvincing; and there is plenty of humor. Scheherazade (or Sheherazad, or Shaharazad, or Shahrazad...) has never been one of the whimpering damsels in distress found so often in the pages of "Grimm's Fairy Tales," and in Cameron Dokey's book she has even more spunk. She is clever, imaginative, passionate, and brave. She's an excellent heroine.Then why, I ask myself, does she fall in love with such a spineless moron as Shahrayar?Try as I might, I couldn't like him. I couldn't. Believe me, I tried; I put myself in his shoes and when that didn't work, tried to imagine that a demon had possessed his brain and that's why he was so ruthless and cruel. But that didn't work either. So in the end I had to admit it: I didn't like him. What kind of man insists that since his wife was unfaithful, he's going to kill a woman a day? Dokey's explanation of the days in a tower, forming a shell around his heart, falls flat. Sorry, but no virtuous, kind king would do that. So I couldn't like him. Didn't.But Shahrazad did.I love the twists at the beginning: the blindness, the storytelling cloths, and at the end (to say more would be to give everything away). I'm glad Sharazad and -yar get their happy ending and that the kingdom is righted again. If Shahrayar had been more interesting, less cruel, I might have given the book four stars. But I just couldn't love it.
—Maia B.
Shahrazad, the daughter of the King's Vizier and a famous storyteller, grows up living in the palace, but is never quite like the other children. After her mother dies, she lives an even more secluded life. When the king's wife betrays him, he vows to never let it happen again, so he proclaims that he will marry a new wife every month and kill her in the morning. Shahrazad volunteers for this position with the hope of ending the killing. She tells the king a story every night, but never finishes so he won't kill her and she can continue the story the next night.After reading Shadow Spinner, I wanted to read more about Shahrazad. I enjoyed this version, although very different from Shadow Spinner. This book told the story of Shahrazad's life and the King's life and what brought them together. It also threw in a new plot to kill the king and Shahrazad told different stories. I started reading the original Arabian Nights, and was intrigued in how both authors took a little of the original story and spun their own unique tale.
—Kimber
After reading a book in this Once Upon a Time series by a different author with which I was less than impressed, I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened this book. Cameron Dokey, however, put my mind at immediate ease with her beautiful writing style, and in 218 pages she weaved an even more beautiful story. I wasn't familiar with the story of One Thousand and One Nights beyond what was presented in Wishbone, so again I didn't know what to expect. All I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. For some authors it would be difficult to show a story through multiple points of view and on multiple story dimensions, but Cameron Dokey did it wonderfully. Never was a confused or lost, and the voice of the narrator was consistent no matter what pov or dimension the reader is in (since it is ultimately told by one person). I was impressed, to say the least, when I finished the last page. Can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the books in this series!My only problem with this book was a personal one. I'm a bit of a pokemon nerd, so whenever I read Shahrazad's name in my head, I pictured Charizard. Again, a personal thing that is no fault of anyone since Shahrazad's character is significantly older than any pokemon. I just thought I'd share that tidbit for no apparent reason :P
—Alexandra Ray
