The Swan Maiden

by Heather Tomlinson

Overview

In the quiet hour before dawn, anything can happen. A third daughter can dream of being a creature of flight and magic, of wearing a swan-skin like her sisters. But Doucette must run the castle household while her older sisters learn to weave spells. Her dream of flying is exactly that—until the day she discovers her own hidden birthright.

Sudden, soaring freedom—it is a wish come true. Yet it comes with a price. As Doucette struggles to find her own way in the world, she risks losing the one she loves most of all.

An age-old fairy tale told in a refreshingly original voice, Heather Tomlinson's stunning debut is fantasy at its most eloquent and richly imagined.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466843301
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	09/30/2008
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Lexile:	780L (what's this?)
File size:	574 KB
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

HEATHER TOMLINSON has taught English in Paris and French in the United States. She lives on a houseboat in and around Southern California with her engineer husband and her cats X, Y, and Z.

Heather Tomlinson has taught English in Paris and French in the United States. She lives on a houseboat in and around Southern California with her engineer husband and her cats X, Y, and Z. She is the author of The Swan Maiden, Toads and Diamonds, and Aurelie.

Read an Excerpt

The Swan Maiden

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By Tomlinson, Heather

Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Copyright © 2007 Tomlinson, Heather
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780805082753

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Her fingers plunged into the feathers. Soft and warm, the swan-skin offered a silent promise.

Change.

Did she dare?

Doucette crossed to the window, pushed aside the embroidered curtains, and stared out of the luxurious room that suddenly seemed a prison.

Over the years, Doucette had heard her father instruct her sisters’ escort. Like them, she could follow the sheep flocks to a lake in the mountains, then seek the lake’s eastern shore. The river Immeluse would lead her the rest of the way to her aunt’s castle, to a season of studying magic with Azelais and Cecilia. If she dared.

The wind kissed her cheek.

Doucette sat and took off her shoes. Her hose. Her gown, and the soft chemise underneath. Folding each item, she set it on the bed. The breeze gusted, stirring dried rose petals in a wooden bowl and raising tiny bumps along Doucette’s skin.

She took a deep breath and drew on the coat of feathers. Magic tingled the length of her body and down her spine. Her neck stretched, her legs shrank. Her skin exploded in feathers. The world spun around her as her vision took on a crystalline sharpness. The floor rose to meet her, then stopped with a jolt.

She was a swan.

Continues...

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Excerpted from The Swan Maiden by Tomlinson, Heather Copyright © 2007 byTomlinson, Heather. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

Inspired by French fairy tales, Tomlinson's first novel takes the motif of the "swan maiden"- a beautiful young woman who can assume the form of a swan-and embroiders it into an elaborate romantic fantasy. Doucette, the 16-year-old daughter of a count, longs to be a swan maiden like her two older sisters, Azelais and Cecilia, who can perform sorcery, but for the past six years her parents have led her to believe that she was born without a "swan skin." While her sisters spend each summer with Tante Mahalt perfecting their magic, Doucette undergoes year-round tutelage from their domineering mother in running a noble household-until she discovers the swan skin her mother has hidden from her since birth. Tomlinson presents Doucette's subsequent adventures as a series of forks in the road: Stay with her mother or fly to Tante Mahalt? Marry her true love, the shepherd Jaume, or be made queen? Sacrifice her swan self, and her magic, in exchange for love? The prose rarely rises above the serviceable ("Soft as milk, as clouds, as snow, the dappled swan skin enveloped her in a luscious warmth"); rather, it's the fast-moving plot that will engage readers. Fans of Shannon Hale's Goose Girland Juliet Marillier's Daughter of the Forest form the likeliest audience. Ages 12-up. (Aug.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Publishers Weekly

Gr 7 Up
As the youngest, seemingly unmagical daughter of Lord Pascau, Doucette, 16, is trapped in the castle learning how to manage a busy household while her wildly unrestrained swan maiden sisters study the High Arts with their sorceress aunt. Doucette is expected to behave as a proper young lady and marry as her parents dictate, unlike her sisters, who are free to live-and love-as they choose. Her dreams of flying and of being free to love the shepherd boy Jaume seem utterly hopeless until a chance discovery reveals the birthright that her parents have kept carefully concealed from her. But even then, obstacles stand between Doucette and happiness, not the least of which are Jaume's distrust of magic and a series of impossible tasks that he must complete to win her hand. Inspired by French fairy tales, Tomlinson skillfully weaves a satisfying and enchanting tale that flows quickly and immerses readers in a charming, rustic setting. Independent, determined, and fallible, Doucette is a likable heroine who grows in confidence and trust. The romance is secondary to her development. This book would make an excellent companion to Edith Pattou's East (Harcourt, 2003) and may also appeal to Donna Jo Napoli's fans.
—Neala ArnoldCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Doucette, a meek and envious youngest sister, progresses from sour to distant trying to find herself. Her elder sisters are swan maidens: They practice magic, choose their own lovers and tauntingly relish their freedom. Doucette, in contrast, is treated coldly and trained to supervise a household. When she discovers her own swan skin hidden under a mattress, she grabs her birthright of magical powers and flies off to learn sorcery. A sweet, tender suitor offers perfect love, but marriage seems to disallow freedom, so Doucette flees. Alone and dissociated, "[l]ike a drunkard swilling wine, a miser counting coins, she [loses] herself in magic." Tomlinson's strength is the "golden, drowsy landscape" with sensuous details like "the smell of flowering almond" and " ‘crushed mint for a pillow.' " Her weaknesses are the repetitious dichotomy ("Woman or swan, wife or witch") and a frustrating vagueness in the magic's metaphysics. Seekers of nitty-gritty magical details should look elsewhere, but the atmosphere and gratifying last chapter will please fans of romance and ambience. (Fantasy. YA)

Kirkus Reviews

Layered, elegantly written, and filled with unexpected twists and turns, The Swan Maiden soars with grace and power.” —Booklist, Starred Review

“Inspired by French fairy tales, Tomlinson skillfully weaves a satisfying and enchanting tale that flows quickly and immerses readers in a charming, rustic setting.” —School Library Journal

“This novel has a light and enchanting quality . . . Doucette's struggles and dreams will resonate with teenage girls who are trying to find their place in the world.” —Voice of Youth Advocates

From the Publisher