Publisher: Fantagraphics BooksPublication Year: 2006
ISBN: 1560977477
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 472
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
I have always had a fondness for fairy tales, I love the originals and many of the retellings. So when I first heard about this via Tapestry100's blog. When I found in on the shelf of my local library I was excited to give it a go. Castle Waiting starts off in typical Sleeping Beauty fashion but that is just the start of the tale and one that is soon over. The bulk of the book deals with what happens to the castle and its inhabitants after the Princess leaves. In Linda Medley's story the castle becomes a refuge to those who have no where else to go and so there is this delightfully odd cast of characters that fill the pages. That plus the simple black and white drawings that make up this graphic novel really add to the story and bring it to life.
This was a quick read and it really sucked me in I found that I couldn't put this one down....at least at first. What dropped this from a 5 star book to a 3 in my eyes was one tale, that of the bearded nuns, went on far too long. In the end it became a distraction and a bit of a snooze. I think that Medley might have been better off breaking up this tale and interweaving it with the stories of the other castle dwellers. The end of the book was also very dissatisfying as you there are so many stories that are left untold...all the more reason why Medley probably should have spent less time with the bearded nuns. All is not lost though as there is a Castle Waiting Vol. II available through Fantagraphics Books. Now the question is though...do I want to spend the $43 it will take to get the rest of this series? Yes. Though the want seriously goes against my no new books in 2009. So I might have to wait a few months before finding a way to justify this purchase.
This was a quick read and it really sucked me in I found that I couldn't put this one down....at least at first. What dropped this from a 5 star book to a 3 in my eyes was one tale, that of the bearded nuns, went on far too long. In the end it became a distraction and a bit of a snooze. I think that Medley might have been better off breaking up this tale and interweaving it with the stories of the other castle dwellers. The end of the book was also very dissatisfying as you there are so many stories that are left untold...all the more reason why Medley probably should have spent less time with the bearded nuns. All is not lost though as there is a Castle Waiting Vol. II available through Fantagraphics Books. Now the question is though...do I want to spend the $43 it will take to get the rest of this series? Yes. Though the want seriously goes against my no new books in 2009. So I might have to wait a few months before finding a way to justify this purchase.
I have been in a fairy tale mood lately too, so this looks like a good book to me. Hopefully my library carries it as well!
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