The Golden Key

Fascinated by a tale told him by his great-aunt about a golden key hidden by the fairies at the end of the rainbow, a boy sees a rainbow in the woods at sundown and goes to investigate. Fearful that the three bears of her story book are at her door a girl escapes from her bedroom window and runs into the woods. Thus Mossy the boy and Tangle the girl embark on their adventure in Fairyland.

Their fairy tale quest is also a surreal and metaphysical tale of recurring existence, filled with hints of Christian metaphors. Three times is often the charm for MacDonald beginning with the reference to the folktale Silverhair (more commonly known now as Goldilocks and the three bears). The protagonists, Mossy, the boy and Tangle, the girl, encounter show more three men in various stages of their lives: old, young, and infant. These men or boys aid them on their way. Mossy and Tangle themselves also experience these three ages, but like their three guides, it’s not necessarily in the usual chronological order, indicating that the fairyland through which they journey is outside the bounds of time and space. It is a place of reoccurrence and resurrection and also one of separation and reunion. And as Yolen points out in the afterword, it’s also “an extended metaphor of life and death.” show less

Truthfully, the story did little for me. I found MacDonald's story dull and lifeless, although young children will probably enjoy the fairy tale. Ruth Sanderson's illustrations, on the other hand, are splendid. Each picture is rich with detail and the decision to use scratchboard was inspired: the pictures are dark enough to add a hint of mystery to the tale, but not dark enough to frighten the target audience.

I had never read this story before, although I had seen it and MacDonald mentioned many times as a heavy influence on Tolkien, Lewis, L'Engle, LeGuin, etc. I enjoyed it on my first read-through, and it's short enough that I think it will be something I'll pull off the shelf to revisit many times in the future. You might say it's about nothing, or you might say it's about everything. Some of MacDonald's images will remain active in my mind (Tangle throwing herself into the hole, the stone slab turning to stairs) and I know they'll come up again in both life and lit!

Sanderson's illustrations are lovely and there are many in the book. I spent as much time studying her pictures as I did reading the text.

When I was young, I was spellbound by George Macdonald's fairytale books like The Princess and the Goblins, The Princess and Curdie, and At the Back of the North Wind. He has a knack for the small and beautiful - or disquieting - detail. Now illustrator Ruth Sanderso] has created a new edition of his The Golden Key, breaking the story into chapters and accompanying it with her enchanting illustrations.

A young boy named Mossy hears about a golden key to be found at the end of a rainbow, and determines to search for it. However, no one knows what it will open if found. Along the way, he meets a runaway girl named Tangle in an enchanted cottage, and they set out together to find the key's purpose. The somewhat simple overall story is show more filled with magical detail, and Sanderson has rightly gauged that an illustrated edition targeted to middle graders should find an audience. Her illustrations are terrific, and enhance the story as only the best illustrations can. If you have a young child, this would be an entrancing book to read together, and a good introduction to the tales of George MacDonald. show less

Having previously owned and read other editions of this book, I was mostly interested to read this version for the illustrations.

It's amazing what a difference Sanderson's pictures make in my experience of the story! The Sendak version features illustrations that, while lovely, are far less frequent and unobtrusive-- and the actual book was much smaller, which for some reason makes me think of it as intended for older readers.

In this edition, the actual volume is larger-- and the print matches. Both the scale and type size remind me of an Easy Reader style book, though the story is longer than one would expect from those.

And, of course: the illustrations: far more than mere occasional decorations, they appear at least every other show more page-turn, with frequent two-page spreads that invite pause and careful consideration. at other points, the pictures intrude upon and interact with the text itself, truly shaping a remarkably realistic-- and fanciful-- vision of the fairy world.

My one recommendation, which is a very picky one, would be to have a complete sentence end before each two-page illustration. Even with dissertation formatting requirements, I know how difficult it is to fit figures on the page and control widows and orphans, etc. However, I always feel rushed when turning the page mid-sentence, and I'm afraid some of the incredible illustrations will receive short shrift from readers for this reason. show less

Full disclosure: The biggest reason I requested a copy of The Golden Key was Ruth Sanderson's illustrations, which, I'm happy to report, were breathtaking. Scratchboard art blows my mind; being a non-artist, I just can't wrap my brain around how artists like Ruth create such beauty by scratching away at solid black to reveal bit by bit a complete picture. The proportions, the balance, the fine details...beautiful!

As for George MacDonald's fairy tale, which I read in one sitting, I found it easily adaptable to the reader's interpretation and I like stories where I'm given leeway to apply my own meaning. But I can certainly see where this tale could be presented as a Christian fairy tale for those so inclined. I found Ruth's art the show more perfect complement to the tale, and MacDonald's Fairyland was how I always imagine it: full of creatures both light and dark.

4 stars (5 stars for the illustrations; 3 stars for the fairy tale) show less

I don't know how I missed this for so many years. I read MacDonald's other children's books years ago. I am grateful that I finally got around to it as part of my children's fantasy reading project.

It is a beautiful and moving story, and Sendak's illustrations are perfect. In the afterward, W.H. Auden says it better than I can: "MacDonald's most extraordinary , and precious, gift is his ability . . . to create an atmosphere of goodness about which there is nothing phony or moralistic. Nothing is rarer in literature."

It is interesting to contrast this with Pilgrim's Progress, another influential religious allegory/fantasy about the journey through life and the afterlife. MacDonald must have read it, or at least known about it. And he show more clearly rejected it. The Golden Key is filled with a sense of wonder, innocence, and beauty completely missing from Pilgrim's Progress. It is also a much better story. I love the flying fish! show less