A Curse Dark as Gold

Charlotte Miller and her younger sister Rosie are left in charge of the family’s wool mill when their father unexpectedly passes away. They’ve grown up hearing stories about the cursed mill but Charlotte has always dismissed them. Despite being an underage female heir, she’s determined to keep the mill, and her little village, running. But the Miller family’s bad luck gets worse and worse and Charlotte slowly starts to wonder if there really is a curse. Then one night an odd little man shows up in the mill, offering his services in exchange for a sentimental trinket, and Charlotte takes him up on his offer.

I really liked the first half of the book. Charlotte is feisty, if a bit too practical, and she’s creative in addressing show more the mill’s myriad problems. I wondered how the author was going to weave Rumpelstiltskin into the tale but she did it beautifully. The village of Shearing, like any self-respecting small town, is full of quirky characters. Most of them are just as loyal to Charlotte as she is to them. Everyone works hard and joins in the mill’s every success and setback. Or tries to.

Because Charlotte is ridiculously secretive. It annoyed me so much! She has a large, caring support system but she won’t discuss anything with anyone, much less ask for advice. She is young (maybe 16?) and apparently all the Millers are proud, but so much of the drama in the book could have been avoided if she’d just talked to someone. Her furtiveness gets worse throughout the book until she’s actively pushing everyone near her away. Had the audiobook been even one hour shorter, I don’t think all of this would have bothered me as much.

I largely enjoyed Charlotte Parry’s narration. Her tone perfectly fit the mood of every scene. My one small quibble is that Rosie, Charlotte’s sister, is supposed to be about 14 years old but her high, lisping voice made her sound about seven to me. It was startling when someone mentions that she’s getting to be “of marriageable age.”

My GoodReads friends have rated this book 4- and 5-stars across the board so this was probably just a case of the wrong book at the wrong time. Fans of fairy tale retellings should give this one a try. show less

One has the impression that Bunce is more interested in the Industrial Revolution than her fairy-tale inspiration - which suits me just fine; that's a pet subject of mine as well - but when neither the main character (the indomitable Charlotte) nor the author seems to quite get what's going on, those 400 pages can drag a bit.

Hmm, but I really liked this book. The plot is tangly and intricate, most of the characters are rational (if a bit overly-helpful), and the moral lessons, which could easily be heavy-handed, are both integral to the story & to the characters' development.

Still, it is not a Young Adult novel. Ignore the cover image; ignore the idiotic fairy-tales-are-for-children meme. Charlotte is 'young' at the onset, but she's show more old enough to marry and bear children - she is not a child. Quite apart from her apparent age, though, are her ways of thinking. She doesn't think like a Young Adult (meaning teenager); Charlotte has the mental habits of an adult.
& it makes for a better book. Who wants another thoughtless, irrational heroine who doesn't have the sense to come in out of the rain? show less

When Charlotte Miller’s father dies, she inherits both the crumbling Stirwaters mill and all the troubles that go along with it. She and her feisty sister Rosie struggle to make ends meet as one catastrophe after another befalls the mill. Practical Charlotte thinks that the problems are sheer coincidence and bad luck, but rumors around town whisper of a curse on Stirwaters and the Miller family. After a particularly harsh blow falls, Charlotte is in danger of losing Stirwaters, and she’ll do anything to stop that from happening – even if it means making a bargain with a mysterious stranger who offers to spin straw into gold. But what will happen when the stranger’s price is something Charlotte cannot pay?

This imaginative show more retelling of Rumpelstiltskin is well written and beautifully plotted: each seemingly random detail unfolds at exactly the right moment to provide the ingenious resolution of the curse. The story can be a bit dark and dreary, but that fits the nature of the tale and creates a compelling atmosphere. I especially liked the revelation of the story behind the curse, which was emotionally concentrated and very intense; it made me pity even the villains. I also liked the romantic aspect of the novel, which was rather unique in that it continued to develop after the marriage. I honestly can’t think of any criticisms; if you enjoy fairy tale retellings, I would definitely recommend this novel. show less

This was a take on the "Rumpelstiltskin" fairy tale. The owner of a cursed water mill has died, leaving two young daughters who take up the trade and continue to run the business. Their dead mother's brother shows up as a guardian, and the girls fight for the right to stay and run the mill. Misfortune and bad luck continue to keep the girls from getting ahead.
Details of the water mills and milling work are incorporated into the story line. The characters are wonderfully written and for the most part, very likeable. The ending is a bit different from the original story, but the story was a delightful treat on a Sunday afternoon.

Well there was enough good stuff in here that I will keep an eye out for more by the same author. This author has a gift for description, she often conjured an image of a place or person without bogging down in so much detail that it pulled you out of the action. The characters were interesting and their situations were productive of drama.

But unfortunately the book as a whole was a little uneven. Sometimes the story would move along quickly and then it would suddenly slow to almost a halt for part of a chapter, then pick back up again. Almost as if two different people were writing - with completely different senses of pacing. Then, characters would be inconsistent. Really slow on the uptake one week and then just a little while later show more they'd be figuring things out like they were Sherlock Holmes. Or one character would be afraid of another, or angry with another, and then a few pages later they would show no sign of the previous emotion.

It wasn't awful, just little problems, but they were impediments that held the book back from being as good as it could have been. There were times I felt like it was turning into something really great, but then it just wouldn't quite get there. Maybe the next one will. show less

I have had this to read for awhile. I always love fairy tale retellings and this was a very well done retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. The story moves a bit slow at points, but it is beautifully written and full of excellent imagery. I ended up enjoying it. The story pulls you forward with a tense foreboding as things end up poised on the brink of disaster.

This story follows two sisters who end up taking over a cloth mill after their father’s death. The mill seems to be cursed, as one tragedy after another befalls it. The older sister Charlotte finds herself struggling to keep the mill open so that the town built around it can continue to thrive. Just as she is at her wit’s end, a strange man appears and offers what seems to be too show more easy of a way out of her problems.

I loved learning about cloth milling and enjoyed the small town that Charlotte lives in. This is one of those stories where the heroine has the best intentions but ends up getting herself in worse and worse situations as she struggles to do right for those around her.

I enjoyed how this story was blended in with the classic tale of Rumpelstiltskin. It is well done and subtle.

The writing style is beautiful and flows wonderfully. There is a lot of description in here and the scenes really come alive. At times this makes the story move slowly. However this slower pace fits well with the pace of small town life and with the gradually build to disaster that overhangs this story.

Overall this is a very well done retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and I would recommend to those who enjoy fairy tale retellings. Although the story is a bit slow at times, it is beautifully written. I also enjoyed learning some about how cloth milling used to be done. show less

A Rumpelstiltskin retelling with a strong, independent female protagonist, small-town superstitions, an eccentric uncle, and maybe even a ghost!

When Charlotte’s father dies, he leaves no sons to take over the wool mill at the heart of their town, but Charlotte and her sister are determined to keep it running on their own. The town is depending on them. But bad fortune plagues them at every turn, so that even level-headed Charlotte starts to think there might be some truth in the rumours about the Miller family curse. When a strange man calling himself Jack Spinner appears and offers to help them get out of debt in exchange for only her mother’s inexpensive ring, she thinks it might be too good to be true — but she’s out of show more options.

Soon enough the truth will come to light and Charlotte will have to find a way to right the wrongs of the past … and there is far more than the Mill at stake.

Rumpelstiltskin stories have so much potential for creativity, and this one certainly delivered! It’s rather slow-paced, but once it gets to the interesting parts it’s very interesting and everything pays off really well! show less