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The Princess and the Curse

by S.A. Martin



      The Princess and the Curse is a clever retelling of a Celtic myth. Reading like a fairy tale, this short, 100 page novella could have been told around the hearth fire of any cottage a few hundred years ago. It is a teaching tale about a braggart getting his comeuppance. Though not really such a bad fellow, the fisherman Nolan just can’t help stretching the truth about how he good a fisherman he is and how great his skills are. He even elaborates on what he’s seen and experienced out on the water. The villagers just shake their heads, but one day a stranger comes to town and asks Nolan to put actions behind his boastful words by having him go to the land of Connachta, fetch the Blessed Bell, and bring it to the tavern. If Nolan doesn’t, he not only is proven to be a liar, but he must forfeit his boat, his only means of livelihood. But little does Nolan realize until he sails onto the shores of an unknown land that the Blessed Bell is really the Blessed Belle, a beautiful princess who gladly flees with him to escape her marriage to an evil prince who curses the land.

The princess learns about humility and the value of hard work (though she never was haughty about her position). Nolan also learns humility as he begins to fall in love with the princess.

With the help of a wise woman who knows her way around magic, Nolan and Princess Leslie foil the evil prince and find out a lot about themselves and each other.

S.A. Martin’s tale may seem deceptively simple. However, like those lovely tales from Steven Spielberg’s television series, Amazing Stories, The Princess and the Curse uplifts and teaches a moral lesson. And while Martin does hit us on the head with it on the last page, sometimes that was the way of the fairytales of yore.

The Book

New Concepts Publishing, Inc.
December 2006
ebook
1-58608-998-6
Fiction, fantasy novella
More at the Publisher's site
Excerpt
NOTE:

The Reviewer

Janie Franz
Reviewed 2007
NOTE: Reviewer Janie Franz is the author of Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid!, Relaxation Techniques for Children, Relaxation Techniques for Adults; Co-author of The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book and The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book. Coming Soon: The Ultimate Wedding Workbook, Get Rich on Love, and Sacred Breath (a sound recording of relaxation meditations).
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