Daughter of the Forest
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| Daughter of the Forest | |
 Paperback USA edition |
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| Author | Juliet Marillier |
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| Series | Sevenwaters trilogy |
| Genre(s) | Historical Fantasy |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Publication date | February 2002, Paperback Edition, USA |
| Pages | 400 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7653-4343-6 Paperback USA |
| Followed by | Son of the Shadows |
Daughter of the Forest is an historical fantasy novel by Juliet Marillier - based loosely on "The Six Swans" (a story that has many versions, one of which by the Brothers Grimm). A girl (Sorcha) must sew six shirts from a painful nettle plant in order to save her brothers from a witch's enchantment, remaining completely mute until the task is finished. Falling in love complicates her mission.
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[edit] Plot summary
From the novel's jacket: “Lord Colum of Sevenwaters is blessed with six sons: Liam, a natural leader; Diarmid, with his passion for adventure; twins Cormack and Conor, each with a different calling; rebellious Finbar, grown old before his time by his gift of Sight; and the young, compassionate Padraic.
But it is Sorcha, the seventh child and only daughter, too young to have known her mother, who alone is destined to defend her family and protect her land from the Britons and the clan known as Northwoods. For her father has been bewitched, and her brothers bound by a spell that only Sorcha can lift.
To reclaim the lives of her brothers, Sorcha leaves the only safe place she has ever known and embarks on a journey filled with pain, loss and terror.
When she is kidnapped by enemy forces and taken to a foreign land, it seems there will be no way for her to break the spell that condemns all she loves. But magic knows no boundaries, and Sorcha will have to choose between the life she has always known and a love that comes only once.”
Sorcha, the seventh child of Irish Lord Colum of Sevenwaters, has been raised almost entirely by her six older brothers. Having lost her mother at birth, Sorcha is more or less completely ignored by her father. When her father's new wife, the Lady Oonagh, attacks Sorcha and her brothers, Sorcha alone is able to flee into the forest and escape. Sorcha's brothers, however, have been turned into swans.
What follows is a twist on the classic tale of "The Six Swans." Sorcha learns that if she can spin six shirts from starwort, remaining absolutely silent until the last one has been completed, she can free her brothers from Oonagh's spell. Sorcha agrees to this and spends several years in the forest, hiding from Oonagh as she works on the shirts.
After several years of solitary struggle, Sorcha encounters a British lord, Hugh of Harrowfield (a.k.a. "Red"). When Red returns to Britain, Sorcha unwillingly accompanies him. Red correctly believes that Sorcha has information concerning his brother, Simon, whom Sorcha had nursed back to health after Simon's capture by Lord Colum. Sorcha remains with Red as she continues to work on the shirts.
Though under Red's protection, Sorcha encounters a new danger in the form of Lord Richard, Red's uncle. Sorcha must fend off the attacks of Richard even as she continues silently working to save her brothers.
[edit] Characters in "Daughter of the Forest"
- Sorcha: Sister to Liam, Diarmid, twins Cormack and Conor, Finbar and Padriac and daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Sorcha has black hair and wide green eyes and looks almost exactly like the mother who died birthing her.
- Colum: Lord and Ruler of Sevenwaters, father to Sorcha and her six brothers, wife to the Lady Oonah.
- Hugh of Harrowfield: British lord and ruler of Harrowfield. Goes by "Red." Rescues Sorcha from drowning and takes her to his home.
- Liam: Eldest brother of Sorcha. Liam is the leader of Colum's children and a skilled warrior. He is the heir of Sevenwaters.
- Diarmid: Sorcha's second eldest brother. Diarmid is a warrior.
- Cormack: Twin to Conor and brother to Sorcha.
- Conor: Brother to Sorcha and twin to Cormack. Conor is a scholar rather than a warrior and is often the one to whom Sorcha goes for advice.
- Finbar: Brother to Sorcha and, along with Conor, one of Sorcha's favorite siblings. Sorcha refers to Finbar as her other half.
- Padriac: Sorcha's youngest brother. Padriac is skilled with animals.
- Lady Oonagh: Stepmother to Sorcha and wife of Colum. Oonagh, wanting her son by Colum to inherit Sevenwaters, attacks Sorcha and her brothers and turns the boys into swans.
- Ben and John: Red's closest friends and advisers. They protect Sorcha during her time at Horrowfield.
- Margery: John's wife and Sorcha's friend.
- Simon: Red's brother. He is captured and tortured by Colum's men shortly before the arrival of Oonagh. Sorcha nurses him back to health, though he disappears before Oonagh's attack on Sorcha and her brothers.
- Donal: Master of Arm's at Sevenwaters
- Father Brian: Hermit who lives near Sevenwaters, he who teaches languages, reading and writing to some of Lord Colum's children.
- Seamous Reabeard: Neighbor and Lord Colum's closest ally.
- Fat Janice: Head of the kitchen, she was a Tinker woman who settled at Sevenwaters. One of the few characters to appear in all three books of the trilogy
[edit] Literary significance and reception
Jackie Cassada of the Library Journal said that "The author's keen understanding of Celtic paganism and early Irish Christianity adds texture to a rich and vibrant novel that belongs in most fantasy collections".[1]
Publishers Weekly said "though the novel features a stereotypically happy ending and leans more toward romance than fantasy, Marillier is a fine folklorist and a gifted narrator who has created a wholly appealing and powerful character in this daughter of the forest".[2]
[edit] Allusions and references
[edit] Characters of Irish mythology mentioned in the novel
[edit] Publication history
- 1999, Australia, Pan Macmillan ISBN 978-0732909772, Pub date 01 April 1999, Trade Paperback
- 2000, Australia, Pan Macmillan ISBN 978-0330361934, Pub date 01 March 2000, Paperback
- 2000, USA, Tor Books, ISBN 978-0312848798 Pub date 05 May 2000, Hardcover
- 2001, USA, Tor Books, ISBN 9780312875305 Pub date 04 March 2001, Trade Paperback
- 2002, USA, Tor Books, ISBN 9780765343437 Pub date 18 Feb 2002, Paperback
- 2000, UK, Voyager Books, ISBN 9780002247368 Pub date 03 April 2000, Paperback
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Daughter of the Forest won the 2001 American Library Association Alex Award [3]
- Daughter of the Forest was a finalist for the 2000 Aurealis Awards for Fantasy Novel[4]
[edit] Sources, references, external links, quotations
- Daughter of the Forest entry on official Juliet Marillier website
- Interview with Juliet Marillier at Slow Glass Books shortly after Daughter of the Forest was published.
- In-depth interview with Juliet Marillier at Writer Unboxed, where Juliet also blogs.
- Review of Daughter of the Forest by fantasy author Victoria Strauss
[edit] Notes
- ^ <Cassada, Jackie (2000-05-15), “SF & Fantasy”, Library Journal Vol. 125 (Issue 9): p129, ISSN 03630277
- ^ “Daughter of the Forest”, Publishers Weekly Vol. 247 (Issue 16): p57, 2000-04-17, ISSN 00000019
- ^ 2001 Alex Awards List. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
- ^ 2000 Aurealis Awards list. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
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