Magic Circle [Hardcover]

 

 

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Midwife turned sorceress, the Ugly One, as the villagers call her, spends her life trying to heal others, trying to give her daughter a life of beauty and love that she never had herself. But, in order to heal, she must make a magic circle of protection and face the demons that bring sickness and misery. Because of her strong convictions in the purity and goodness of her own intentions, she is able to resist the demons' temptations and instead, command them to reveal the cure to the illnesses she must treat. One day however, she lets her guard down and falls prey to her own foolish yearning for beauty, and she stretches beyond the ring of the magic circle where the devils snatch her up. This is where the true test of her wills begin. The Magic Circle is an emotionally wrought re-telling of the Hansel and Gretal fairytale, from the perspective of the evil Witch.

The Magic Circle is a little slippet of a novel that can be read in an hour, at most. As the reader you step into the hunchbacked form of the Ugly One, hearing the motivations and psychological struggles she must go through, being tempted by those raging devilish voices. I felt for the Ugly One (her actual name is not mentioned). Her heart was in the right place, but, every human being has that one 'tragic flaw' so to speak, that can overwhelm their lives. Hers happened to be a naive yearning for beauty and love and also for 'goodness' (however idealistic that word is). She knows she can't ever be beautiful, but she wants her daughter to have beauty and love -to have everything she doesn't have.

This novel is set in medieval Europe, so you'll get the witch trials, the paranoid villagers, the righteous priests. I hate reading about witch trials. It just irks me. All that need to punish and destroy in a painful way and justify it convieniently by 'God's Will'. All those last minute betrayals ' the Ugly One had helped many of those villagers struggle from the point of death, yet, when it comes down to it, no one will say a thing in protest against such a cruel killing. In this case though, the Ugly One makes a selfless sacrifice in hopes of saving her daughter, so the point of the scene was not focused on the usual theme of paranoid fear reducing people to bloodthirsty irrationality.

I love how Donna Jo Napoli wrote about the compassion of the children. The children that the Ugly One saved from death, could never believe that she was the evil, child-eating 'witch' that the adults and demons kept insisting she was. The children understood who she really was, and remembered the love and care she showed them. In the end, the children became her savior from the devils, and it was through the innocent compassion reflected in the eyes of the children that the Ugly One did not doubt she was good at heart, and could resist the voices of the devils saying otherwise.

It was heart-wrenching at times to read this little novel. Yes! In 100 pages, you, the reader, get tugged through the whole emotional sphere: love, hate, anger, happiness, yearning, resistance, sorrow. It all comes together to weave a beautiful, bittersweet tale. If you're a fan of reading fairytale re-tellings, you should look around for this book and add it to your collection.

Read more reviews by Sharry at [...]

Knowing that it was Napoli's take on the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale I was really excited to read this book. And, don't get me wrong, "The Magic Circle" started off great. Napoli is an amazingly talented author, however, I couldn't help but feel that "The Magic Circle" was lacking towards the end of the book. As soon as Hansel and Gretel were introduced into the book, I felt that Napoli was in a rush all the way to the ending. I did not really get a good insight into the caracters of Hansel and Gretel and their relationship with the Witch. In the end, I was just disappointed that a book that started off so amazing could be such a let down. I have not read all of Napoli's books yet, and the neutral feeling for "The Magic Circle" will not prevent me from doing so. However, I prefer "Crazy Jack" over this particular Napoli work.

This was an absolutely incredible book. I was impressed beyond words by it, but then again, I'm impressed by pretty much everything Jo Napoli has written. I didn't read this book until I was (I think) about 12 or so, and it might be too much for little kids to handle. But overall, the themes surrounding love, hope, and redemption are amazing. I would definitely suggest this to anyone. Well done, Ms. Napoli!

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5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful retelling
While the short length of this book may make some people believe that this is a book for children, quite far from it. Read more

Published on Nov 11 2001 by celticstorm16

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than most of napoli's books.
This was a very easy read. Instead of interpreting the story of Hansel and Gretel, Napoli rewrote it. the authur had interresting ideas, but they didn't ring true for me.

Published on Dec 30 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars terrific beauty.
without ranking among any of my favorites, this book stuck in my memory anyhow, just with napoli's incomparable way of invoking the most appropriately perfect and beautiful... Read more

Published on Aug 15 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars A dark, psychological take on a classic tale
I'm a devoted fan of fairy tales, and this one does not disappoint me. It has a deep, intriguing story line, undeparted from the original plot, polished with simple, yet... Read more

Published on Jun 21 2000 by Backroads

5.0 out of 5 stars No children eaten here!
Donna Jo Napoli writes tasty little morsels derived from myths, legends and fairy tales. Here the Grimm's HANSEL AND GRETEL provides her a magical springboard for a short, but... Read more

Published on Mar 17 2000 by Stephen Richmond

5.0 out of 5 stars A short but poignant tale.
This is a haunting little story of courage, pride, and redemption. Although the story sits loosely on the framework of the tale of Hansel and Gretel, it is a different story... Read more

Published on Nov 24 1999 by Margaret Fiore

5.0 out of 5 stars A work of great strenght and powerful emotion!
The Magic Circle, written by Donna Jo Napoli is a book filled with beauty and terror, and a sense of compassion. Read more

Published on May 19 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll never look at "Hansel and Gretel" the same way again.
Now, every time I read another version of this story (Hansel and Gretel), I think "No! That's wrong! It wasn't like that! Read more

Published on April 6 1999 by Zohariel@hotmail.com

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written but watch out for age-appropriateness!
The story of the sorceress who is forced out of her healing capacity and into one far more sinister is the classic journey of the soul theme. Read more

Published on Aug 12 1998

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Written but Badly Researched
Although I enjoyed reading this book for its twist on the folktale of "Hansel and Gretel" I couldn't quite stomach Ms. Napoli's misuse of vocabulary. Read more

Published on Mar 26 1998

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