THE CHARWOMANS SHADOW: Amazon.ca: Lord Dunsany: Books

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Review

"Lord Dunsany is the great grandfather of us all."
--JANE YOLEN
   Winner of the National Book Award,
   Nebula Award, and World Fantasy Award

"Lord Dunsany is the fountainhead of all twentieth-century fantasy. He was certainly the finest inventor of titles ever to grace English Literature."
--DAVE DUNCAN
   Author of The Gilded Chain

"How wonderful that Del Rey is bringing back The Charwoman's Shadow and The King of Elfland's Daughter for readers, new and old alike, to discover them anew. It will be a delight to read it for the first time again."
--DENNIS L. MCKIERNAN
   Author the Hèl's Crucible duology

"No one can understand modern fantasy without understanding its roots, and Lord Dunsany's work is immensely significant as well as enjoyable, even today."
--KATHERINE KERR --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Book Description

An old woman who spends her days scrubbing the floors might be an unlikely damsel in distress, but Lord Dunsany proves once again his mastery of the fantastical. The Charwoman's Shadow is a beautiful tale of a sorcerer's apprentice who discovers his master's nefarious usage of stolen shadows, and vows to save the charwoman from her slavery. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Shadowy story, Mar 5 2007

By

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Charwoman's Shadow (School & Library Binding)

Before Tolkien told his children bedtime stories about hobbits and dwarves, there was Lord Dunsany. One of the early fantasy writers, Dunsany only wrote a few full-length novels -- one of which was the haunting, beautifully-written "Charwoman's Shadow," a story that slips into the grey place between good and evil.

Ramon Alonzo is a young Spanish nobleman sent to find a dowry for his sister Mirandola. He goes to a powerful magician to learn alchemy -- how to turn dross into gold. The magician agrees, at a price: Ramon Alonzo's shadow. At first he's inclined to give up his shadow, but an elderly charwoman warns him not to. She gave up her shadow, and now is shunned by everyone except the magician because if her contact with dark magic.

Eventually Ramon Alonzo agrees to give up his shadow in exchange for a replacement, which turns out to be a dud. His attempts at magic for his sister's sake begin to go horribly wrong, and he finds his very soul in peril as he struggles to fulfil his promise to the charwoman, and get back both of their shadows.

Most of Dunsany's fantasy stories are set in fictional lands full of magic and wizards and gods. This one is slightly different, as it is set in a sort of semi-fictional part of Spain, and magic is something which leads to evil. But the plot in this book has the same sort of otherworldly edge that his more fantastical works do. (Although if any Harry Potter fans think that Rowling created the "philosopher's stone," they'll be sadly disappointed)

It has a straightforward plot, which is made more elaborate by his flowery prose. Dunsany was one of those writers who dwelled on the more beautiful details of his stories, and as a result, "Charwoman's Shadow" has the feeling of a dream. Especially in scenes where really strange things happen, like the charwoman scrubbing a bloodstained floor stone, or Ramon Alonzo's fake shadow getting up and racing away.

Ramon Alonzo is a good hero -- he's a nice guy who gets enmeshed in bad things for good reasons. The charwoman Anemone herself remains a mystery for most of the book, although one development is rather obvious early on. And the other two characters show the good vs. evil struggle: Father Joseph, a kindly priest, and the cold, cruel magician who "scorns salvation" and shows no pity to someone he's wronged.

"The Charwoman's Shadow" is not only an early fantasy novel, but also an exquisite little story of love, magic and kindness. Definitely worth checking out.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Classic book, but not that good, Jun 10 2002

By A Customer

You should read this book- but not because it has a good plot, or because the characters are interesting- but because it is a classic and the author has a gift for language. Reading it is like eating some stale bread filled with treats- it is painful to endure, but the morsels inside make it bearable.

The plot is basically- lame, lame, lame. The characters do not rise much above the plot. The magnificent thing about this book is that it was written before most other modern fantasy works- and it set the stage for them. Thus, it is worth reading to see how it influenced the genre. The author also has a clever wit and a gift for language. However, many of the scenes seem simply poorly thought out- which seems impossible because others have a deep intracacy. It is almost as if he were writing down a tale he was saying aloud- and in which he was forgetting certain bits and overemphasizing others.

However, with all that said- you should read the book. It disappoints me, but is fascinating at the same time. The culture of the 20's must have been unbearable to live in, if the book is any reflection whatsoever of the time period.

It isn't a very long story, so it isn't really a waste of time even if you don't like it. It is like taking medicine- your responsibility to be a complete fantasy reader.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Master of the Magic of words, Aug 6 2001

By

R. Bagula "Roger L. Bagula" (Lakeside, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

I've found that my best fantasy doesn't stay on my shelves for me to reread. I tend to give the ones I really like away. This book and everything I had by L. S. de Camp are gone. My Conan by Howard is gone. My Barsoom classics are gone... Lord Dunsany left us a place like that of the Grim brothers in the mind of literature.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A fable, a fantasy, a golden myth
It is easy too see how Dunsany might have influenced such potent imaginations as H.P. Lovecraft and J.R.R. Tolkien (among others). Read more

Published on Nov 15 2000 by Richard Cody

4.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative and stirring prose with a semi-predictable plot.
This was my first exposure to Lord Dunsany and it was easy to see why he is revered by many fantasy authors of today. Read more

Published on Aug 18 2000 by tiggerbone