- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (Mar 30 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0805089683
- ISBN-13: 978-0805089684
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 16.5 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 476 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #440,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
* “A memorable novel . . . Tomlinson is a master craftsman. This beautifully embroidered adventure is well worth the effort.” —Booklist, starred review
“Tomlinson does not oversimplify in this well-told tale; human discord and the harmony of nature are entwined with simplicity and elegance as the girls travel, physically and emotionally, to places they had never imagined.” —Publishers Weekly
“A great read for fans of fairy-tale retellings, this book should be very popular with older tweens and teens.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Tomlinson creates a rich story with opulent visuals that make the teens’ world come to life. Readers can feel the hard jewels in Diribani’s mouth, and taste the dirt and dust as Tana flees. Best of all, Tomlinson creates a truly remarkable bond between the girls, obliterating the trite stepsister stereotype.” —School Library Journal
Product Description
Diribani has come to the village well to get water for her family's scant meal of curry and rice. She never expected to meet a goddess there. Yet she is granted a remarkable gift: Flowers and precious jewels drop from her lips whenever she speaks.
It seems only right to Tana that the goddess judged her kind, lovely stepsister worthy of such riches. And when she encounters the goddess, she is not surprised to find herself speaking snakes and toads as a reward.
Blessings and curses are never so clear as they might seem, however. Diribani’s newfound wealth brings her a prince—and an attempt on her life. Tana is chased out of the village because the province's governor fears snakes, yet thousands are dying of a plague spread by rats. As the sisters' fates hang in the balance, each struggles to understand her gift. Will it bring her wisdom, good fortune, love . . . or death?
Toads and Diamonds is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews
Ce commentaire est de: Toads and Diamonds (Hardcover)
Diribani and Tana both meet a goddess while fetching water from the town. She grants each sister a gift. When Diribani speaks, jewels and flowers fall from her mouth. When Tana speaks, toads and snakes fall from hers.
When their secret is discovered, it changes the sisters' lives. Diribani finds herself traveling with the Prince and his family. Each jewel is recorded and taken to send back to her village. She learns a new set of customs but struggles to keep part of herself intact. Tana's gift brings fear. She, too, leaves her home and travels to a monastery. Before long, she sets off on a pilgrimage to learn the true meaning of her gift. Her travels bring her grief, and destruction follows in her path. Are their gifts a blessing or a curse? A wonderful fairy tale consisting of two sisters, with alternating chapters of each one's story. As each sister struggles to understand her gift, they encounter danger, friendship, romance, hardships, joy, tests of their strength, and a strong desire to see her sister. Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent take on a less well known tale,
By Serena F. "Firesong" - Published on Amazon.com
Ce commentaire est de: Toads and Diamonds (Hardcover)
I admit it: I chose this book by its cover, at my local library. But it lived up to my hopes. I like the use of a fairy tale not covered by Disney. I appreciate the South Asian setting that provides a refreshing change of scene, as well as a reason for people to perceive the ability to conjure snakes and toads as blessing rather than a curse. I like that the stepsisters love each other and their mother/stepmother instead of being rivals as in a traditional fairy tale.
The plot offers plenty of adventure. The details of the setting give a nice view of a fascinating culture. The main characters are richly depicted; their thoughts sound realistic for young women. Tana's tendency to put herself down and Diribati's occasional daydreaming counterbalance the girls' many virtuous traits. Secondary characters are interesting too. The swift-moving plot doesn't allow much time to get to know them, but we see that they are more than just cardboard cutouts, each having their own lives and motivations. The hardships the girls face, from the discomforts of heat and hunger, to working with manure all day, to plague and the danger of physical violence, are all real and grim enough without being gratuitously horrifying. I was grateful for the author's note that this is not meant to truly show India or the Mughal empire, but only a similar imaginary country reminiscent of a certain place and time. I would not have known the difference. I would have liked a drawing or two of the costumes of the Believers and the indigenous people, as I had a hard time picturing the outfits just from the text descriptions. In response to the three-star review: "the story is somewhat standard in the story concepts it uses. There are some slaves, a lot of running, and haughty nobles." Good stories tend to be built on one of a few common frameworks, because they work well. The coming-of-age journey story, in which the main character grows wiser and stronger as he travels, is classic. This is not a drawback. Also, this book includes servants, but I don't recall them being described as slaves specifically, and the haughty nobles are there to flesh out the story; at least one of them turns out to be not so haughty. On a tangent: if you enjoyed this book, you might also like The Secrets of Jin-shei. It has more of a fantastical element and is darker, definitely an adult book rather than young adult. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting but not fantastic,
By Sniffly Kitty - Published on Amazon.com
Ce commentaire est de: Toads and Diamonds (Hardcover)
The sister who speaks toads also speaks snakes, and the author makes this into a good thing. Granted, making this into a good thing is not an easy task, and Tomlinson has a pretty good crack at it although the result still seems contrived.
Both sisters go on a journey, and their stories are intertwined. The transitions between the stories are pretty well done. Other than the twist of the fairy tale, the story is somewhat standard in the story concepts it uses. There are some slaves, a lot of running, and haughty nobles. This was not a terrible novel but it was also not a fantastic one. 4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Splendid Retelling!,
By Diamonds And Toads - Published on Amazon.com
Ce commentaire est de: Toads and Diamonds (Hardcover)
"Toads and Diamonds" is a brilliant, but sadly-neglected fairy tale. To my great joy and entertainment,, Tomlinson's book is an enchantingly rich retelling, seething with the loveliness of India, the enchantments of a goddess, and, best of all, real friendship. It's a delight to see this old story of step-family rivalry recast as a story of sisterly solidarity. Best of all, the story thoroughly examines the notion of the trickiness of magical "gifts" and "curses." I would encourage adult fairy tale lovers to check this out!
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