Curse Dark as Gold

'In this slow-simmering but rewarding retelling, first-novelist Bunce presents an innovative interpretation of Rumpelstiltskin.' -Horn BookWinner of the William C. Morris Award for a Young Adult DebutAn ALA Best Book for Young AdultsA Smithsonian Notable BookAn Oprah's Book Club Kids' Reading List Teen SelectionThe gold thread promises Charlotte Miller a chance to save her family's beloved woolen mill. It promises a future for her sister, jobs for her townsfolk, security against her grasping uncle-maybe even true love. To get the thread, Charlotte must strike a bargain with its maker, the mysterious Jack Spinner. But the gleam of gold conjures a shadowy past-secrets ensnaring generations of Millers. And Charlotte's mill, her family, her love-what do those matter to a stranger who can spin straw into gold? This is an award-winning and wholly original retelling of 'Rumplestiltskin.''Set in a rural valley in the late 1700s, this reworking of the 'Rumplestiltskin' story includes ghosts, witchcraft, elements of Georgian society, and much earlier folk magic in the guise of a novel of manners.' -School Library Journal'A Curse Dark as Gold beats the hell out of any fantasy novel I've read this year. Her heroine/narrator is immensely appealing; the atmosphere of a world on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution is completely believable; and the suspense of the story builds so craftily that I started taking notes on just how she does it.' -Peter S. Beagle, World Fantasy Award-winning author'An intelligent, original, and interesting new take on an old fairy tale, and a marvelous debut novel.' -Teen Book Review