The book of Gothel /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Everyone knows the story of Rapunzel in her tower, but do you know the story of the witch who put her there? Mary McMyne's spellbinding debut reveals the truth behind the fairy tale--the truth they never wanted you to know, as only a witch might tell it.

"Smart, swift, sure-footed and fleet-winged, The Book of Gothel launches its magic from a most reliable source: the troubled heart. Mary McMyne is a magician."--Gregory Maguire, NYT bestselling author of Wicked



Germany, 1156. With her strange black eyes and even stranger fainting spells, young Haelewise has never quite fit in. Shunned by her village, her only solace lies in the stories her mother tells of child-stealing witches, of princes in wolf-skins, and of an ancient tower cloaked in mist, where women will find shelter if they are brave enough to seek it.



When her mother dies, Haelewise is left unmoored. With nothing left for her in her village, she sets out to find the legendary tower her mother spoke of--a place called Gothel, where she meets a wise woman willing to take Haelewise under her wing. There, she discovers that magic is found not only in the realm of fairy tales.



But Haelewise is not the only woman to seek refuge at Gothel. It's also a haven for a girl named Rika, who carries with her a secret the church strives to keep hidden. A secret that reveals a dark world of ancient spells and murderous nobles, behind the world Haelewise has always known.



Told from the witch's own perspective, The Book of Gothel is a lush, historical retelling filled with dark magic, crumbling towers, mysterious woods, and evil princes. This is the truth no one ever wanted you to know, as only a witch might tell it.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

With her unsettling black eyes and mysterious fainting spells, Haelewise is shunned by her village. Her only comfort comes from her mother's tales of witches, wolves, spells, and other magical things. When her mother dies, she finds refuge in a place named Gothel, where she is taught by a wise old woman and meets Rika, who knows truths the Church has tried to hide. What Haelewise learns will forever change the way the world views her. This debut novel by poetry chapbook author McMyne (Wolf Skin) blends history, fact, and fable to create a brilliant new addition to the genre of remixing fairy tales. Narrator Vanessa Johansson gives a strong performance, effectively giving voice to Haelewise, Rika, and the others who populate this realm. Johansson's interpretation of Haelewise stands out, lending power to a character who is strong in her convictions, stands for what is right, and is not afraid to question the status quo. VERDICT McMyne's interweaving of Hildegarde, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel is unique and well done. Fans of Spinning Silver, The Wolf and the Woodsman, Malice, and other fairy tale retellings will enjoy this.--Elyssa Everling

Publishers Weekly Review

McMyne's shimmering debut gives a fresh, exciting backstory to one of the most famous villains in fairy tale lore: the witch who put Rapunzel in her tower. Haelewise daughter-of-Hedda has been plagued by mysterious fainting spells for as long as she can remember. Her mother, a midwife, warns her never to travel alone and keeps her entertained at home through fairy tales. After her mother falls ill and dies, however, Haelewise dares to venture out into the mist-filled woods, seeking more knowledge of her mother's ancestry, beliefs, and the magic she so often spoke of. Haelewise discovers a sacred place from her mother's stories, a tower called Gothel, where a wise woman offers her shelter. As Haelewise learns more about the world and her place in it--partly through another young woman, Rika, who also seeks refuge at the tower--she forges her own history, reframing traditional understandings of witches: "I built proverbs in my head.... Blessed is the snow that hides my path. Blessed is the lie that saves a life. Blessed is the woman who helps her kind." The result is a sprawling epic, full of magic, love, and heartbreak. Fans of Circe and The Wolf and the Woodsman will devour this taut, empowering fairy tale. Agent: Sam B. Farkas, Jill Grinberg Literary. (July)

Booklist Review

McMyne's debut is a reinvention of the Rapunzel fairy tale, a luscious origin story from the witch's point of view. The setting is twelfth-century Germany, when belief in the paternalistic Christian God is in ascendance and the female practitioners of the "old ways" have gone into hiding to escape persecution for witchcraft. In a time when anyone who is different is suspect, Haelewise, daughter of Hedda, suffers from poor eyesight, headaches, and occasional fainting spells. She is accepted by the people of her village only because her mother is the local midwife and forswore the old ways when she married. When Hedda dies and her father abandons her, Haelewise must find another place to live and she seeks out someone her mother used to know: a wise woman who lives in a tower in the deep woods. McMyne melds folklore with actual historical figures and cleverly bookends the narrative with opening and closing chapters set in the twenty-first century, when an American linguistic scholar arrives in Germany after being called to translate a well-preserved medieval manuscript discovered in the cellar of an old forest cottage. Offer this to fans of The Mermaid, by Christina Henry (2018) and Lucy Holland's Sistersong (2021).

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Mary McMyne has widely published stories and poems in venues like Redivider, Gulf Coast, Strange Horizons , and Apex Magazine , and her debut fairytale poetry chapbook, Wolf Skin (Dancing Girl Press, 2014), won the Elgin Chapbook Award. She is a graduate of the New York University MFA Program.