Rating: 
Summary: Zel
Review: This story is a beautiful book which explores deeply into the "simple" classic faerie tale, Rapunzel. It ventures to find out why the witch stole the child, and instead of depicting the witch as an old crone, shows her as a (reasonably) young woman who desparately wanted a child, and learns that trying to protect something can cause you to lose it. In this version, the young prince meets Rapunzel before he finds her in the tower and he desparately searches for her for years. Also, instead of having Rapunzel live sadly in the tower, (la-di-da,) this book shows her despair and loneliness beautifully and deeply. Although the end is a bit rushed, it actually contributes to the mood of the book, as the peoples lives and emotions become more turbulent than tedious.
Rating:
Summary: "Rapunzel" at it's best
Review: This book is amazing! It's so neat that Napoli can get inside 3 completely different people to tell the same story. She uses Mother, Count Konrad, and Zel to tell the story. This story is about a girl and a man who loves her and a mother ,who has water in her veins because she deals with the devil, that would lock her daughter in a tower for two years to keep them apart. The mother has to have Zel connected to her, and no one else, and the daughter must side with the devils, or Mother will die. You must read this excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This was a great book. it is about a girl named Zel who gets locked in a tower by her mother to keep her away from the boy she loves. as u can guess this a rupunzel story and he tries to save her and is blinded and all that. but it has a great ending. i really liked this book and think every1 should read it.
Rating:
Summary: i love it!!!!
Review: i loved this book i read it when i was younger...
and i wanna read it over again
Rating: 
Summary: Very nice.
Review: As you probably know, this book is a retelling of the fairy tale Rapunzel.When I read this, I was surprised at how original the story as told by Napoli really is. It isn't simply Rapunzel told with more detail than usual, it is an entirely new story, which uses the fairy tale Rapunzel only as a guideline. At the same time, the book keeps all the plot elements of the original Brothers Grimm version. It fills the gaps of the original tale beautifully, by giving all the characters sympathetic personalities and motivations. In this rendition, all the people are likable and realistic. In the most striking example, Napoli removes the one-dimensional villain, originally an evil fairy or witch, and replaces her with Zel's overly-loving step-mother. There are also many new characters and situations, such as the town and townspeople. It's fascinating how this book adds so much to the original story but still keeps all its details, such as Rapunzel's tears healing the prince's eyes. The only plot element of the original tale that no longer makes sense in Napoli's version is Rapunzel's imprisonment in the tower. There are some attempts made by her mother to explain why exactly she is imprisoning her beloved daughter, but in the end it still doesn't completely fit. Also, the issue of selling one's soul to the devil doesn't quite suit the atmosphere of this story. It seems like something taken from an entirely different genre of folk tale. However, this book remains an amazing show of skill on the author's part. Some of the scenes are written so beautifully that they can bring tears even if they aren't remotely sad. The switch of narrators, back and forth from Zel to the prince to Zel's mother, gives a full perspective on the story, at the same time keeping everything interesting. This is a lovely book.
Rating:
Summary: the most beautiful book...
Review: this is the best book that i have ever read.
some of the material might be a little inappropriate for kids under 12 though. when Zel(rapunZel) was locked away in the tower, i cried.
it was so beautiful and brilliant how donna jo told it. like sirena,
ms. napoli weaves golden words in with touching scenes to make a gorgeous outcome. my favorite line was "All i can say to the moon is 'who?' do not be a man who goes with the moon"
i hope you enjoy this book
Rating:
Summary: a great book
Review: i loveed this book. it is a retelling of rapunzel for teens. since i'm assuming that you know the story of rapunzel, i don't really need to explain anything. this is a very romantic book, and it has a wonderful ending. 5 stars!!
Rating:
Summary: disturbing, different - these words describe the book Zel
Review: Zel is a retelling of the Rapunzel story. It shows the story from three alternating perspectives, a spoiled young prince, an enthusiastic peasant girl - Zel, and her aging foster-mother. Unlike the original story, we are brought to understand why the foster-mother keeps her captive in the tower - it is to keep her ever a child, and to save her from men. It is all mother's impulses taken to an extreme. Zel's ensuing madness acquired in captivity is disturbing, yet realistic for this fairytale situation. The mother-daughter relationship is something most women will be able to relate to, particularly the struggles for independence of young womanhood. In particular, I could recall my own desire for a boyfriend, my mother's protective urges that forbade me from dating. While the book is written for a teen audience, I found some of the subject matter rather mature.
Rating:
Summary: Exuberant
Review: This book facisnated me! It is a great book for people who love Fantasy&Science Fiction! This book has a very interesting plot with just a hint of suprise, you will have to read it to find out more!
~BookLuVa67
Rating:
Summary: Zel-one of the best books I've read
Review: This book is a Rapunzel story and is beatifully wriiten. I did think it was a bit much for anyone who is younger than a 7th grader becuase there is a part where Zel and Konrard meet for the first time in two years and... Although they are husband and wife it is a little much even for kids my age. So if you do read it you might want to skip over a few parts. It also gets a little disturbing when she is in the tower. But except for a few parts this book is wonderful. I was surprised how the book changes from making you so happy you could scream to making you want to cry. When I finished this book I got shivers. This book leaves you awestruck, at least it did to me.
| 
