Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood

Rating:
Summary: Good, but just a few things...
Review: "Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood" is definitely one of the best books I've read in a while. It featured all the best of Meredith Ann Pierce: good characters, a good plot, and an interesting world to explore through the book.

Tanglewood's main character, Hannah, is very well developed. It was interesting to see the changes in her personality over the course of the book manifest in the changing color of her dress. I was disappointed to find that the character Foxkith spent most of the book silent and amnesiac, and I would have liked to see more development of his character. This is my main bone to pick with the book, which brought it down to four stars instead of five stars. Also, I would have liked to have known more about the Wizard and about the Tree-Goddess. I was very curious about what the Wizard's real feelings for Hannah were, and I didn't feel that this topic was explored enough.

As with her previous Darkangel and Firebringer Trilogies, Pierce has managed once again to take a somewhat clichéd plot type and, through her style, make it fresh and interesting. I didn't understand why Hannah et al spent a good deal of the latter half of the book wandering around the countryside--this did not seem to serve any purpose in the plot, except being the medium for her change from Green Hannah to Golden Hannah. Also, I thought that Hannah's discovery of love should have been a bigger event than it was--before meeting Foxkith, she had agonized over what "love" was, but it was not clear in the story when exactly she discovered this emotion within herself.

Finally, I was intrigued by the bits and pieces of the world that Pierce showed us during the story: the Tanglewood, the village, the Holymen. The book left me wishing for a sequel, so I could continue to read more about this particular world. Pierce, as always, does an excellent job creating an engaging fantasy milieu for her story.

Overall, "Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood" is a very well-written book, which I would not hesitate to recommend to any of my friends. My greatest wish is that Pierce would make this book part of a series, as there is so much unused material from the book to work with.

Rating:
Summary: A Mute Fox, a Mysterious Forest, and a Flower-headed Girl
Review: 'Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood' can be best described as a story set out in three distinct parts. The first (and most interesting) introduces us to Hannah - a young girl who lives in the Tanglewood with flowers and vines growing in her hair who must be plucked out regularly to make a drought for the Wizard that lives in the forest's heart. Apart from him, the folks of a nearby village, and her talking animal friends, the only people she comes across are the namy nameless knights that go into the Tanglewood, searching for it's mythological treasure. With one particular knight however, Hannah falls in love. She names him Foxkith, and tries to keep him from the death that inevitably awaits him.
Part Two tells of Hannah's journey into the world, trying to find Foxkith's sorcerer-queen. On the way, Hannah's hair and clothes change in colour and form, as the seasons change around her. It is here that the story begins to slow, as we become aware of the truth of things long before Hannah and her comrades do.
By Part Three, when Hannah reaches Foxkith's island home and the wind-up begins, we already know everything the 'sorcerer-queen' has to say. Consequently, it isn't that interesting.

The fairy tale elements of the story bear a great resemblance to the Greek myth of Persephone - when this goddess walked the world it was spring and summer, when she returned to her husband in the underworld, it became autumn and winter. Another familiar motif present us the triad of goddesses of many ancient religions - Crone, Mother and Maiden, although in this story it becomes Mother, Matron and Maiden. Along with these three titles to describe Hannah and her mother, Hannah is also refered to, not only as Brown, Green, Golden or Russet Hannah, but as the Spring Maid, the Summer Girl, the Autumn Lass or the Winter Damsel. Needless to say, all the titles can get a bit confusing.

This is not Pierce's best work, (disappointing after a five year absence) especially when compared to the brilliance of the Darkangel trilogy, but it *is* a worthwhile read. Meredith Ann Pierce is a masterful storyteller, and all of her works are unique. Despite the faults, the story is intriguing, drawing on ancient stories and giving them a new look, setting them in a believable fantasy world. It reads like a fleshed-out fairytale, and the though the ending is predictable, the beginning draws you in in far enough that you are compelled to keep on reading.

Rating:
Summary: The Enchanted Trees
Review: Ashley Avis
*****
This book is called Treasure at The heart of Tangle Wood. A few things about this book are that it is a fantasy book but it doesn't have too many magical things. Almost believable but once you read on it has things that add up and you end up realizing that it's not all realistic. I advise all twelve year olds and up to read this book because if you like things happening all of a sudden then this is your book.
The main character is Brown Hannah. She is around the age of sixteen and grows an exotic herb garden in her hair, which is unlike normal girls. The reason she is called Brown Hannah is because her clothes are brown her skin is brown and her hair and eyes are the same color. But eventually she turns into a golden angel colored and then Hannah is called Golden Hannah!
The problem in this story is that she has been living in The Wood and she has been worshipping a selfish wizard. She doesn't live with any family members but she has a couple interesting friends which I am not going to describe I'm going to let you try to think what these friends could be. It ends up that she As in Hannah finds her true love and has to try to find his Queen. The wizard turned her true love into an oddball creature. So then she goes on an adventure to find his Queen and Golden Hannah speaks and meets many unique people on the way.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful writing, but a bit hard for a YA book...
Review: Hannah has for as long as she remembers, lived at the edge of Tanglewood, where the local villagers come to visit her for her healing. Strange flowers grow in her hair, and she must pluck them out before they bloom and give the tea made from them to a wizard that lived in the Tanglewood. Hannah is content with her life, until she meets a brave knight, Foxkith, whom she falls in love with and wants to prevent from entering the forest, fearing he will never return like all the others. As soon as Hannah starts to challenge the Wizard and wonder about the life she has lived, it leads her on a journey with her talking friends: Badger, Magpie, the fox pups, and another voiceless friend. This book was wonderfully written, almost poetic at times. However, the author used many terms not in use commonly anymore, so I often had to look many up. I also found some of the ending very predictable, and I felt like the story could have wrapped up better. Maybe she's going for a sequel?

Rating:
Summary: Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood
Review: Hannah is a very strange girl, for flowers, thorns, wheat, and leaves grow out of her hair! With the turn of the seasons, Hannah goes through four changes.
She begins in a land where it is always winter, with thorns and flower buds sprouting from her head. She is Brown Hannah, the healer in a town by the edge of the Tanglewood. Every month, she must tear out the plants from her hair, and bring them to the wizard who lives in the woods. She doesn't know why he makes her go through the pain, and doesn't trust him.
After doing this for a very long time, she sees and hears many strange things. There are rumors of a wild boar that lives in the wood, and she often watches knights ride into the tanglewood, but never come out. But, one day, a knight (who she calls Foxkith) does come back after going into the forest. The wizard was very angry that he survived, and transformed him into a silent fox.
After finding out that the wizard had lied to her about who she is, Hannah wants to find out why the place the knight mentioned sounds so familiar. She is also determined to turn Foxkith back into a human, so Hannah embarks on a journey and goes through spring and summer. She heard him talk of a sorcerer queen who she is sure has the power to do it. Along with Foxkith and her come her friends, Badger and Magpie and some fox pups, who she has known all her life.
When spring comes, flowers bloom in her hair and greenery spreads wherever she walks. She has become Green Hannah. Later, as summer comes, wheat grows in her hair and she is Golden Hannah.
In the final stage of her adventure, fall arrives, and Russet Hannah finally learns her true identity. If you want to know what happens, you'll have to read it yourself!

Rating:
Summary: An ending unworthy of the beginning
Review: I agree with previous reviewers that this book has many good elements, however, the author does not carry these through to the end of the book. As a result, it is an uneven read.

When we first meet Hannah, in the guise of Brown Hannah (winter), it's interesting to see her struggle toward her own identity. Her world is fascinating, the flowers growing from her scalp are intriguing, and her magical abilities work beautifully within the context of the story. Her interactions with the villagers are at times touching and very revealing. The wizard who controls her is a figure of mystery. The Knights are also mysterious as they vanish into the woods on a quest for the unknown treasure. Foxkith, before his transformation into a fox, is an engaging character and love interest. One wonders how Hannah will change and grow into her powers in this environment. However, after the confrontation with the wizard, the narrative wanders.

Sending Hannah to wander through the countryside is not necessarilly a poor decision, but the wandering doesn't produce much of a result. It gives us tantalizing glimpses of a world that never quite becomes fully realized. In order to keep the narrative going, the author needs to keep Hannah in ignorance, which becomes a problem. She doesn't grasp the very basic details of the stories she hears. She never correlates the idea of the Spring Maiden (or any other seasonal maiden) with the changing of her own hair and gown. Even when people name her Spring Maiden and run, fearing to offend her, she doesn't get it. I understand that keeping her ignorant of her true identity until the end is the intention, however, she simply becomes too stupid to sympathize with.

Then, of course, there's the end. She finally finds what she's looking for but doesn't realize it, even though the reader realizes it instantly. The mysterious tree/woman/sorceress she speaks with, while supposed to be awe inspiring, is simply tedious. The entire ending is completely the Sorceress telling Hannah what happened. It becomes very boring. Of course, the Sorceress is also very vague about things. She frequently looses focus and has to make an effort to continue with her narrative. After taking forever to get to the point, the Sorceress becomes a non-character. Hannah does not seem to have been deeply moved. In fact, instead of tending to her beloved Foxkith immediately and changing him back into a human, she tends to others. There is no resolution with the wizard, either. An unfortunate ending.

I would recommend Pierce's Darkangle Trilogy as a much better work.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful!
Review: I loved this book! After returning it to the library I just had to buy it. In the middle of the book, you could just about figure out the ending but it was so beautifully written that you just have to finish it. I love the main character. You could imagine her beauty. I plan to read it again when I receive my order.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding work of fantasy!
Review: If you could only read one fantasy book this year you would not be wrong to choose this one. Meredith Ann Pierce is an exemplary author with a rare attention to detail in both settings and characters. I found her use of the seasons imagery to be both original and fascinating. As the circle of life rotates around the year the main character grows in confidence and awareness of the world around her, leading to a thrilling climax that will lead you clamoring for more.

My only issue with this book was that it was too short. As soon as the climax ended there was no suitable resolution with the main characters. I would very much like to see a sequel to this novel.

Rating:
Summary: Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood
Review: Imagine if you were a healer with magical powers of the earth. The book Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood by Meriedth Ann Pierce puts you there. This book takes place far away where wizzards and magic are real. The main character Hannah is enchanted. She can talk to animals and she can make spells.Hannah is a healer who makes spells for the sick people in the village.
This book may seem like it is for children with all of the magical characters but its not.I am 14 years old and have enjoyed the book very much. there are many teists and turns in theis book like the men on horses who never stop as they travel through the tanglewood, and why hannah has flowers growing from her hair. Hannah goes on a quest to help her love Foxkith turm back into a human.
This was a very good book that kwpt me hooked the whole time. I would recommend this book to anyone even if they don't like fantacies. This book would be easiest to read at ages 12 and up because there are some words that younger people wouldn't understand. Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood keeps you wondering whats going to happen next. Out of 5 stars i would give it a 4 and a halph.

Rating:
Summary: Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood
Review: Imagine, having flowers grow in your hair, talking to animals and being able to understand what they say in return, and being on a mission to find your true identity. These things all happen to Hannah, the main character in the creative but strange book, Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood.
The story begins in a small town near the Tanglewood, where Hannah is the healer. Every month she must pull the flowers from her hair and brew them into a tea for the wizard of the wood, who she believes to be her father. But soon, Hannah becomes suspicious of the wizard. She hears the villagers talk about a boar that lives in the forest. Then, she meets a knight searching for treasure in the wood and falls in love with him. When the wizard turns the knight into a fox, she leaves the Tanglewood to find a sorceress who can change him back to a human, and to find out who she really is. Along with her come her good animal friends, Magpie, Badger, and some fox pups.
The book begins to slow down during her journey. It seemed to be dragging on without much of a plot. Also, it becomes very predictable. It takes the entire story or Hannah to figure out who she is, but I could tell at about the middle of the book. The end consists of a long story of Hannah's identity and the wizard's history, and becomes very confusing.
This book has a wonderful beginning and a lot of originality, but overall, I wouldn't recommend it.