Rating: 
Summary: Excellent "Tanglewood"
Review: Meredith Ann Pierce has made a name for herself in unique and atmospheric fantasies such as "The Woman Who Loved Reindeer" and "Darkangel" trilogy. Her latest book, "Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood" is an amazing fantasy with a truly amazing lead character.The main character is Brown Hannah, a young woman with plant bugs woven in her hair, and without the memory of how she came to the Tanglewood. She lives with an assortment of odd animals - and a strange wizard who tells her not to leave the forest. Supposedly within the Tanglewood forest is a great treasure guarded by the Boar. When one knight survives an encounter with the Boar, Hannah nurses him back to health - and enjoys his company, as she has never truly had a companion before. When the wizard takes an awful revenge on the unsuspecting knight, Hannah rebels and flees to turn the knight back into his human form. She transforms along the way into Green Hannah, then Golden Hannah. When she returns to the Tanglewood she is now Russet Hannah, her role shifting as the seasons change into autumn. Meredith Ann Pierce outdoes herself in this sedate tale of nature and magic. Though "Woman Who Loved Reindeer" did not entrance me as much as the Darkangel trilogy, this one captivated me from the first page. Hannah herself is a great character. She manages to encompass traits such as naivete and innocence, while still being brave and intelligent. Her transformation of knowledge as she goes through her various incarnations is believable, as are her interactions with such people as the knight and wizard. As I read this story, I also read the story of the Scottish goddess Beira, who also transformed with the passing seasons. The writing style is lyrical and captivating, skillfully evoking the images that Pierce clearly wanted to show. Descriptions of the Tanglewood are especially beautiful, as Ms. Pierce always does an excellent job with nature descriptions. A thoroughly enjoyable fantasy!
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating Fantasy
Review: Meredith Ann Pierce is known as a writer for "young adults", and I've seen, and bypassed, her books over the years. For some reason, what I'd seen just hadn't grabbed me. However, I came across the "Treasure At The Heart Of The Tanglewood" and read the inside cover, and said, "Well, that sounds interesting..." And it was.
"Treasure" (I'm going to shorten it for all our sakes) is written in fairy tale format. It doesn't start "Once upon a time..." but it very well could. Instead it begins:
"Brown Hannah dwelt at the verge of the Tanglewood. The Tanglewood rose dark and deep..."
Pierce's writing is appropriately archaic, pleasantly so, and her story of the entrapped maid living on the edge of the Tanglewood, reminded me of some of the work of Patricia McKillip. Brown Hannah lives alone in a cottage except for a magpie, a badger, and some fox kits with whom only she can talk. The local villagers come to her for healings and "simples", but seem very much afraid of her. And although physically she seems to be a teenager, the village grannies remember her.
Once a month she removes various herbs and flowers that grow amidst her hair, and brews a potion for a wizard who lives in the heart of the Tanglewood, and seemingly is her protection against the bad old world.
Her story really begins when she saves a knight who is questing for "the treasure at the heart of the Tanglewood" and is forced to challenge the wizard who instead of her protector, is actually her captor.
As the story moves along, Brown Hannah must set out on a journey across the wide world, and becomes Green Hannah, then Golden Hannah, and finally Russet Hannah. Of course the reader unravels the clues long before our Hannah does, but hey, she hasn't been herself. After all, she HAS been deep under a spell.
The imagery, the use of unusual but appropriate words and terms, and the creation of a beautiful nature myth, make Treasure stand out, and be well worth the reader's time.
Rating:
Summary: The Enchanted trees
Review: The Enchanted Trees!!!!
*****
This book is called Treasure at The heart of The 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: This Book is a Treasure!
Review: This book is beautifully written, interesting, and lyrical. I love this author's works, but this one ranks as my favorite. It's just a luscious treat to sit down & read this. I highly, highly recommend it! The story circles about a mysterious young girl who lives in the forest and is able to use magic to heal the nearby villagers, but retains no memories of her past or where her abilities come from. As she untangles the mystery she comes to know more and more about herself and her place in the natural world (and there's a little romance as well). I wish I could give this book a higher rating than I did!
Rating:
Summary: Truly a Treasure for any Heart.
Review: This book is simply fantastic. It really is a treasure. As the other reviews already state a great description of the book, I'll spare you. I will say however that this book is probably the best fantasy that I've read in a while. It takes the traditional fairytale and does something with it that just completely captivates the reader and makes you want to know more and more about the characters and their stories! There is magic, without being magical. It makes no sense, I know, but read it and find out for yourself how wonderful this book is! And, if you like this one, Ms. Pierce has several other great writings for you!
Rating:
Summary: One of my alltime favorites!
Review: This book is the 2nd best book I have ever read in my intire life! It has love, compassion, suspension, magic, friendships and loyalty. I love the way the author describes the changes that take place in Hanna's life. She just leads the reader into the story so well! I recommend this book for fantasy lovers, who just love to read about unicorns, mermaids, and ect... This is far from the average book!
Rating:
Summary: Deep
Review: This book was amazing. It is mysterious and exotic and hints at something deeper than I can understand. I would reccomend this to people 14 and up.
Rating:
Summary: Deep
Review: This book was amazing. It is mysterious and exotic and hints at something deeper than I can understand. I would reccomend this to people 14 and up.
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: This book was very good. It brought you right into the story! The plot line was good, although it didn't truly say what happened at the end. I like Meredith Peirce's books a lot. Altogether, i think the book was good. The only thing i still need to say is that while it IS a fantasy, don't expect normal things like dragons or unicorns. This is a story about magical girl/woman, but it is not your usual fantasy.
PS - if you liked her books, i would strongly recommend Tamora Peirce's books. They are my all-time favorite!
Rating:
Summary: She's done it again!
Review: This is a wonderful book for children and grown-ups alike. Hannah is a girl who never seems to age, yet she cannot remember where she comes from. She can heal anything by just plucking the flowers and plants that sprout from her head with her hair, and using them with instructions that form in her mind. She will lead you through her world, where she is looked after by her animal friends, when she confronts the wizard that says he created her, when she falls in love, when she leaves Tanglewood and embarks on a quest to find her lovers queen, and finally when she returns home and descovers what really lays at the heart of Tanglewood. If you are a fan of Ms Pierce's work, I highly recomend this wonderful book.
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