Elizabeth C. Bunce’s A Curse Dark as Gold (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2008, ISBN: 9780439895767) is a quiet but engaging story with a mature take on romance that is refreshing for a supernatural-themed teen novel. It won the 2009 William C. Morris Award for best young adult fiction by a first-time author.
A Curse Dark as Gold: Plot Summary
A Curse Dark as Gold can be seen as a retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin myth, though the fairy tale is only a backdrop for the more compelling elements of the story. Bunce’s novel centers around a self-confident young woman, Charlotte Miller, and her younger sister Rosie, as they struggle to preserve their mill from the threat of bankruptcy. The story is set in a superstitious village in an unnamed country at the advent of the Industrial Revolution.
Recently orphaned following the death of their father, Charlotte proves herself a capable miller, but a string of disasters forces her to summon supernatural aid to keep the mill running. Jack Spinner, a mysterious, fairylike figure, arrives on the scene to resolve Charlotte’s difficulties—while warning that he will return to collect an unspecified payment in return for his services.
In the midst of her dealings with Spinner, Charlotte meets and marries a charming but down-to-earth banker and gives birth to a child. The marriage is a refreshingly practical one; Charlotte is no Bella Swan, and even questions whether her feelings for her husband can truly by called love. If anything, A Curse Dark as Gold is about what happens in the months and years after the wedding, not the lead-up to it. Young fans of Jane Austen will find themselves in new territory.
A Curse Dark as Gold: Review
Bunce’s novel is refreshing in many ways. Though burdened with an otherworldly problem, Charlotte is much more concerned with real-life, adult worries—among them, bankruptcy and the looming threat of marital breakdown. Yet teens are unlikely to find these issues dull, as they might if Bunce were a less skillful writer. While many teen novels in the speculative genre require their characters to save the world from impending destruction, or face down a horde of supernatural foes, Charlotte’s problems are poignantly modern and down-to-earth, and thus more moving than those facing other young adult fantasy protagonists. This is a grown-up book for teens.
A Curse Dark as Gold is not a fast-paced read, and teens accustomed to the myriad plot twists and relentless action of, say, a Melissa Marr or Holly Black novel may find Bunce’s descriptions of day-to-day life on the mill a little tedious. But for teens looking for a classy, thoughtful book that doesn't strain to be a “page turner,” A Curse Dark as Gold will not disappoint. Bunce’s prose is simultaneously poetic and straightforward; this is a self-confident writer who respects the intelligence of her teen readers.
A Curse Dark as Gold is an engaging, darkly realistic novel woven with magic and fairy tales that will leave readers in eager anticipation of this talented young writer’s next effort.
More reviews of high-quality teen novels with a supernatural theme:
Guy Gavriel Kay's Ysabel
Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty
Melissa Marr's Radiant Shadows
Heather Fawcett - Heather Fawcett is a Vancouver-based writer and editor. She holds an M.A. in English Literature and specializes in teen fiction, having ...
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