Reviews: (by author)

Weyn, Suzanne. Water Song. New York: Simon Pulse, 2006. ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-4013-5. $5.99.

“The Frog Prince” is one of the most simple and least conflict-oriented fairy tales. In the hands of Suzanne Weyn, however, the tale is completely transformed and almost unrecognizable.

Water Song chronicles the ordeal of Emma Winthrop, a young girl from a wealthy family, who finds herself trapped in her family’s estate in war-torn Belgium during WWI. Separated from her family living in London and from her mother who dies in a bombing in Belgium, Emma must learn to survive on her own. Emma soon discovers that she is not as alone as she thought, however. When Emma tries to retrieve her golden locket she threw into a well during a fit of anger, she finds a wounded American soldier inside trying to recover from injuries he sustained from poisoned gas.

As Emma and Jack emerge from the well, German soldiers surrounded them. Thinking quickly, Emma concocts a story to conceal Jack’s true identity as an enemy soldier. She convinces the German troops that Jack is her civilian husband. The German colonel informs them the estate is being taken over as their headquarters, but he will allow them to stay on as guests of the Germans. Emma and Jack are promptly locked in a bedroom and given provisions.

Rather than take comfort in each other, Emma and Jack engage in a series of verbal battles that primarily stem from misunderstandings and preconceived notions. Jack believes Emma judges him for being a poor boy of mixed Creole and Native American descent while Emma is convinced Jack is critical of her because of her privileged upbringing. After being forced on numerous occasions to rely on one another for survival, however, Emma and Jack begin to see the ally and friend they have in each other. The fate of Jack and Emma, both in terms of their involvement with the war and the status of their relationship, is revealed in the conclusion.

As a historical fiction, Water Song is enthralling. As a retelling of a fairy tale, on the other hand, the book is lacking. Weyn’s frequent attempts to correlate Jack with the frog prince feel forced, both in description and in the way this identity is awkwardly woven into the storyline. Other magical elements, infrequent as they are, seem equally strained. In this respect, Water Song is quite a departure from the other books in the Once Upon a Time series. Uneven as the book may be, it still makes for an enjoyable read.

Kira Hall, June 2007

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