Spirited (Once Upon a Time) (Paperback)

The question is whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. It might be the latter, because if you are retelling a classic story it would be nice if your readers noticed. Certainly there are broad enough clues when the heroine finally understands what the word "Mahwah" means and makes her arrangement with the medicine man who has taken her hostage, but I was paying attention to the story line and wondering if some of Cooper's characters (versus those historical figures he included in his novel) were going to show up. They do not, but Holder takes advantage of one of the more intriguing locations of the film for some pivotal scenes, which I appreciated. After the fact I understand completely how "Spirited" is a retelling of this specific fairy tale, so I am inclined to argue the former position, and say that Holder was rather elegant in working the key elements into her own narrative.

The story is set in May of 1756 during the early part of the French & Indian War. Isabella Stevens is raveling with her father, a physician, to the British stronghold of Fort William Henry in what is now upstate New York. The presence of British soldiers in the forest becomes known to Wusamequin, a medicine man of his tribe who has been looking to avenge the death of his wife and infant child at the hands of British soldiers. During the attack Wusamequin notices Isabella, who is fighting back against her attackers even though she is terrified. At that moment he recognizes a bond between them, and the young English woman and her father are taken captive. The others in the Mohican tribe want to burn her at the stake, but Wusamequin insists the woman become a slave of the People.

I agree that Isabella, now called in the manner of Mahwah, screams and cries a bit too much. Granted, you do not want to have a heroine in a story set in the American wilderness of the 18th century be too brave, but I think it becomes problematic for Wusamequin to look past her behavior Isabella's charms (and, no, these are not physical), which might explain why a little magic becomes involved. Her ability to see him in a new light and realize that the man who is her captor is not a savage makes more sense. One of the strengths of this novel is how Holder incorporates the culture of the Mohicans and other Algonquin tribes into the narrative, although I understand that most younger readers are not going to be able to tell where fact ends and her fictional elements begin.

As for the ending, I have to admit that I thought it was appropriate for the simple fact that when you are talking about what happened to the Algonquin tribes after the arrival of the European settlers, let along any Native American people, history prevents you from having a happy ending. Even Michael Mann's movie ends with the idea that the death of Uncas makes Chingachgook the novel's title character (the novel ends with the parallel funerals for Uncas and Cora Munro). The subtext for Holder's story is that no matter what Wusamequin and his people do, their fate is sealed (if you know the history of the real fall of Fort William Henry, then the references to pestilence in the novel are moments of deep foreboding). However, given the European origins of the fairy tale being retold here, given it a peculiarly American happy ending seems appropriate.