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167th out of 591 books
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Breath
by
Donna Jo Napoli (Goodreads Author)
Salz is a boy afflicted with cystic fibrosis -- though in the Middle Ages in Saxony no one can identify it as such. Instead he is an outcast, living with his unfeeling father and superstitious brothers in a hovel outside Hameln. His grandmother has kept Salz alive by having him avoid the mead and beer commonly drunk by all and by teaching him how to clear his lungs.
When th
...morePaperback, 260 pages
Published
May 11th 2010
by Simon Pulse
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J Napoli
You may feel more empathy for this book's main character, Salz, as you continue into the relentless plot and writing style and story revelations take your breath away. Salz suffers from cystic fibrosis in a time when there was no such diagnosis, and certainly no hope for treatment. Living simply on a farm with his grandmother, father, and brothers, Salz stumbles upon a piper in the woods one day, drawn to him along with forest creatures, by the music he plays on his pipe. ...more
You may feel more empathy for this book's main character, Salz, as you continue into the relentless plot and writing style and story revelations take your breath away. Salz suffers from cystic fibrosis in a time when there was no such diagnosis, and certainly no hope for treatment. Living simply on a farm with his grandmother, father, and brothers, Salz stumbles upon a piper in the woods one day, drawn to him along with forest creatures, by the music he plays on his pipe. ...more
In the year 1284, the German town of Hameln was overcome by a mysterious illness. Legend goes that the town hired a magical piper, who got rid of all the rats. When the piper was refused a fair pay, he led all the young children away with music.
Sounds familiar, right? "Breath" challenges the classic story of the Pied Piper. It is told from the point of view by a boy named Salz, who was the lame boy that couldn't keep up with the Piper's parade.
Salz is very uniq...more
Sounds familiar, right? "Breath" challenges the classic story of the Pied Piper. It is told from the point of view by a boy named Salz, who was the lame boy that couldn't keep up with the Piper's parade.
Salz is very uniq...more
James
added it
Set in late 13th Century, Breath is the story of Salz, a 12-year old boy who has a serious illness that makes it almost impossible to work on his family’s farm. The story unfolds like a mystery – the people and animals in the town of Hamelin are sick and dying; is it the moldy grain brought on from the torrential rains; is it the plague of rats infesting the town; or is it witchcraft? When Salz is the one person not affected by the strange disease, he is accused of witchcraft. To prove his worth...more
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Rachel
rated it
The story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin does not sound as though it would make a good novel, let alone one so beautiful as this one. But Donna Jo Napoli, with her characteristic attention to historical detail and emotional reality, creates a moving story about a character whom it is easy to care for. Brief and breathtaking.
Salz is a young boy who lives with his father, brothers, and grandmother on a farm outside of the medieval town of Hameln. He has cystic fibrosis and suffers from coughing attacks that threaten his life. The plot thickens as the community is threatened with rats and a plague that afflicts the livestock and the people. Salz and his grandmother belong to a coven and they try to stop the plague with a particularly powerful spell which doesn't make any difference.
This is a very powerful...more
This is a very powerful...more
I always find Napoli's historical fiction so interesting, and she's also good at interpretive fairy tales. This story is both. A boy in medieval Germany suffers from an unknown lung disease, and his family and town are stricken with a strange illness as well. The people use both witchcraft and church power to try and cure the illness, but they can't find out where the mysterious malady comes from. People in the story are cruel and ignorant, and it was kind of depressing, but I liked reading what...more
This is a pretty decent retelling of the Pied Piper of Hameln story done in the usual Donna Jo Napoli style. One thing really annoys me about this book though and that is that the back cover blurb gives away what could be an interesting mystery which I'm guessing the author didn't intend to be made clear from the beginning. Not only that, the back of the book gets it wrong which makes the story slightly confusing. Whoever wrote the blurb apparently didn't read the book. The bottom line is th...more
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An intriguing and thoroughly engaging retelling of the Pied Piper of Hamlin legend. A little "dark" for children - I actually had to turn to the book cover after one rather disturbing scene to make sure it really was a "children's" book, and not just an adult book that had gotten misshelved in the library. (The answer was no, it really is a book marketed for children - and it's not like it's graphic or gruesome, but there are one or two plot point that would be a little inten...more
Interesting so far. Seems to be the story of a 12 yo with CF in late 13th century Germany.
Napoli does a great job of making a fairy tale plausible in scientific and historical terms. I love that she manages to capture a realistic local flavor in Salz's experiences and observations, as well as creating a strong protagonist who's survived many circumstances that would have killed others in his time. I thought she pushed the pagan thing a bit far, but I did like how she dovetailed th...more
Napoli does a great job of making a fairy tale plausible in scientific and historical terms. I love that she manages to capture a realistic local flavor in Salz's experiences and observations, as well as creating a strong protagonist who's survived many circumstances that would have killed others in his time. I thought she pushed the pagan thing a bit far, but I did like how she dovetailed th...more
What can I say? I simply love this author's fairy tale retellings. I especially enjoy the elements of paganism that permeate the stories. This one, Breath, is based on The Pied Piper of Hamelin. Salz suffers from cystic fibrosis at a time in history when no one survived this disease for long. Thanks to his grandmother's care, Salz is still alive and kicking at the ripe old age of 12. When a mysterious disease sickens the farm animals, and later the people of Hameln, Salz, along with many o...more
Interesting book. I never did find the clues that lead to the revealing of why people in the town of Hamelin are dying. That, more than anything tells me that this is a good book. My first review of the book said: Very good and interesting story including the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Plague, fungus, and disease, etc. are prevalent throughout and the ending is understandable, although one might wish for it to be happier. I give this book a B.
This is a story of the Pied Piper only told from the point of view of the lame boy (Salz) who could not keep up when all the other children were charmed out of town. Most of the story is the build up to the Pied Piper’s visit, and concern Salz’s struggle to stay alive despite his many physical afflictions, and an abusive older brother. While Salz’s life is a struggle he does not wallow in self-pity, instead he struggles to learn all he can about nature, God, and life in general. Then nature se...more
Stephanie
rated it
Recommends it for:
young adults readers of historical fiction
Recommended to Stephanie by:
Vickie Tomko
This is the first book I've read by Napoli, but as a history teacher and a fan of historical fiction, I enjoyed this book. Napoli takes an event, in this case the removal of the children of the town of Hamelin by the Pied Piper, and builds a historically and scientifically accurate story around it. The book centers on the child that was left behind, Salz, who has cystic fibrosis and cannot keep up with the other children as they are led away from the city. Napoli goes on to build a story expl...more
If I could give half stars this one would receive 2 1/2. I thought this book started out strong, but then it lost its luster for me. It is a retelling of the Piper of Hameln story, but there were some weird twists. Generally Napoli's retelling of old fairy tales are quite fanciful, but this one was lacking, predictable, and even a little too coarse for me in places.
Katie
rated it
I definitely enjoyed some of Donna Jo Napoli's other retellings more than this one. However, I have not encountered a retelling of the Pied Piper before, so it was at least unique in that respect. I liked how she kept it historical, where people would not know about diseases and plagues the way we do now, and the fear that would engender.
Napoli doesn't pull any punches about the nastier aspects of living in a German state in the middle ages. Life was hard and dirty and superstition and ignorance were rampant.
I had one tiny advantage reading this book that some people might not have. My father worked with small grains and I know what ergot is and what it can do to humans and animals. It made it easier figure out pretty quick what was making everyone so sick.
Like many of Napoli's books there is no classical happily-eve...more
I had one tiny advantage reading this book that some people might not have. My father worked with small grains and I know what ergot is and what it can do to humans and animals. It made it easier figure out pretty quick what was making everyone so sick.
Like many of Napoli's books there is no classical happily-eve...more
I stumbled across this book trying to find another. The tale takes place in the Middle Ages and centers on Salz, a young boy plagued by horrible coughing spells. The only way he can clear his lungs and breathe is to stand on his head. But Salz also is one of the few to not sucuumb to a mysterious illness that strikes the townspeople and, later, the farmers in and near Hamilyn. What has caused the illness? And can a mysterious and colorful piper whom Salz encounters truly help? A take on the Pied...more
I have read many of Donna Jo Napoli's books and love them all but I love Breath the most. Not only is it based off of one of the best fairy tales kown to man but it also realisticly shows German cultre of that time. I deffently recamend this book to anyone looking for something good to read.
![Frisky Mulcoy [canine lover]](http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1269728500p2/3150901.jpg)
I like the charatcer of the pied piper best, although I had no idea it was supposed to be the pied piper until later on. I also loved Salz's cat familiar and the prejudice and hypocrisy of opinioins related. It's an okay written book and detailed to the point of being very blunt. Pretty good.
Surprisingly interesting story about 13th century Hameln. It's basically a retelling of the Piper of Hameln. The 'mystery' itself is relatively easy to figure out when you have today's knowledge about diseases, but it's a compelling read all the same. I particularly enjoyed Salz as the main character, who was a sweet boy and lovely to read about.
Sally, thanks again for sharing this book with me, or I mostly likely never would have read it!
Sally, thanks again for sharing this book with me, or I mostly likely never would have read it!
Book talked by Keith McPherson. He says it's about "how our prejudices and beliefs limit us from finding solutions." It's historical fiction, set in medieval times but involves LSD poisoning, the animals getting sick first, then the people... they try to unravel the mystery.
A classic retelling of the Piper who steals away the villages children in retaliation for a lack fo pay. The story is told from the point of view of the crippled boy who falls behind, and leaves you with an ache in your heart.
really 3 1/2 stars but good. A retelling of the piper. I was intrigued by the disease throughout the story and even more intrigued by the authors note describing the disease and her thoughts on the story.
Retelling of the story of the Pied Piper of Hamlin. A boy with cystic fibrosis and a town afflicted with ergot poisoning (in addition to rats) make this an unusual take on the old story.
I cared for Salz, the main character, as I read. I learned a lot about the Middle Ages, and I loved that Napoli used legend and history in her weaving.
A historical account of ergot poisoning in Europe after the Crusades from the perspective of a boy with a disorder defined today as cystic fibrosis.
Amanda
added it
Nicely done. Superstition, witchcraft, the transition from the Old Religion to Christianity, Black Death, and of course, the Pied Piper of Hameln...
Fairy tale retellings are a big favorite of mine, but this - this was astounding. Donna Jo Napoli has already written a few books that I've really enjoyed, and this one trumps all the others. Salz is an utterly compelling character with a clarity of mind that sets him apart from the people around him. Mein Gott-inducingly written, with plenty of details to create an atmosphere of superstition and mystique, this book's only defect is that the ending is not as sharp as the rest of it. The scie...more
This was not my favorite book of Donna's. It was a little too witch-crafty for me, but it did fit the time period that she based it on.
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From her website:
Donna Jo Napoli is both a linguist and a writer of children's and YA fiction.
Donna Jo has five children. She dreams of moving to the woods and becoming a naturalist. She loves to garden and bake bread.
At various times her house and yard have been filled with dogs, cats, birds, and rabbits. For thirteen years she had a cat named Taxi, and liked...more
More about Donna Jo Napoli...
Donna Jo Napoli is both a linguist and a writer of children's and YA fiction.
Donna Jo has five children. She dreams of moving to the woods and becoming a naturalist. She loves to garden and bake bread.
At various times her house and yard have been filled with dogs, cats, birds, and rabbits. For thirteen years she had a cat named Taxi, and liked...more
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