The Shadow of the Bear: A Fairy Tale Retold

Blanche and Rose are two teenage sisters who have recently moved to New York City after living a secluded childhood in the country. The perky and social Rose adjusts well to the big-city Catholic high school - making lots of friends and even being invited to the Senior Prom by the most popular boy in school. Blanche, on the other hand, more nervous and shy by nature, is incessantly teased by her schoolmates and struggles with her own internal fears about life. Despite Blanche's objections, Rose and their mother (who was recently widowed) befriend a scruffy (dread-locked) transient, "Bear", who spent time in Juvenile Hall for drug possession. A page-turning adventure and mystery unfold in which appearances are not always what they seem and the two sisters grow in faith, friendship and determination. In the background of the story whirl a myriad of ideas about life, love, courage, fear, reality, death and much more that teenagers (and adults too) struggle with. But in the end the reader walks away with a sense of hope and that, yes, life is difficult and many bad things can happen, but even so God is in charge and the truth will come out in the end if we don't give up.If the average person on the street today were asked how they would define "a fairy tale", I think they would describe a story in which "perfect" people had certain adventures, but in the end lived happily ever after. Unfortunately our modern ideas of fairy tales come largely from animated Disney movies of the past 50 years."The Shadow of the Bear" is based on the classic fairy tale "Snow White and Rose Red". Yet it is nothing like our common idea of a fairy tale because our modern definition is flawed. Reading this book, might, in fact, enhance your idea of what a fairy tale is.

Previously published as "Snow White and Rose Red: A Modern Fairy Tale," this is a wonderful, gritty retelling of an otherwise-uninteresting fairy tale. This is a real-as-life story about true love and courage, with a dash of crime and religion in there to balance it all out.High-school students Blanche and Rose once lived in luxury in the country, but since the death of their father they live in a slushy city with their overworked mother. At their new school, they are generally ignored or abused, especially Blanche, who frequently has dizzy spells.The girls are, at first, less than thrilled when their mother brings a homeless young man called "Bear" home. Despite their apprehension, soon they become close friends with him, based on a mutual love of poetry and jokes. But after a disastrous prom night where Bear is thrown out of the dance and Rose is intimidated by a would-be seducer, the girls find themselves in a potentially deadly struggle with a ruthless man -- with a grudge against Bear and the mysterious boy called "Fish."Regina Doman manages to triumph in this book is several areas. Though there are essential religious themes woven into the plotline, there is no irritating sanctimonious air to the book. The two heroines aren't goody-goodies loved for their virtues, but mocked for them. And it's not exactly squeaky-clean either: there are themes such as child abandonment, homelessness, assault and attempted murder, heart trouble, and Rose's boyfriend pressuring her for sex. However, Doman is never less than tasteful, and her handling of these is in sync with the vein of Roman Catholic beliefs that runs through the novel.Blanche and Rose are another good accomplishment. Rather than being carbon copies of one another, as siblings in many books are, the two girls have strengths and weaknesses that complement each other. Bear is a gentle giant who loves poetry and swing dancing; he proves to be a character like an onion, that is gradually unpeeled. And Fish is my personal favorite, a cocky wise-cracker who doesn't let any situation (including attempted murder) keep him down for too long.One of the few "real life" fairy tale retellings that works. "Shadow of the Bear" is an enchanting love story with a pulse-pounding storyline and likeable characters.

After reading this excellent book a few times each year since it has come out, I have finally decided to read the Grimm's version and may I say that Ms. Doman is one really acurate writer. I really hope she DOES continue the story of Blanche, Bear, Rose and Fish as she mentioned at the end of her book. Also, after reading a book like this, I feel so lucky to be a homeschooling Catholic, Ms. Doman makes every reader feel proud of her religion and so VERY proud of Bear and Fish for their courage. I hope everyone who reads any of these reviews will find the hear(and the time!)to pick up this book and read it and read it and read it, over and over and over and over....

The book is about two sisters, Blanche & Rose, who live in N.Y.C. They are new to the city, and they do not have to many friends. They are well read in poetry and other peices of liturature, they are also christian. They meet a boy, who calls himself "Bear", and then there adventures begin. I won't go into detail, because that might spoil it, but I will say that it is loosly based on Grimn's fairy tale, of the same name. I hope that everyone who reads it will love it as much as I did, (all 7 times) but I don't think it's a book that guys would get into. Regina Doman, where ever you are, thank you for writing a book with intelligent, christen characters, that's still exciting.

My sister and i got this book for Christmas, and loved it! My sister is totally ecstatic about it, and has already read it 3 times. She can't wait for a sequel to come out. Combines Christian morality with romance and adventure. EXCELLENT!