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Let Down Your Hair
One modern-day Rapunzel. One naked man. Two very different wicked witches.
At 22, Sage Rampion has led a strange and cloistered life. She's been homeschooled, and she's never owned a cell phone, watched TV or spoken to a man on her own. Everything she's seen, read and watched has been vetted by her grandmother Andrea, Professor of Women's Studies and hardline old school feminist.
When Sage and Andrea see Ryan modelling naked below their office window, Andrea marches out to charge him with indecent exposure. But he waves up at Sage, and his grin is the warmest thing she's seen in her lonely existence. She rushes down to warn him, and as they grow close her sheltered world begins to unravel. Sage starts asking questions about the way she was brought up, and the beautiful teenage mother who abandoned her.
But answering those questions means confronting Andrea, and she's not a good enemy to make. Taking her on brings Ryan and Sage more trouble than either of them could have imagined.
A timely re-telling of the Rapunzel fairytale in the era of selfies and smartphones.
At 22, Sage Rampion has led a strange and cloistered life. She's been homeschooled, and she's never owned a cell phone, watched TV or spoken to a man on her own. Everything she's seen, read and watched has been vetted by her grandmother Andrea, Professor of Women's Studies and hardline old school feminist.
When Sage and Andrea see Ryan modelling naked below their office window, Andrea marches out to charge him with indecent exposure. But he waves up at Sage, and his grin is the warmest thing she's seen in her lonely existence. She rushes down to warn him, and as they grow close her sheltered world begins to unravel. Sage starts asking questions about the way she was brought up, and the beautiful teenage mother who abandoned her.
But answering those questions means confronting Andrea, and she's not a good enemy to make. Taking her on brings Ryan and Sage more trouble than either of them could have imagined.
A timely re-telling of the Rapunzel fairytale in the era of selfies and smartphones.
382 pages, ebook
First published December 11, 2014
2 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 13, 2014
2,5 Surprised Stars.
First I fell in love with this book when I saw the cover. After when I saw the blurb. I’m a self-proclaimed modern romantic so I love everything that comes with romance: the falling, the chasing, the firsts, the drama, the happy ends. So I jump on this ecstatic when I thought I would be reading a modern twist on Rapunzel’s story. That’s NOT what happened.
This is the story about a girl who was raised by a feminist in such closure that when she saw a male nude model and a glimpse of the real world everything changed and keeps changing when he teaches her how the real world works. And okay, that’s exactly what happened. But my question is: Where the hell was the romance??!
You may say that the problem was my unfair expectations. Yes, that happened before, but not in this case. Because it may be a very clever marketing strategy, but everyone who reads the blurb will thing exactly the same. So it’s safe to say this book left me me incredibly disappointed.
Why the 2,5 stars? Let me clear that:
1 Star was for the writing. It was amazingly written, with a flowing and flawless style and it was engaging.
1 Star for the chosen subject and the questions it made me contemplate. What if we suddenly found ourselves in a world we did not understand? Why if we didn’t have access to information and lived on ignorance? How would we react when we were “released”?
0,5 Stars for the “Love your body despite its flaws” message. It’s an old one, but still a very necessary note.
In conclusion, if you’re starting this expecting a heartwarming romance, well, change your mind. The romance is there, but in such a small amount it’s almost unnoticeable.
However, it’s never too much to notice that just because it didn’t quite work for me, that it won’t work for you. If you’re interest, give it a try. You may have a different opinion than mine. ;)
Rating: 2,5 Stars.
Characters Development: The main characters felt to unrealistic and cliché for me. Sage was too immature. Even without fully understand of the world, at 22 she should at least know how to make decisions from her own head. Ryan was just meh. He was just the traditional “misunderstood artist”. Andrea was the typical obsessive feminist that her notion of feminism was hating men (and that’s why people starting to hate feminist. Because they believe it’s man-hating and it’s actually nothing like that!!!) and the mother, the typical selfish teenage girl that gets pregnant and doesn’t know how to deal with it. They didn’t have their own personalities and looked like made-up stereotypes of a case study.
Steam: Nope!
Sensible Subjects:
Love Triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
*ARC kindly provided in exchange of honest review.*
First I fell in love with this book when I saw the cover. After when I saw the blurb. I’m a self-proclaimed modern romantic so I love everything that comes with romance: the falling, the chasing, the firsts, the drama, the happy ends. So I jump on this ecstatic when I thought I would be reading a modern twist on Rapunzel’s story. That’s NOT what happened.
This is the story about a girl who was raised by a feminist in such closure that when she saw a male nude model and a glimpse of the real world everything changed and keeps changing when he teaches her how the real world works. And okay, that’s exactly what happened. But my question is: Where the hell was the romance??!
You may say that the problem was my unfair expectations. Yes, that happened before, but not in this case. Because it may be a very clever marketing strategy, but everyone who reads the blurb will thing exactly the same. So it’s safe to say this book left me me incredibly disappointed.
Why the 2,5 stars? Let me clear that:
1 Star was for the writing. It was amazingly written, with a flowing and flawless style and it was engaging.
1 Star for the chosen subject and the questions it made me contemplate. What if we suddenly found ourselves in a world we did not understand? Why if we didn’t have access to information and lived on ignorance? How would we react when we were “released”?
0,5 Stars for the “Love your body despite its flaws” message. It’s an old one, but still a very necessary note.
In conclusion, if you’re starting this expecting a heartwarming romance, well, change your mind. The romance is there, but in such a small amount it’s almost unnoticeable.
However, it’s never too much to notice that just because it didn’t quite work for me, that it won’t work for you. If you’re interest, give it a try. You may have a different opinion than mine. ;)
Rating: 2,5 Stars.
Characters Development: The main characters felt to unrealistic and cliché for me. Sage was too immature. Even without fully understand of the world, at 22 she should at least know how to make decisions from her own head. Ryan was just meh. He was just the traditional “misunderstood artist”. Andrea was the typical obsessive feminist that her notion of feminism was hating men (and that’s why people starting to hate feminist. Because they believe it’s man-hating and it’s actually nothing like that!!!) and the mother, the typical selfish teenage girl that gets pregnant and doesn’t know how to deal with it. They didn’t have their own personalities and looked like made-up stereotypes of a case study.
Steam: Nope!
Sensible Subjects:
Love Triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
*ARC kindly provided in exchange of honest review.*
January 3, 2015
Recently, it seems that every book I have high hopes for, turns out to be a huge disappointment.
I hate giving only a star and writing these kind of reviews. I never dnf books and I seriously hoped it would get better. Unfortunately, it didn't.
I read the blurb and I was so excited. That was exactly my reaction
And that was me after reading it
I expected it to be a light and funny read, just what I needed in this period.
The plot is misleading, this book is not a romance novel.
Actually, that didn't bother me at all. When a book is great, the genre doesn't matter to me.
Sage Rampion is a 22 years old girl who was raised by her grandmother, Andrea. Andrea is the head of Womyn's Studies at a university.
Sage wears second hand men's clothes, she knows NOTHING about popular culture and she has no friends her own age.
One day, she spots a man posing naked for an Art class on a rooftop. She reports him to Andrea, but feeling guilty, she rushes down to warn him.
From that moment, she gets to discover the world she hasn't lived yet.
It's all new to her; at the beginning, I was thrilled to see her journey to self discovery. She never really got to decide anything in her life and she was the woman she was because she kind of had no other choice.
The premises were good, but what actually happened felt unreal to me.
I found Sage very immature for her age, because, no matter what, she still has a brain so nothing can justify her actions.
She was supposed to understand who she was and where she belonged but all of her choices were light-hearted.
I'm disappointed because this could really be a book about women and their role in society, but sadly, the development of the story was really bad.
On my opinion, the story was UNREAL and I was like this for a good part of the book.
The only good part of this book is the title, it's very appropriate.
For the rest, I'm sorry but I expected so much more from this.
Arc kindly provided by Momentum books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Want to read
December 3, 2014 Oooh!! This standalone sounds FUN!! :D
At 22, Sage has barely spoken to a man, but she's read a lot about them. When she meets the male nude model she saw from her window, her sheltered world begins to unravel...
Standalone. No cliffhanger. No cheating. No triangle. Adult romance. Coming December 11, 2014.
"One modern-day Rapunzel. One naked man.
Two very different wicked witches."
At 22, Sage has barely spoken to a man, but she's read a lot about them. When she meets the male nude model she saw from her window, her sheltered world begins to unravel...
Standalone. No cliffhanger. No cheating. No triangle. Adult romance. Coming December 11, 2014.
January 10, 2015
First of all, let me just start with a few words for whoever it was who decided to label this book as a fairy tale retelling:
Here's the thing, you may think that you were helping this book in having the attention it deserved, but in fact what you did manage was just to "flaunt it" at the wrong audience, subsequently hiding it from the people who could or would enjoy it! *shakes head*
People who requested this book _upon reading its very misleading blurb and seeing the cover _ will probably be extremely disappointed with its end result:
This doesn't have a single "funny bone" in its body.
The "romance" is extremely undeveloped and lacking, especially when one considers Sage upbringing.
What one does have in this book, is a twenty two year character who has grown up emotionally stunted _or at least, one that in real life would be _, one could even talk about emotional abuse, because the way Sage was raised by her
A girl who was abandoned by her mother as a child, who ends up being raised by an old guard feminist who believes all men are evil, would never have behaved the way Sage does.
However despite this not being the "milk chocolate" story I thought this would be, I kept on reading it, because the writing is actually good.
However, after a while it seemed as if this had fallen into a "soap opera dimension".
Characters became more stereotyped by the second...
Despairing and "you've got to be kidding me" situations kept being thrown with casual indifference, and after awhile, and for a few pages I had to use the diagonal reading skill...it was that, or plainly DNF it.
Bottom Line: An original concept, with an above average writing skill, but whose results _for me _ ended up in one big mess...
And don't even get me started on the fact that the grandmother offered her a vibrator _typical feminist grandmother gift! _ but apparently didn't explain to the girl the concept of safe sex!
I can't even... o_O
Oh, and last but not least, this book taught me a very important anthropological lesson! ;)
Apparently feminists come from a long, and distinct line of..Hobbits! :D
No, really, here, read this:
the hems of her linen pants flapping around her hairy white ankles as she cycled to the campus.
Feminists were hairy-legged, man-hating monsters, who were bitter because no one would marry them.
(..)because I was a plain, hairy feminist(..)
December 5, 2014
*ARC kindly provided by Momentum books*
First, It's hard for me criticize someone hard work and passion.
Maybe I misunderstood the blurb, because I was expecting a modern fairy tale.
This story wasn't what I was expecting to be.
For me this is a book about the consequences of education - liberal or authoritarian - and I was expecting romance.
The story is well written, with interesting points about society problems with body image, culture and women power. I really liked that part but, like I said before, this is not a sweet romance and for me was difficult to read when I was expecting something completely different.
First, It's hard for me criticize someone hard work and passion.
Maybe I misunderstood the blurb, because I was expecting a modern fairy tale.
This story wasn't what I was expecting to be.
For me this is a book about the consequences of education - liberal or authoritarian - and I was expecting romance.
The story is well written, with interesting points about society problems with body image, culture and women power. I really liked that part but, like I said before, this is not a sweet romance and for me was difficult to read when I was expecting something completely different.
December 7, 2014
ARC provided by NetGalley and Momentum books.
This is not a romance novel. This is women's fiction, whoever is categorizing these novels needs to get this stuff right.
That being said, I really liked this story. It is about a sheltered woman coming into her own. She's never really had to rely on her own wits and her situation goes from bad to worse before it finally becomes better. The journey of Sage is very interesting, a struggle to figure out who she is and where she truly belongs.
This is not a romance novel. This is women's fiction, whoever is categorizing these novels needs to get this stuff right.
That being said, I really liked this story. It is about a sheltered woman coming into her own. She's never really had to rely on her own wits and her situation goes from bad to worse before it finally becomes better. The journey of Sage is very interesting, a struggle to figure out who she is and where she truly belongs.
January 17, 2015
Billed as story with a modern twist on the classic fairytale story of Rapunzel, the two stories share several elements. In essence, Sage was given to her grandmother (the wicked witch) in exchange for her mother's desires and then kept captive, albeit in an ivory tower. And it is a 'Prince' who saves Sage, though not in the manner touted by Disney, and their separation and reunion, has more in common with the original Grimm tale.
Let Down Your Hair isn't a light read though, there isn't a lot of humour and the romance is sidelined. Instead, this is a coming of age story in which Price explores a fairly specific agenda related to 'women's' issues such as body image, the portrayal of women in popular culture and feminism.
Price deliberately uses stereotypes to emphasise her themes. Sage's grandmother, Andrea is a feminist zealot, rejecting anything male, while Sage's mother, Emmeline, is the quintessential shallow beauty, whose self worth is tied to her attractiveness, especially to men. Astute readers will however glean that the views of both women were shaped in reaction to particular incidents.
Caught between two such extremes, Sage struggles to find a moderate path that suits her, and her journey is a difficult one. Condemned by her controlling grandmother when her relationship with Ryan is discovered, then rejected for a second time by her mother, and separated from her lover, she finds herself pregnant and alone.
Let Down Your Hair is well written, offering an interesting and engaging modern day spin on Grimm's Rapunzel.
January 23, 2015
An ingenious, touching real-life take on Rapunzel, this novel deftly adapts the classic fairy tale to modern times, whilst staying true to the traditional central themes of isolation from the world, discovery of love, journey of suffering and learning, and the final getting of wisdom and happiness. With a subtle touch and perfect pitch, the author does justice to her inspiration whilst creating a believable world of her own, vivid characters, gripping story, and nicely-turned prose.
Want to read
December 6, 2014ARC provided by Momentum Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 5, 2014
This book wasn’t what I expected it to be. The blurb is pretty light-hearted and fun, so that’s what I thought I’d get, with a fairytale romance at its heart. Instead this story is about Sage growing up, finding her feet and figuring out just what feminism means to her. It’s not a bad book, but it wasn’t what I thought I was getting into.
Sage is brilliant academically, but she’s led a highly sheltered life. Her grandmother, Andrea, has shaped and moulded her from a mere babe to the 22-year-old she now is. She knows nothing of popular culture, she dresses in hand-me-down men’s clothing and her life is dedicated to Andrea’s cause. For years Sage had no problem with any of this, because it was all she knew. Then she went to college, had a bad experience with mean girls and suddenly lost all sense of herself. Now about to start on a PhD in Women’s Studies, she spots a naked man from her office window and realises there’s so much out there she doesn’t know or understand.
So begins her re-education. Well, kind of. She meets Ryan, the naked model with a quirky taste in t-shirts, and he offers to teach her about popular culture. Except things don’t exactly pan out that way, and there’s some drama around how her birth mother abandoned her and the way Andrea raised her, and suddenly Sage not only feels adrift from the world, but she no longer knows who she is.
It’s a story that’s been told before – teenage mother unable to cope with a child, leaves her to oppressive grandparent, child grows up naive and sheltered, the big bad world comes a-calling and much drama ensues. Andrea is a complete cliché too. A woman abandoned by her husband, finds solace in the Feminist movement, radicalises her life, alienates her daughter and vows to do better with her grandchild, but makes a mess of things. When Sage tracks down her mother, she of course stumbles into another cliché, but from completely the opposite side.
So this is a story that’s been told before, using much of the same methods, with much the same outcomes. There are a few more surprising twists along the way, but mostly it goes along much as you’d expect. I know this is a retelling of a fairytale, but it’s also a retelling of a dozen updated retellings of a fairytale without doing anything original along the way. Sage is an interesting main character, and her naivety didn’t annoy me as much as I might have expected as she bounces from crisis to crisis. Of course she’s one of the beautiful-but-has-no-idea kind of people, but I liked how she eventually handles that, and by the end I really liked her and the way she handled the sometimes farcical turns of her life. Yet it isn’t funny, instead it’s mostly a bit sad.
It was an okay read, familiar and full of interesting points, but it’s not really a romance, or much of a fairytale. The one thing it does do well, however, is talk about feminism and the different ways it can affect different women, and how they can also use it to shape their own lives. If you like to read about a woman finding herself in a sea of unfamiliar views, with a good feminist core, then you’ll probably find plenty to like and agree with here. If you’re expecting humour, fairytales and romance… well, this probably isn’t for you. There are good points in this novel, just so long as you know what you’re getting when you go in.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
Sage is brilliant academically, but she’s led a highly sheltered life. Her grandmother, Andrea, has shaped and moulded her from a mere babe to the 22-year-old she now is. She knows nothing of popular culture, she dresses in hand-me-down men’s clothing and her life is dedicated to Andrea’s cause. For years Sage had no problem with any of this, because it was all she knew. Then she went to college, had a bad experience with mean girls and suddenly lost all sense of herself. Now about to start on a PhD in Women’s Studies, she spots a naked man from her office window and realises there’s so much out there she doesn’t know or understand.
So begins her re-education. Well, kind of. She meets Ryan, the naked model with a quirky taste in t-shirts, and he offers to teach her about popular culture. Except things don’t exactly pan out that way, and there’s some drama around how her birth mother abandoned her and the way Andrea raised her, and suddenly Sage not only feels adrift from the world, but she no longer knows who she is.
It’s a story that’s been told before – teenage mother unable to cope with a child, leaves her to oppressive grandparent, child grows up naive and sheltered, the big bad world comes a-calling and much drama ensues. Andrea is a complete cliché too. A woman abandoned by her husband, finds solace in the Feminist movement, radicalises her life, alienates her daughter and vows to do better with her grandchild, but makes a mess of things. When Sage tracks down her mother, she of course stumbles into another cliché, but from completely the opposite side.
So this is a story that’s been told before, using much of the same methods, with much the same outcomes. There are a few more surprising twists along the way, but mostly it goes along much as you’d expect. I know this is a retelling of a fairytale, but it’s also a retelling of a dozen updated retellings of a fairytale without doing anything original along the way. Sage is an interesting main character, and her naivety didn’t annoy me as much as I might have expected as she bounces from crisis to crisis. Of course she’s one of the beautiful-but-has-no-idea kind of people, but I liked how she eventually handles that, and by the end I really liked her and the way she handled the sometimes farcical turns of her life. Yet it isn’t funny, instead it’s mostly a bit sad.
It was an okay read, familiar and full of interesting points, but it’s not really a romance, or much of a fairytale. The one thing it does do well, however, is talk about feminism and the different ways it can affect different women, and how they can also use it to shape their own lives. If you like to read about a woman finding herself in a sea of unfamiliar views, with a good feminist core, then you’ll probably find plenty to like and agree with here. If you’re expecting humour, fairytales and romance… well, this probably isn’t for you. There are good points in this novel, just so long as you know what you’re getting when you go in.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
December 16, 2014
I may be wrong, but the synopsis of Let Down Your Hair really made it sound like it would be a read on the lighter side. I was hoping for a story of growth. One of first experiences and hopefully a fairy tale romance. What I was given was definitely a lot different than what I expected. I'll tell you right now, this isn't a light read by any means. Poor Sage goes through hell and back again. If you're looking for a sweet and fluffy read? This isn't it.
It's plainly obvious that Sage is meant to be our Rapunzel character. Her last name is Rampion, her hair cascades down her back in a platinum blonde waterfall, and there's even a scene where her "Prince" sees her in a high window. Which, since this all happened at the beginning, lead me to believe that this would be a story about Sage growing out of the feminist views pushed on her by her grandmother, and into someone who welcome some romance in her life. I'm not sure how I feel about where things went.
First off, Sage starts the story knowing absolutely nothing about mainstream society or men. Her grandmother raises her as a hermit of sorts, and then pushes her into Women's Studies. That was fine with me. Seeing someone learn about the world at an older age is always pretty amazing. What drove me crazy though was how easily Sage let go of everything she was taught for 20+ years of her life and just dove into the events that would send her on a downhill slide. Would someone raised to essentially despise men really dive head first into having sex with a guy she just met? I don't honestly know, but it didn't feel real.
There are a lot of heavy handed feminist views in this book which, since they're masked by the Rapunzel story, almost fit in okay. I wasn't necessarily comfortable with the ideas being pushed regarding words like "pretty" and "womanly", but I let it go. My issue was mostly that I wanted more romance. This seemed like it would be a "coming of age" story. One with sweet scenes and lots of growth. I didn't see any of that and, while Sage did come out a new person on the other side, I was so annoyed with her at that point that I couldn't see straight. Maybe this book just wasn't for me, and that's fine, but I really wish the synopsis hadn't lead me to believe that it would be.
It's plainly obvious that Sage is meant to be our Rapunzel character. Her last name is Rampion, her hair cascades down her back in a platinum blonde waterfall, and there's even a scene where her "Prince" sees her in a high window. Which, since this all happened at the beginning, lead me to believe that this would be a story about Sage growing out of the feminist views pushed on her by her grandmother, and into someone who welcome some romance in her life. I'm not sure how I feel about where things went.
First off, Sage starts the story knowing absolutely nothing about mainstream society or men. Her grandmother raises her as a hermit of sorts, and then pushes her into Women's Studies. That was fine with me. Seeing someone learn about the world at an older age is always pretty amazing. What drove me crazy though was how easily Sage let go of everything she was taught for 20+ years of her life and just dove into the events that would send her on a downhill slide. Would someone raised to essentially despise men really dive head first into having sex with a guy she just met? I don't honestly know, but it didn't feel real.
There are a lot of heavy handed feminist views in this book which, since they're masked by the Rapunzel story, almost fit in okay. I wasn't necessarily comfortable with the ideas being pushed regarding words like "pretty" and "womanly", but I let it go. My issue was mostly that I wanted more romance. This seemed like it would be a "coming of age" story. One with sweet scenes and lots of growth. I didn't see any of that and, while Sage did come out a new person on the other side, I was so annoyed with her at that point that I couldn't see straight. Maybe this book just wasn't for me, and that's fine, but I really wish the synopsis hadn't lead me to believe that it would be.
January 25, 2015
I am not sure what I was expecting when I started to read Let Down Your Hair, but the writing, characters and story all took me completely by surprise.
To sum up, it was a very odd book. It lives up to the modern day fairytale description, complete with fairy tale plot devices and a moral lesson. While I was not expecting the book to be a pseudo manifesto on feminism, I really liked the fresh take on an old theme. It was very unique and different from anything else I have ever read. It also was beautifully written – Ms. Price has a way with words that is spectacular.
That being said, the one major issue with this book is the strict adherence to the fairy tale formula and the absolutely unrealistic plot. You have to suspend your disbelief, a lot, to really get into the story. The main character Sage was raised by her feminist grandmother, Andrea outside of popular culture. Okay, that could actually happen, but Sage was raised in a city as an academic, both of which imply a certain knowledge about the world. She was a feminist, not a hermit, so her utter lack of connection to the world around her seemed highly unlikely and very extreme.
In addition, the book becomes even more unrealistic with all the trials and tribulations thrown at Sage as she makes her way through the fairy tale tropes to her happily ever after. It was painful to read at times as bad luck was heaped on bad decisions galore. The trials Sage dealt with seemed egregious and contrived for the sake of the plot. Nothing about the book felt realistic.
While I really liked the message, the characters, and the gorgeous writing, Let Down Your Hair lost me with the entirely unbelievable plot. ~ Alicia, 2.5 stars
To sum up, it was a very odd book. It lives up to the modern day fairytale description, complete with fairy tale plot devices and a moral lesson. While I was not expecting the book to be a pseudo manifesto on feminism, I really liked the fresh take on an old theme. It was very unique and different from anything else I have ever read. It also was beautifully written – Ms. Price has a way with words that is spectacular.
That being said, the one major issue with this book is the strict adherence to the fairy tale formula and the absolutely unrealistic plot. You have to suspend your disbelief, a lot, to really get into the story. The main character Sage was raised by her feminist grandmother, Andrea outside of popular culture. Okay, that could actually happen, but Sage was raised in a city as an academic, both of which imply a certain knowledge about the world. She was a feminist, not a hermit, so her utter lack of connection to the world around her seemed highly unlikely and very extreme.
In addition, the book becomes even more unrealistic with all the trials and tribulations thrown at Sage as she makes her way through the fairy tale tropes to her happily ever after. It was painful to read at times as bad luck was heaped on bad decisions galore. The trials Sage dealt with seemed egregious and contrived for the sake of the plot. Nothing about the book felt realistic.
While I really liked the message, the characters, and the gorgeous writing, Let Down Your Hair lost me with the entirely unbelievable plot. ~ Alicia, 2.5 stars
January 6, 2015
I was really excited to read this book after reading the blurb, but unfortunately, I found myself being really disappointed with the story that was actually told. Sage Rampion is suppose to be this young 22 year old that has been sheltered from men, the real world, fashion, etc. because of her feminist grandma. She meets Ryan a nude model and artist, and she is really unsure of his intentions, but agrees to meet him for coffee anyways. The story really took a wrong turn when Sage so easily threw her upbringing out the window, and started sleeping with Ryan after just meeting him. This really bugged me because she was suppose to be this shy, naive young women that knew so little about the real world and men, but yet it took hardly any convincing for her to trust Ryan and sleep with him. This book completely blindsided me because I thought it would be more of a love story, and not Sage's downfall after certain events take place. Maybe others will enjoy Let Down Your Hair, but it was just not the book for me. Thank you so much Momentum for providing me with an ARC via Netgalley for my honest review!!
December 12, 2014
Someone reviewed that this is not a romance -and they are quite right. It is really a finely crafted & darkly romcom modern retelling of Rapunzel. Set in an ivory tower, feminism and fairy tale collide in a most satisfying way. A thoughtful and thoroughly enjoyable read. For those folks who loved books like 'The Rosie Project' and who enjoy seeing modern interpretations of fairytales.
May 6, 2015
**An electronic ARC provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I think the book had a really unique premise but some elements just didn't sit well with me. =/
I think the book had a really unique premise but some elements just didn't sit well with me. =/
March 19, 2015
It would have been easier if you have a phone in the beginning Sadie.
January 25, 2016
Not taking into account the synopsis, this was a good read. It really makes you think. A read I would want my nieces to read.
August 10, 2024
Review originally published on my blog: https://mariereadsbooks.wordpress.com...
DISCLAIMER: I have known Fiona Price, the author of The Ivory Tower, for about 12 years and would say we’ve been friends for about seven of those. Although she did ask me to write a review for this book, I bought the book myself and all the opinions in the review are my own.
'The Ivory Tower' was first published in 2014 by Momentum under the title 'Let Down Your Hair'. Unfortunately, that version of the book was inappropriately marketed as a romance and unfairly suffered for it because, although there is romance in this book, it is not a romance. Instead it’s a coming of age story about a young woman trapped between worlds: one she’s trying to escape and another she wants to enter but has been taught to fear.
Sage Rampion is 22, a PhD student and the granddaughter of Andrea, the hardline feminist professor who raised her when Sage’s teenage mother abandoned her as a baby. Sage has grown up in a world ruled by Andrea and her iron fist. She’s been home schooled her whole life, has no friends, and has never been exposed to popular media, including TV shows, books or music not deemed suitable by Andrea, who claims she wants to protect Sage from the men who would prey on her and the patriarchal messages that run rife around them. It’s only when Sage meets Ryan, a student at her university, that Sage begins to question both Andrea’s teachings and the few stories Andrea has shared about Sage’s mother.
The main characters in this book are hard to like. Sage spends two-thirds of the book like a branch in a storm, blowing whichever way the wind takes her, but it’s understandable: she’s been brought up by a woman who has intimidated and stifled her, to the point where she (sometimes literally) lacks a voice. She has moments of impulsiveness that I sometimes questioned but speak to her eventual growth into a woman who knows her own mind and can fend for herself. She is judgemental, until she realises that she is judging other women the way they have always judged her, but I personally couldn’t judge Sage for that. What woman hasn’t made a judgement about another woman? In 'The Ivory Tower', with no distance between the reader and Sage’s point of view, you’re forced to confront the judgements you’ve made yourself and hold yourself accountable for them by holding Sage to account. But like all of us Sage grows. You just have to commit to the journey and believe that she will come into her own.
Andrea is a much harder pill to swallow. I disliked her at the start of the book and I disliked her just as much at the end. Her backstory is explained throughout the novel but, for me, it wasn’t enough to warrant sympathy for her. Understanding where she’s come from is one thing but accepting the consequences of that is another. Andrea believes she’s protecting Sage by keeping her close but her actions read less like love and more like possessiveness. In my reading, Andrea is selfish, cruel and oppressive. There is one very brief moment when you get the impression that Andrea was once more than the cold and distant woman that she is now but, again, it wasn’t enough to shake my feelings about her.
Emmeline, Sage’s mother, is Andrea’s counterpoint. A former fashion model, she’s now living in a world of excess, surrounded by beautiful clothes and hair extensions. Emmeline is no less damaging to Sage than Andrea, but she is easier to sympathise with, possibly because she’s instantly recognisable in our modern world of Instagram influencers. There’s also the impression that Emmeline is fragile and knows it: she’s aware of how precarious her position is as the trophy girlfriend of a wealthy man. She has moments of defensiveness when Sage questions her choices that indicate that her confidence is all an act and speak towards the plot thread that all women are more than just what they appear to be, regardless of their looks.
Ironically, it’s the male characters, Ryan, Dirk and, later, Brett, that are the easiest to like. Ryan is charming, sweet and quirky, and Brett is kind. Dirk might be a surprising choice for favourite character but, for me, he was refreshingly honest in a book filled with characters that spin the truth to suit their own narrative. His lifestyle is questionable in several ways, but he doesn’t lie to Sage and I appreciated that.
Not everyone will love this book. Some people will hate the characters. Some people will dislike the plot. That’s fine. Personally, this isn’t the kind of book I normally read. In fact, if my friend hadn’t written it, I would never have bought it at all. But reading it was important and I didn’t realise how much until the end. I didn’t grow up stifled like Sage, but I did grow up in a family that doesn’t talk about things and, like Sage, I didn’t know how to ask the questions I wanted answers to or was just too embarrassed to ask them. The lack of talking made me feel like these normal things were things I needed to be ashamed of, and I still feel like that about some things today. Luckily, I had friends and internet access. Everything I know now I’ve learned through personal experience or on the internet, but it would have been nice to have a parental figure to talk to about things. I related to Sage in that respect; I understood her loneliness and craving for open connection. In the end, that was what made me give this book four stars: I spent the whole book disliking Sage and sighing over her decisions, and then right at the end, I saw myself in her. I admired her perseverance and her fight for independence, and that helped me admire those same things in myself.
DISCLAIMER: I have known Fiona Price, the author of The Ivory Tower, for about 12 years and would say we’ve been friends for about seven of those. Although she did ask me to write a review for this book, I bought the book myself and all the opinions in the review are my own.
'The Ivory Tower' was first published in 2014 by Momentum under the title 'Let Down Your Hair'. Unfortunately, that version of the book was inappropriately marketed as a romance and unfairly suffered for it because, although there is romance in this book, it is not a romance. Instead it’s a coming of age story about a young woman trapped between worlds: one she’s trying to escape and another she wants to enter but has been taught to fear.
Sage Rampion is 22, a PhD student and the granddaughter of Andrea, the hardline feminist professor who raised her when Sage’s teenage mother abandoned her as a baby. Sage has grown up in a world ruled by Andrea and her iron fist. She’s been home schooled her whole life, has no friends, and has never been exposed to popular media, including TV shows, books or music not deemed suitable by Andrea, who claims she wants to protect Sage from the men who would prey on her and the patriarchal messages that run rife around them. It’s only when Sage meets Ryan, a student at her university, that Sage begins to question both Andrea’s teachings and the few stories Andrea has shared about Sage’s mother.
The main characters in this book are hard to like. Sage spends two-thirds of the book like a branch in a storm, blowing whichever way the wind takes her, but it’s understandable: she’s been brought up by a woman who has intimidated and stifled her, to the point where she (sometimes literally) lacks a voice. She has moments of impulsiveness that I sometimes questioned but speak to her eventual growth into a woman who knows her own mind and can fend for herself. She is judgemental, until she realises that she is judging other women the way they have always judged her, but I personally couldn’t judge Sage for that. What woman hasn’t made a judgement about another woman? In 'The Ivory Tower', with no distance between the reader and Sage’s point of view, you’re forced to confront the judgements you’ve made yourself and hold yourself accountable for them by holding Sage to account. But like all of us Sage grows. You just have to commit to the journey and believe that she will come into her own.
Andrea is a much harder pill to swallow. I disliked her at the start of the book and I disliked her just as much at the end. Her backstory is explained throughout the novel but, for me, it wasn’t enough to warrant sympathy for her. Understanding where she’s come from is one thing but accepting the consequences of that is another. Andrea believes she’s protecting Sage by keeping her close but her actions read less like love and more like possessiveness. In my reading, Andrea is selfish, cruel and oppressive. There is one very brief moment when you get the impression that Andrea was once more than the cold and distant woman that she is now but, again, it wasn’t enough to shake my feelings about her.
Emmeline, Sage’s mother, is Andrea’s counterpoint. A former fashion model, she’s now living in a world of excess, surrounded by beautiful clothes and hair extensions. Emmeline is no less damaging to Sage than Andrea, but she is easier to sympathise with, possibly because she’s instantly recognisable in our modern world of Instagram influencers. There’s also the impression that Emmeline is fragile and knows it: she’s aware of how precarious her position is as the trophy girlfriend of a wealthy man. She has moments of defensiveness when Sage questions her choices that indicate that her confidence is all an act and speak towards the plot thread that all women are more than just what they appear to be, regardless of their looks.
Ironically, it’s the male characters, Ryan, Dirk and, later, Brett, that are the easiest to like. Ryan is charming, sweet and quirky, and Brett is kind. Dirk might be a surprising choice for favourite character but, for me, he was refreshingly honest in a book filled with characters that spin the truth to suit their own narrative. His lifestyle is questionable in several ways, but he doesn’t lie to Sage and I appreciated that.
Not everyone will love this book. Some people will hate the characters. Some people will dislike the plot. That’s fine. Personally, this isn’t the kind of book I normally read. In fact, if my friend hadn’t written it, I would never have bought it at all. But reading it was important and I didn’t realise how much until the end. I didn’t grow up stifled like Sage, but I did grow up in a family that doesn’t talk about things and, like Sage, I didn’t know how to ask the questions I wanted answers to or was just too embarrassed to ask them. The lack of talking made me feel like these normal things were things I needed to be ashamed of, and I still feel like that about some things today. Luckily, I had friends and internet access. Everything I know now I’ve learned through personal experience or on the internet, but it would have been nice to have a parental figure to talk to about things. I related to Sage in that respect; I understood her loneliness and craving for open connection. In the end, that was what made me give this book four stars: I spent the whole book disliking Sage and sighing over her decisions, and then right at the end, I saw myself in her. I admired her perseverance and her fight for independence, and that helped me admire those same things in myself.
June 23, 2022
The Ivory Tower is the intense 1st person journey of Sage, a girl brought up in an isolated and stifling atmosphere of radical feminism, who explodes free from those constraints only to tumble down a steep slope of negative experiences before the eventual denouement.
This is a book about feminism, preconceptions, gender roles and stereotypes, about body image and body shaming, about resilience...
And yet, despite all the serious social issues it confronts, and the sometimes harrowing journey of its main character, it is written in a light, often humourous style that is both engaging and easy to read.
Very enjoyable read.
This is a book about feminism, preconceptions, gender roles and stereotypes, about body image and body shaming, about resilience...
And yet, despite all the serious social issues it confronts, and the sometimes harrowing journey of its main character, it is written in a light, often humourous style that is both engaging and easy to read.
Very enjoyable read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2014
Sage is a modern day Rapunzel. She’s was raised by her grandmother in a very unorthodox and extreme feminist manner. It’s left her very sheltered and naïve about a lot of things and very suspicious and judgmental about others. She even got her college degrees through online studies. It’s not until she’s starting her PhD that she has many interactions with the outside world at all. So she’s very, very surprised when she looks out her office window and into a classroom window and sees a nude man. She’s also curious, and scared that her grandmother will get the man in trouble, so she dashes down and into the classroom. That’s where she meets her prince, Ryan Prince, nude model for drawing classes.
As a contemporary set fairy tale retelling, this story does an incredible job. As a romance it really isn’t very good at all. I think if I’d gone into it just looking for a fairy tale, I’d have enjoyed it more. However, it was listed as a romance, and that brings certain expectations with it, and unfortunately it didn’t meet those expectations.
For me, reading a romance means reading a story that is centered on a romantic relationship between the main characters. In this story there is a romantic relationship, but the focus of the story is on Sage’s personal journey, and Ryan is just one of many characters in that journey, and he’s actually not even in the majority of the story. Additionally, Sage’s journey ended up reminding me of a Danielle Steel novel – the kind where you walk with the main character through the darkest times in their life. I avoid stories like this if I can. While this one wasn’t as extreme as some examples I’ve read, I just don’t appreciate watching the heroine struggle and be taken advantage of. It doesn’t make the resolution and happy ending sweeter for me, it just brings me down.
Another strike against the story is that its main subject is feminism as much as it is the fairy tale and much more than it is the romance. I consider myself a feminist, so I bring that bias in with me when I read the story. I don’t mind a story that features feminism, and I don’t even mind about reading the costs and benefits of a life with and without feminism. I did get tired of it being so much of what the story was about.
On the positive side, it was an extremely creative retelling of the Rapunzel story! The tower that Rapunzel was in wasn’t quite literal, but it was the way her grandmother raised her. There was even a cool look at two different types of towers Sage was kept in. I really liked this version of Rapunzel.
For all of these reasons, the story was difficult for me to grade. As a fairy tale, it gets and A+. As a romance it’s a D or an F. So I’ll settle for a C+. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy a great fairy tale retelling, but don’t expect too much romance.
As a contemporary set fairy tale retelling, this story does an incredible job. As a romance it really isn’t very good at all. I think if I’d gone into it just looking for a fairy tale, I’d have enjoyed it more. However, it was listed as a romance, and that brings certain expectations with it, and unfortunately it didn’t meet those expectations.
For me, reading a romance means reading a story that is centered on a romantic relationship between the main characters. In this story there is a romantic relationship, but the focus of the story is on Sage’s personal journey, and Ryan is just one of many characters in that journey, and he’s actually not even in the majority of the story. Additionally, Sage’s journey ended up reminding me of a Danielle Steel novel – the kind where you walk with the main character through the darkest times in their life. I avoid stories like this if I can. While this one wasn’t as extreme as some examples I’ve read, I just don’t appreciate watching the heroine struggle and be taken advantage of. It doesn’t make the resolution and happy ending sweeter for me, it just brings me down.
Another strike against the story is that its main subject is feminism as much as it is the fairy tale and much more than it is the romance. I consider myself a feminist, so I bring that bias in with me when I read the story. I don’t mind a story that features feminism, and I don’t even mind about reading the costs and benefits of a life with and without feminism. I did get tired of it being so much of what the story was about.
On the positive side, it was an extremely creative retelling of the Rapunzel story! The tower that Rapunzel was in wasn’t quite literal, but it was the way her grandmother raised her. There was even a cool look at two different types of towers Sage was kept in. I really liked this version of Rapunzel.
For all of these reasons, the story was difficult for me to grade. As a fairy tale, it gets and A+. As a romance it’s a D or an F. So I’ll settle for a C+. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy a great fairy tale retelling, but don’t expect too much romance.
December 26, 2014
Another book wrongly blurbed. Prior to becoming a professional reader, I never really considered the true importance of a book blurb. I mean I would pick up a book, read the back cover, inside jacket, look at the images on the cover and make my decision: to buy or not to buy, to check out or add to my personal list of “to reads”. Usually I could tell if I would like a book or not by this simple, but tried and true practice of mine and I was rarely wrong. Recently, I have gotten quite a few misses and I’m wondering if I’m losing my book mojo or if something else is to blame. In true Meagan fashion, I’m blaming something else. In the age of e-readers I no longer go through my personal process for selecting how I will spend a few hours or days of my life caught up in a story. Instead I read the synopsis, look over some ratings on Goodreads and then dive in. It’s not working. With so many “authors” easily writing and publishing books by the truckload, the artistry behind publishing is lost. Everyone judges a book by its cover, hence the need to have blurb writers in the first place. The issue now has become that blurbs are written without a second thought, people (such a myself) use these to gauge interest and are led into a book that is anything BUT what the blurb said it would be. Since I’ve committed myself to reading it, I finish the book and resign myself to my present mood: ticked off.
Let Down Your Hair is receiving a two star rating because it is falsely blurbed. If one were going off of the synopsis, you would think you are getting into a contemporary new adult rendition of Rapunzel. Instead you are really getting into a coming of age drama revolving around a Rapunzel-like character who is forced to confront the feminist lifestyle her grandmother has raised her in. The tower itself is a metaphor. THIS IS AWESOME and GENIUS and the feminist in me could literally plan lessons about how women are caught up in towers of expectations yada yada yada. Unfortunately that story gets caught up in trying to layer in the romance that was promised in an effort to fit into the blurb or rather the current trend in young adult/new adult novels, rather than just being a story about a girl finding her way out of her strict upbringing and adopting views of her own. I really think the romance wasn’t necessary and it actually undid a lot of the strength I would expect from someone raised by such a staunch feminist as Andrea (Sage’s grandmother) was.
Three stars for promise. Minus 1 star for premise.
Let Down Your Hair is receiving a two star rating because it is falsely blurbed. If one were going off of the synopsis, you would think you are getting into a contemporary new adult rendition of Rapunzel. Instead you are really getting into a coming of age drama revolving around a Rapunzel-like character who is forced to confront the feminist lifestyle her grandmother has raised her in. The tower itself is a metaphor. THIS IS AWESOME and GENIUS and the feminist in me could literally plan lessons about how women are caught up in towers of expectations yada yada yada. Unfortunately that story gets caught up in trying to layer in the romance that was promised in an effort to fit into the blurb or rather the current trend in young adult/new adult novels, rather than just being a story about a girl finding her way out of her strict upbringing and adopting views of her own. I really think the romance wasn’t necessary and it actually undid a lot of the strength I would expect from someone raised by such a staunch feminist as Andrea (Sage’s grandmother) was.
Three stars for promise. Minus 1 star for premise.
December 12, 2014
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
Let Down Your Hair by Fiona Price tells the story about a young sheltered woman who one day dares to break free of her grandmother’s control and narrow minded feminist views to experience life and all that it has to offer. It starts when she spots a young man who is nude through her grandmother's office window. No matter how much she tries to suppress the need to break the rules and rigid routine she's lived with all her life, her mouth and body just won't obey. Her curiosity is peeked and before she knows it she's joined a Life Drawing class where the object of her curiosity models in the nude. Her transition from being completely under her grandmother’s thumb to branching out on her own was gradual and heart wrenching. Through the h's voice we experience her wonder, fear, happiness, sorrow, love and heartbreak. There's so much more to this story than the romance. As a matter of fact, I'd say the romance is secondary to the h's journey from being naive and dependant on her grandmother to learning about her parents, figuring out her own mind and becoming a strong independent woman. The few intimate scenes are written in fade to black style. Normally, I stay away from books where the romance isn't the primary focal point but since I picked this book up as an ARC I came into it blindly. The first chapter was like getting my feet wet. The start of the second chapter drew me in deeper and before I knew it I was engrossed in the book. I read it all in one sitting. I just had to know what would become of the h. Where was life taking her? In the end, despite this book not being my usual and preferred M.O. I ended up liking a lot.
Let Down Your Hair by Fiona Price tells the story about a young sheltered woman who one day dares to break free of her grandmother’s control and narrow minded feminist views to experience life and all that it has to offer. It starts when she spots a young man who is nude through her grandmother's office window. No matter how much she tries to suppress the need to break the rules and rigid routine she's lived with all her life, her mouth and body just won't obey. Her curiosity is peeked and before she knows it she's joined a Life Drawing class where the object of her curiosity models in the nude. Her transition from being completely under her grandmother’s thumb to branching out on her own was gradual and heart wrenching. Through the h's voice we experience her wonder, fear, happiness, sorrow, love and heartbreak. There's so much more to this story than the romance. As a matter of fact, I'd say the romance is secondary to the h's journey from being naive and dependant on her grandmother to learning about her parents, figuring out her own mind and becoming a strong independent woman. The few intimate scenes are written in fade to black style. Normally, I stay away from books where the romance isn't the primary focal point but since I picked this book up as an ARC I came into it blindly. The first chapter was like getting my feet wet. The start of the second chapter drew me in deeper and before I knew it I was engrossed in the book. I read it all in one sitting. I just had to know what would become of the h. Where was life taking her? In the end, despite this book not being my usual and preferred M.O. I ended up liking a lot.
January 19, 2015
Received through NetGalley in return for honest review.
I went into this book with a lot of apprehension. I saw on GR, after I had requested and been approved for the book, that it had quite a few negative reviews. This made me nervous because I do enjoy a good fairy-tale retelling, which is what the blurb said this story would be.
I am glad to say I was pleasantly surprised by this story. I wouldn't say it was that much of a fairy-tale retelling, but it was a good story in its own place.
All the way through, I was amazed by the depth of characters that Fiona writes about - Sage was well-developed and we could see her growth throughout the story.
I think that my own prejudices against extreme feminists (as Andrea is) may have colored my view of her, but I hated her! She was an awful grandmother to a girl who should have known more about the world! This tale confirmed my belief that keeping children sheltered from all that is 'worldly and bad' is definitely not the way to go (and yes, I do know it was fiction, but it still showed me this).
I wouldn't say this is one of my favorite books, but it still was a well written, enjoyable tale (one I stayed up an hour and a half past my 'bedtime' to finish reading!)
I went into this book with a lot of apprehension. I saw on GR, after I had requested and been approved for the book, that it had quite a few negative reviews. This made me nervous because I do enjoy a good fairy-tale retelling, which is what the blurb said this story would be.
I am glad to say I was pleasantly surprised by this story. I wouldn't say it was that much of a fairy-tale retelling, but it was a good story in its own place.
All the way through, I was amazed by the depth of characters that Fiona writes about - Sage was well-developed and we could see her growth throughout the story.
I think that my own prejudices against extreme feminists (as Andrea is) may have colored my view of her, but I hated her! She was an awful grandmother to a girl who should have known more about the world! This tale confirmed my belief that keeping children sheltered from all that is 'worldly and bad' is definitely not the way to go (and yes, I do know it was fiction, but it still showed me this).
I wouldn't say this is one of my favorite books, but it still was a well written, enjoyable tale (one I stayed up an hour and a half past my 'bedtime' to finish reading!)
January 20, 2015
Fiona Price - Let Down Your Hair
Literature quality :: 5+++ stars
Enjoyment quantity :: 3 stars
Sage Rampion. 22 y.o.
Ryan. Nude model. A dynamo in human form.
Modern day rapunzel. Woman fiction. Philosophic. Bold. Sexism. Womyn's Studies. Feminist. 1st POV. Titled chapters. Broach sensitive subject, need an openmind while reading it. Not for everyone.
Heroine that acts virginal. A type of heroine that i am not fond of. It is brilliant, to combine the fairy tales with such a nowadays issue like feminism. Somehow the long hair could be related to a symbol of woman power. At how the author could get a brilliant idea to make it as a bridge is something i would like to give a thumbs up on.
ARC is kindly provided by Author/Publisher via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you for the chance to review the book.
full review to be posted on my GoodReads and TUMBLR blog.
http://madamtyrianpurple.tumblr.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2...
Literature quality :: 5+++ stars
Enjoyment quantity :: 3 stars
Sage Rampion. 22 y.o.
Ryan. Nude model. A dynamo in human form.
Modern day rapunzel. Woman fiction. Philosophic. Bold. Sexism. Womyn's Studies. Feminist. 1st POV. Titled chapters. Broach sensitive subject, need an openmind while reading it. Not for everyone.
Heroine that acts virginal. A type of heroine that i am not fond of. It is brilliant, to combine the fairy tales with such a nowadays issue like feminism. Somehow the long hair could be related to a symbol of woman power. At how the author could get a brilliant idea to make it as a bridge is something i would like to give a thumbs up on.
ARC is kindly provided by Author/Publisher via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you for the chance to review the book.
full review to be posted on my GoodReads and TUMBLR blog.
http://madamtyrianpurple.tumblr.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2...
January 15, 2020
(There may be some spoilers so read at your own risk!) I really liked the idea behind Let Down Your Hair as well as the general plot, however when it came down to some of the details I was not a fan. I am still trying to figure out how I feel about the main character, Sage. In some parts of the book I really liked her because of her spirit and how she stood up for what she believed in, but then she would turn around and sort of cower and hide. I feel like she lost herself pretty often throughout the book. I also was taken aback by how quickly she gave up her virginity to her boyfriend Ryan. After being brought up as such a strong feminist she should have waited longer, or so you would think. Some parts of the plot also skipped ahead and it took me a minute to figure out what happened. I can see how this book is similar in spots with Rapunzel, but I would have liked it to tie in just a tad more. Fiona Price is a wonderful writer and I enjoyed the book for the most part.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.
January 24, 2015
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Raised as a hardcore feminist, Sage doesn't know anything about real life. After making a break from the grandmother who raised her, she hopes to find love and a sense of normalcy. Instead, Sage finds the world is really as horrible as her grandmother told her. This is not a romance. It is a modern day Grimm anti-fairytale with a fuzzy moral about being who you want to be in a world where extremes are marketed as the norm. Emphasis on the Grimm, here. I didn't enjoy the book, but I continued to read in horrified fascination as it spiraled through every female stereotype. The journey ended in what I would consider hippy/hipster/granola heaven. I begin to think the cover and blurb were deliberately designed to draw in us folks who just wanted a little escapism romance and then to shame us with this little anti-fairytale.
December 8, 2014
I have mixed feelings about this book. Great premise, but the writing was difficult to decipher on occasion. Sage Rampion has lived with her grandmother, Andrea, for 22 years. Andrea is the head of Womyn's Studies at a university and Sage follows in her footsteps, dedicating herself to a PhD in the subject. While trying to determine the premise of her thesis, she spies a naked man through the window and reports him to her grandmother. However, she has a fit of remorse and rushes down to art class to tell him to lay low.
Ryan Prince is making some extra money for his art classes by being a nude life model for the university. He offers to teach Sage about the real world and so starts their whirlwind romance.
The falling in love seemed very insta-lovey and not quite realistic. The writing was hard to read - although the author had some great analogies. The ending felt too easy.
Ryan Prince is making some extra money for his art classes by being a nude life model for the university. He offers to teach Sage about the real world and so starts their whirlwind romance.
The falling in love seemed very insta-lovey and not quite realistic. The writing was hard to read - although the author had some great analogies. The ending felt too easy.
July 25, 2015
This is a book that's a little let down by its advertising: it's not a romance, and the Rapunzel metaphor is a starting point for the story, not the whole of the thing.
That said, it's a fun read. Every major character in it has more depth than may at first appear, and our heroine is believably naive, unlike a lot of characters in such coming of age tales (whose naivete is a plot necessity, but usually maintained only by wilful denial). Sage Rampion is a charming explorer of the strange world of adulthood, and my only real regret on finishing this book is that I wouldn't get to spend more time with her.
That said, it's a fun read. Every major character in it has more depth than may at first appear, and our heroine is believably naive, unlike a lot of characters in such coming of age tales (whose naivete is a plot necessity, but usually maintained only by wilful denial). Sage Rampion is a charming explorer of the strange world of adulthood, and my only real regret on finishing this book is that I wouldn't get to spend more time with her.
August 31, 2016
'Let down your hair' is a smart and cleverly written modern day re-imagining of the 'Fairy Tale' Rapunzel. LDYH offers us a contemporary setting where the main character Sage is believably as sheltered and as innocent as Rapunzel was entrapped in her medieval tower. Like many a fairy tale all the characters start out as archetypes but LDYH's develop into complex personalities as the themes of the tale are fleshed out. The ending really stuck with me, Sage's voice really becomes her own and you can feel the journey of her 'coming of age'. Honestly Sophie Masson's review says it all.
January 20, 2015
***ARC from NetGalley in Exchange for an honest review***
I guess romance and the falling in love could be with yourself as this mainly is. This story, for me, was Sage's coming of age and in trying to find a balance between rabid feminism (her grandmother) and life as Barbie doll (her mother). The romance part (which was really weird to me) was a secondary thing and really did not "flow to the top" as a major theme. It was ok.
I guess romance and the falling in love could be with yourself as this mainly is. This story, for me, was Sage's coming of age and in trying to find a balance between rabid feminism (her grandmother) and life as Barbie doll (her mother). The romance part (which was really weird to me) was a secondary thing and really did not "flow to the top" as a major theme. It was ok.
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