The Tales of Marigold: Once Upon a Marigold, Twice Upon a Marigold, Thrice Upon a Marigold

by Jean Ferris

The acclaimed Marigold series in one volume. “A mixture of fantasy, romance, comedy, and coming-of-age . . . and it’s all great fun.” —School Library Journal   Once upon a Marigold, a fairy tale turned upside down, inside out, and completely over the top! Join Christian and Marigold through their one-of-a-kind adventures in this trilogy of tales that’s part comedy, part love story, part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink.   With echoes of William Goldman’s modern classic The Princess Bride, Jean Ferris’s hilarious parody of “Once upon a time . . .” overflows with oddball characters and sage observations to create a happily-ever-after that’s just the beginning.  Once Upon a Marigold was named an ALA Notable Children’s Book, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and a New York Public Library 100 Books for Reading and Sharing title.  Praise for the Marigold series   “In a gratifying fantasy that contains elements of classic fairy tales, Ferris breathes new life into archetypal characters by adding unexpected and often humorous dimensions to their personalities.” —Publishers Weekly   “Cold indeed is the heart not made warm by this bubbly fairy-tale romance.” —Kirkus Reviews    “Ferris leisurely combines elements of adventure, fantasy, romance, and humor.” —Booklist    “An upbeat fairy-tale adventure.” —School Library Journal

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Childrens

831 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 3, 2016

About the author

This author is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects: living with a deaf parent (Of Sound Mind), facing the consequences of a criminal act (Bad), or questioning one's sexuality (Eight Seconds). But Jean Ferris is also adept at writing comedy, historical fiction, and romance. What's most interesting is that she didn't publish her first novel until she was in her mid-40s. Yet she's never forgotten the intense feelings and changes of her own teenage years. Critics as well as teen readers have seen the evidence of that in her writing and have honored her novels with a number of awards, from Best Books for Young Adults to various state and National Book Award nominations.

Reviews

[Haley Wofford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once Upon a Marigold has been my favorite childhood book since I was a kid and really is part comedy, part tragedy. The antics of the characters never fail to make me laugh, and considering it is Princess Bride-esque it is no wonder The Princess Bride is one of my favorite books and movies as well. I've grown to love the sequels just as much, and Phoebe and Sebastian from Thrice Upon a Marigold are just as dear to me as Marigold and Christian. The lightheartedness and affection between the characters and the way everything turns out for the better in the end is why it's also one of my favorite comfort reads. This is a very welcome and long overdue edition to my shelves.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm.... there are some fun elements of these books, and some good character work, and they're breezy throughout. But I ultimately do not love them. There's a weird didactic undercurrent and I don't love the way the character of Marigold gets the edges sanded off of her over the courses of the book ... there's also some weirdness about intrinsic good/evil, which doesn't bother me so much in Tolkein or something where it somehow doesn't feel like the author is trying to impart lessons about the way things ought to be. As I write that, I know it's not totally right -- Tolkein and Lewis clearly have strong views about how the world should be -- but there's something in these books that just doesn't ring either as epic as Tolkein, as aligned to how I think about the world as Lloyd Alexander, or as deftly edifying as great YA by authors like Rebecca Stead or Louis Sachar.
So I can't highly recommend these books, though they were entertaining enough.

[Becca S Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVE this series!

I just read this series for the third time, because it's such a good series. The books are full of adventure and fun, but also hard times. The characters are very well developed, and they continue developing as people throughout the series. The author includes all the necessary details, and extra details that you wouldn't even think of! Chris and Marigold are realistic; not perfect, but they're good people. Definitely going to read a forth time, and fifth, and sixth... Get this series! Totally worth the money!

[Emily F - Seriously Sweet Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this trilogy

I have loved Once Upon a Marigold, and then Twice Upon a Marigold, and was excited to see that Thrice Upon a Marigold was just as fun! I would rate this PG for thematic violence and kissing.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite series! It is so amazing. It is so well written and throughout! The characters are so easy to get attached to. I'm obsessed! Everyone should read this series!

[Marshae Burmeister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this book. Happy to finally finish the series. Very cute but intellectual princess book.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it