The Prince and the Troll

Faraway Collection #1

by Rainbow Rowell

A charming everyman and a mysterious something-under-the-bridge cross paths in a short fairy tale by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and the Simon Snow series.

It’s fate when a man accidentally drops his phone off the bridge. It’s fortune when it’s retrieved by a friendly shape sloshing in the muck underneath. From that day forward, as they share a coffee every morning, an unlikely friendship blooms. Considering the reality for the man above, where life seems perfect, and that of the sharp-witted creature below, how forever after can a happy ending be?

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Young Adult, Romance, Retellings

29 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2020

About the author

Rainbow Rowell writes all kinds of stuff.

Sometimes she writes about adults (ATTACHMENTS, LANDLINE, SLOW DANCE).

Sometimes she writes about teenagers (ELEANOR & PARK, FANGIRL) .

Sometimes — actually, a lot of the time — she writes about lovesick vampires and guys with dragon wings. (THE SIMON SNOW TRILOGY).

Recently, she’s been writing comics, including her first graphic novel, PUMPKINHEADS, and the monthly SHE-HULK comic for Marvel.

She lives in Omaha, Nebraska.

More at rainbowrowell.com.

Reviews

[Ryan - Sweet Red Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the one hand I want to say “what the hell was that?” But on the other hand it was sort of beautiful and poignant and topical and deep and meaningful in a really clever way. I feel like I need an answer key or legend or translator so I know exactly what everything meant/symbolizes because I KNOW every single thing stood for something. I also simultaneously want Starbucks and also want to burn them all to the ground... or wash them away with a great flood. And I want to give Adam a hug. What did I just read/listen to?!?! 4 out of 5 wine glasses.

[Bonnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weird. And was this sponsored by Starbucks or what?

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a Nutshell: A contemporary retelling of the Norwegian fairy tale about a troll under the bridge. Works in bits and pieces, but might have clicked better were it longer.

Story Synopsis:

When a man accidentally drops his phone off a bridge, the last thing he expects is for a friendly troll to return it. As a gesture of gratitude and sympathy, he decides to get the troll, who seems to be female, a cup of coffee from the nearby Starbucks. This becomes a daily routine, and their friendship grows every day. But is a long-term friendship possible between creatures of two such opposite worlds?
The story comes to us in the limited third person perspective of the man.

This standalone short story is a part of the Faraway series, described on Amazon as “a collection of retold fairy tales that take the happily-ever-after in daring new directions.” Some of you might know the original Norwegian fairytale about the troll under the bridge, who demanded a fee from three goats trying to cross the bridge. Neil Gaiman had retold this story quite wonderfully in Troll Bridge, with a little change in the characters. Now Rainbow Rowell takes the tale further, with a few surprise twists of her own.

I liked some of the novel elements of this story. For one, the troll being female adds a nice angle to the traditional story. The troll’s feelings are more emotional than voracious, but at the same time, we wonder if her inherent nature will overpower her desire for friendship (and Starbucks coffee.)

The loneliness of the troll comes out strongly in the story. I initially wondered if she was depressed, but later, it seemed like she was just hungry for interaction. She was an interesting character for sure, and I wish the story had done better justice to her feelings.

You might wonder why an ordinary man is called a “prince” in the title. The answer, I think, lies in his attitude towards the troll after he decides to get her coffee. What the troll perceives as friendship is more like sympathy and charity from the man. He feels superior to the troll because of his better house and better job on “the road”, and by offering a measly cup of coffee to her, he probably considers himself a prince out on a rescue mission. The situation reminded me of what Joey told Phoebe in one episode of FRIENDS: “There are no selfless good deeds.”

The troll’s surroundings also have a role to play in the proceedings. From the man’s response to the smell and the murkiness of the troll’s living quarters, we understand that her home is far from ideal. But if she’s happy there, would it be right to pity her? As the story proceeds, we see that there is a conflict between the river (the troll’s residence) and the road (the man’s domain.) As the road expands, the river retreats, but soon, nature tries to reclaim what is hers.

As you can see, the little 30-page story explores quite a few ideas: depression, charity, climate change, and unlikely friendships. And therein lies the problem. A couple of these ideas would have worked well, but as the themes are quite deep, doing justice to all of them within a short story is a huge task. As a result, the story feels somewhat superficial, focussing more on multiple topics than on an in-depth approach focussed on a couple of themes. The vague ending doesn’t help as it offers no closure.

Starbucks aficionados will probably be pleased to see the variety of drinks that the man purchases for the troll, but as I am not a fan of such coffee chains and barely know their menu, the caffeinated offerings did nothing for me.

This is my very first experience of Rainbow Rowell’s work, and I enjoyed her worldbuilding and her characters. But the story was too short to do justice to the plot. I am keen to try her full-length novels to see if she can handle the story development better in the longer variant.

As far as this tale goes, it was just a one-time read for me. It will be slightly more memorable more for its characters than for its plot. I appreciate the new take on the old story, but my favourite retelling of the original tale shall remain Gaiman’s.

3 stars.


This is the first standalone story from the Faraway Collection, and is available for free to Amazon Prime subscribers.



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[Nour (FREE PALESTINE) Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

⋆.˚✮☕ the prince and the troll ☕✮˚.⋆

1st read: This was a cute story, but… what was the point?
2nd read: yeah I’m still lost...

The prince and the troll is a retelling of… Three Billy Goats Gruff?? I honestly have no clue. Adam drops his phone off the edge of a bridge and bridge troll gives it back, they become friends and he brings her coffee everyday. That’s basically it. See what I mean?
/\_/\
/ • - • \
/ づ ☕ づ *Gives coffee*
This was literally a Starbucks sponsor, i cant 😭 BUT WE BOYCOTT STARBUCKS PPL!!

↑ the ups ↑
Although their relationship was weird, they were cute together (I say they bc idk their names).
Wow is that it? Oh God…

↓ the downs ↓
I didn’t understand the whole road concept, how life revolves around what "the road" wants.
I couldn’t picture anything that was going on.
The ending was annoying
My questions aren’t answered
HOW OLD EVEN IS ADAM??
This was a waste of timeeeee → but I’m still finishing the series hehe

★★☆☆☆

꒰ ☕️ ꒱ؘ ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

book 2: hazel and gray ★☆☆☆☆.5
book 3: the princess game ★★★★☆

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

A guy accidentally drops his phone off a bridge. Luckily, his phone is saved by a friendly troll living in the darkness under the bridge. He then decides to bring her a coffee from Starbucks every day.


First things first, Starbucks is mentioned a lot here. Way too much for such a short story. So I assume the author is either sponsored by Starbucks or she must really love Starbucks coffee. I don’t drink coffee, so I can’t relate.


Second, I don’t think I really get what this story is about. I mean, it’s a clean romantic kind of fairy tale, I get that. But it feels like this is a story that has a deeper meaning. And I have no idea what that meaning could be. Besides the obvious: if you like a girl, buy her a Starbucks coffee every day.


Overall, a quick and well written but also a puzzling short story about Starbucks coffee.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a bit bizarre, but I liked it!!! 😏

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Eugenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um....It’s a fairy latte?

I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t get it.
I thought I got it.
But I was wrong.
I think.

A Man
And a Troll
A she Troll
A Road—that’s lovely
It’s also bad—is this development?
There’s no rain—is this climate change?
There’s thoughtless acceptance of the way things are.
And love?
And a hell of a lot of Starbucks coffee—??

Ya, I didn’t really get it.
I think I missed the point.

My rec? It’s a free KU read and listen, so, well, maybe?

[Clara Klillena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting a story about a rich guy falling in love with a homeless girl, but it's definitely not what this is about. It's more a critique of society and of climate change.
Adam seems to live a perfect life, protected from everything that is bad and always with a Starbucks near him (that part seems to be important). But when he meets the girl (or troll, I was actually confused for a while wether this was a realistic story but I guess it's not) he starts realizing all the bad aspects of life on the road: the crows that always watch you and the tragedies that could be avoided.
I think my favorite part was when she says that the road is going to destroy everything and he replies by saying that it won't happen now. That really is the mindset of people nowadays.
So, I liked the story because it really makes you reflect on society, but I think it was a bit too metaphoric for me. Especially, in the end with the rain washing everything away, I was a bit confused. Did that mean that the consequences of climate change were happening to the road?

[— nova · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You’re going to spill your Starbucks,” she said.
“It’s your Starbucks,” he said.
“Well, then you really shouldn’t spill it.”

i'm usually a big fan of weird. the weirder, the better. but this just.... didn't work for me. i've read it twice now and i did enjoy it more the second time around, but not much.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, short,delightful and I dare say perfect for those who enjoy a good tale and good coffee.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 Stars

As soon as I found out about this short story I knew I had to read since it's written by Rainbow Rowell, whose works I usually enjoy. This novella was just okay, I honestly expected more from it. I know that it's supposed to be short and quick to read, but I feel like there could have been more work behind it and we could have gotten more information.

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

What did I just read?

[Garan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this short story so much. It packs a huge punch and serves as a beautiful commentary on climate change. I felt so much for the bridge troll and wanted to hug her so bad. Even cried a little :,)

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm.

I was enjoying this story and the possibilities of what was going to happen but I didn’t really get the ending. Oh well.

[Obsidian · Rating 2 out of 5]

...this didn't hit the sweet spot I needed. I was so looking forward to a collection showcasing fairy tales that I have read growing up. "The Prince and the Troll" got very repetitive really early on and now I kind of hate Starbucks (more than I did previously).

"The Prince and the Troll follows an everyman named Adam who drops his phone and comes across a woman (or something) that lives in the mud under a bridge. There seems to be a larger global thing going on in the story, but that is pretty much ignored for Adam and the woman who lives in the mud.

I don't know what else to say about this story. It was brief, it was weird, and it did not do a blessed thing for me.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a short, fairytale retelling, which apart from plenty of mentions of Starbucks (I prefer Costa) lacked any real purpose, and I think this story was certainly underdeveloped.

I thought the premise was interesting, and I usually love fairytales, and retellings, but this was a little strange.

We have a female troll that loves a Starbucks, and apparently as long as the male keeps them coming, the troll will keep returning. Makes sense, right?

I like the idea of these short stories, but unfortunately, this one didn't do a lot for me.

[Eman Mostafa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magical creatures are usually more cryptic..


It touched my heart .. 💙
I didn't expect to read this kind of fairy tale because of the cover which looks like a Christmas story :D however, the amount of Starbucks is very satisfying for coffee addicts 🤤


He closed his eyes. He focused hard on good things: rain, her ..

It's very deeeeep and soft, I think whoever is going to read that novella will understand it differently, it's like the mirror that reflects your own feelings ..
I loved the part when he slept with his muddy clothes without changing it, it means he liked her worst parts before her good stuff .. But come on! I was waiting for that beautiful woman who warned him to be her 😂💔

By the way, the end is not clear enough so I had to read the reviews to get the idea 😼

××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××

=QOUTES :

-"You think I'm at my most useful when I'm being useful to you?"

-"What's the very best part of the road?" she asked.
"The road goes everywhere you'd want to go. Everywhere you'd think of going. It never ends. And you're never alone there. And everything you'd ever want is right there on the road."
"That's not the one best part," she said. "That's too many things."
"Fine," he said, "okay-the best part of being on the road is that when you're on it, it's all that you can see."

-"Tragedies just happen sometimes," he said. (It was what people said after a Tragedy.) "Yes," she agreed. "Some things are unavoidable."
"Yes," he said. But that wasn't true. "I mean, no. It's not like that. Tragedies on the road happen even when they don't have to."
She was still looking at him. She was still confused.
"They could be avoided," he explained. "But we don't avoid them." "Why not?" "I can't explain it!" he shouted at her. (He'd never really shouted at her.) "It's part of living on the road! It's a small price to pay!"

-"Oh, Adam, you are weak. Sometimes it's the thing I like best about you. You're so fucking soft."

-Come back tomorrow. Bring me coffee." "The coffee seems silly now," he said. "I would have brought you gold.

5/2/2021 ☕
.

[Hilda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn’t easy. This is just another kind of hard.

I don’t know what I read. Was it suppose to be horror or a fairy tale? I know it’s a short story and that’s my fault for picking it up. But nothing really happens. I was expecting something grand at the end. It felt like the story was leading you somewhere. But it was just mud and you got stuck.

[Nana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Demasiado, demasiado corto y nose que acabo de leer, solo se que se menciono muchas veces la cafeteria Starbucks y ahora se me antojo un chocolate calientito, jaja.. 😁

[Somia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not good when you finish a book frowning and thinking 'huh what was that?'

A short story possibly sponsored by Starbucks (it was mentioned a fair bit).

Not the lovely little tale I was hoping for. Completely underwhelmed.

Acquired via KU.

[Brooke (~!Books are my Favorite!!~) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0⭐️ Lovely fairy tale retelling with well written dialogue. Not a strong ending, but I thought their relationship was beautifully portrayed.

[♡ Dakota ♡ (Sarcasm is my middle name) · Rating 1 out of 5]

★ — 1 Star!

Ok, I must admit this story while reading and after reading it has left me confused. It was definitely strange and I don’t feel like it was a good kind of strange where you crave to break down what it means but more like the kind of strange that leaves you frustrated and never wanting to think of it again. It was only 26 pages but those 26 pages felt too long.

I have also tried to read Carry On by this author and I always struggle in the beginning of that novel as well. I also tried to read Fangirl and ended up DNFing it. I can’t help but wonder if this author isn’t for me.

I guess from a goodreads challenge stand point I’m not mad that I read this. It certainly pushes me closer to my 100 books goal. But I don’t read for the number but for the quality and unfortunately this just didn’t work for me on all levels.


STATUS UPDATES:

5% - I didn’t realize this had a modern setting. I figured it was either a high fantasy type of setting or Historical Fiction.

13% - This reads like a fairytale. But unlike Holly Black’s ‘How The King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories’ I don’t care much for it here.

16% - I get bad vibes from the troll.

23% - “You’re going to spill your Starbucks,” she said. “It’s your Starbucks,” he said. “Well, then you really shouldn’t spill it.”

33% - “Some people say it’s a waste of money,” he said. “But I always feel like it’s worth it. Small, good things are worth it.”

43% - “The road goes everywhere you’d want to go. Everywhere you’d think of going. It never ends. And you’re never alone there. And everything you’d ever want is right there on the road.”

52% - “You shouldn’t focus on the bad things,” he said. “Because you draw them toward you. Happiness is about focusing on good things and drawing those things toward you.”

[Hannahhh ;) [free palestine] · Rating 1 out of 5]

~1.5 stars
Kindle novellas are why I get up in the morning so when I found a fantasy Novella series on prime reading I was so excited. But this was a big disappointment. I never have high expectations for novellas bc it’s difficult to write an amazing book in that many pages. But this was kinda sh!t tbh. Like at first I thought it was cute and a nice friendship. But the writing style was weird and kinda confusing and THAT ENDING EW WHAT WAS THAT 😟😒.
I might read some of the other books in this collection but defo not any by this author sorry not sorry


I don’t recommend this book, I’d give it a miss :(( I mean it is really short but there are SO many better novellas out there ⤷ the exception to the rule!!

[Kandice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what to think about that...the beginning was ok, the middle was great and the end just didn't mean anything to me.

There was a notable quote, though: This isn't easy. This is just another kind of hard.

[Moonie · Rating 2 out of 5]

points for being experimental and weird but wow the first rainbow Rowell writing I have not cared for, At All. I know she struggles with writing on demand and I figure that’s the case. a lot of commentary with no substance. And it’s not the format, either - Midnights is perfection. Womp.

[S. ≽^•⩊•^≼ I'm not here yet · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Shhhh" she shushed.
His voice dropped to a whisper: "What are you doing?"
So did hers"I'm focusing on good things."
"Like what?"
"Rain."
"Rain?"
"Good things," she whispered."Rain. Mud. You."

[jo ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t really sit here and pretend that I understood much of what was happening. I had to read through other reviews when it was over.

I initially thought it could be a commentary on homelessness and the comforts of living “on the grid”. Then the troll/mermaid just threw me off and the ending just left me wondering “what in the actual fuck just happened?”. I almost thought that it was going to go full blown Genesis on us and borrow Adam and Eve and flood elements, but nope.

The common interpretation seems to be a lot more contemporary with its climate change angle. That honestly makes a lot more sense. It’s definitely a thought-provoking story and a good conversation piece. Despite of everything, I couldn’t put it down.

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The rich boy meets the poor homeless girl (or troll since she does live under the bridge) and they fall in love...the end.

No not really. This is a pretty strange story and possibly a commentary on how the conveniences we create for ourselves destroy other parts of the world. Also those conveniences come with strings...so many strings and freedoms lost.

“The road goes everywhere you’d want to go. Everywhere you’d think of going. It never ends. And you’re never alone there. And everything you’d ever want is right there on the road.”

It isn't an "and they all live happily every after book" but it is a decent parable I think. I love Rainbows writing style, even if the story wasn't my favorite by her.

[Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange but enjoyable? I laughed a few times. Favorite line: "'That's part of what makes it delicious! The microaggression.'"

As for the vaguery around "The Road," I'm sure that's intentional. Is "The Road" about capitalism, climate change, the widening socioeconomic gap, racial tensions, gun violence, all of the above? Is it inherently about whatever it makes you think of? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Some readers will probably hate it, but I believe that open-ended-ness works here. In fact, I believe it's necessary. Fairytales and fables are meant to prompt introspection and impart wisdom indirectly. "The Road" would have fallen hard and flat if it had been too direct and specific. Anyway, I'm not saying this is going to become a classic short story passed down for generations, but it does make you stop and think for a minute, and that's something.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You live under a bridge!”
“I know.”
“You wouldn’t understand!”
“Fine, I don’t understand!”

Interesting, cheeky concept. And now I'm definitely craving a new book by Rainbow Rowell, especially something in the vein of Fangirl/Landline...



This review and more can be found on my blog.