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Lona: A Fairy Tale
50th Anniversary Edi
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1963
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 5, 2025
Lying in bed tonight, planning tomorrow as I doze off ... until suddenly I have a vision of the cover of this book I'd obsessed over as a child. I haven't seen it in decades, but I know instantly why it's popped up in memory now; I've just read Isola, by Allegra Goodman. Another beautiful princess stranded on the rocks, left to fight for her freedom and bring an end to the wicked wizard who has made her captive.
Now I wish I still had a copy of Lona. The book is not only by Dare Wright, creator of The Lonely Doll - another book that held me spellbound - but the huge black and white photographs of blonde, ethereal, abandoned Lona are actually Dare Wright herself, dressed in the gown of a Princess, gazing out at the sea from the haggard stone beach, leaning against a lonely archway. Lona will eventually triumph over her guardian/wizard. There has to be some connection to Marguerite, to Isola, here. (I fully expect to find that this is one of those obvious-to-others instances, but now instead of much needed sleep - I'm off to search, and search some more. Oh, the hold of books from childhood!)
More: found notes on and pages from the book and see that Lona carried with her a jewel which guides her - a variation of this exists also in Isola, Marguerite carrying a jewel throughout her travels, even through the worst of times, that was gifted her when she left her castle. Lona's prison warden muses at one point, "Lona is mine until she grows old enough for me to enchant her." Essentially the same vile plan foisted on Marguerite. It isn't until she turns 16 that Roberval removes her from the trappings of safety.
I don't know. Is this sleepy madness? Perhaps tomorrow morning I'll wake up horrified and quickly erase this (also there's Lona having to create her own clothing, as Marguerite did, Lona fashioning necessary cover from scraps of her old gowns, when she's literally made too small by the evil false leader who imprisons her. I should stop, I will).
(It feels like a circle. The spell books have had on me, since I was 3, or younger, well over 50 years ago).
Now I wish I still had a copy of Lona. The book is not only by Dare Wright, creator of The Lonely Doll - another book that held me spellbound - but the huge black and white photographs of blonde, ethereal, abandoned Lona are actually Dare Wright herself, dressed in the gown of a Princess, gazing out at the sea from the haggard stone beach, leaning against a lonely archway. Lona will eventually triumph over her guardian/wizard. There has to be some connection to Marguerite, to Isola, here. (I fully expect to find that this is one of those obvious-to-others instances, but now instead of much needed sleep - I'm off to search, and search some more. Oh, the hold of books from childhood!)
More: found notes on and pages from the book and see that Lona carried with her a jewel which guides her - a variation of this exists also in Isola, Marguerite carrying a jewel throughout her travels, even through the worst of times, that was gifted her when she left her castle. Lona's prison warden muses at one point, "Lona is mine until she grows old enough for me to enchant her." Essentially the same vile plan foisted on Marguerite. It isn't until she turns 16 that Roberval removes her from the trappings of safety.
I don't know. Is this sleepy madness? Perhaps tomorrow morning I'll wake up horrified and quickly erase this (also there's Lona having to create her own clothing, as Marguerite did, Lona fashioning necessary cover from scraps of her old gowns, when she's literally made too small by the evil false leader who imprisons her. I should stop, I will).
(It feels like a circle. The spell books have had on me, since I was 3, or younger, well over 50 years ago).
August 15, 2015
I loved this book as a child. I was enchanted by the photographs and the magic of it. I love Princess Lona's lack of squeamishness when she met the toad, her kindness and courage, and the happy ending. I recently read it to my grand-daughter (who told me how much she liked my story books that she had never heard before). I still love this story.
November 18, 2021
Story was fine. But the photographs are the real art! So many artfully framed and shot photographs! And all the magical effects were done via darkroom technique, before the use of computers!
November 25, 2024
Everything Dale Wright created is touched with a tender sincerity. Lona is now one of my favorite fairy tales, a story of bravery and the ability to overcome darkness. As usual DW relies on the honesty of animal aid to motor the story along.
July 28, 2015
LIFE CHANGING BOOK I READ AS A KID. THAT IS ALL. It is perfect.
February 11, 2025
Dare Wright’s Lona: A Fairy Tale is an original fairy tale in an oversize book illustrated by stunning black and white photographs of dolls and people, cottages and castles, fogs and flames, clouds, seas, and mountains. Lona, the only princess in three enchanted kingdoms, is captive of the wizard Druth; she is loved by a toad who is a prince bewitched. She escapes from Druth, becomes doll-size, fights through fog and flame and, helped by bird and beast and led by the magic jewel from the head of the toad, regains her kingdom. Druth's spell is broken, Lona becomes her true size and the toad assumes his true shape.
“The jewel's light took Lona on and on. She saw strange peoples and wild lands. The rain wet her, and the sun dried her. She faced a thousand dangers. There were real perils to threaten her small, human form, and all Druth's phantom horrors to threaten her courageous heart. When she grew tired or frightened beyond bearing, the jewel would comfort her in Rogain's voice, and once again she would go forward… ‘Without your voice to speak to me from the jewel I would have failed a hundred times. Now that my task is finished, you must have your jewel again’...Lona set the jewel back in Rogain's head. And Rogain the Toad grew larger and larger, and dimmer and dimmer, and in a moment a tall prince stood in his place… ‘I was a prince before I was a toad.’”
The Bible is our jewel! When we grow tired or frightened or discouraged by the devil’s threats, Scripture speaks the voice of our Prince Jesus, who became the curse of sin (toad) to overcome its power and ascend as the Prince of Peace, and invites us to join him as His Bride!
“The jewel's light took Lona on and on. She saw strange peoples and wild lands. The rain wet her, and the sun dried her. She faced a thousand dangers. There were real perils to threaten her small, human form, and all Druth's phantom horrors to threaten her courageous heart. When she grew tired or frightened beyond bearing, the jewel would comfort her in Rogain's voice, and once again she would go forward… ‘Without your voice to speak to me from the jewel I would have failed a hundred times. Now that my task is finished, you must have your jewel again’...Lona set the jewel back in Rogain's head. And Rogain the Toad grew larger and larger, and dimmer and dimmer, and in a moment a tall prince stood in his place… ‘I was a prince before I was a toad.’”
The Bible is our jewel! When we grow tired or frightened or discouraged by the devil’s threats, Scripture speaks the voice of our Prince Jesus, who became the curse of sin (toad) to overcome its power and ascend as the Prince of Peace, and invites us to join him as His Bride!
August 25, 2018
My older sister gave me this book back in the 60's. one of my favorites. Enjoyed it again today.
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May 25, 2023Really not as compelling as her Lonely Doll Series. The photographs (the illustrations) are great, though.
June 4, 2013
Very disappointing.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews