When Emma receives a letter from her boyfriend Lloyd breaking up with her, she crumbles and throws her golden locket containing his picture into the well. She is unsure of what to do, but knows it’s not safe for her to leave. Her daughter is left alone in the house with Claudine and Willem, the two housekeepers whom she is unable to speak with because they speak a different language.Īfter seven months, Emma is beyond frustrated. While visiting Ypres, a city near their estate, Emma’s mother is killed. Unfortunately, Emma and her mom do not find safety from war’s hardships in Belgium. Their family estate is significantly located on top of Vimy Ridge between opposing sides: the allies and the central powers. Emma Winthrop is a young girl from a wealthy family who leaves her boarding school in London to travel to Belgium with her mother to make sure their family estate located there is okay. The story takes place on the Western Front in Belgium after the war has begun and spans three year from 1915 until 1918, after the allies have won the war. Weyn creatively incorporates the setting and details of the First World War into the story, but also includes important elements from the original fairytale. Water Song by Suzanne Weyn is an excellent historical retelling of The Frog Prince. 'About this title' may belong to another edition of this title.Solid frontal shot. In this case, less would be more.- Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NYĬopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All that might plausibly be worked into a satisfying historical novel cum fantasy, but when Weyn overburdens the narrative with the 'frog's' complicated Louisiana mixed-race backstory involving Natchez magic, a history as a runaway, a stint in the merchant marines, and more, the narrative sinks under the weight.

Readers are meant to understand that he is the frog prince. As soon as he is able to see Emma, he wants her to kiss him. He's a good swimmer, his skin is blistered, and his eyes are bulging and swollen from the gas. When she tries to retrieve it, she discovers an American who's been fighting with British forces hiding in the water in an attempt to counter the effects of a gas attack.

To compound her trauma, her fiancé has broken off their engagement and, in a fit of pique, Emma throws the golden ball-shaped locket with his photo into the well-an action she immediately regrets. Their home is requisitioned as a garrison for the German army. Emma, a British citizen, is stranded on her family's estate after her mother is killed by a bomb. Grade 5 Up-Setting this retelling of 'The Frog Prince' in World War I Belgium is an interesting idea that didn't work out very well.

Water song by suzanne weyn