"Time, I tell you, is a great rope." (Faheel)
The first time I tried to read The Ropemaker, I only got to about 50 pages before I decided that it wasn't for me. It was boring and slow-paced and I couldn't understand what was going on. Since then, The Ropemaker has been collecting dust on my bookshelf for nine years. A week before my exams started, I decided to give The Ropemaker another try. I was looking for a slow-paced book that I could take my time reading. However, I ended up forgetting about my exams and completed The Ropemaker in two days. Maybe, it's because I knew what to expect. Maybe, it's because I'm much older. Maybe, I was just in the mood for a book like The Ropemaker.
In The Ropemaker there is a village in the Valley that has been isolated from the rest of the world in order to protect it from the evil Empire and nomadic conquerors. Two families, the Ortahlsons and the Urlasdaughters, keep the magic that protects the Valley alive by singing to the snow and the cedar trees respectively. However, the magic that protects the Valley is dying, so four people, two Ortahlsons and two Urlasdaughters, set off on an adventure to find a sorcerer who can help them save their Valley.
The Ropemaker has a mystical fantasy fairytale atmosphere. The world may seem simple at first, but it's beautiful and intricate. The magic that exists in The Ropemaker is quite vague and I'm fine with this vagueness, because it adds to the mysticism and the fairytale atmosphere.
Tilja Urlasdaughter is an ordinary girl. She doesn't have the ability to sing to the cedars nor can she hear what they say and she feels like an outsider. In The Ropemaker, Tilja's journey isn't only about saving the Valley but it's also where she discovers herself and finds her place in the world. Tilja's grandmother, Meena, is my favourite character in The Ropemaker. She's an old women who speaks her mind, doesn't take nonsense from anyone and busts everyone's chops. The two Ortahlsons who embark on an adventure with Tilja and Meena is Tahl and his grandfather, Alnor. Tahl is friendly, curious and clever and Alnor is reserved and likes to be in control of every situation that he encounters.
I'm so glad that I gave The Ropemaker another chance. It's one of those books where you find yourself slowly falling in love with the world and the characters the more you read.
"Well, you'll have to make a life of your own like most people do. No point moping about it. Sooner you get used to the idea, the better you'll be." (Meena Urlasdaughter)