Shelly's Book Blog

My friend Nina recommended Shannon Hale's Book of a Thousand Days, and I'm so glad she did because I really enjoyed this story. The book is a series of diary entries written by a lady's maid named Dashti who, along with her mistress Lady Saren, is imprisoned in a tower. Lady Saren refuses to marry the man her father chooses, so her father decides to wall her up in a tower for seven years as punishment. The two women are given a large store of food, and the guards bring fresh milk every day for a while. However, soon the rats have eaten much of the food and the milk stops coming. Because she is intelligent, strong, and resourceful, Dashti pretty much saves her mistress's life not only by caring for her during their imprisonment (which turns out to be about 2 years instead of the planned seven) but also by finding a way to escape.
In the second part of the book Lady Saren and Dashti return to civilization, but Lady Saren is too afraid to reveal her true identity. They are therefore forced to work as kitchen maids. Dashti's skill as a "mucker," or healer, is soon discovered and she is summoned to the aid of the gentry. I think I enjoyed this second part even more than the first, as it was fast-paced and exciting.