The Coachman Rat
{{Short description|1989 book by David Henry Wilson}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox book
| name = The Coachman Rat
| image = The Coachman Rat.jpg
| caption = Original print cover
| author = David Henry Wilson
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| genre = Fairy tale, fiction
| publisher = Robinson
| media_type = Print (hardcover & paperback)
| pages = 171 pp (hardcover edition)
}}
{{Portal |Children's literature}}
The Coachman Rat is an alternative account of the classic fairy tale of Cinderella.{{cite journal|last=Cassada|first=Jackie|title=The Coachman Rat (Book)|journal=Library Journal|date=1989-10-15|volume=114|issue=17|pages=105}} It was published in 1989 and written by children's author David Henry Wilson.
Plot
The narrative follows the life of Robert, the rat that was transformed into the coachman on that fateful night when Amadea (Cinderella) fell in love with Prince Charming. The majority of the novel is an account of the aftermath of that night, as Robert was transformed back into a rat at midnight of that night, yet retained the ability to speak. He then began a quest to find Mara, the "woman of light" (or the Fairy Godmother) in order to become permanently human.{{cite book|last=Koelling|first=Holly|title=Best Books for Young Adults|year=2007|publisher=ALA|page=263}}
Critical reaction
Kirkus called it "clever" and "well-handled" but "obvious".{{cite web|title=THE COACHMAN RAT By David Henry Wilson|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/david-henry-wilson-2/the-coachman-rat/|work=Kirkus Reviews|access-date=28 September 2012}} Pauline Morgan (for the Science Fiction Research Association Newsletter) found it "an allegory for the twentieth century" with the talking rat a curiosity and an outcast.{{cite journal|last=Morgan|first=Pauline|title=Cinderella's Coachman|journal=SFRA Newsletter|date=April 1991|issue=186|pages=70–71|url=http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1129&context=scifistud_pub|access-date=28 September 2012|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063824/http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1129&context=scifistud_pub|url-status=dead}} It was also reviewed by Library Journal, which found it a "highly recommended" but somber portrait of "Europe on the verge of the Enlightenment", and by Locus.{{cite journal|last=Cushman|first=Carolyn|title=The Coachman Rat (Review)|journal=Locus|date=Sep 1989}}
See also
- I Was a Rat!: or, The Scarlet Slippers, a 1999 novel with a similar premise
References
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Cinderella}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coachman Rat}}
Category:Fictional mice and rats
Category:Fiction about shapeshifting