---
product_id: 26694891
title: "Zel"
brand: "donna jo napoli"
price: "A$19"
currency: AUD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/26694891-zel
store_origin: AU
region: Australia
---

# Zel

**Brand:** donna jo napoli
**Price:** A$19
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Zel by donna jo napoli
- **How much does it cost?** A$19 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.au](https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/26694891-zel)

## Best For

- donna jo napoli enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted donna jo napoli brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Zel

## Images

![Zel - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51yAk6HsjYL.jpg)
![Zel - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51uS-OWQOHL.jpg)
![Zel - Image 3](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31Z+rPPwnML.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A touching and compelling examination of a familiar fairy tale
  

*by M***N on Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2011*

The story of Rapunzel is perhaps one of the most psychologically intriguing of the Grimms Brothers fairy tales.  A story of obsession, isolation, and the healing power of love, Rapunzel is my third favorite of the Grimms fairy tales; surpassed only by "Snow White" and "Hansel and Gretel."Donna Jo Napoli has taken the story of Rapunzel and rewoven it into a psychological study that is both chilling and heartrending.Zel lives with Mother in a remote cottage in Switzerland.  She is a carefree young girl who loves her mother dearly.  Mother has unusual abilities and talents when it comes to gardening, and she loves Zel with an unsurpassable desire.  Zel cherishes the moments when she and Mother journey to town in order to buy supplies, but these visits are often mysterious.  Often, Zel is unable to hear conversations of the villagers, and she is forbidden to socialize with people as well.  One fateful day, Zel meets a young man in town, and her idyllic life drastically changes.This novel is unforgettable as each chapter is told from a different perspective.  The best chapters are the ones in which Mother gets to tell her own story.  I felt great sympathy toward this character as well as repugnance at her actions.  Napoli does a superb job of illustrating Zel's childhood innocence and awakening knowledge.Katherine Byars reads this novel with vibrancy.  Her depiction of Mother is wonderful! Please give this outstanding book a chance.  God bless.(Please look for my fantasy novel, Crimilia, which will be released on May 24, 2011.  Thank you).

### ⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Follows the original
  

*by L***A on Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2013*

I started this book not realizing that this was a retelling of Rapunzel.This book is told from the point of view of three characters. The first is the girl, Zel. She is named after her favorite lettuce, Rapunzel. The second character is simply known as mother. She who would sell her soul to be a mother. The third character is Konrad. He would give anything for the girl he meets in the market. The girl who captured his attention by her giving nature.This book follows the tradition of a fairy tale, it has a dark quality. I was hooked by Napoli's writing. She knows how to enchant through the written word. She doesn't hold back on describing the anguish of the characters. Each of them fight inner demons that make the story more interesting.Because of some of the subject matter, I would only recommend to readers 16+.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    disturbing, different - these words describe the book Zel
  

*by S***. on Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2001*

Zel is a retelling of the Rapunzel story.  It shows the story from three alternating perspectives, a spoiled young prince, an enthusiastic peasant girl - Zel, and her aging foster-mother.  Unlike the original story, we are brought to understand why the foster-mother keeps her captive in the tower - it is to keep her ever a child, and to save her from men.  It is all mother's impulses taken to an extreme.  Zel's ensuing madness acquired in captivity is disturbing, yet realistic for this fairytale situation.  The mother-daughter relationship is something most women will be able to relate to, particularly the struggles for independence of young womanhood.  In particular, I could recall my own desire for a boyfriend, my mother's protective urges that forbade me from dating.While the book is written for a teen audience, I found some of the subject matter rather mature.

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*Product available on Desertcart Australia*
*Store origin: AU*
*Last updated: 2026-03-17*