Canned (review)

The death of her father leaves Charlotte Miller the last in the long line of Millers, a family that has kept its woollen mill going throughout the 1700s despite poor fortunes and an increasing belief that the mill is cursed. Charlotte is too practical-minded to fully believe in such natterings, but as debt, vandalism, and a profligate uncle bring the financial situation of the mill to a dire turn, she finds herself in the reluctant position of having to accept the help of a strange visitor calling himself Jack Spinner, who appears at the most desperate times and sports such wondrous skills as spinning gold thread from straw and restoring ruined cloth. When his price for services becomes too high, Charlotte realizes that she must not only believe in the curse but break it, and that she must allow the people who love and admire her to help. Bunce blends multiple elements in her savory stew of genres—mystery, romance, work, and chicanery simmer in a rich broth of history infused with light touches of traditional beliefs and folk magic. The Rumpelstiltskin story progression is deftly integrated into a plot that enfolds and extends its implications regarding class and the value of skilled workmanship. In an author's note, Bunce readily admits where she has tweaked historical detail to align more favorably with folkloric belief, and her instincts prove right on target as she gives flesh to distinctively individual characters with almost archetypal resonance. Charlotte's complex loyalties to her family, the mill, and the townsfolk who depend upon it for their livelihood make her an estimable character indeed, well worth applauding in a tale that is as spooky and suspenseful as it is satisfying.