🌉 Book Review: The Prince and the Troll by Rainbow Rowell (Kindle Edition, Faraway Collection)
A modern fairy tale with a surreal twist—Rainbow Rowell reimagines the classic “troll under the bridge” trope as a story of unlikely friendship, quiet longing, and the strange beauty of connection in a fractured world.
🧠 Overview
Published in December 2020 as part of Amazon Original Stories’ Faraway Collection, The Prince and the Troll is a 29-page short story by Rainbow Rowell, bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and Fangirl. This tale follows Adam, a charming everyman who drops his phone off a bridge and meets a mysterious creature living beneath it—a troll, though not the kind you’d expect.
What begins as a quirky encounter turns into a daily ritual: coffee, conversation, and a growing bond between two beings from vastly different worlds. But as their relationship deepens, so does the tension between fantasy and reality, and the question of whether a happy ending is even possible.
✨ Key Themes & Highlights
- 🧌 Subverted fairy tale: The troll isn’t monstrous, but witty and oddly relatable—more urban misfit than mythical beast
- ☕ Ritual and routine: The story centers on small moments—coffee exchanges, quiet chats—that build emotional intimacy
- 🌍 Social commentary: Beneath the whimsy lies a critique of class, privilege, and the invisible lives beneath society’s surface
- 💬 Rowell’s signature voice: Wry, tender, and emotionally nuanced, with dialogue that feels both magical and grounded
“It’s fate when a man accidentally drops his phone off the bridge. It’s fortune when it’s retrieved by a friendly shape sloshing in the muck underneath.” — Goodreads summary
💬 Reader Reception
- ⭐ Goodreads rating: 3.25/5 from over 11,000 ratings
- 📖 Readers are divided—some praise the story’s originality and emotional depth, while others find it too ambiguous or surreal
- 🧾 Common feedback includes admiration for the writing style but confusion about the story’s resolution or message
- 💬 “A strange little story that lingers. Not quite romance, not quite fantasy—just something quietly beautiful.” — Reader comment
⚠️ Considerations
- 📄 Short format: At 29 pages, it’s a quick read—best approached as a mood piece or thematic vignette
- 📚 Part of a collection: One of five stories in the Faraway Collection, each offering a modern twist on classic fairy tales
- 🧾 Ambiguous tone: The story doesn’t offer clear answers, which may frustrate readers seeking traditional narrative closure
🏁 Final Verdict
The Prince and the Troll is a quirky, contemplative fairy tale that blends whimsy with melancholy. Rainbow Rowell’s writing invites readers to look beneath the surface—of bridges, of people, of stories—and find meaning in the unexpected. It’s a tale that doesn’t shout, but whispers, asking you to listen closely.
