Briar Rose | Characters & Character Analysis

Briar Rose Characters

The two most important characters in Briar Rose are Rebecca Berlin and her maternal grandmother called Gemma.

The story is centered mainly in the point of view of Becca, a twenty-three-year-old journalist of a Jewish family, living in present-day Massachusetts. Not unlike the typical fantasy heroine, she embarks on a quest, in this case unraveling the mystery of her grandmother's past. The quest thoroughly absorbs Becca, who is thoughtful, imaginative, and caring enough to keep a deathbed promise.

The quest takes place after Gemma's death, but Gemma's life is the center of attention. Gemma appears briefly during Becca's adulthood at the novel's outset, as an aged, dying woman in a Holyoke nursing home. With her last weak words Gemma bequeaths to Becca the castle in the sleeping wood.

"Promise me you will find the castle.

Promise me you will find the prince....
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