Helpful Score: 2
I loved this book! It was very imaginative and interesting. The characters were relatable. The book had a little bit of everything, magic, love, friendship, family, betrayal, action, etc. It was a fun read to feel young again and let your imagination go wild.
Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by http://bibliophile-bestiary.blogspot.com
This story is very good. It follows a girl who is constantly told what she should be like and what she should do. Then her mother sends her off to be married to a prince in a distant land. Along the way, she is betrayed and begins living the life as a normal commoner. The twists and turns and the magic and mythical ties in the book are wonderful! The characters are extremely well written and easy to love. This is a series of books, so I can't wait to read the next one! 4 out of 5 stars!
This story is very good. It follows a girl who is constantly told what she should be like and what she should do. Then her mother sends her off to be married to a prince in a distant land. Along the way, she is betrayed and begins living the life as a normal commoner. The twists and turns and the magic and mythical ties in the book are wonderful! The characters are extremely well written and easy to love. This is a series of books, so I can't wait to read the next one! 4 out of 5 stars!
Helpful Score: 1
This novel is a re-telling of the traditional fairy tale of the same name, telling the story of a princess, who, en-route to a marriage to a prince of a neighboring country,
falls victim to the machinations and ambitions of her servant girl, who passes herself off as the real princess, forcing the real royal to take the position of a goose girl.
The book sticks to the details outlined in the Brothers Grimm version of the tale pretty exactly - you can read it here: http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm089.html
But the writing is excellent, and really makes the characters come alive. Very emotional, and satisfying for anyone with a love of traditional stories.
falls victim to the machinations and ambitions of her servant girl, who passes herself off as the real princess, forcing the real royal to take the position of a goose girl.
The book sticks to the details outlined in the Brothers Grimm version of the tale pretty exactly - you can read it here: http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm089.html
But the writing is excellent, and really makes the characters come alive. Very emotional, and satisfying for anyone with a love of traditional stories.
Helpful Score: 1
This book was wonderful!! It was a magical and thrillingly original farytale. A classic story remade and molded into it's own.
Helpful Score: 1
a great re telling of a brothers grimm fairy tale, good adventure, suspense and mild romance
Helpful Score: 1
[close] When I put Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl on my "to-read" list, I thought it was just a retelling of a classic fairy tale. It surprised me, though -- The Goose Girl is actually the first in the Books of Bayern series, a timeless story that is as much fantasy as it is a period tale.
The Goose Girl is an adaptation of the Grimm story by the same name. The crown princess of a peaceful kingdom is bartered into an arranged marriage as part of a political treaty with a neighboring land. Princess Ani is not your typical princess -- she's more interested in spending time by the swan pond or in the stables than on social calls with other court ladies. She can talk to the swans, and hear the thoughts of her stallion, Falada. She can even communicate with the wind. But those gifts aren't enough to save her from mutinous guards and a false lady-in-waiting intent at stealing her crown. Soon she's lost in a strange land, working as a Goose Girl, and hiding from her former countrymen that she hopes think she is dead.
This is a great story -- fantasy meets love story, meets medieval adventure, meets tried-and-true classic fairy tale. Ani (or Isi, or the Goose Girl, or the Yellow Girl -- she wears lots of hats in the course of the book) is a great heroine, and I can't wait to pick up the thread of her adventures in the next Book of Bayern, Enna Burning.
The Goose Girl is an adaptation of the Grimm story by the same name. The crown princess of a peaceful kingdom is bartered into an arranged marriage as part of a political treaty with a neighboring land. Princess Ani is not your typical princess -- she's more interested in spending time by the swan pond or in the stables than on social calls with other court ladies. She can talk to the swans, and hear the thoughts of her stallion, Falada. She can even communicate with the wind. But those gifts aren't enough to save her from mutinous guards and a false lady-in-waiting intent at stealing her crown. Soon she's lost in a strange land, working as a Goose Girl, and hiding from her former countrymen that she hopes think she is dead.
This is a great story -- fantasy meets love story, meets medieval adventure, meets tried-and-true classic fairy tale. Ani (or Isi, or the Goose Girl, or the Yellow Girl -- she wears lots of hats in the course of the book) is a great heroine, and I can't wait to pick up the thread of her adventures in the next Book of Bayern, Enna Burning.
Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
First-time author Shannon Hale delights readers of all ages with her stunningly brilliant fantasy novel THE GOOSE GIRL. Anidori-Kiladree has never felt like the true crown princess of Kildenree. She doesn't have the gift of speaking with people that her mother and her lady-in-waiting Selia do. Instead, she's more comfortable spending her days with the swans by the royal lake, breathing in nature, feeling always a mere step away from understanding something in the air.
Ani's mother decides to arrange a marriage for her to the prince of Bayern, the neighboring kingdom, as a part of a peace settlement. Scared, the naive Ani sets off on the months-long journey through the mountains, accompanied by Selia and several guards.
Ani is thrown for a surprise when Selia and guards loyal to her stage a mutiny, declaring Selia to be Princess Anidori-Kiladree. Lost and friendless, with her life on the line, Ani takes up a job as goose girl, unsure of what to do with herself. Her initial plan is to save enough money to go back home to Kildenree, but as the time passes, she makes friends and understands more about the city and Bayern. Ani--who now calls herself Isi--realizes that as queen she would be able to do so much to help the people of Bayern, and so begins to develop a plan to reclaim her rightful place in the royal court, and to expose Selia as a manipulative liar.
THE GOOSE GIRL is beautifully written, with a wonderful poetic style that lends so much to the fantastical component of the story. Ani's development from an inexperienced girl to a confident young lady is remarkably realistic and will leave you cheering for her.
Ani's mother decides to arrange a marriage for her to the prince of Bayern, the neighboring kingdom, as a part of a peace settlement. Scared, the naive Ani sets off on the months-long journey through the mountains, accompanied by Selia and several guards.
Ani is thrown for a surprise when Selia and guards loyal to her stage a mutiny, declaring Selia to be Princess Anidori-Kiladree. Lost and friendless, with her life on the line, Ani takes up a job as goose girl, unsure of what to do with herself. Her initial plan is to save enough money to go back home to Kildenree, but as the time passes, she makes friends and understands more about the city and Bayern. Ani--who now calls herself Isi--realizes that as queen she would be able to do so much to help the people of Bayern, and so begins to develop a plan to reclaim her rightful place in the royal court, and to expose Selia as a manipulative liar.
THE GOOSE GIRL is beautifully written, with a wonderful poetic style that lends so much to the fantastical component of the story. Ani's development from an inexperienced girl to a confident young lady is remarkably realistic and will leave you cheering for her.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It's appropriately rated for young adult fiction. _The Goose Girl_ was Shannon Hale's first book....her writing style is more developed in subsequent books in this series or in the Princess Academy. This volume could've benefited from some tighter editing, but the plotline is enjoyable.
Lovely book with excellent character building teachings hidden well in a fairy tale that was very enjoyable to read!
A delightful and well thought-out take on the old fairy tale, this is one of my favorite fairy tale novels. Shannon Hale has created a detailed world in which some of the odd details of the original fairy tale are reworked and make much more sense. Hale has made the story into a strong coming-of-age tale with heart and humor and a little romance.
This book should not be missed by anyone who likes novelizations of fairy tales.
This book should not be missed by anyone who likes novelizations of fairy tales.
Refreshing take on storybook tale.
Love this book!
Reviewed by http://bibliophile-bestiary.blogspot.com
This story is very good. It follows a girl who is constantly told what she should be like and what she should do. Then her mother sends her off to be married to a prince in a distant land. Along the way, she is betrayed and begins living the life as a normal commoner. The twists and turns and the magic and mythical ties in the book are wonderful! The characters are extremely well written and easy to love. This is a series of books, so I can't wait to read the next one! 4 out of 5 stars!
This story is very good. It follows a girl who is constantly told what she should be like and what she should do. Then her mother sends her off to be married to a prince in a distant land. Along the way, she is betrayed and begins living the life as a normal commoner. The twists and turns and the magic and mythical ties in the book are wonderful! The characters are extremely well written and easy to love. This is a series of books, so I can't wait to read the next one! 4 out of 5 stars!
I preread this book for my 14 and 10 year old daughters. Overall, I was drawn in to the characters, setting, and plot. The author does a great job of using imagery and writing decorations to bring her work to life for the reader. Some sentences were so beautifully lyrical that they reminded me of a poetic work.
That said, I have the following concerns for young readers;
*the relationship between Ani and her mother, left me with an empty "upset" feeling. It may be exactly what the author was going for, but I would not want a young teen, not yet mature in her handling of her own relationship with her mother, to identify with the brokenness of this fictitous pair. Real life mother-daughter relationships can be strained too, but it doesn't mean the mother is "the villian" as it felt in this story.
*the violent scenes could be disturbing to young readers whose parents have appropriately shielded their minds from violent media, programming, and literature.
The above critique is based on personal preferences about content. However, a more objective critique can be made of the end of the book, which, I feel, fails the reader after being captivated by such an enchanting tale throughout the story, leading us through a really great climax with an unexpected twist (regarding the prince), only to have the resolution be poorly developed and too loosely resolved. I was left with a feeling of, "That's it? Really, that's it?" Too tidy.
That said, I have the following concerns for young readers;
*the relationship between Ani and her mother, left me with an empty "upset" feeling. It may be exactly what the author was going for, but I would not want a young teen, not yet mature in her handling of her own relationship with her mother, to identify with the brokenness of this fictitous pair. Real life mother-daughter relationships can be strained too, but it doesn't mean the mother is "the villian" as it felt in this story.
*the violent scenes could be disturbing to young readers whose parents have appropriately shielded their minds from violent media, programming, and literature.
The above critique is based on personal preferences about content. However, a more objective critique can be made of the end of the book, which, I feel, fails the reader after being captivated by such an enchanting tale throughout the story, leading us through a really great climax with an unexpected twist (regarding the prince), only to have the resolution be poorly developed and too loosely resolved. I was left with a feeling of, "That's it? Really, that's it?" Too tidy.
Great read! This book is captivating from the first sentence to the last letter.
Shannon Hale's book pulls you into the world of Ani and her struggle to regain her power and place in the world. Captivating.
Scarlett M. (the-red-dame) reviewed The Goose Girl (Books of Bayern, Bk 1) on + 31 more book reviews
An overall quick, light, and pleasant read. We are introduced to a world where some people can talk to animals, but not all animals, because each animal's language is a little bit different. I like how the "speaking" abilities were handled.
Ani wasn't a wilting damsel in distress waiting to be rescued. She had some strength and depth, which was nice. Sometimes she came off as a bit too good - no one seemed to really dislike her unless they were evil, so she could've used more flaws - but overall she was a likable character.
The romance was predictable but expected given the fairy tale theme, and the lack of sex was appreciated. I enjoyed this book enough that I look forward to reading the series.
Ani wasn't a wilting damsel in distress waiting to be rescued. She had some strength and depth, which was nice. Sometimes she came off as a bit too good - no one seemed to really dislike her unless they were evil, so she could've used more flaws - but overall she was a likable character.
The romance was predictable but expected given the fairy tale theme, and the lack of sex was appreciated. I enjoyed this book enough that I look forward to reading the series.
