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
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.
Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
Helpful Score: 1
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.
Helpful Score: 1
a great re telling of a brothers grimm fairy tale, good adventure, suspense and mild romance
