The Goose Girl is a delightful fairy tale that has just the right balance of friendship, loyalty, adventure, intrigue, danger, and (of course) true love. It is a greatly expanded retelling of the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale by the same name, but Shannon Hale has worked a wondrous improvement upon the classic tale, fleshing out the story with a cast of supporting characters, well-apportioned dialogue, and a touch of fantasy.Though it doesn't have as strong moral overtones as George MacDonald's Princess fairy tales (reviewed here and here), it does show an admirable development in the character of Princess Ani/Isi, as she learns to stand for the truth no matter the cost, as well as the value of true friends no matter their class.
I look forward to reading the other novels in the Books of Bayern series - in fact, two of them are reserved at the library for me already! I also would not hesitate to recommend The Goose Girl to younger readers, for it is an engaging story of good triumphing over evil that is untarnished by inappropriate suggestions or descriptions. Highly recommended!
2 comments:
roThe Goose Girl is one of my favorites of Hale's work. I'm looking forward to her newest Bayern book. I heard her speak severl years ago and she is just as delightful as her books.
GREAT! So glad to see this. The cover art on this book has drawn me to it one million times but I wasn't sure about it. Now I know to pick it up the next time I see it!
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