Pages: 383
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Synopsis:
Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, or just plain ol' Ani, is the crown princess of the kingdom of Kildenree, although she doesn't think she's very good at the role. As a child she would much rather spend time listening to her aunt's stories and learning to talk the language of the birds, something the queen frowned upon to say the least. As she grew older, she tried to be the princess she ought to be, and often found solace is long rides on her horse with her father riding his own steed beside her.
But when the king dies, Ani's mother determines that the best use for her first born is to marry her off the prince of the neighboring kingdom Bayern and thus avoid any potential future threat of war. Ani reluctantly sets off never guessing what her future would hold. Before they reach her destination, Ani's lady in waiting, Selia, rises up against her with a devious plan to take over Ani's identity as princess of Kildenree. Ani's only choices are to run or lose her life. Forced into hiding and finding work tending the king of Bayern's flock of geese, Ani must form a plan and bide her time to stop Selia before her treachery leads to, not only the deaths of many of her kinsmen, but the death of Ani herself!
My Reaction:
The Goose Girl is a book I've been meaning to read for a long time. I enjoy a good retelling of a fairy tale, and when I saw the cover of this book on a bookshelf some years ago it stuck out to me. It's about time I actually got around to reading it!
The story is based of off the fairy tale of the same title by the Brothers Grimm. It wasn't one I was familiar with, so I didn't know entirely what to expect, which I think was a good thing because I had no idea where things were going. In retrospect, I feel like I really should have seen some of those things coming. So I suppose Shannon Hale gets some points for keeping me interested with some surprises.
I really enjoyed this book. I read a synopsis of the original fairy tale, and I feel that Hale did a good job of staying true to the story while at the same time making it uniquely her own. She has good use of simile in her writing that I enjoyed. Ani is a relatable character with some insecurities, but also with such a great desire to do her part and to do well. It's good to see her change over time and become more of the princess she always wanted to be--strong, confident, capable of changing lives for the better.
It's a great story with some great characters. I also loved the way things were wrapped up in the end. Overall, a good book I could recommend, and I look forward to reading the companion books to it!
Reader Guidance:
It shouldn't surprise you that a book based on one of Grimm's fairy tales should have some grim moments...pun intended. I'll try not to give any spoilers, but here's some bullet points of violence and suggestive material in the book:
- The queen near the beginning pricks her finger with a broach to put a few drops of blood on a handkerchief as a symbolic gesture when Ani leaves on her journey.
- A man hits on Ani a bit, saying something like, "You like that I'm a man." I don't recall the exact quote.
- There are multiple stabbings in the back, a few mentioning swords going clean through the chest, some just cuts because the attacker was unsuccessful in getting their sword/knife deep enough in to kill. There's also a javelin to the back at one point.
- In Bayern, after men have been hanged for their crimes, their bodies are left hanging from the wall of the city. This sight and the sickening effect it has on Ani is mentioned a few times.
- There's one scene at a knacker's yard, a place where dead or unwanted animals are disposed of, especially those not fit for human consumption (some of the meat would be used for dog food). It's a bit of a gross and traumatizing scene through the eyes of Ani. It mentions blood and things like fur and feathers and discarded animal parts.
- A horses head is hung up at a gate.
- At one point a character relates an old story about women encouraging their men during war by alluding to the fact that they would be captured and the enemy would have their way with them.
- There is one line that says, "You would have touched [her]. You would have shared her bed." The man who says it is jealous and angry towards a man that was meant to marry.
- There's also someone who gets stabbed with a knife to the side and a man who receives a sword wound to the shoulder.
With things like war and treachery, there's bound to be some dark stuff. It is intended for a teenage audience.
Similar Books:
There are three other books that take place in Bayern. My understanding is that they are independent stories from The Goose Girl, but they do involve characters first mentioned in this book. They are:
Enna Burning
River Secrets
Forest Born
Other fairy tale type books you may enjoy include:
- Anything by Gail Carson Levine
- Beauty by Robin McKinley
- Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey
Next Book:
I think I've got to give one of these companion books a try! I really liked Enna in The Goose Girl, so I think the next book up will be Enna Burning.
What did you guys think of The Goose Girl? What should we read after Enna Burning? Happy reading!
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