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2.07k reviews for:
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
Catherynne M. Valente
4.06 AVERAGE
2.07k reviews for:
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
Catherynne M. Valente
4.06 AVERAGE
Rarely do I read fiction, let alone YA, and yet, this delightful book really touched me. The language is beautiful, the symbolism plentiful, and the themes developed thoroughly. Certain passages got waves of emotion to pass through me, and all else aside, it got me to care about an anthropomorphic paper lantern. I leave my review with a passage from the book that I will carry with me:
“September had to admit that sailing at night by one’s lonesome was so awfully pleasant she could hardly bear it. That stirring, which had fluttered in her on first glimpsing the sea, that stirring landlocked children know so well—moved in her now, with the golden stars overhead and the green fireflies glinting on the wooded shore. She carefully unfolded the stirring that she had so tightly packed away. It billowed out like a sail, and she laughed, despite herself, despite hunger and hard things ahead.
Somewhere toward dawn, September fell asleep, her wrench curled tightly against her, her hair still trailing in the surf, catching no fish at all.”- C.M.V.
“September had to admit that sailing at night by one’s lonesome was so awfully pleasant she could hardly bear it. That stirring, which had fluttered in her on first glimpsing the sea, that stirring landlocked children know so well—moved in her now, with the golden stars overhead and the green fireflies glinting on the wooded shore. She carefully unfolded the stirring that she had so tightly packed away. It billowed out like a sail, and she laughed, despite herself, despite hunger and hard things ahead.
Somewhere toward dawn, September fell asleep, her wrench curled tightly against her, her hair still trailing in the surf, catching no fish at all.”- C.M.V.
Just a gorgeous book - can't wait for my daughter to read it. If I was a fiction writer, this is what I would want to write like. Prepare to get lost in Fairyland!
(I want to preface by saying there is no way in hell I will be typing that title over and over, and henceforth the book shall be referred to as simply Fairyland.) This will probably me more of a GUSH than an actual review, because guys, I love everything about this book. First is the cover design – the artwork is beautiful to be sure, but the jacket is designed to look like an old, leather-bound book reminiscent classic fairytale collections. The writing is exquisite, with the narrator never shying from addressing the reader. Every character, from our lovely September to a pair of leather sandals is real and three-dimensional.
I have to talk about the writing first, because it is absolutely remarkable. Catherynne Valente uses a very matter-of-fact tone, and the voice is that of an older individual telling a story to a child. It is very dreamy and story-telling, something that I would love to read out loud to my future children. Here are a few quotes:
I don’t really think I have to continue on with this review. The writing speaks for itself, really.
Valente has woven a truly magical setting with Fairyland and its capitol, Pandemonium, filled with half-library-half-Wyvern friends, witches, fairies, pookas, sentient keys and jackets, great flying cats, and wild bicycles. Some of it seemed completely mad, quite reminiscent of wonderland. This world will bring out the imagination of kids and stretch that of adults. Fairyland is easy to get lost in, and like September I never wanted to leave.
My favorite character was the villain, the Marquess. At first I thought this was a very straightforward kind of villain, and evil queen drunk on power. But towards the end, when ‘all is revealed’ and we learn more about the Marquess, I just fell in love with her. My heart broke for her. I still did not want her to succeed in whatever plans she had for September and the rest of fairyland, but I just loved how incredibly real and vivid she was. Valente did not skip out of back stories for all of her characters, least of all the Marquess.
All the cast had their own tales to tell in Fairyland. The Wyverary – that is, a dragon with a rather bookish father – and his sordid, murky past. The Green Wind and his trusty leopard. Saturday the Marid and his strange life. Even September’s shadow, the brooch on her jacket, and hundred-year-old furniture had their own histories. I have a feeling that if I cracked open Valente’s head and dove into fairyland headfirst I would be stuck there for centuries learning about all she has created with this book.
I believe that Fairyland has something for everyone. There is adventure, fantasy, friendship, trust, evil villains, and intriguing allies. The illustrations are captivating and evocative. This is a book I will keep forever, to pass on to my children and hopefully to their children. I will be reading the sequel, The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There soon, so look forward to that review!
I have to talk about the writing first, because it is absolutely remarkable. Catherynne Valente uses a very matter-of-fact tone, and the voice is that of an older individual telling a story to a child. It is very dreamy and story-telling, something that I would love to read out loud to my future children. Here are a few quotes:
“Stories have a way of changing faces. They are unruly things, undisciplined, given to delinquency and the throwing of erasers. This is why we must close them up into thick, solid books, so they cannot get out and cause trouble.”
“But splendid things are often frightening. Sometimes, it’s the fright that makes them splendid at all.”
“Autumn is the very soul of metamorphosis, a time when the world is poised at the door or winter – which is the door of death – but has not yet fallen. It is a world of contradictions: a time of harvest and plenty but also of cold and hardship. Here we dwell in the midst of life, but we know most keenly that all things must pass away and shrivel. Autumn turns the world from one thing into another.”
I don’t really think I have to continue on with this review. The writing speaks for itself, really.
Valente has woven a truly magical setting with Fairyland and its capitol, Pandemonium, filled with half-library-half-Wyvern friends, witches, fairies, pookas, sentient keys and jackets, great flying cats, and wild bicycles. Some of it seemed completely mad, quite reminiscent of wonderland. This world will bring out the imagination of kids and stretch that of adults. Fairyland is easy to get lost in, and like September I never wanted to leave.
My favorite character was the villain, the Marquess. At first I thought this was a very straightforward kind of villain, and evil queen drunk on power. But towards the end, when ‘all is revealed’ and we learn more about the Marquess, I just fell in love with her. My heart broke for her. I still did not want her to succeed in whatever plans she had for September and the rest of fairyland, but I just loved how incredibly real and vivid she was. Valente did not skip out of back stories for all of her characters, least of all the Marquess.
All the cast had their own tales to tell in Fairyland. The Wyverary – that is, a dragon with a rather bookish father – and his sordid, murky past. The Green Wind and his trusty leopard. Saturday the Marid and his strange life. Even September’s shadow, the brooch on her jacket, and hundred-year-old furniture had their own histories. I have a feeling that if I cracked open Valente’s head and dove into fairyland headfirst I would be stuck there for centuries learning about all she has created with this book.
I believe that Fairyland has something for everyone. There is adventure, fantasy, friendship, trust, evil villains, and intriguing allies. The illustrations are captivating and evocative. This is a book I will keep forever, to pass on to my children and hopefully to their children. I will be reading the sequel, The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There soon, so look forward to that review!
I really wanted to give this book 4.5 stars because I really reserve my 5 stars for books that are perfect and move me on a spiritual level as well but this book was so good on so many different levels I wanted to remember how much I liked it. The vocabulary was yummy! The worlds delightful. The characters deep and empathetic. I thought it was the type of book to awaken the imagination of a child or reinvigorate the dreams of an old housewife! This book makes me want to create and be alive! I looked up the reading level and found it at 5.9 which I thought was a bit low! I think it would be a precocious 5th grader who would enjoy this book but more likely a 7th-9th grader. Readers of Shannon Hale, James A. Owen, Frank L. Baum and Cornelia Funke would enjoy this book.
If you liked this you might want to read The Phantom Tollbooth by by Norton Juster, Here There Be Dragons by James A. Owen, and Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke.
If you liked this you might want to read The Phantom Tollbooth by by Norton Juster, Here There Be Dragons by James A. Owen, and Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
Leuk verhaal over September, een elf jarig meisje die meestal alleen thuis is. Haar vader is vertrokken met het leger en haar moeder moet werken. Dan komt er een heer op bezoek die zich voorstelt als Green Wind en haar hulp vraagt met een probleem in Fairyland. September gaat met hem mee, want het lijkt haar wel een avontuur. Ze ontmoet de wyvern A-Through-L, de dochter van een wyvern en een bibliotheek (Library). September vindt dat ze dan een Wyverary is en noemt haar Ell. Ell weet alles van de dingen die beginnen met de letters A tot L. De rest van het alfabet is de verantwoordelijkheid van haar broer en zus. Ze komt ook heksen tegen en krijgen de opdracht een lepel terug te halen die in het bezit is van de Marquess, de opvolgster van koningin Mallow.
Later krijgen ze op hun reis nog gezelschap van Saturday, een blauw gekleurde jongen, een Marid. (een soort Djinn maar dan van het water). Ze beleven allerlei avonturen en September verandert op een bepaald moment zelfs langzaam in een boom.
Geen idee voor welke leeftijd dit boek is, het klinkt als een kinderboek (voor 10 tot 12 jarige) maar de dingen die gebeuren zijn misschien beter te begrijpen voor 14 tot15 jarige.
Later krijgen ze op hun reis nog gezelschap van Saturday, een blauw gekleurde jongen, een Marid. (een soort Djinn maar dan van het water). Ze beleven allerlei avonturen en September verandert op een bepaald moment zelfs langzaam in een boom.
Geen idee voor welke leeftijd dit boek is, het klinkt als een kinderboek (voor 10 tot 12 jarige) maar de dingen die gebeuren zijn misschien beter te begrijpen voor 14 tot15 jarige.
This book got better with each chapter, until I had to put it down, sadly, because it was finished. I will be reading more by this author.
Who would like this book? People who like the imagination of Alice in Wonderland with the heart of Narnia.
Who would like this book? People who like the imagination of Alice in Wonderland with the heart of Narnia.
I was not a fan of the audio don't know if I would like it better if I read it. I liked the Phantom Tollboth and some fans of that series might like this writing like I said not sure if it was not my dislike of the audio. Grades 3 and 4 as read aloud 5-6 on their own
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated