Scan barcode
danicapage's review
5.0
This was one of my favorite books during my late childhood. I absolutely loved thi idea of this novel.
A great read that early teenage girls will love, but really this is an enjoyable read for anybody of any age. I love love loved this book.
One of my all-time favorite childhood books.
A great read that early teenage girls will love, but really this is an enjoyable read for anybody of any age. I love love loved this book.
One of my all-time favorite childhood books.
auntblh's review
3.0
This was okay as a young teen book. It it most definitely a fairy tale with all the usual fairy tale aspects...prince, fairy godmother, ogresses, enchantments, etc.
rachel_abby_reads's review
3.0
Light and mildly amusing. The perfect bus reading while on a vacation.
squishies's review
3.0
2.5 stars, pushing 3.
The first thing I thought about "poor" Alexandria was that she was ungracious and had a little mean streak.
That didn't change at all, even when she did mellow out a little by the end. The Prince, by far, had the most character development and personally, I felt a little more could have gone towards snotty Alexandria.
The pace was a little plodding, but the re-appearance of the Prince made the story more interesting.
The first thing I thought about "poor" Alexandria was that she was ungracious and had a little mean streak.
That didn't change at all, even when she did mellow out a little by the end. The Prince, by far, had the most character development and personally, I felt a little more could have gone towards snotty Alexandria.
The pace was a little plodding, but the re-appearance of the Prince made the story more interesting.
yareader868's review against another edition
3.0
it was a slow start but it picked up. it had a lot of predictable fairy tale stuff with a prince and a king and ogresses. it flowed better towards the end. i didn't think i would finish this book.
bellatora's review against another edition
2.0
This is so…meh. The first page had so much promise. The opening line “today the king killed my canary” was really great. But it tried so hard to be funny and then it just wasn’t. And all the “thous” and “thees” and fake ye olde language was really annoying. It’s one of those YAs that are 12 and under only, not for older young adults.
czarina_misha's review against another edition
2.0
It was a cute enough story, though predictable. The author tried to use the slang and language patterns of the late 18th-mid 19th century (for some reason). It was awkward and inconsistent, like reading any mediocre fantasy. It gradually slacked off in the middle to, well, normal storytelling which was much more pleasant to read. (Hint: try reading it out loud. If it sounds silly, it reads silly.) I really hoped the story wouldn’t go with the basic prince (now king) marries goose girl (now princess). I think it leaving them as best friends would have been a better ending. No such luck.
nannahnannah's review
3.0
Ah, I haven't re-read this for at least ten years. But, ;___; I weep for another childhood favorite gone from five stars down to 3.5. That's not to say it's not a good book. It's just not . . . as wonderful as I remembered.
Alexandria the "Goose Girl", was a plain, poor girl before meeting an old woman who "blessed" her with looks to rival the dawn, and gifts that made her cry diamonds and shed gold dust whenever she combed her hair. Unfortunately, these blessings make her coveted by both her country's oafish Prince and the rival country's evil King. And land her trapped in a tower until she can choose which one to wed. If she has her way, though, Alexandria plans to escape with her geese and choose neither.
This retelling of the fairy tale (is it classified as a legit "fairy tale"?) "The Goose Girl" is fun and exciting, but lacks a depth I really want in books right now--even those based on fairy tales. But it does have a charm that I can understand I would have loved at a younger age.
The only thing I really disliked was that ugly = villain. Every unsavory character was definitely described being incredibly ugly by our society's standards. Women with body hair, women with """hideously large noses and chins""" (don't get me started on the racism and antisemitism that goes into why our society finds that "ugly"), huge warts, etc. It really made enjoying the novel more difficult.
But anyway, a fairly enjoyable book, especially for a younger audience.
Alexandria the "Goose Girl", was a plain, poor girl before meeting an old woman who "blessed" her with looks to rival the dawn, and gifts that made her cry diamonds and shed gold dust whenever she combed her hair. Unfortunately, these blessings make her coveted by both her country's oafish Prince and the rival country's evil King. And land her trapped in a tower until she can choose which one to wed. If she has her way, though, Alexandria plans to escape with her geese and choose neither.
This retelling of the fairy tale (is it classified as a legit "fairy tale"?) "The Goose Girl" is fun and exciting, but lacks a depth I really want in books right now--even those based on fairy tales. But it does have a charm that I can understand I would have loved at a younger age.
The only thing I really disliked was that ugly = villain. Every unsavory character was definitely described being incredibly ugly by our society's standards. Women with body hair, women with """hideously large noses and chins""" (don't get me started on the racism and antisemitism that goes into why our society finds that "ugly"), huge warts, etc. It really made enjoying the novel more difficult.
But anyway, a fairly enjoyable book, especially for a younger audience.
jessicalarson125's review against another edition
lighthearted
3.5
3.5 stars
This book was short and sweet and overall enjoyable.
A few things that knocked down my rating:
- the ending felt very rushed
- the language often felt stiff and difficult to read
- plotholes! By the end of the book, I couldn’t determine if the prince was as daft as he was depicted at the beginning of the book. Somewhere near the middle he was suddenly regarded as a respectable character and there was little to no more mention of his apparent stupidity?
To conclude, it was a fun story that blended several different fairytales. I don’t feel like reading it was a waste of time, but I’m unlikely to reread.
This book was short and sweet and overall enjoyable.
A few things that knocked down my rating:
- the ending felt very rushed
- the language often felt stiff and difficult to read
- plotholes! By the end of the book, I couldn’t determine if the prince was as daft as he was depicted at the beginning of the book. Somewhere near the middle he was suddenly regarded as a respectable character and there was little to no more mention of his apparent stupidity?
To conclude, it was a fun story that blended several different fairytales. I don’t feel like reading it was a waste of time, but I’m unlikely to reread.