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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I loved the way it was written, the translation, the use of words and the style. Especially the description parts of the book were amazing. But despite that I just can’t say anything good about this book, I’m sorry.
I tried to like it, I truly did, but I just couldn’t. Maybe the problem is that I love the movie and I was constantly comparing the two.
“There is always something particularly delightful about exceptions to a rule.”
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Essa é a primeira vez na minha vida que eu posso afirmar que o filme é melhor do que o livro. Eu gostei do livro, é bem fofinho, mas no filme o rumo que a história toma e os personagens é muito melhor
One of my all time favourite books when I was younger, and still nostalgically good. Very quaint and wonderful characters, dialogue, character names and a enjoyable good story. I still have my original copy.
This book is lovely, but definitely dated. It's very gendered and also very religious; there is a good deal of talk about giving such-and-such back to God.
Maria's father has died, and she moves to live with her cousin, whom she's never met. She anticipates a difficult life but finds everything magical and enchanting and perfect, and many paragraphs are dedicated to just how perfect her new home is, and how happy she is, and how much she loves everyone, & etc. We get it: Maria is the ideal of goodness.
However, there is a threat to the idyllic life she spends in Moonstone Manor, and that is the wicked men that dress in black and poach their animals, unthankfully eating them up. It's Maria's mission to solve this problem, which she does with the help of the boy Robin and several animals that exhibit humanlike intelligence.
That little issue only seems to be incorporated in about 10% of the book, however.
I did enjoy reading it, still. Elizabeth Goudge is a skilled writer who was very successful in creating a magical place. While her description was somewhat excessive, it was never too dry, and it highly appealed to the little girl in me.
But don't read this book expecting there to be a little white horse. There are perhaps three brief scenes wherein the horse (unicorn, rather) appears.
Maria's father has died, and she moves to live with her cousin, whom she's never met. She anticipates a difficult life but finds everything magical and enchanting and perfect, and many paragraphs are dedicated to just how perfect her new home is, and how happy she is, and how much she loves everyone, & etc. We get it: Maria is the ideal of goodness.
However, there is a threat to the idyllic life she spends in Moonstone Manor, and that is the wicked men that dress in black and poach their animals, unthankfully eating them up. It's Maria's mission to solve this problem, which she does with the help of the boy Robin and several animals that exhibit humanlike intelligence.
That little issue only seems to be incorporated in about 10% of the book, however.
I did enjoy reading it, still. Elizabeth Goudge is a skilled writer who was very successful in creating a magical place. While her description was somewhat excessive, it was never too dry, and it highly appealed to the little girl in me.
But don't read this book expecting there to be a little white horse. There are perhaps three brief scenes wherein the horse (unicorn, rather) appears.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved this book when I was young and just had such a strong urge to revisit it. Maria Merryweather, an orphan, goes to live with her uncle in a castle—and learns that the whole valley around it will eventually be hers. But first, she must solve a series of small mysteries and go on an adventure to remedy a centuries-old feud between her ancestor and his rival. She has a host of semi-magical animals to help her, as well as a shepherd boy who (of course) she will eventually fall in love with. Written in 1948, this book creates a similar atmosphere to The Secret Garden or The Chronicles of Narnia. Absolutely enchanting! It holds up to 12-year-old Rebecca's high opinion.
A sweet tale, and enjoyable enough to read, but so much of the story unnecessarily focuses on how important it is for women not to be curious. Don't ask questions, don't go exploring, wait for the men to explain things to you and tell you where to go. Additional important moral lesson: Don't ever quarrel with someone you love, because they will totally leave you forever.
The story is about a young girl who finds herself an orphan and moves from high-society London to her only surviving relative's castle in the countryside. Her cousin's town is a magical fairyland where everything is wonderful except that there are horrible people living in the woods and increasingly wreaking havoc (stealing food and animals at night, pretty much). Everyone in the town accepts Maria instantly as being the Chosen One who will mend ways with the bad people. She has to uncover the town's secrets - and those of its inhabitants - while all the time remembering not to be too curious in her pursuit of this information. She is routinely rewarded for not asking questions or going exploring on her own by being handed the piece of information she was waiting for in the next scene.
Everything in this book happens so much in Maria's favor that there isn't really any plot tension. The one time in the entire book that something goes wrong for her, it's completely clear that she will try again and get it on her second try. Also, the "secrets" in the book are made so painfully obvious that it's nearly impossible to be surprised with Maria when X is actually revealed to be Y!
Regardless, a sweet story at its core, though it really hasn't aged well, I don't think.
The story is about a young girl who finds herself an orphan and moves from high-society London to her only surviving relative's castle in the countryside. Her cousin's town is a magical fairyland where everything is wonderful except that there are horrible people living in the woods and increasingly wreaking havoc (stealing food and animals at night, pretty much). Everyone in the town accepts Maria instantly as being the Chosen One who will mend ways with the bad people. She has to uncover the town's secrets - and those of its inhabitants - while all the time remembering not to be too curious in her pursuit of this information. She is routinely rewarded for not asking questions or going exploring on her own by being handed the piece of information she was waiting for in the next scene.
Everything in this book happens so much in Maria's favor that there isn't really any plot tension. The one time in the entire book that something goes wrong for her, it's completely clear that she will try again and get it on her second try. Also, the "secrets" in the book are made so painfully obvious that it's nearly impossible to be surprised with Maria when X is actually revealed to be Y!
Regardless, a sweet story at its core, though it really hasn't aged well, I don't think.
OK...I will admit...I primarily read this because of the J.K. Rowling endorsement on the cover. This was tough to get into, the prose was very antiquated and it took focus and concentration. The story itself was quite lovely, but somewhat predictable. I suspended my disbelief and embraced the fantastical elements (which you must do if you are going to read this book), and it became fun to read. I think this would be a hard sell to younger readers, but the fantasy elements might be enough to hold them.