Reviews

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

midici's review against another edition

5.0

Re-reading this book is like settling back into a younger, more unsure version of myself. Where a little girl who read fantasy stories as quickly as she could get her hands on them picked up a book with another brown-haired girl holding a frying pan on the cover and thought - this looks like it could be a story for me.

Now, I'm not nearly as bad-ass as Tiffany, nor nearly as practical. I don't know anything about living on a farm, and I'm not friends with a large group of perpetually fighting, swearing, blue pictsies. But I love this book so much. Her stubborn insistence on learning as much as she can, and using that knowledge, her strong ideas about doing her duty, her willingness to fight back when something or someone stronger than her tries to make her stand down.

It's funny, and heart-breaking and feels true - not in the plot itself but in the way it presents ideas in the story itself, hovering just behind the plot.

Tiffany's confrontation with the Queen is my favourite part, where she screams at herself to take her anger and her selfishness and use it as a weapon. If everything is hers, then she has a duty to protect it, to speak for those who can't, to keep the powerful in check for those who need protecting.

It ends with the realization that even as she has to go back to her regular life, things will be different - mostly because she will make them be different. She'll be the change she wants to see in her world.

kaja117's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

hananahb's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book reminded me what it felt like to read when I was a kid.

laurawil's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ivywwx's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-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? Yes

4.0

oweatherwax's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

queen_sprout's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

dominerdy's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

brobeccks's review against another edition

4.0

loved it!
whilst reading this book, i sometimes could tell i’m (obviously) not part of the intended demographic. but i enjoyed this read regardless.

iiska's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0