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clianthus's review against another edition
4.0
An interestingly written book. Many layers to it, some of which went over my daughter's head (9 y/o). Saying that, she really enjoyed the book and now wants to dress as the main character for book day.
smitchy's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely adored this book. It is old wild west meets magical realism / fantasy. Themes of trust / memory / family / luck / trauma. The language in this book pushes up to a level not often found in children's lit: allegory, metaphor, symbolism, an extensive vocabulary and lyrical language are all used beautifully. Also this cover! Perfection!!
A world were not giving a penny in exchange for a weapon will result in that weapon turning on you. Is it magic or superstition?
Our nameless protagonist is Robber Girl. She is 9 or maybe 11. She rides with Gentleman Jack and his band. He is an outlaw and her hero, her saviour. Today is Day Zero. The day they will rob the stage coach and get the gold that will make Gentleman Jack heir to his grandmother's empire. But everything goes wrong. There was never gold, only a trap to catch an outlaw. Now Robber Girl has to learn tame ways in the house of the judge who trapped Gentleman Jack. Robber Girl isn't tame. She is wild and she knows if anyone can save Gentleman Jack it is her.
But maybe things are not as they seem, and maybe it is time to start believing in herself instead of Gentleman Jack?
Robber Girl at first appears like an unreliable narrator but as the story unfolds we see she has a child's view of her life and the events surrounding her - She has built her view of life in the way she has to survive and to thrive in her life with Gentleman Jack. Her view is obscured due to the lies and half-truths she has been told and has believed because to do anything else would rip her world apart. She also behaves like a child would (a good change IMO from some kid lit that has children acting as teens and teens as adults -precocious beyond their years).
Yes there is some violence (death too) in the story but it is not glorified or graphic, and it is in keeping with the wild west tone of the story. No sex or sexual violence.
A world were not giving a penny in exchange for a weapon will result in that weapon turning on you. Is it magic or superstition?
Our nameless protagonist is Robber Girl. She is 9 or maybe 11. She rides with Gentleman Jack and his band. He is an outlaw and her hero, her saviour. Today is Day Zero. The day they will rob the stage coach and get the gold that will make Gentleman Jack heir to his grandmother's empire. But everything goes wrong. There was never gold, only a trap to catch an outlaw. Now Robber Girl has to learn tame ways in the house of the judge who trapped Gentleman Jack. Robber Girl isn't tame. She is wild and she knows if anyone can save Gentleman Jack it is her.
But maybe things are not as they seem, and maybe it is time to start believing in herself instead of Gentleman Jack?
Robber Girl at first appears like an unreliable narrator but as the story unfolds we see she has a child's view of her life and the events surrounding her - She has built her view of life in the way she has to survive and to thrive in her life with Gentleman Jack. Her view is obscured due to the lies and half-truths she has been told and has believed because to do anything else would rip her world apart. She also behaves like a child would (a good change IMO from some kid lit that has children acting as teens and teens as adults -precocious beyond their years).
Yes there is some violence (death too) in the story but it is not glorified or graphic, and it is in keeping with the wild west tone of the story. No sex or sexual violence.
asimilarkite's review
5.0
This one's gonna stay in my head. I'm not sure who it's for, but it was definitely for me.
I loved the gentle world-building where you're not entirely sure if you're in our own world in the past, or an invented world. It mirrors the character's journey to learning the truth of their own past, and what they deserve from life.
Unique and odd and beautiful.
I loved the gentle world-building where you're not entirely sure if you're in our own world in the past, or an invented world. It mirrors the character's journey to learning the truth of their own past, and what they deserve from life.
Unique and odd and beautiful.
archergal's review
5.0
I haven't read a Franny Billingsley book that I didn't love. This one is no exception.
The Robber Girl has to choose between being wild and being tame. She thought she could find a home with Gentleman Jack and the other Gentlemen (though they're actually outlaws and robbers.) She doesn't remember her past.
But things aren't quite what she thought.
I love these quirky heroines, trying to find their place in the world.
The Robber Girl has to choose between being wild and being tame. She thought she could find a home with Gentleman Jack and the other Gentlemen (though they're actually outlaws and robbers.) She doesn't remember her past.
But things aren't quite what she thought.
I love these quirky heroines, trying to find their place in the world.
lory_enterenchanted's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
Franny Billingsley writes like a dream. If only she would write faster -- but the wait was worth it. Following The Folk Keeper and Chime, another story of feminine re-membering and empowerment, in brilliant, vivid language that juxtaposes simple words in surprising, enlightening ways while slowly unfolding a tale made of secrets hidden in plain sight. This one also contains probably my favorite character ever that is an inanimate object: The Dagger.
Franny Billingsley writes like a dream. If only she would write faster -- but the wait was worth it. Following The Folk Keeper and Chime, another story of feminine re-membering and empowerment, in brilliant, vivid language that juxtaposes simple words in surprising, enlightening ways while slowly unfolding a tale made of secrets hidden in plain sight. This one also contains probably my favorite character ever that is an inanimate object: The Dagger.
nerfherder86's review
4.0
This story is rather unique--it's an "alternate history" historical fiction with some magical realism (sort of) and basically an unreliable narrator. It deals with trauma and memory loss, found family and family ties. It's set in the Old West but not really the "real" Old West. It took me awhile to get into it, probably because I was having to read it only in short sessions. Once I had time to sit and just immerse myself in it and get used to the odd way the narrator tells her story (the dialogue with the dagger gets annoying), I was hooked. It is about an orphan raised by outlaws, who is taken in by a Judge and his wife and learns more "civilized" ways of living while she is trying to get back to her outlaw father-figure and help him get rich. On the surface, it's the Wild West. But then you have things like a religion centered around the "Blue Rose" and the Seven Stars, plus a talking dagger and talking dollhouse dolls, which take this in a different, more philosophical, direction. I really liked the writing once I got used to Robber Girl's odd mannerisms, and found myself rooting for her. There is clearly some horrible tragedy in her past that has caused her not to be able to remember her life before the outlaws, and it has affected her whole personality. Not sure what teens I would recommend this to, unless I knew them very well.
allison_r's review
5.0
I really loved this one. A strange starry pearl of a book that does a great job capturing what it’s like to be a child with a head full of rules you must not break, that dictate how you are allowed to see the world, your caretakers, and yourself, and what it feels like when all those rules you have taught come crumbling down. Strange, bittersweet, and joyful. I loved this one.
kbuchanan's review
3.0
There is some truly lovely writing in this novel, and Billingsley's strange imagined, Western-tinged world is a fascinating one. Still, this novel's hard edges and relentless melancholy presented some challenges for motivation as well as some befuddlement as to any source of appeal for younger readers. Quirky and different, but ultimately a bit of a dark horse.