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A review by bickleyhouse
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I didn't like this book as much as I expected to. It was an entertaining story, but I have to confess that there were a couple of times that I almost DNF'ed it. Yet I wind up giving it 3.5 stars. I have read another of Ms. Valente's books (Space Opera), which was, in my opinion, much better. But I also must keep in mind that this book is targeted to either middle-grade or YA audiences (in spite of some rather unusual words in the tale).
The story has Alice in Wonderland vibes like crazy. I'm a big fan of Alice, so I both enjoyed that vibe and didn't enjoy it. There were times where it simply grew tiresome.
It is told from the perspective of a narrator (who remains nameless, but makes themself known, occasionally). Our protagonist is a young girl named September, who is invited by the Green Wind, to travel to Fairyland. She readily agrees, without so much as a so long or wave goodbye to her parents. But of course, neither one was at home, at the time, her mother working long hours and her father off serving in the military.
She has several different adventures, along the way, all of which led up to the climax of the story. She makes a good friend in a Wyvern, or, as he is called in the story, a 'Wyverary," because he seems to be part library, based on his mother told him. She also befriends a boy named Saturday, after she rescues him from the villain of the story, who is known only as The Marquess. In keeping with the Alice in Wonderland vibes, The Marquess seems to be the equivalent of the Queen of Hearts, and, as God is my witness, I totally pictured her as Helena Bonham Carter. Even though she appears as a young girl, herself.
The imagination runs wild, with this book, and perhaps mine has grown too old for it. Maybe that's why I didn't like it as much as I expected, which, of course, places it entirely on me, and not the author. Nevertheless, again, I gave it 3.5 stars, and finished the book. I found myself caring about what happened to September and her gang, and whether she would prevail over The Marquess, in the end. But there were times when the sheer fantasy of it all made me a bit dizzy.
So would I recommend this book? Sure. For fans of fantasy, fairy tales, and fairyland, in general, I would. I think I would have adored this book back in my "middle grade" years. I probably won't continue with the series, though. One thing I am grateful for is that this book has an ending. What happens next isn't crucial (at least it seems so) to this particular story. I'm sure that things in the second book will be related to this story, but this one seems to have a satisfactory conclusion.
The story has Alice in Wonderland vibes like crazy. I'm a big fan of Alice, so I both enjoyed that vibe and didn't enjoy it. There were times where it simply grew tiresome.
It is told from the perspective of a narrator (who remains nameless, but makes themself known, occasionally). Our protagonist is a young girl named September, who is invited by the Green Wind, to travel to Fairyland. She readily agrees, without so much as a so long or wave goodbye to her parents. But of course, neither one was at home, at the time, her mother working long hours and her father off serving in the military.
She has several different adventures, along the way, all of which led up to the climax of the story. She makes a good friend in a Wyvern, or, as he is called in the story, a 'Wyverary," because he seems to be part library, based on his mother told him. She also befriends a boy named Saturday, after she rescues him from the villain of the story, who is known only as The Marquess. In keeping with the Alice in Wonderland vibes, The Marquess seems to be the equivalent of the Queen of Hearts, and, as God is my witness, I totally pictured her as Helena Bonham Carter. Even though she appears as a young girl, herself.
The imagination runs wild, with this book, and perhaps mine has grown too old for it. Maybe that's why I didn't like it as much as I expected, which, of course, places it entirely on me, and not the author. Nevertheless, again, I gave it 3.5 stars, and finished the book. I found myself caring about what happened to September and her gang, and whether she would prevail over The Marquess, in the end. But there were times when the sheer fantasy of it all made me a bit dizzy.
So would I recommend this book? Sure. For fans of fantasy, fairy tales, and fairyland, in general, I would. I think I would have adored this book back in my "middle grade" years. I probably won't continue with the series, though. One thing I am grateful for is that this book has an ending. What happens next isn't crucial (at least it seems so) to this particular story. I'm sure that things in the second book will be related to this story, but this one seems to have a satisfactory conclusion.