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A review by book_concierge
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
4.0
Book on CD narrated by Cynthia Bishop and The Full Cast Family
An expanded story based on the Grimm’s fairy tale of the same name, about a princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen.
Hale includes the basic elements of most fairy tales – love, betrayal, wicked enemies, loyal helpers, a little magic, and a heroine I wanted to see succeed.
I have to admit that I was initially frustrated by Princess Anidori (Ani). She was such a dreamer and so passive. I thought the evil Selia was an even stronger woman – more self-assured and in charge than our heroine. But I realized Princess Ani had been raised in privilege and sheltered from adversity, so she was not prepared for the challenges she faced. She eventually found inner strength and used her intelligence and creativity to overcome her enemies, although she did rely rather heavily on a few strong men to help her out of that final jam.
The audio book was narrated by Cynthia Bishop and a large cast of actors who took on various supplementary roles – soldiers, guards, townspeople, geese, her horse, the king, even the wind. This made for a dynamic and exciting performance. I could have done without the mood music, but I’m sure the younger audience (at whom this is aimed) would find it very effective.
An expanded story based on the Grimm’s fairy tale of the same name, about a princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen.
Hale includes the basic elements of most fairy tales – love, betrayal, wicked enemies, loyal helpers, a little magic, and a heroine I wanted to see succeed.
I have to admit that I was initially frustrated by Princess Anidori (Ani). She was such a dreamer and so passive. I thought the evil Selia was an even stronger woman – more self-assured and in charge than our heroine. But I realized Princess Ani had been raised in privilege and sheltered from adversity, so she was not prepared for the challenges she faced. She eventually found inner strength and used her intelligence and creativity to overcome her enemies, although she did rely rather heavily on a few strong men to help her out of that final jam.
The audio book was narrated by Cynthia Bishop and a large cast of actors who took on various supplementary roles – soldiers, guards, townspeople, geese, her horse, the king, even the wind. This made for a dynamic and exciting performance. I could have done without the mood music, but I’m sure the younger audience (at whom this is aimed) would find it very effective.