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fairywren's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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? No
4.0
jamille23's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
_kaylee_m_'s review against another edition
3.0
Four stars until the last few chapters. The end was just so 'meh' after lots of great storytelling. I went in expecting the writing style to be much more old fashioned, but was pleasantly surprised. Parts of the dialogue were quite deep, without bogging down the story. For instance, you have Curdie's mother (ugh! Why does she not have a name? She was a big enough character to have one!) teaching her son not to mansplain:
"'That may be only because you do not understand it. If you did,
you would probably find it was an explanation, and believe it
thoroughly. I don't blame you for not being able to believe it, but I
do blame you for fancying such a child would try to deceive you.
Why should she? Depend upon it, she told you all she knew. Until
you had found a better way of accounting for it all, you might at
least have been more sparing of your judgement.'"
I wouldn't mind reading this to my 5 and 8 year old for bedtime story.
"'That may be only because you do not understand it. If you did,
you would probably find it was an explanation, and believe it
thoroughly. I don't blame you for not being able to believe it, but I
do blame you for fancying such a child would try to deceive you.
Why should she? Depend upon it, she told you all she knew. Until
you had found a better way of accounting for it all, you might at
least have been more sparing of your judgement.'"
I wouldn't mind reading this to my 5 and 8 year old for bedtime story.
amotwell's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.75
mistymtn103's review against another edition
4.0
Princess Irene is a bit too precious at times, but all of the adventure, magic, creepy creatures, and especially her courage, make up for that. Also, Curdie is kind of a bad-ass, if I can say that in a review for a children's book. Recommended for children/young at heart
bookishlybeauty's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
weed_babushka's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
It’s a classic Victorian children’s story; I found it quite charming but not something that will stay with me the way other stories have.
Also… I kept expecting the grandmother to end up being evil / deceptive… am I just ruined by fucked up adult literature?
smaximiek's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful classic tale - a princess in peril - pretty, kind, but with a bit on spunk (she does the rescuing with a bit of help in this one, perhaps the authors early feminist ideals was showing through!), a smart, resourceful commoner, and a mysterious, magical grandmother....
And goblins living under the mountain that means peril.
Its the perfect book for every little kid, really. I used to read this over and over again when I was kid, and I was very pleased to see that it stood up to my reading again.
Actually, the one thing I really enjoyed even more as an adult, I think is the overall tone of the book. Written in the style of its time, there is no mincing of words or speaking down in this book. It assumes kids are actually smart enough to understand real language. Imagine that.
And goblins living under the mountain that means peril.
Its the perfect book for every little kid, really. I used to read this over and over again when I was kid, and I was very pleased to see that it stood up to my reading again.
Actually, the one thing I really enjoyed even more as an adult, I think is the overall tone of the book. Written in the style of its time, there is no mincing of words or speaking down in this book. It assumes kids are actually smart enough to understand real language. Imagine that.
travis_d_johnson's review against another edition
5.0
A cat with legs as long as a horse's: what a great monster! Terrifying. That's an image that will stay with me forever. Yes, this book is very didactic. Stern, Ursula K. Le Guin calls it in her (priceless) introduction. Uncool opinion, I know, but the modern reaction against didacticism in children's literature hasn't been a good thing. This book is also delightfully violent. I wish I'd read it as a child. Oh, well; I love it now at age 45.