This may be getting an extra star because I love Jim Dale (the audiobook voice). And Scotland. There are some odd anachronisms that are probably even more jarring or confusing if you are reading it and paying attention to the text instead of being swept along by the narrator (of "Pushing Daisies")—I don't know if that's owing to bad editing or an irresponsible translation

Spoiler

—and it does resolve more abruptly and with a stronger note of realism than I might prefer (though I certainly don't expect or demand an HEA)

. Overall, though, I found it a quirky fairy tale in both tone and content, and I love modern fairy tales (as opposed to modernized fairy tales (and I realize that the story takes place in the 19th century, but it was written in modern times)).