soph (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophia_sol) wrote2013-07-09 05:48 pm
sophia_sol) wrote2013-07-09 05:48 pm
The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale
The Goose Girl is a novel retelling of the Grimm fairy tale by the same name, expanding on the story and doing some world-building to make it hang together coherently (I love fairy tales and their "right so this one dead horse can talk, whatevs, no need for explanations" perspective on worldbuilding but it doesn't work as well in a novel-length work).
It's been years since I last read this book and I'd forgotten how good it is. Gosh I love it. Well -- I'm always happy for a well-done fairy tale retelling, so I'm an easy sell on a book like this. But really it's more than that that I love about it. I love that the real emotional arc is one of Ani finding people who care about her and want to help her. Found family!!!! And yes there was a romance, and it was cute and well done, but it was just one aspect in a whole array of the collection of People Who Like Ani.
And as Ani develops more support she gains more confidence in her worth and in her abilities and is able to Do Things.
PRETTY MUCH IT IS GREAT.
(there's a bit where the Forest folk are talking about their penchant towards loyalty, and one of the metaphors is that a tree would not reject the moss growing on it, and Enna tells Ani "You're the mossiest girl I know" and I JUST LOVE THAT LINE, AWWWWWWW)
It's been years since I last read this book and I'd forgotten how good it is. Gosh I love it. Well -- I'm always happy for a well-done fairy tale retelling, so I'm an easy sell on a book like this. But really it's more than that that I love about it. I love that the real emotional arc is one of Ani finding people who care about her and want to help her. Found family!!!! And yes there was a romance, and it was cute and well done, but it was just one aspect in a whole array of the collection of People Who Like Ani.
And as Ani develops more support she gains more confidence in her worth and in her abilities and is able to Do Things.
PRETTY MUCH IT IS GREAT.
(there's a bit where the Forest folk are talking about their penchant towards loyalty, and one of the metaphors is that a tree would not reject the moss growing on it, and Enna tells Ani "You're the mossiest girl I know" and I JUST LOVE THAT LINE, AWWWWWWW)