The Goose Girl (Books of Bayern)

SPOILER ALERT: For those who are not familiar with the Grimm's fairy tale this book is based on, this review contains some things you may consider SPOILERS. Know that it follows the original story line in all the main points, but fleshes out the characters and gives cool explanations for the abilities of the maid/princess/etc to do the things they do. (But, like, really? You never read that fairy tale? So good. Go read it.) One of my very fave fairy tales as a very young Mir was "The Goose Girl". I especially loved reading aloud the rhymes--'Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it/Sadly, sadly, would she rue it," and "Blow, wind, blow." I was horrified in that particular, sensitive way of children that someone would decapitate a lovely horse such as Falada, the beloved, talking horse of the princess protagonist. Clearly, evil was afoot if such a dastardly deed was conscionable. I imagined Curdken's chase for his cap. (In my chikdhood's version of the tale, that was his name. In other versions--and in this retelling--it's Conrad's hat that goes rolling over hill and dale, sparking his pursuit. And I delighted in the horrible, terrible justice that befell the villainess. Just thinking about it makes me feel 6 years old all over again, feeling the magic of the story--all the stories--and how to a child, all this was so plausible: that a horse should talk, that the lock of hair should speak (some versions have drops of blood on a hanky), that a princess should command the wind, that justice would prevail. Shannon Hale has taken that brief, bloody, magical tale that may be familiar to you and fleshed it out in a story written for a YA audience, but sufficiently skilled, lyrical, and well-plotted in the telling that an adult like me was engrossed and loath to put it down even to have supper. In this retelling, the Princess Anidora-Kiladra (Anifor short) is a misfit in her own family. Even as a newborn she evidenced a strangeness: She didn't open her eyes for three days, not until her aunt (gifted with a special "speech") spoke her into wide-eyedness. This hint of a special power of speaking is hinted at from the opening, but develops beautifully. We see the not-well-loved child, Princess Ani, grow close to her aunt, who can speak to animals. She learns the language of swans, she learns some of the bird dialects, and she senses something latent in herself, something she cannot fully enunciate. It turns out that out of political considerations (fear of war), the Queen--who has the gift of people speech, ie persuasive to humans) betroths Ani to the prince of the neighboring acquisitive, hawkish kingdom. En route (as in the fairy tale) Ani's lady in waiting, Selah, who is deceitful and potent in people speech, gains many of the guards to her side, and they mutiny. Ani must hide in the forest of this foreign land, where she is befriended by a forest widow and her son. Ani ends up, as the Princess in the original tale, working as a goose girl for the king whose son she had been fated to marry. Without a persuasive gift of speech of her own, she is at the mercy of the powers around her. From privilege to the lowest echelon of society. A drastic change of status. What will she do? She ponders how to fix what has been damaged (and it's more than just her status). And, in the process, she begins to develop her gift. She learns goose speech, which is (surprisingly) not like swan speech. It's a gift that will serve her well. The start of a new journey of acquisitions--of insight, of power, of perspective, of friends, of confidence. Through the treacheries and friendships and tests and hardships, she begins to understand what her privileged and curtailed palace life had kept her from learning. And she learns one very important thing: She can speak to the wind. The fairy tale glosses over this great gift. Hale develops it as part of the evolving plot and part of the evolving, maturing Ani. We know, from the fairy story, that she will get her prince, and their romance develops believably and sweetly in Hale's tale, somewhat reminiscent of EVER AFTER, the film retelling of Cinderella. We sense that her trials will only make her a better future ruler, one who has walked in the shoes of the poor and oppressed and outcast and unjustly accused. Because it is a fairy tale retold, we know the ending though not all the details of how to get there. The special pleasure here is in the details. A marvelous, magical story. RECOMMENDED for young and middle-aged and old. Mir of Mirathon blog

The Goose Girl is a fantasy based on a fairy tale. It is a slow moving tale at first, and some might be tempted to stop reading in the opening chapters where we are introduced to the excessively timid Princess Ani, a girl taken from her position as next in line to the throne and instead sent on a months long journey through the forest for a strategically arranged marriage to the prince of a larger neighboring kingdom. Ani has the ability to talk to swans and other birds and communicate telepathically with her trusted horse. But Ani is often tongue-tied as she speaks to humans, making her seemingly weak as royalty. On her journey to meet her betrothed she is attacked by those she once trusted, almost killed, and sent escaping into the forest. There she is cared for by a forest dwelling woman and her son, eventually preparing her to enter the city and find a way to reclaim her identity from one who has stolen it. That leads her to months spent as the palace goose girl, tending her flock of geese, learning their language, and in the process learning exactly who she is and who the poorer people of Bayern truly are. This is a beautiful story. I didn't originally think that it would appeal to me, and the slower pace of the beginning chapters still hadn't convinced me that this story would be a five star read for me. But somewhere down the line I ended up falling in love with this book. Ani was a wonderful heroine for this book. Yes, she really is a pushover and weak and uninspiring for a lot of this book. She allows almost everyone to walk all over her. But seeing her transformation from the weak Crown Princess Ani into the stronger goose girl, Isi, and finally taking her place as Pricess Ani, future wife of the prince of Bayern was fascinating to read. It was a journey that should appeal to all girls who have felt awkward and weak and poor spoken as they try to make their way in the world. A lot of us feel that way sometimes, and especially when we are in those awkward years of adolescence. This is a story of overcoming, finding our place, and making a difference in the world. Beautiful. Princess Ani drives this story capably, but the story is enriched by the wide number of supporting characters she encounters in her time as a goose girl. The forest people who befriend her are loyal and kind, willing to sacrifice all for her once they know her secret. Talone ... love him! Such loyalty and devotion. The romance is subtle, but oh so sweet. I couldn't help smiling at the Happily Ever After ending of this story. And once you read how the romance happens, you can hardly imagine that it could have worked out more perfectly any other way. If Ani had simply rode into the palace as the girl who left her kingdom at the beginning of the story she would not have been the strong princess that she became after her struggles throughout this book. Loved it! This is a book I highly recommend to all readers of all ages. It is a beautiful tale with great characters, and it is definitely my favorite Shannon Hale story. Five stars!

The first time I read this story, I thought it was fun and enjoyed the development of the characters and the relationship between the princess and the prince. There were parts of the story I didn't really get why they were included and seemed like they didn't fit in the story. It seemed to drag in the beginning, and I was annoyed with how wimpy Princess Ani is in the start of the book. I recently reread the story and really loved it. I understood why everything was included in the book and pushed the story along. It no longer dragged, but I saw the development of Ani's personality. The Goose Girl starts with the birth of Crown Princess Ani who grows up in the shadows of her beautiful Mother who is talented in people-speaking. Her mother the Queen never quite approves of Ani who has the gift of animal-speaking in a Kingdom that scorns such a gift. Her mother the Queen has little value in Ani and gives the crown to Ani's younger brother then sends Ani off to a distant Kingdom to marry the Prince there, thus being rid of Ani. Ani's lady-in-waiting, Selia, is also gifted with people-speaking and sees that Ani does nothing to reclaim her crown from her Mother and thinks to steal Ani's future crown. On the 3-month trip to the Kingdom next door, Selia initiates a coup and takes Ani's clothes, name, and all to present herself as the Princess to the betrothed Prince. Ani survives the slaughter and makes her way to her new Kingdom only to see Selia in her place. Ani takes a job as a goose girl tending the King's geese. She does this to hide from Selia's guards and to earn money to return to her mother and have her mother fix this for her. Ani starts out as a young girl who is never comfortable in her own skin. She is self-conscience, unsure, dependent, and naive. In her defense, she's never had a friend that wasn't paid to be her friend nor ever had a helpful or praising word from her mother. Through her experience as the goose girl, she finds true friends and finds her own true voice. She grows up. She starts as a timid girl wanting mom to fix her problems and grows into a young woman with confidence, determination, and love--love of self, of true friends, and of a handsome fellow. This book is well written with a great story to tell. I've read the follow-up book Enna Burning (Books of Bayern) and enjoyed it as well. I highly recommend this book to all! Hales continues writing books set in the same world, but from different character's point of view. Enna Burning (Books of Bayern) River Secrets (The Books of Bayern) Forest Born (Books of Bayern)

I went into Goose Girl expecting a simple fairytale retelling, but what I got was pure magic. Shannon Hale takes the classic story and breathes life into it with rich world-building, stunning prose, and a main character you can’t help but root for. Ani’s journey from sheltered princess to a strong, self-reliant heroine is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. The magic system—subtle, poetic, and tied to the elements—adds an extra layer of wonder. And the side characters? Some of the best I’ve read in YA fantasy. If you love beautifully written stories with adventure, found family, and a slow-burn transformation, Goose Girl is a must-read.

Life is so stressful. This book is for when you need everything to end happily. The good guys win and. everything will be ok.

I read a lot of fairy-tale-based books, and The Goose Girl is one of the best I've ever read. Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, or Ani for short, has known all her life that she will someday have to become queen of Kildenree. Taught by her aunt to talk with birds at a young age and able to converse with her horse, Ani is felt- and feels herself to be- unsuitable for her role as future queen. She does her best, aided by her friend and lady-in-waiting Selia. But after the death of her father the king, her mother announces that her brother is to be the Crown Prince, and Ani is to be married to the prince of the powerful neighboring kingdom, Bayern. On the way to Bayern, Ani is betrayed by Selia, who has the power of people-speaking (it gives you the power to easily persuade and convince others. There are also the powers of animal-speaking: talking to animals. And nature-speaking: talking to the elements like wind and fire, which is very rare). Selia takes Ani's place and with the help of some of Ani's gaurds massacres the rest. Ani is forced to flee, and ends up as the goose-girl in the castle of Bayern. I won't tell you the rest, but I can say this: Hale never disappoints. I've read other rewrites of this fairy-tale, and this one deals with all the problematic parts in the original. It has an excellent pace, Ani's character development is believable and well-written, the minor characters are excellent, amusing and lively. The world Hale builds feels real and whole. The one thing that bothered me was that romance is a bit hard to swallow, because we don't get to know him as well as Ani does. It's a great book. I read really quickly, but I didn't go through The Goose Girl too fast because every sentence is worth reading and draws your attention. I don't think there's a superfluous word in the whole book, which isn't something you can often say. To conclude: it's worth the money. I'm hoping that I get to read the other books in this series soon.

This has made its way onto my top 10 list of favorite books. (First - for book constructions snobs, this book is beautiful. The binding, the cover, the size, the type face, it's all wonderful. A must have in hard cover.) When I started reading I was quickly absorbed and fascinated by Hale's writing style. It is rich and lush - like reading poetry - only very easy to read and full of clear meaning. Hale's ability to put timeless ideas into words that completely connect with you as a reader is her gift. After my initial love affair with the writing style - it quickly became texture and I was completely swept into the story. This book is brilliant on many fronts. I hate to be cliché, but once I got into it, the story was so engaging I couldn't put the book down. I laughed, I cheered, I fumed, I even (*cough*) got a little misty eyed in parts, and after the satisfying conclusion I can't wait for more from Hale. It is a terrific, uplifting story that holds appeal for all ages and genders. It is one of those stories that creeps into your thoughts and dreams when you aren't reading it. Hale understands and captures those essential elements that make a story stick with you and matter. The story is strong with timeless themes like societal equality, compassion, romance, redemption, overcoming difficult odds, justice, war and peace, personal strength and power, shame and honor, integrity and betrayal. It isn't your standard "fantasy" story with magic and the like. It has some mild elements of that (it is based on a Grimm Brother's fairy tale) and would appeal to any fan of that, but it's also very accessible to those unfamiliar with or uninterested in the fantasy genre. Bottom line: it is a wonderful story, told extremely well.

This book is an absolute treasure. From the very beginning this book reads like a fairy tale. This is the story of princess Ani, who is the first born of Kildenree. She is raised by her aunt the first years of her life and develops a love of talking to the swans near the palace. Her mother catches wind of this and makes a deal with the King of Bayern to marry her off to his son after she turns 16. The time arrives and Ani faces a long journey to marry a prince she has never met. However on that journey she finds that some in her company have turned traitor. I don't want to spoil much, but she ends up having to hide her identity and finds work as a Goose Girl, protecting the Kings geese. I really loved how Ani grew as a character in the new circumstances, making friends and really getting the chance to discover who she is as a person. I would also like to include that I love the place of honor that Hale gives to animals in her books. It was wonderful the relationship that Ani had with Falada (horse) and also Jok (goose), it gave the book a lot of added value for me. This story was so fun to read. There was drama, suspense, tragedy, love, friendship, and redemption. It really gave me so much more than I expected and I truly enjoyed it. The Goose Girl has easily found a spot in my top 10 books, and Shannon Hale among the list of my favorite authors.

Great book! Absolutely golden

Absolutely phenomenal book! Keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting the next chapter. Great job Shannon Hale. You’ve blown me away again.

The basic elements of the fairy take have been kept but the story has new elements and many likeable characters who will pay a greater role in later books.

A história é maravilhosa! Mas o livro chegou em péssimas condições. Todo amassado e o pior COM INSETOS dentro, tipo uns carunchos. Não recomendo esse vendedor

Il romanzo è stupendo, la protagonista è un amore, i comprimari sono splendidi e la storia d’amore è dolcissima. Un libro da tenere vicino quando ci si sente soli e si ha bisogno di un po’ di conforto.