Review of 'The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I envy her imagination.
Hardcover, 256 pages
English language
Published May 10, 2011 by Feiwel & Friends.
Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn't . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.
I envy her imagination.
I really enjoyed this one. It feels like an older story, like an Oz story.
September is a little girl who is whisked away from her home in Nebraska by personified wind riding a leopard. She arrives in Fairyland alone, and soon makes friends that she must help and protect as her quest spirals ever larger.
Valente's narrative voice is filled with exquisite prose and a narration that gently teases you on your way through the story.
It's an adorable, quick read and I loved it. I'm not sure it was written for children or just pretends to be, as there are so many jokes a child will probably not get. For me, who likes to spot grownup-topics in children's books and movies, it was perfect, though.
Wow. Just wow. This was beautiful and unexpected and I just want to start all over and read it again. So wonderful. Definitely recommend the audiobook read by the author.
A brilliant work, and I do not mean that lightly. An early moment in the book was so poignant I had to stop reading for a moment and just savor that one scene.
It reads like an old fashioned children's story, in the vein of Alice in Wonderland, but has a depth and poetry to it that rivals, if not exceeds, the classics. For lovers of fantasy, this is a book you must read.
“Such lonely, lost things you find on your way."
An happy, sad tale of a girl who isn't chosen. Enjoyed it immensely & felt a little hollow afterwards. Lewis Carroll, but without the hallucinogens. Neil Gaiman, but without the "I'm ever-so-whimsical, LOOK" desperation. A wonderful artist in her own right, I look forward to further things from this author.
This is a charming and imaginative book, and vividly written. It's a book that reminds me a lot of the best classic fairy tales and fantasies that I loved so much when I was younger, and one of the most unique YA/MG fantasy books I've read in a long time.
But I did not love it. I think I would have preferred a simpler book, with fewer characters and puzzles and events. The narrative seems to be rushing, rushing, rushing, and with so much going on at once I didn't feel emotionally invested in September's journey, nor was I even altogether clear about what she actually wanted.
Also: the writing style is, for me, right on the edge between lyrical and annoyingly twee. If you don't take to the style right off in the first few pages, the whole book is going to be hard to take. I was distracted …
This is a charming and imaginative book, and vividly written. It's a book that reminds me a lot of the best classic fairy tales and fantasies that I loved so much when I was younger, and one of the most unique YA/MG fantasy books I've read in a long time.
But I did not love it. I think I would have preferred a simpler book, with fewer characters and puzzles and events. The narrative seems to be rushing, rushing, rushing, and with so much going on at once I didn't feel emotionally invested in September's journey, nor was I even altogether clear about what she actually wanted.
Also: the writing style is, for me, right on the edge between lyrical and annoyingly twee. If you don't take to the style right off in the first few pages, the whole book is going to be hard to take. I was distracted enough by the language and style that I had a difficult time becoming immersed in the story.
3.5 stars.
This book was simply a lot of fun. A girl escapes to Fairyland with the help of the Green Wind and finds it's not exactly what she thought it would be. Charming storytelling with a dose or two of almost cynical humor (the politics/bureaucracy of Fairyland are pretty amusing). Loved it!