Review: Elegant, Delightful and Touching
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 25, 2014
This is a deeply satisfying tale. It's a tale, not a novel or a book, or even a story. It is elegant and restrained and feels very much like a wonder story or a fantasy that a storyteller would share with a circle of listeners.It has a plot, and a beginning and a middle and an end, but it drifts and wanders repeatedly into the fantastic and poetic and lyrical. There are suggestions of magic, and touches of whimsy, and hints of allegory, and you can read it as containing messages about discrimination, or female empowerment, or prejudice, or young love, or the growth of a girl into womanhood. Or, you can nod at all of those topics as they slip by and focus on the ease and gentleness of the writing, or on the generous good humor of the storyteller, or on the resourcefulness and strength and budding wisdom of the heroine. Or, you can just read through and select and appreciate some of the many grace notes and lovely phrases and arresting observations or descriptions offered up by the author.However you care to approach this tale you will find something rewarding or pleasing in it. I would offer this book to a confident middle grade reader and await with interest his or her reaction to it. This is a worthy book.Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.