christiek's review against another edition
4.0
It is nice to read a book whose characters pop into my head at non-reading times of the day, but at the same time not so heady compelling that I gobble the pages up too quickly.
kdh9510's review against another edition
1.0
Kate Sutton has been banned into the Perilous Gard by Queen Mary Tudor to teach her a lesson for being rude. However, once there, Kate cannot keep herself from getting into more trouble by stumbling upon the mysterious Fairy Folk while trying to learn the secrets of her "prison." She must learn their secrets to save herself and those she has come to care about.
I really did not like this book. It was slow, it made no sense and I could not get into it. I was bored to tears and couldn't wait for it to be over. I would not recommend this book to anyone that I know.
Content Warning:
Mockery of Race (stereotypes)
Religious Connotation
I really did not like this book. It was slow, it made no sense and I could not get into it. I was bored to tears and couldn't wait for it to be over. I would not recommend this book to anyone that I know.
Content Warning:
Mockery of Race (stereotypes)
Religious Connotation
lisalark's review against another edition
5.0
This is a lovely little book, I understand why it won the Newbery. It was written in 1974 but feels very modern in voice and tone and story, despite being set just before Elizabethan England (Elizabeth is around but it's Bloody Mary on the throne).
Wonderful main character, wonderful supporting characters who feel utterly real and complete, even though they're referred to in passing, complex "villains," history, humanity, magic-that-maybe-isn't . . . just all around fabulous.
I would recommend it to hmm . . . people who liked Hale's The Princess Academy, The Children of Green Knowe, McKinley's Beauty, Dealing with Dragons, So You Want to Be a Wizard, Sabriel.
Great book. How had I not already read this??? I think was afraid it was cluttered with forsooths and bad Reformation-era teeth or something. Who knows.
Wonderful main character, wonderful supporting characters who feel utterly real and complete, even though they're referred to in passing, complex "villains," history, humanity, magic-that-maybe-isn't . . . just all around fabulous.
I would recommend it to hmm . . . people who liked Hale's The Princess Academy, The Children of Green Knowe, McKinley's Beauty, Dealing with Dragons, So You Want to Be a Wizard, Sabriel.
Great book. How had I not already read this??? I think was afraid it was cluttered with forsooths and bad Reformation-era teeth or something. Who knows.
nickie184's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you, Karen! This was a wonderful book--great descriptions of landscape, and a great historical/fantastical tale.
jamie_o's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Apparently, gard is an old-fashioned word for castle.
The setting is England in 1558. Queen Mary Tudor has exiled her sister Elizabeth's handmaiden Kate Sutton to castle in Northern England, because of a foolish thing Kate's sister did.
Kate is a great heroine, she's smart and brave and quick-witted. I also liked Christopher, and his and Kate's jesting back and forth. Parts of the book dragged a bit for me such as the beginning and some of Kate's captivity. The fairy folk (much creepier and nothing like Disney fairies) take her captive to be a slave in the dark caves in the hills they live under, near the castle. Kate knows they have Christopher and are holding him until All Hallows Eve to be their human sacrifice in order to gain more power - weird stuff honestly. Nonetheless, she hopes to rescue him.
Besides the end scene, one of my favorite parts is when Kate is trying to reason with the Lady that the teind (human sacrifice) is unnecessary, that there was another way:
"with us there is time past and time present, and time future, and with your gods perhaps there is time forever; but God in Himself has the whole of it, all times at once. It would be true to say that He came into our world and died here, in a time and a place; but it would also be true to say that in His eternity it is always That Place and That Time - here - and at this moment - and the power He had then, He can give to us now, as much as He did to those who saw and touched Him when He was alive on the earth."
The setting is England in 1558. Queen Mary Tudor has exiled her sister Elizabeth's handmaiden Kate Sutton to castle in Northern England, because of a foolish thing Kate's sister did.
Kate is a great heroine, she's smart and brave and quick-witted. I also liked Christopher, and his and Kate's jesting back and forth. Parts of the book dragged a bit for me such as the beginning and some of Kate's captivity. The fairy folk (much creepier and nothing like Disney fairies) take her captive to be a slave in the dark caves in the hills they live under, near the castle. Kate knows they have Christopher and are holding him until All Hallows Eve to be their human sacrifice in order to gain more power - weird stuff honestly. Nonetheless, she hopes to rescue him.
Besides the end scene, one of my favorite parts is when Kate is trying to reason with the Lady that the teind (human sacrifice) is unnecessary, that there was another way:
"with us there is time past and time present, and time future, and with your gods perhaps there is time forever; but God in Himself has the whole of it, all times at once. It would be true to say that He came into our world and died here, in a time and a place; but it would also be true to say that in His eternity it is always That Place and That Time - here - and at this moment - and the power He had then, He can give to us now, as much as He did to those who saw and touched Him when He was alive on the earth."
margaret_j_c's review against another edition
4.0
positive aspects:
this book is one of those novels that sounds a trifle old-fashioned and so you assume from the beginning that the plot will be old-fashioned as well. you're wrong in assuming that, but still, first impressions will be first impressions.
i think i actually enjoyed it more this time around than i did the first time i read it. like megan whalen turner's books it is built upon layers, and rereads cough up a lot more actual information about the world around the plot than the original read. pope builds up an intriguing culture that has, honestly, a surprisingly little amount of actual screentime since much of the book happens in the dark.
negative aspects: i can't be the only one who got sick of christopher's constant bullying and derision of kate. although if he really did view her as an aspect of himself it would kind of make sense i guess, being the dear stupid masochistic soul that he is.
in some form of summary:
so i guess i still like this book!
it's been a while since i finished a book in a day, and it was a nice feeling. i'm hoping it will get me out of my reading slump of late.
this book is one of those novels that sounds a trifle old-fashioned and so you assume from the beginning that the plot will be old-fashioned as well. you're wrong in assuming that, but still, first impressions will be first impressions.
i think i actually enjoyed it more this time around than i did the first time i read it. like megan whalen turner's books it is built upon layers, and rereads cough up a lot more actual information about the world around the plot than the original read. pope builds up an intriguing culture that has, honestly, a surprisingly little amount of actual screentime since much of the book happens in the dark.
negative aspects: i can't be the only one who got sick of christopher's constant bullying and derision of kate. although if he really did view her as an aspect of himself it would kind of make sense i guess, being the dear stupid masochistic soul that he is.
in some form of summary:
so i guess i still like this book!
it's been a while since i finished a book in a day, and it was a nice feeling. i'm hoping it will get me out of my reading slump of late.
mythriser14's review against another edition
4.0
Katherine Sutton, a lady in waiting, is forced to leave her family and sent to the infamous Perilous Gard for reasons beyond her control. Suddenly she finds herself swept up in the mysteries and secrets that the old castle hold, her only friends being a self-deprecating and guilt-ridden hermit and a loony bard. Kate finds herself swept into myths and fairytales she never thought existed.
This book is very similar to the books that I usually read. I love the medieval time period in literature so this book was right down my alley. It started a little slow, but once you get into it, it is a very interesting read. It sometimes is hard to follow what is going on. I did love how the relationships developed throughout the story and the way the characters developed as well.
Content Warning:
Kidnapping
Torture
Fairies
This book is very similar to the books that I usually read. I love the medieval time period in literature so this book was right down my alley. It started a little slow, but once you get into it, it is a very interesting read. It sometimes is hard to follow what is going on. I did love how the relationships developed throughout the story and the way the characters developed as well.
Content Warning:
Kidnapping
Torture
Fairies