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brittanyhoffman11's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
oldswampy's review against another edition
5.0
The few books by MacDonald I've read have always left me wistful, in a good way. I suppose I wish more fantasy stories, or fairie stories, as may be the better label, allowed a mysterious goodness to shine through them as his do. It's nice to know that this book has a sequel, which I'd like to read. This is a story that can be read by young people as well as open-minded adults, something like the Narnia books, which isn't surprising given that Lewis credited MacDonald for some of his inspiration.
As a Foreword this edition contains an excerpt by G.K. Chesterton from his introduction to a book about MacDonald published in 1924, as well as a brief, appreciative Afterword by Jimmy Mitchell of Love Good, a group formed to distribute wholesome media. These add a little extra to the overall package. My only complaint here is that a few typesetting errors crop up - places where spacing or punctuation are not correct and cause brief distractions when reading. This is almost, but not quite, enough to cost the rating a star.
As a Foreword this edition contains an excerpt by G.K. Chesterton from his introduction to a book about MacDonald published in 1924, as well as a brief, appreciative Afterword by Jimmy Mitchell of Love Good, a group formed to distribute wholesome media. These add a little extra to the overall package. My only complaint here is that a few typesetting errors crop up - places where spacing or punctuation are not correct and cause brief distractions when reading. This is almost, but not quite, enough to cost the rating a star.
pat_walsh_19's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
dullshimmer's review against another edition
4.0
I was largely unaware of The Princess and the Goblin and didn't realize quite the influence it had on the fantasy genre by inspiring the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. It is a fairly enjoyable book, but I just couldn't help but feel that there were a few things off about the book and story that I just couldn't quite shake at the end of the day.
While the story inspired a later fantasy, the tone of this book is more like that of a fairy tale. The main characters are the Princess Irene; Curdie, the son of a miner and miner himself; and the goblins, the only ones of which are developed in the least are the King, the Queen, and Prince Harelip.
The general idea is that humans and goblins don't really get along. Goblins are basically former humans that started to live underground to get away from taxes and government and the like, and the years underground have changed them. While the humans don't like the goblins they don't necessarily seem to be seeking to do anything harmful to them, the goblins on the other hand seem to devote quite a bit of time plotting against the humans.
Curdie catches wind of these plots, and tries to figure out what they are and how to stop them. Princess Irene on the other hand isn't doing much except occasionally meeting her magical great-grandmother that no one else believes in, except maybe the King who isn't around most of the time, in the house believes in and even she doesn't particularly think is real for a good portion of the book. So these two main characters try their best to thwart the plans of the goblins, but it doesn't really go the smoothest.
That's generally what the book is about and the story is interesting. It's not particularly deep, but it is an interesting world portrayed, even if we only get a very small glimpse into it. It is also a very descriptive work at times, taking the time to really give you the picture of what's going on. I feel like some of the best descriptions are given of the magical great grandmother in the book, with fires that look like roses and bathtubs filled with outer space.
However, there are some downsides that I've realized after some more thinking about the book. This is one of those books that all of the adults are pretty stupid and tend not to believe anything the kids say, even if one is a princess, and never seem particularly good at their jobs. Even Curdie's parents really don't help him too much figure out the goblin plots despite also knowing that they are planning something.
Not that the kids are really that much better at getting what they want done. Curdie's attempts to learn the goblin's plan and stop it don't really work out very well. Irene fares a bit better, but that is more because of her magical great-grandmother than anything else. A magical great-grandmother that is not explained in the least and has very particular magic that is pretty much only used when she wants to and seen when she wants it to be seen.
A more cultural thing is that the book is older and uses some more archaic phrase structure and words. This made it particularly tricky for me to read as I was reading it aloud to my daughter for bedtime. It's not a huge deal, but is something to be aware of.
The book was an interesting story, and I enjoyed the journey for the most part. I guess I just felt that at the end of it all, it just didn't come together in a very satisfying kind of way. It wasn't due to the bravery, intelligence, or skill of our main characters, it was basically just due to magic that they had no control over in the least. I liked it, but I wouldn't call it an absolute favorite.
While the story inspired a later fantasy, the tone of this book is more like that of a fairy tale. The main characters are the Princess Irene; Curdie, the son of a miner and miner himself; and the goblins, the only ones of which are developed in the least are the King, the Queen, and Prince Harelip.
The general idea is that humans and goblins don't really get along. Goblins are basically former humans that started to live underground to get away from taxes and government and the like, and the years underground have changed them. While the humans don't like the goblins they don't necessarily seem to be seeking to do anything harmful to them, the goblins on the other hand seem to devote quite a bit of time plotting against the humans.
Curdie catches wind of these plots, and tries to figure out what they are and how to stop them. Princess Irene on the other hand isn't doing much except occasionally meeting her magical great-grandmother that no one else believes in, except maybe the King who isn't around most of the time, in the house believes in and even she doesn't particularly think is real for a good portion of the book. So these two main characters try their best to thwart the plans of the goblins, but it doesn't really go the smoothest.
That's generally what the book is about and the story is interesting. It's not particularly deep, but it is an interesting world portrayed, even if we only get a very small glimpse into it. It is also a very descriptive work at times, taking the time to really give you the picture of what's going on. I feel like some of the best descriptions are given of the magical great grandmother in the book, with fires that look like roses and bathtubs filled with outer space.
However, there are some downsides that I've realized after some more thinking about the book. This is one of those books that all of the adults are pretty stupid and tend not to believe anything the kids say, even if one is a princess, and never seem particularly good at their jobs. Even Curdie's parents really don't help him too much figure out the goblin plots despite also knowing that they are planning something.
Not that the kids are really that much better at getting what they want done. Curdie's attempts to learn the goblin's plan and stop it don't really work out very well. Irene fares a bit better, but that is more because of her magical great-grandmother than anything else. A magical great-grandmother that is not explained in the least and has very particular magic that is pretty much only used when she wants to and seen when she wants it to be seen.
A more cultural thing is that the book is older and uses some more archaic phrase structure and words. This made it particularly tricky for me to read as I was reading it aloud to my daughter for bedtime. It's not a huge deal, but is something to be aware of.
The book was an interesting story, and I enjoyed the journey for the most part. I guess I just felt that at the end of it all, it just didn't come together in a very satisfying kind of way. It wasn't due to the bravery, intelligence, or skill of our main characters, it was basically just due to magic that they had no control over in the least. I liked it, but I wouldn't call it an absolute favorite.
emily_gaynier's review against another edition
2.0
Ehhhhhhhhh
I literally only continued reading this book because of a silly personal reason that in involved in my book spreadsheets.
I might've gave this a higher rating if I had listened to a different audiobook. The narrator was fine, but she pronounced Irene as Iren-ey
I literally only continued reading this book because of a silly personal reason that in involved in my book spreadsheets.
I might've gave this a higher rating if I had listened to a different audiobook. The narrator was fine, but she pronounced Irene as Iren-ey
pabbo's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
bymaniak's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0