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lubinka's review against another edition
4.0
A nice little story. I can see why many regard it as a well of inspiration for a number of famous fantasy writers that followed after George McDonald in later years.
annatsp's review against another edition
3.0
I'll put this down to: I'd have liked this much better if I read this when I was younger.
emilygaynier'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
ellisaspen's review against another edition
5.0
My first George MacDonald book was Phantastes, which was a bad idea. I read it a few years ago and ended up feeling very confused and disoriented. There hadn't been much of a plot, and I was puzzled at MacDonald's renown as a great writer of fantasy—some even say the father of modern fantasy.
It makes much more sense now that I've read The Princess and the Goblin.
This quaint, charming, fun tale focuses on young Princess Irene, who one day wanders up an old staircase and meets her elegant, kind, and mysterious great-great-grandmother, a regal lady busy spinning something magical. Irene's nurse doesn't believe the girl's tales of a woman living in a tower being fed by pigeons. Irene, however, is adamant. Later, when the princess and the nurse are caught on the mountainside after dark—when the goblins come out to wreak ruin—they meet Curdie, a young and cheerful miner who helps them arrive safely back at the great house.
Later, as Curdie stays late in the mines, he overhears the goblins plotting kidnap the princess and, if that fails, to flood the mine. Curdie sneaks around trying to learn more of their plot as Irene discovers more about her great-grandmother and what it means to be a true princess.
This is a delightful and sweet story with great imagery and wonderful lessons, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. MacDonald places an emphasis on royalty being defined through character—some key character traits are honesty, courage, and obedience. Others include kindness, humility, generosity, perseverance, and honour. Moreover, he comments on belief and faithfulness in a way that I really appreciated. (For example, if it is your conviction that something is real or truthful, do not sway from that.)
MacDonald also presents a positive portrayal of parent-child relationships; many modern fairy tales, such as those depicted by Disney, have negative views of parental figures and authority. If the parents are alive, they often have absurd rules that restrict the protagonists from doing what their hearts tell them and, in response, the protagonists will disobey them. In the end, everything will end up okay and no negative consequences for the disobedience will follow (Moana kind of has this issue, yet [spoiler] I really like that her mother supports her when she leaves the island). In contrast, the children in The Princess and the Goblin remain respectful and obedient to their parents; they know that age yields wisdom, and they listen to the commands and admonitions of their elders.
Another thing I enjoyed were the times when I could feel where Lewis or Tolkien had rustled through the pages and gleaned some seeds of inspiration. For example, the goblins made me think of malevolent versions of the gnomes/earthmen in The Silver Chair, and Irene's great-great-grandmother seems rather of elven. Furthermore, Curdie's initial disbelief in Irene's great-great-grandmother are reminiscent of the elder Pevensies not believing Lucy in Prince Caspian.
The style MacDonald used is conversational and fun; in fact, I wish I had read this book when I was younger because it's such a gem. The story is delightful and the setting is wonderfully presented. I finished the book feeling all warm-fuzzies similar to Narnia and The Hobbit. I highly recommend this book to children of all ages; for those of younger years, it may help to read it aloud with an adult since some of MacDonald's syntax and diction can be a bit troublesome (the book was first published in 1872).
As a final note, make sure it's the unabridged version you read. I know some truncated versions are floating around out there, so be wary!
(This review originally appeared on my blog Soupçon of Stories.)
It makes much more sense now that I've read The Princess and the Goblin.
This quaint, charming, fun tale focuses on young Princess Irene, who one day wanders up an old staircase and meets her elegant, kind, and mysterious great-great-grandmother, a regal lady busy spinning something magical. Irene's nurse doesn't believe the girl's tales of a woman living in a tower being fed by pigeons. Irene, however, is adamant. Later, when the princess and the nurse are caught on the mountainside after dark—when the goblins come out to wreak ruin—they meet Curdie, a young and cheerful miner who helps them arrive safely back at the great house.
Later, as Curdie stays late in the mines, he overhears the goblins plotting kidnap the princess and, if that fails, to flood the mine. Curdie sneaks around trying to learn more of their plot as Irene discovers more about her great-grandmother and what it means to be a true princess.
This is a delightful and sweet story with great imagery and wonderful lessons, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. MacDonald places an emphasis on royalty being defined through character—some key character traits are honesty, courage, and obedience. Others include kindness, humility, generosity, perseverance, and honour. Moreover, he comments on belief and faithfulness in a way that I really appreciated. (For example, if it is your conviction that something is real or truthful, do not sway from that.)
MacDonald also presents a positive portrayal of parent-child relationships; many modern fairy tales, such as those depicted by Disney, have negative views of parental figures and authority. If the parents are alive, they often have absurd rules that restrict the protagonists from doing what their hearts tell them and, in response, the protagonists will disobey them. In the end, everything will end up okay and no negative consequences for the disobedience will follow (Moana kind of has this issue, yet [spoiler] I really like that her mother supports her when she leaves the island). In contrast, the children in The Princess and the Goblin remain respectful and obedient to their parents; they know that age yields wisdom, and they listen to the commands and admonitions of their elders.
Another thing I enjoyed were the times when I could feel where Lewis or Tolkien had rustled through the pages and gleaned some seeds of inspiration. For example, the goblins made me think of malevolent versions of the gnomes/earthmen in The Silver Chair, and Irene's great-great-grandmother seems rather of elven. Furthermore, Curdie's initial disbelief in Irene's great-great-grandmother are reminiscent of the elder Pevensies not believing Lucy in Prince Caspian.
The style MacDonald used is conversational and fun; in fact, I wish I had read this book when I was younger because it's such a gem. The story is delightful and the setting is wonderfully presented. I finished the book feeling all warm-fuzzies similar to Narnia and The Hobbit. I highly recommend this book to children of all ages; for those of younger years, it may help to read it aloud with an adult since some of MacDonald's syntax and diction can be a bit troublesome (the book was first published in 1872).
As a final note, make sure it's the unabridged version you read. I know some truncated versions are floating around out there, so be wary!
(This review originally appeared on my blog Soupçon of Stories.)
sharonmcconnel's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent! - Princess Irene executes a rescue. And this was first published in 1872,
hadidee's review against another edition
2.0
I have a great and abiding love for CS Lewis, Lewis Carroll, AA Milne and all those classic children's books but I found this very dry, except for great-great-great grandmother (one of teh stars is for her)
angelique68's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
dwarrowdams's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Cute book, and I appreciate that Princess Irene had a decent amount of agency and wasn’t reduced to “princess who gets saved.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Kidnapping
jorja2002's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
4.0
I wish we got more Goblin lore! But maybe I'll have to read his other works for that, but all in all it was a fun, sometimes dark, children's novel.