kerryanndunn's review against another edition
5.0
“31ST DAY OF JULY, Feast of Saint Germanus, the only saint I know who was a lawyer. Tomorrow is Lammas. Harvest is near. My mother grows larger every day. I will not consent.”
God’s thumbs, but I love Birdy SO MUCH. This book is delightful. A journal style book that takes place over a year, where 14 year old Catherine, called Birdy, in 14th century England, rebels against her role as a “lady”, does not consent to an arranged marriage, supports and protects her mother, fights (verbally and physically) with her father, and ultimately realizes “I cannot survive by myself. But I also cannot survive if I am not myself.”
She is so many things: endearing, selfish, petulant, irreverent, independent, loving, romantic, strong, caring. She’s a typical teenager before teenagers were a thing but the anachronism works brilliantly.
I love it. I love her.
“31ST DAY OF JULY, Feast of Saint Germanus, the only saint I know who was a lawyer. Tomorrow is Lammas. Harvest is near. My mother grows larger every day. I will not consent.”
God’s thumbs, but I love Birdy SO MUCH. This book is delightful. A journal style book that takes place over a year, where 14 year old Catherine, called Birdy, in 14th century England, rebels against her role as a “lady”, does not consent to an arranged marriage, supports and protects her mother, fights (verbally and physically) with her father, and ultimately realizes “I cannot survive by myself. But I also cannot survive if I am not myself.”
She is so many things: endearing, selfish, petulant, irreverent, independent, loving, romantic, strong, caring. She’s a typical teenager before teenagers were a thing but the anachronism works brilliantly.
I love it. I love her.
alondonreader's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
newsteadlibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
emmalouix's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lillygabriella's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
michellelebelle's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
likecymbeline's review against another edition
5.0
I always associated this book with [b:Ella Enchanted|24337|Ella Enchanted|Gail Carson Levine|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1338459167s/24337.jpg|2485462], given that both featured fantastic lady leads who resist the order of things, Catherine's being impended by the social climate for women in the 13th century and Ella's taking the form of the obedience curse. It's great for really not softening too much of the world--the gruesome execution where all the vendors are out and it's treated like an event which still makes Catherine sick, the time she spends in the privy avoiding people that annoy here, the fact that the meat is sometimes a little rotting, the fact that her uncle back from the Crusades brings her the first orange she's ever seen. This was also the book that introduced me to the concept of Saints' Feasts because I grew up only knowing that you could be different kinds of Protestant and thought Catholics were a bit mythic... actually pretty much until I hit university.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24137.Catherine_Called_Birdy#
ohmygodlinda's review against another edition
5.0
Recently reread this for probably the hundredth time and continue to love Catherine entirely too much. Sadly, a revisit to this book as an adult highlights, to my great despair, that I always wanted her to marry the goatherd, and that part of me has been mourning the fact that she doesn't for like more than a decade. What is my life. Accessible for kids and (obviously) for adults, it felt very in the moment, like I could see and hear and live all the delights and discomforts of Catherine's time -- still one of the best books I've ever read.
aprilobe436's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kabookworm's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25