The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1) by Catherynne M. Valente

Apr 23, 2012 Nataliya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who like intelligent YA fantasy

Recommended to Nataliya by: Catie

Shelves: awesome-kickass-heroines, 2012-reads, for-my-future-hypothetical-daughter, catie-knows-best, locus-winner, first-in-a-series, valente-whimsical-magic, location-is-the-true-protagonist

My favorite thing about this book is, of course, Wyverary A-Through-L. What's a wyverary, you ask? Well, when a wyvern and a library love each other very very much......blush... you know the spiel.

--------------------------------------------------------------
But do I sense some skepticism, my cynical friends? Do you maybe insist on thinking there is an infinitely more prosaic explanation for the existence of Wyverary, an alphabetizing-loving fire-breathing half-library? Let him rebuke your doubt...more
My favorite thing about this book is, of course, Wyverary A-Through-L. What's a wyverary, you ask? Well, when a wyvern and a library love each other very very much......blush... you know the spiel.

--------------------------------------------------------------
But do I sense some skepticism, my cynical friends? Do you maybe insist on thinking there is an infinitely more prosaic explanation for the existence of Wyverary, an alphabetizing-loving fire-breathing half-library? Let him rebuke your doubts himself:

September, really. Which do you think is more likely? That some brute bull left my mother with egg and went off to sell lonemozers, or that she mated with a Library and had many loved and loving children? I mean, let us be realistic!

This is a cute and whimsical story of a pre-teen Nebraska girl September (born in May, actually) who eagerly leaves the world where her father is fighting in a war and her mother is building airplanes, and sets out for Fairyland. Where, as she soon learns, things are not all that she had thought they'd be. There is violence, and slavery, and pain, and abandonment, and cruelty, and bureaucracy.

I believe I am sick to death of hearing what is and is not allowed. What is the purpose of a Fairyland if everything lovely is outlawed, just like in the real world?

Along the way, September meets the aforementioned Wyverary, a wish-granting Marid, the evil Marquess, spoonless witches, queenless soap golem, migrating velocipedes, and a jacket that is eager to please, among others. Along the way, she loses her heart, her shadow, her friends, and a great deal of her innocence. And finds much more than she lost - or bargained for.

Oh, September. Such lonely, lost things you find on your way. It would be easier, if you were the only one lost. But lost children always find each other, in the dark, in the cold. It is as though they are magnetized, and can only attract their like. [...] If you would only leave cages locked and turn away from unloved Wyverns, you could stay Heartless. But you are stubborn, and do not listen to your elders.

This story is marketed for children, but I think it takes an adult to fully appreciate the scope of this story as well as many more-or-less subtle adult hints scattered throughout. The book is permeated with the nostalgia for childhood and innocence, and you can truly appreciate this nostalgia only after you have left your childhood behind.

The writing and the plotting of this book reminded me of a hybrid between the creations of Lewis Carroll (with less whimsy), Terry Pratchett (but less firmly grounded in the unreal reality), and Neil Gaiman (with less of the trademark matter-of-fact coolness). At first I thought it was trying too hard to be cute and self-aware, a bit too flowery, with overly precocious allegories and endless whimsy. Example:

You’ll know it right away, it’s a big wooden spoon, streaked with marrow and wine and sugar and yogurt and yesterday and grief and passion and jealousy and tomorrow.

But the writing grew on me as I continued with the story, and I came to love the fluidity of language and the beauty and lyricism of Valente's apt descriptions. The plot moves along smoothly and in determined fashion - much like September does through the Fairyland.

.....

.....

As for our heroine September - she is pretty cool and awesome. She is kind and resourceful and brave and stubborn and spirited. But I must admit - I did not care for her as much as I did for Gaiman's Coraline or Pratchett's Tiffany Aching - but in all honesty, those characters are hard to compete with. I cared more for her quest than for her. But the supporting characters truly shine.

That’s the way I’m made. I have to keep going, always, and even when I get where I’m going I’ll have to keep on.

The strange and somewhat broken Fairyland has won me over. I recommend this book to everyone who loves to exercise their imagination with a bot of whimsy. Plus, you will get to meet my favorite Wyverary! 4.5 stars, and it is placed on my "For-my-future-hypothetical-daughter" shelf.

Stories have a way of changing faces. They are unruly things, undisciplined, given to delinquency and the throwing of erasers. This is why we must close them up into thick, solid books, so they cannot get out and cause trouble.

........................
My review for the second September book, The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, is over here, by the way.(less)

89 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2012 Richard rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been revised and can now be found at Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud.

Don't read the review, buy the book!

39 likes · like · see review

Mar 21, 2012 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of wardrobes, YA fans

Shelves: awards, fantasy, young-adult, my-library, favorites

The first two pages and I'm in love.

It's going on the "must buy" list, as well as the "must give" list.

The Girl sets all fairy tale conventions on their heads while managing to retain the spirit and charm of the best. In the tradition of the door-in-the-hedge fantasy, the trip through the closet into Fairyland is inventive and whimsical. Valente perhaps pokes fun at times, but always gently: "you will either perish most painfully or be forced to sit through a very tedious tea service with sever...more The first two pages and I'm in love.

It's going on the "must buy" list, as well as the "must give" list.

The Girl sets all fairy tale conventions on their heads while managing to retain the spirit and charm of the best. In the tradition of the door-in-the-hedge fantasy, the trip through the closet into Fairyland is inventive and whimsical. Valente perhaps pokes fun at times, but always gently: "you will either perish most painfully or be forced to sit through a very tedious tea service with several spinster hamadryads." The heroine is a bit unconventional but not exactly drowning in misery: "she washed the same pink-and-yellow teacups and matching gravy boats every day, slept on the same embroidered pillow" and had a mother "bending over a stubborn airplane engine in her work overalls, her arm muscles bulging." Right there, you know it won't be traditional, but nor will it be grim modern, with boys locked under staircases, mothers with drug problems, or orphaned children scavenging food. Yet it still explores the core emotional issues of independence, identity, fear, and love, while acknowledging the place children come from is not all kindness and cookies. "One ought not to judge her: All children are heartless. They have not grown a heart yet, which is why they can climb tall trees and say shocking things and leap so very high that grown-up hearts flutter in terror. Hearts weigh quite a lot. That is why it takes so long to grow one."

Swooning continued as I read. Valente tells beautiful word-smithy tales. A Wyvern named "A-Through-L" (his father is the Library) deserves the award for Best Fantasy Sidekick of the Year. There's even a list of reasons why: "Thirdly, being French in origin, they have highly refined tastes and are unlikely to seek out unsavory things to eat, such as knights' gallbladders or maidens' bones. They much prefer a vat or two of truffles, a flock of geese, and a lake of wine, and they will certainly share." Of course, since they are French.

After finishing, I was mentally working out my review as I swam, and discovered I had trouble analyzing why I enjoyed this book so much. I went home, picked up the book again, opened to a page and found myself saying, "oh, I loved this part," only to follow it with, "and this phrasing!" and exclamations of "and look how she characterizes ___!"

That's the kind of book it is: something you remember loving and enjoying, even when you can't quite identify why, and then when you are immersed in it again, it all becomes crystal clear.

Like a fantasy world.

"When you are born... your courage is new and clean. You are brave enough for anything: crawling off of staircases, saying your first words without fearing that someone will think you are foolish, putting strange things in your mouth. But as you get older, your courage attracts gunk and crusty things and dirt and fear and knowing how bad things can get and what pain feels like. By the time you're half-grown, your courage barely moves at all, it's so grunged up with living."

Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2012/1...(less)

30 likes · like · see review

Oct 12, 2011 Catie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Catie by: Crowinator

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2011, ya

I am generally one for simple, blunt truth. My brain doesn’t like to decipher complex and ornate metaphors and I hate reading through layer upon layer of language. I’m usually just waiting for the author to get to the point. But then, something like this comes along and just makes me question everything that I thought I knew about myself. The writing here is highly imaginative and odd and funny and a bit absurd. It’s descriptive and clever and maybe occasionally just a bit fussy. But, all this s...more

41 likes · like · see review

Jul 03, 2011 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ya, audiobook, ebooks, 2011, love-those-words, 6-star-books, all-time-favorites, humor-and-satire

WINNER: BESTest, BRILLIANTest, most EXCELLENTest, YA Novel in HistorYA!!!

I know, I know, that comes as a bit of a shocker, what with Potter, Percy and those Hunger Gamers running from all those Sparkly Emos and bumping into Bartimaeus hiding inside His Dark Materials waiting for some Giver of an Abhorsen to find their Wrinkle in Time to send them all back to Wonderland. Not to mention that AMAZO Genesis I read earlier this year (sorry I couldn't work it in above).

However, despite all of those...more

124 likes · like · see review

Feb 19, 2012 The Holy Terror rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Wendy Darling, fans of Liesl & Po and children's books with deeper meanings

Shelves: color-red, fantasy, borrowed, fairies, fairy-tales, young-adult, favorite-books, 2011, cover-love

It's hard to express in words just how lovely this book is, well, in my words that is; Valente's words are beyond magical.

She certainly did not see Death stand on her tip-toes and blow a kiss after her, a kiss that rushed through all the frosted leaves of the autumnal forest but could not quite catch a child running as fast as she could. As all mothers know, children travel faster than kisses. The speed of kisses is, in fact, what Doctor Fallow would call a cosmic constant. The speed of children

...more

32 likes · like · see review

Sep 14, 2012 Misty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenile-ya, own, thanks-ksenia, excited-for, cover-appeal, folklore-myth-fable-fairy-tall-tale, read-in-2012, signed

I love when I finish a book smiling.

Review:
I don't know if you recall my oohing and ahhing and general freaking-outing over the trailer for this book when it popped up last year. For realsies, I lost my mind over it. I still sometimes just watch it on repeat until I've had my fill of the quirky, artistic gloriously creative fantasticness that is this trailer (and the song!!). It put this book high on my wishlist, and when I got a copy in the mail from someone awesome, it was really hard not to t...more

15 likes · like · see review

Feb 14, 2013 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Mark by: mark monday

Shelves: chronicles-series, fantasy, young-adult-fiction

For some weird reason I read a few pages towards the end of this book when i had only just started to read it's beginning. I have no idea why i did because i never normally do but in a strange way this seems, having read the whole thing now, to have been the right thing. I knew the denouement of the story as a result and was in a position to see a fuller picture to a certain extent but at the same time I did not know what i knew. (I went to the Donald Rumsfeld school of reviewing)

Once I reached...more For some weird reason I read a few pages towards the end of this book when i had only just started to read it's beginning. I have no idea why i did because i never normally do but in a strange way this seems, having read the whole thing now, to have been the right thing. I knew the denouement of the story as a result and was in a position to see a fuller picture to a certain extent but at the same time I did not know what i knew. (I went to the Donald Rumsfeld school of reviewing)

Once I reached the end of the story those sparse details made more sense because i had collected up the facts and figures that led to that point but it was only in the pages immediately prior to the end that it clicked. This, I think, speaks volumes either for my stupidity or Catherynne (and I am sorry but that is a bit of a pretentious spelling) Valente's brilliance as a storyteller. Now I am quite happy to acknowledge my stupidity but in fairness to Valente I think her brilliance would always trump my denseness.

The story is an imaginative flight of fancy which absolutely delights. This woman's grasp of the possible, the probable and the oh-wouldn't-that-be-great-if-it-were-true is fabulous....and that is fabulous in the original meaning of the word. It contains philosophy, morality, and, as a Christian, to me it contains great swathes of Theology too. I am not saying that she wrote a theological tome, though i don't know perhaps she did, but it always seems to me the sign of a great work is how it sparks off reflection and adventurous journeying by the reader who encounters it. Indeed her book seems to demand that you let it sweep you up and let it challenge or even change the way you look at the world.

The plot is simple, in a way. A girl journeys to fairyland and then back again but in that journey there are encounters aplenty, discoveries about things, about others and mostly about herself. She meets fantastical creatures and, and this was a thread running through the story that i adored, she meets inanimate objects that aren't. Things that should not live that do. There is a wonderful nuttiness about the whole sprawl of this book and flashes of beauty that pull you up short.

At one point September, our 12 year old heroine, meets a dryad working in a cinema and she wonders whther the dryad is unhappy living so far from the forest. The dryad answers thus, and this took my breath away through its profundity

"Didn't you know, little love? Film is made with camphor, which is a tree. In the cinnamon family, to be exact, which is large and boisterous and gossipy. I run the projector, and my trees run through my fingers all day long! Just because a thing is transparent and silvery and comes in big reels, doesn't mean its not a tree."

Without belabouring the point Valente gives an insight into reality and the deep down meaning of things which is magnificent. As always with me, once I start quoting I can get carried away so i shall restrain myself but there is beauty and lovely images throughout this book. It is not an easy read insofar as it makes you stop and wonder and look at things in a different way but it is well worth any effort involved. Inanimate objects sleep until they are 100 years old and then they awaken to dreams and ambitions and lost loves, this made me think of the becoming real of The Velveteen Rabbit of Margery Williams;( And indeed Valente's echoing of other writers is a joy as you catch glimpses of previous imaginations waltzing along with hers.) Everyone's death walks with them but when you are far from that final meeting it is small and hardly noticeable but as that last encounter comes nearer so you begin to notice its presence...this was so simple and yet so powerful that again it made me gasp with its insight.

The friendships encountered, the stories unravelled and the breaking of hearts and sundering of relationships fill the pages and when you come to the last few pages and the identity of the 'arch-villainess' becomes clear and why what has happened happened, it genuinely moves. As i re-read this I feel that firstly i have not done her wonderful creation justice and secondly I come across as a first class wimp but, as they say, I can do and be no other. Is it a fairy story for the young, yes but only the young at heart. Some might read this book and discard it, others might feel, no this is not for me but if you have a heart and a desire to keep it pulsing, this is well worth a look.

At the very centre of the book is the idea of children being heartless and gradually they grow into their hearts and find them just as they begin to lose them. This struck me as true but not true and maybe that contradiction is a good place to finish.

There is a line in the bible in which Jesus says, 'unless you become like little children you will not enter the kingdom of God'. Looking at this book I wonder if it doesn't struggle with this very concept. The becoming like little children is perhaps a re-capturing of the time when wonder and possibility were real and touchable. However, Valente speaks regularly of the self-centredness of children where they deem themselves the centre of their universe, their hearts need to be found and grow. As this changes and children begin to see the needs or dreams of others as just as important as our own we shift into adulthood, it is an adult moment and the heart beats . Thus every time I put myself first, I behave in the old childish way and my heart shrinks. So here is this contradiction writ large. For alongside that growing into selflessness to enable the heart to grow there needs to be a realization of the wonder and beauty at the centre of why we do what we do which makes it worth having a heart in the first place. When we lose that, and many of us do as we grow into adulthood, when we blind ourselves to the possibility of imagination we close down our capacity of moving from being simply alive and functioning to being alive and life-giving.

Forgive the relaunch but I have attempted to make my thoughts a little clearer in the last paragraph.(less)

20 likes · like · see review

Sep 02, 2012 Algernon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, favorites

Consider this fair warning: I'm writing a squee review ,
wheeee!

as I think Catherynne Valente is the "bee's knees" when it comes to funny, modern, beautifully written fairytales that can appeal to children and adults in equal measure. Compared to The Orphan Tales , the adventures of the girl September in Fairyland are straightforward and easier to follow, without the frequent jumps from one storyteller to another, while maintaining the emotional intensity and the lyrical prose that first attracted m...more

19 likes · like · see review

Aug 31, 2012 Kathryn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, middle-grade, annie-and-katie-bookclub

It was challenging enough for me to sort out my feelings about September and her adventures while I was tagging along through the pages of this book, let alone to articulate them now as I try to write a review. For the first few chapters, I was totally in love. Valente's writing style is stunning; poetic, inventive, gorgeous. Indeed, throughout the novel, I came across a number of passages that just really "got" me, be they poignant or humorous, descriptive or didactic. (See below for an excerpt...more It was challenging enough for me to sort out my feelings about September and her adventures while I was tagging along through the pages of this book, let alone to articulate them now as I try to write a review. For the first few chapters, I was totally in love. Valente's writing style is stunning; poetic, inventive, gorgeous. Indeed, throughout the novel, I came across a number of passages that just really "got" me, be they poignant or humorous, descriptive or didactic. (See below for an excerpt I especially loved.) And yet, though I always appreciated the wordweaving, I'm not sure I was so captivated by the worldweaving. I just never really found September a kindred spirit; I appreciated so many things about her, and yet I always felt just a little detached. I think my favorite characters where the Wyverary, the Green Wind, and Lye. Many of the other characters appear, as in classics such as "Alice in Wonderland", the "Narnia" chronicles and "Phantom Tollbooth", for a mere chapter or two. They are curiosities, provide an interesting diversion or perhaps a little lesson, but they never felt real, never contributed enough to the story or to September's growth to make me feel invested. Several chapters were such a yawn because of that. Though, in all fairness, I should say that the above mentioned classics are not among my favorite books of all time, so perhaps it is just a style of adventure fantasy that is not my perfect cup of tea? About half way through, I even contemplated giving up on the book. I cared that little about September and her journey. Sad, but true. Valente's lyrical writing style compelled me to continue, though, and I am glad I did. Events and characters came together more toward the end, September's purpose was more crystallized and it became about love and friendship instead of just about curiosity and cunning. I was very touched by a few sections at the end, though when I saw that there is room for a sequel I did not give the squeal of joy that many readers probably did.

I also must caution that, though this is a "children's book", I am not sure it is appropriate for all children. For one, the vocabulary is quite advanced and, while some children will love the style and enriching their vocabulary, others may find it frustrating. Also, a few concepts might be a bit troublesome for some children. In one chapter, we meet two sisters (witches) who are married to the same man. In another chapter, a savagely hungry September must kill and eat a fish, ripping out its guts with her own hands and choking down its raw flesh, in order to survive. Finally, I am not sure I was ever comfortable with the recurring concept that children are "heartless" and I'm not sure that is something children need to hear, either. (I do think it is dispelled later in the book, but it seems a bit harsh at first.) In any case, some children may dismiss these things, some may not find them problematic, but it may raise questions in other children that some parents feel reluctant to discuss.

All in all, I would recommend September's story to adults who love stories like "The Wizard of Oz" and "Alice" and "Narnia" and to mature children who share similar interests. I must also point out that the illustrations are lovely and quite suitable for the story and characters.

Finally, E. Tobler wrote the following on their Amazon.com review and I thought it was so lovely and apt that I couldn't help but include the excerpt here:

"3 draughts Wonderland
2 swallows Oz
1 trickle Labyrinth
1 dribble Narnia
1/2 measure Victoriana
1 pinch Shakespeare
1 dash Greek myth

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and when bound into a smooth dough, lift and slice the shadow free. Any blood droplets should be kneaded back into the dough. Set to bake for one hour, until the house smells of vanilla and maple syrup. Serve warm with honey butter on the back of a penny farthing, shared with your very-red wyvern and your best blue boy."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love this! I want to take a fairy bath :-> My courage could use a de-gunking, and I wouldn't mind a dip in the wish-cleaning and luck-cleaning baths, either: "When you are born, your courage is new and clean. You are brave enough for anything: crawling off of staircases, saying your first words without fearing that someone will think you are foolish, putting strange things in your mouth. But as you get older, your courage attracts gunky and crusty things and dirt and fear and knowing how bad things can get and what pain feels like. By the time you're half-grown, your courage barely moves at all, its so grunged up with living. So, every once in awhile, you have to scrub it up and get the works going or else you'll never be brave again" (pg 60).(less)

14 likes · like · see review

May 22, 2011 Kat Hooper rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

September’s father has gone off to war and her mother works all day building airplane engines while September stays home and washes the china teacups. Life in Omaha is disappointingly dull for such an imaginative and adventurous (and heartless!) 12-year old girl... until the day September looks out the kitchen window to see the Green Wind perched on his flying leopard and beckoning her to Fairyland.

There are many wonders to see in Fairyland: witches, werew...more ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

September’s father has gone off to war and her mother works all day building airplane engines while September stays home and washes the china teacups. Life in Omaha is disappointingly dull for such an imaginative and adventurous (and heartless!) 12-year old girl... until the day September looks out the kitchen window to see the Green Wind perched on his flying leopard and beckoning her to Fairyland.

There are many wonders to see in Fairyland: witches, werewolves, fairies, flying bicycles, animated furniture, spriggans, glashtyn, marids, a fabric city, a golem molded from soap, and a red wyverary (a wyvern whose father is a municipal library). If you have read Catherynne Valente before, you can imagine the kinds of wonderful creatures you’ll meet in The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making... or, actually, maybe you can’t!)

But all is not as it should be in Fairyland. The Marquess, who’s only a child, is quite the little tyrant, and she’s got a job for September. During her quest, September explores Fairyland and learns a lot about courage, honor, friendship, and love.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland is Catherynne Valente’s first young adult novel and, as Valente fans will expect, it’s gorgeous in every way. The story is fun and the characters and plot will appeal to children, but this book goes far beyond most modern children’s fantasy literature. It’s most comparable to Alice in Wonderland; Like Lewis Carroll’s classic, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland is intelligent, beautifully written, packed with imagination, and full of thoughtful and charming ideas (often pointed out by the delightfully intrusive narrator) that give depth and charisma and make this children’s story more than easily-forgotten entertainment:

* All children are heartless. They have not grown a heart yet, which is why they can climb tall trees and say shocking things and leap so very high that grown-up hearts flutter in terror. Hearts weigh quite a lot. That is why it takes so long to grow one. But, as in their reading and arithmetic and drawing, different children proceed at different speeds. (It is well known that reading quickens the growth of a heart like nothing else.)
* Stories have a way of changing faces. They are unruly things, undisciplined, given to delinquency and the throwing of erasers. That is why we must close them up into thick, solid books, so they cannot get out and cause trouble.
* As all mothers know, children travel faster than kisses. The speed of kisses is, in fact, what Dr. Fallow would call a cosmic constant. The speed of children has no limits.

I listened to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making on audio (Brilliance Audio). It was read by Ms. Valente herself and, though she is not a voice actor and didn’t give each character a unique and distinguishable voice, she was quite pleasant. I like hearing an author interpret her own work as long as she has an agreeable voice and prosody, which Ms. Valente does. My only issue with the audio version is that I missed Ana Juan’s lovely art that introduces each chapter in the print version. Oh, audiobook publishers, why can’t we have the art, too? (less)

12 likes · like · see review

Jul 02, 2012 Megan Baxter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I just purely loved this, from start to finish. Valente plays with and creates her own Fairyland that is magical, delightful, a little ominous, whimsical and so much fun to be in, even if only for the length of the book. (Does that make me a Stumbler?)

Valente has such a sure hand in creating the world, and exploring it, and the writing style is absolutely perfect for the story she's trying to tell. It is one of those books where every sentence is beautifully crafted and fits into place so secure...more

15 likes · like · see review

Mar 19, 2013 TheBookSmugglers rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-favorites

Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/05/j...

Review:

First Impressions:

Ana: I will try my best to be coherent about this book and not to break out the caps lock too much but it will be hard because OH MY GOD. This is the book that rescued me from a horrible reading slump; it is the book that made me realise that Cat Valente is an AWESOME writer (which I already suspected but this settled the matter); it is a book that is so beautifully written and full of inc...more

7 likes · like · see review

Aug 09, 2012 Jonathan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-literature, fantasy, fantasy-sci-fi-challenge, humorous, quirky, want, favourites

I have not encountered a YA fantasy novel this good since I read the classic tales as a child. Those being the The Chronicles of Narnia,The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Watership Down, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Phantom Tollbooth and Charlotte's Web to name a few. That's pretty much most of them with the exception of say The Story of Doctor Dolittle, The Jungle Book or Stuart Little for instance but this story has little similarity to those. No instead this...more
I have not encountered a YA fantasy novel this good since I read the classic tales as a child. Those being the The Chronicles of Narnia,The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Watership Down, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Phantom Tollbooth and Charlotte's Web to name a few. That's pretty much most of them with the exception of say The Story of Doctor Dolittle, The Jungle Book or Stuart Little for instance but this story has little similarity to those. No instead this is a book that stands on its own as fresh, magical and entirely riveting. It is one of those novels that had I read it as a child (a feat astronomically and chronologically impossible) I would have loved and yet can read it now and equally love it. This is what you call a great and enchanting novel full of polished writing and sparkling wit.

This is the story of September, a girl caught between possessing and lacking a heart, who is whisked away by the Green Wind to Fairyland. Once in Fairyland she meets a host of unique characters such as: the Wyvervary (a mix between a library and a Wyvern - don't ask it only makes sense in the book's logic); the future-telling witches and their husband; the Panther of Rough Storms; and the villainous Marquess. The plot itself is spread out in such a way that while reading you may find yourself caught up in the little details while still finding that the overall story is not making a great amount of sense. However everything winds up neatly right at the end and with a unique conclusion that fits the story like a key.

I found the witty writing captivating and also highly poetic. Catherynne Valente wrote in a way that did not distract, but rather added to the story and drove it along. She even somewhat broke the fourth wall on occasion! If I had to compare this writing with any recent novel I would say it is familiar to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell if it was sped up, the unnecessary detail removed and targeted at a younger audience. Which when I mention it causes me to realise it's not that familiar to the above novel ~~(I merely had to fulfil my quota of mentioning other books in this review to distract from this one)~~.

If you're an adult, a child or a young adult (or some other category entirely) then I would recommend this book. You do like novels with sharks, talking furniture, talking animals and fairies right? If not please take the first exit on the right toward the non-fiction or literary fiction zones they'll be more to your liking (I hear they offer fancy words and cookies). But if you do like something with a bit of whimsy (and I assume you do considering you read to the end of this review - you did read it right?) then go and get yourself a copy of this book. You won't regret it I promise you. And well if you hate the book I'm sorry, by eating the food of fairies you're stuck with the magical repercussions (in other words the book)!(less)

17 likes · like · see review

Jun 06, 2012 Stephanie (Stepping out of the Page) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-or-review, young-adult, title-appeal, series-or-companions, read-in-2012, not-for-me, magic, fairy-tales, fantasy, dragons, fae, supernatural

I've been trying hard to put off this review, or rather, trying hard to think how to rate and review it - it's been very difficult for me. I think that the only thing I can do is say it outright - this is a truly fantastic book, but it's just something that I just couldn't get away with. If I had to rate my enjoyment of this book, it'd be around 2 stars, but if I had to rate the quality of the book, I can honestly say that it'd probably be around 4 or 5 stars.

This book is set in Fairyland and it...more I've been trying hard to put off this review, or rather, trying hard to think how to rate and review it - it's been very difficult for me. I think that the only thing I can do is say it outright - this is a truly fantastic book, but it's just something that I just couldn't get away with. If I had to rate my enjoyment of this book, it'd be around 2 stars, but if I had to rate the quality of the book, I can honestly say that it'd probably be around 4 or 5 stars.

This book is set in Fairyland and it is obvious that is where we are - the whole setting, the characters... absolutely everything in this book is magical. The writing was lovely - the imagery was very vivid without being overly descriptive. This book is so quotable - there were so many lovely phrases and ideas used throughout. I particularly liked the direct narration to the audience - it was strong, sometimes emotional and very easy to connect to the messages. There's nothing wrong with Valente's writing, it is very clear that she is talented.

September, our twelve year old main character is quite real, she has the inquisitiveness, the curiosity and the braveness of a child and it is good to see Fairyland through a child's eyes, it makes it even more special. It wasn't just September who was imaginative and whimsical though, the other characters we are introduced to are just as intriguing, if not more so. I absolutely loved the character 'A through L' (or Ell), a wyvern who was just so friendly, fun and totally loyal to September throughout her journey. A myriad of other supporting characters with equally bizarre names are scattered throughout the book and they are also very amusing.

So why didn't I enjoy this as much as I could? It was confusing. It was one of those things that just went over my head. It was all, quite frankly, nonsense, but it's meant to be - I just guess that's not for me. I think that thought that the separate sections are the stories were quite interesting and it did help me to follow things a little bit, but it was a bit too random for me and the jumping around from place to place, person to person, left me lost.

Overall, I really do not want to put anyone off reading this book - I think a lot of people will appreciate it and love it. Valente is a genius for writing this (extremely) creative piece of writing and I only wish I could've followed it more. If you're looking to get carried away into a fantasy world and meet lots of magical creatures, this one is for you. If you're easily confused, perhaps try a few pages until you fully commit to it. I will be posting an excerpt of the book on the blog tour soon, so hopefully then you'll be able to see for yourself if it's your kind of thing.(less)

9 likes · like · see review

May 15, 2013 Tania rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-books

the book trailor

"She certainly did not see Death stand on her tip-toes and blow a kiss after her, a kiss that rushed through all the frosted leaves of the autumnal forest but could not quite catch a child running as fast as she could. As all mothers know, children travel faster than kisses. The speed of kisses is, in fact, what Doctor Fallow would call a cosmic constant. The speed of children has no limits"

I chose this books because of it's beautiful title, and was not dissapointed. Think Alice...more

5 likes · like · see review

Sep 02, 2012 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, fantasy, fairy-tales-and-retellings, middle-grade, pn-faeries

3.5 stars

Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!

“Stories have a way of changing faces. They are unruly things, undisciplined, given to delinquency and the throwing of erasers. This is why we must close them up into thick, solid books, so they cannot get out and cause trouble.”

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making tells the story of a girl named September, who was actually born in May, who was fortunately born on a Tuesday, who is 12 years old, who's mother b...more 3.5 stars

Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!

“Stories have a way of changing faces. They are unruly things, undisciplined, given to delinquency and the throwing of erasers. This is why we must close them up into thick, solid books, so they cannot get out and cause trouble.”

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making tells the story of a girl named September, who was actually born in May, who was fortunately born on a Tuesday, who is 12 years old, who's mother builds planes and who's father is off fighting in the war, and who is from Nebraska. She leaves her home one night with the Green Wind on the back of his flying leopard and doesn't say goodbye and never looks back.

“... but as has been said, September read often, and liked it best when words did not pretend to be simple, but put on their full armor and rode out with colors flying.”

September was a charming child who was full of heart. She escaped to Fairyland in hopes of a little fun but what she got was not what she anticipated. Fairyland was full of violent and evil beings which was in all actuality no different than the world she left behind, yet, along the way she made some dear friends like Ell, the Wyverary, and the boy Saturday that made it all worthwhile.

“I wouldn't even consider it if I were you. But then if I were you, I would not be me, and if I were not me, I would not be able to advise you, and if I were unable to advise you, you'd do as you like, so you might as well do as you like and have done with it.”

I'm quite glad that I took this adventure to 'Fairyland' via audio because I think the flowery words and huge sentences would have been too much for me to bear on print. As it was it still took some getting used to but I ended up enjoying this. 'Fairyland' (because it's simply too long of a title to say repeatedly) is one of those Middle Grade novels that will be well loved by children because it's adventurous and imaginative yet in retrospect will only be able to be truly understood and appreciated by an Adult reader. I do wish I had the second book on audio, but I think now that I know what to expect from the writing style I won't have such difficulty.

Recommended for those that enjoy children fantasy stories with a dash of seriousness. (less)

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 08, 2012 Kara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reading-challenge, animals, fae, fantasy, kids, middleschoolers, own, young-adult

Wyverary! Gleam! Saturday! I don't think a book's ending has ever made me smile quite like this one. But before I get to the ending, I need to talk about the rest. Listen. I am not good at raving and exclaiming about books that I love. I'm much better at reviews that have something to criticize. Writing reviews for books you love is really hard to do. So this will probably be short. But I'll try. Take a seat. Now. Heh.

So the one thing you just HAVE to know about this book is that the characters...more Wyverary! Gleam! Saturday! I don't think a book's ending has ever made me smile quite like this one. But before I get to the ending, I need to talk about the rest. Listen. I am not good at raving and exclaiming about books that I love. I'm much better at reviews that have something to criticize. Writing reviews for books you love is really hard to do. So this will probably be short. But I'll try. Take a seat. Now. Heh.

So the one thing you just HAVE to know about this book is that the characters are fantastic. They are exactly the kind of characters you find in a children's fantasy novel but they are so intelligently rendered that it will make your head explode. EXPLODE. Mine did. I would love to talk to you about them, but beside the protagonist, I think they are best discovered by you reading about them on your own. September, however, is a perfectly precocious and brilliant child. Not everyone is going to like her because she is outspoken and a bit bossy but I really identified with her because this is how I was as a child. And still am. So I kind of fell in love with myself. What a narcissist I am.

When I started reading this novel, I had no idea where it was going or what the plot was supposed to be. But that's the beauty of it. And once the book hits its stride, you will be circumnavigating fairyland right along with September. The book is so whimsical. There are shades of Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland in here. Some of it is a little weird but it's also very cute. Adorable is the perfect word for it. There are talking animals, and on a few occasions I wondered if I was smoking up the ganja. Was I really reading what I was reading? Indeed, I was.

It's an amazing book. It truly is. It needs to be read by all and if you haven't gotten to it yet, bump this up on your tbr piles immediately. The ending had me in tears. I mean...I wish I could talk about it. I am DYING to talk about it. There is no cliffhanger. The loose endings were all wrapped up. I was worried about that but the happy ending that I would normally roll my eyes at had me squeeing for joy. There is a little thing at the end that has you thinking about the sequel but it's nothing that will leave you feeling cheated.

This is a perfect book in every way. The world-building is utterly detailed and mesmerizing. There are so many intelligent puns and I went "WOW" at this author's imagination so many times. This is the type of book that has you falling in love with reading all over again. Especially if you are feeling disillusioned. And I was. I cannot wait to read the sequel. I need to have it immediately.

I'm going to leave you with a few of my favorite lines/quotes/scenes from the book. There will be a giveaway on the blog coming for this one in August.

"My sister has no shame at all, September," Goodbye continued. "That's a very secret thing she did--right in front of you! You see, the future is a kind of stew, a soup, a vichyssoise of the present and the past. That's how you get the future: You mix up everything you did today with everything you did yesterday and all the days before and everything anyone you ever met did and anyone they ever met, too. And salt and lizard and umbrellas and typewriters and a lot of other things I'm not at liberty to tell you, because I took vows, and a witch's vows have teeth. Magic is funny like that. It's not a linear thinker. The point is if you mash it all up together and you have a big enough pot and you're very good at witchcraft, you can wind up with a cauldron full of tomorrow. That lump of greasy, slimy goop is a prophecy, and my sister cast it for you." ~page 32-33

Lye poured a bucketful of golden water over September's head. "When you are born," the golem said softly, "your courage is new and clean. You are brave enough for anything: crawling off of staircases, saying your first words without fearing that someone will think you are foolish, putting strange things in your mouth. But as you get older, your courage attracts gunk and crusty things and dirt and fear and knowing how bad things can get and what pain feels like. By the time you're half-grown, your courage barely moves at all, it's so grunged up with living. So every once in a while, you have to scrub it up and get the works going or else you'll never be brave again. Unfortunately, there are not so many facilities in your world that provide the kind of services we do. So most people go around with grimy machinery, when all it would take is a bit of spit and polish to make them paladins once more, bold knights and true." ~page 60

Absolutely brilliant book. Get yourself a copy. I'd recommend this one to EVERYONE.(less)

10 likes · like · see review

Oct 09, 2012 ☆Jessie☆ (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mythic-fiction, tales-of-fae-and-faery-tales, coverlove, owned-copy, best-of-2012, 2012-reads, 2012-reviews, reviewed, here-be-monsters, what-up-anthropomorphization, fantasy, i-love-you-for-your-words, five-stars-for-you-glen-coco

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

This book is:

-utterly magical

-full of imagination

-not without dark themes and occurrences

-unique

-told in inimitable and thoroughly cheeky prose brimming with deeper meaning

-filled to the brim with adventures

-creative with new fairytale creatures

-a wonderful mix of classic fairytale staples blended with new interpretations

This book is not:

-just for children

-simple

I've had my eye on this particular book for a while - with that cover, it's not hard to...more

11 likes · like · see review

Jul 03, 2012 Norain MT rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book, wishlist

It was hard not to compare this and the classic Alice in Wonderland: here was also a story about a girl who followed her whim and sought an adventure in a magical land. But the heart of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (here on known as Fairyland) was different from Alice in Wonderland, for to me, the latter was a meandering story written by pedophile while he was not quite right in the mind. Fairyland had a more coherent flow and was very neat at that, too.

I wa...more It was hard not to compare this and the classic Alice in Wonderland: here was also a story about a girl who followed her whim and sought an adventure in a magical land. But the heart of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (here on known as Fairyland) was different from Alice in Wonderland, for to me, the latter was a meandering story written by pedophile while he was not quite right in the mind. Fairyland had a more coherent flow and was very neat at that, too.

I was deeply impressed by Valente's imagination and the vividness and richness of her description. Previously to this, I had just finished Cinder and thought that writer Marissa Meyer was very descriptive. After reading Fairyland, I am sorry to say but Meyer's talent dimmed profoundly compared to Valente's. But it was because of the beautiful description that I wrongly expected to see adventure AND laughter in Fairyland, and albeit the many warnings that this was not meant to be a happy frolic, I stubbornly refused to accept the misadventures gone through by September. I hoped against hope that things would right themselves and September could enjoy her journey at Fairyland. I guess that was the reason I found it hard to totally feel September's misery, anger, pain and fear, until she had to kill a fish for meal (and that was quite small compared to her other misadventures), and that was nearly the end.

Still, despite my high applaud for Valente's descriptive narration, there was some scene which was not quite to my liking, like the one with velocipides (living bicycle) which felt too Wild West for my taste. The wedding ceremony of the Squiggles was like Mad Hatter's tea party and the Tsukumogami seemed to be influenced by Japanese ghost stories. And it was because of too much a description at the early part of the book, what with the introduction of so many rules about Fairyland, my focus was not really there.

There was however something quiet and somewhat lonely about this book. And humane too, for none of the character was wholly black or white. This was no fairy-tale, despite the name Fairyland, for the 'bad' had reasons to be bad and the 'good' was not without flaw. This was the quality that appealed to me the most, and the reason I could not hate the Marquess. From the moment September met her, I started to feel that there was something 'weird' about the Marquess that rendered me incapable of passing judgement to her behaviour. I saw her more as a pragmatic leader, one who believed that the end justified the mean, a dictator who could not be understood by her subjects. Maybe you think it is wrong for me to refrain from calling this bad, but really, what is 'evil'?

Hitler and Stalin aside, this was an incredible story. If I were a child and read this book, I was sure the memory of it would remain with me for long thereafter. I believe this will one day be considered as a classic and a must-read-children-book.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

May 17, 2011 Shellie (Layers of Thought) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fairy (tale) lovers young and old

Shelves: age-young-adult, award-hugo-nebula, age-children-tweens, blog-reviews, read-in-2011, spec-fic-fant-fairies

Original review with additional links posted at Layers of Thought.

A sweet and whimsical tale with images of strength, valor and courage. It’s a poetic and fantastical hero's journey especially for girls (and some boys too!)

About: September is twelve and like many children of that age she is bored and confused about life; feeling stifled by her chores - especially washing the household’s flowery china teacups. It does not help that Dad is off fighting for the country and mom is working in the wa...more Original review with additional links posted at Layers of Thought.

A sweet and whimsical tale with images of strength, valor and courage. It’s a poetic and fantastical hero's journey especially for girls (and some boys too!)

About: September is twelve and like many children of that age she is bored and confused about life; feeling stifled by her chores - especially washing the household’s flowery china teacups. It does not help that Dad is off fighting for the country and mom is working in the war efforts; tough times for a young girl, creating the natural desire to escape the perceived drudgery which is normal for all youngsters of that age.

In her imaginings of something beyond her regular world she is visited by a Green Wind in a smoking jacket and whisked off to Fairyland. There she looses her heart and a shoe while meeting a variety of diverse fairies and fantastical creatures, while learning a thing or two about herself, the true meaning of friendship, and what is truly important in life.

Thoughts: With whimsical and imaginative prose akin to poetry (Catherynne Valente has an unusual grasp of language and is actually a poet), the book has meanderings with deeper archetypal and metaphorical threads creating a story that has wording that is often like a poem.

Contrastingly the story has “real life” issues placed strategically in it, where the main character faces tough situations which are not glazed over or skirted. There are sections which touched me deeply, creating a giggle or a heart-tug from September’s experiences.

Perhaps seen as an introduction to fairy lore for the uninitiated, or a revisit for the more advanced reader, the book contains many different fantastical creatures. Since I have never heard of a Dyad, Spriggans, Pukas, Marids, and perhaps a Golem, it was a lesson for me. There is an intriguing theory around the evolution of fairies – from frogs; which I liked so much. (Macmillan has a downloadable document; a bestiary for the book which is lovely and amusing.)

Will tweens and teens like it? I think most will. However, as one of the “uninitiated” adults (I have not read a lot about fairies), I found the text esoteric in areas - which may have changed since it I read the book in an arc format. So I would recommend it for precocious youngsters beyond their reading level (due to its vocabulary – check out widdershins!), older tweens and teens, children well versed in fairytales and their language, or to teachers and parents to read out loud to students or children. I would have loved having this read out loud to me as a youngster.

As a story for most age levels, it is a tale about fairies with old fashioned yet relevant ideals which may help solidify and reestablish it - strong girls/children become strong women/adults; perseverance does make a difference; and one’s home is the best place to be (mostly). I loved this whimsical and special book and rated it 4 stars. (less)

4 likes · like · see review

Jun 21, 2011 Isabel marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Recommended to Isabel by: My sixth grade teacher

Shelves: books-i-own

I received this book as an elementary school graduation gift from the head teacher of the class, who gives each student a book and gives a speech on why she chose it.

7 likes · like · see review

Sep 14, 2012 Metrodej rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pure joy, this book. Thoroughly entertaining, funny as hell and, what is more, incredibly imaginative. Loving it so far.

4 likes · like · see review

Apr 30, 2013 Stuti rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: alchemists

Recommended to Stuti by: c-through-v wyverary

Shelves: why-wasn-t-i-born-here, fairy-tale-and-or-retelling, fantasy-pr-everything-untoward

Mischief Managed

That's probably what Catheryn M Valente said after she finished this book.

Story of an eleven-year old girl, September, born on a Tuesday in May(like me!), who escapes from the tedious life of everyday Nebraska and washing pink and yellow tea cups, this book starts out whimsically, turns scary and sad, encountering the occasional hitches of bitter, against the backdrop of imagination and absurdity. The whole book can be divided very well into three non-sequential parts:

Part 1:
In...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 17, 2012 Sarah Sammis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed, audio, read-in-2011

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M Valente is a modern day retelling of the Persephone myth with nods to L. Frank Baum's Oz, Lewis Carroll's Wonderland and Norton Juster's Phantom Tollbooth. September, stuck in Omaha washing dishes as her father is away fighting in a war and her mother is working late at a factory, is invited to Fairyland by the Green Wind.

September's adventures through there follow the classical path: land at the edge of the world...more The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M Valente is a modern day retelling of the Persephone myth with nods to L. Frank Baum's Oz, Lewis Carroll's Wonderland and Norton Juster's Phantom Tollbooth. September, stuck in Omaha washing dishes as her father is away fighting in a war and her mother is working late at a factory, is invited to Fairyland by the Green Wind.

September's adventures through there follow the classical path: land at the edge of the world or country, find the way to the center (and capital), be directed out on a new quest by the person in charge, accomplish extraordinary things all along the way, collect unusual but loyal friends and return home a changed person. I don't mean this simplistic description as a bad thing — it's a wonderful comfort for exploring the unique nooks and crannies of Fairyland.

Although September's initial quest is the "find her way home," she doesn't mean it. It's a lie to allow her entry into Fairland, as part of an intricate ritual to unlock the space between Earth and Fairyland. In that regard, then, September is more of an Alice, than she is a Dorothy. She wants to explore the world, if she can survive long enough to find her bearings.

Valente fills Fairyland with copious amounts of details. It may seem as though she is just filling the pages for a sense of rhythm or to make the mundane seem fantastical, but after listening to the audio twice, there is not one extraneous detail. The narrative is a complex and rich tapestry, befitting the capitol of Fairyland.

There are so many wonderful characters. I could write an entire separate post just on them. My favorite, though, is Ell (L-through-M) who is part Wyvern and part Library — Wyverary. Although September is dubious about Ell's background, I choose to believe him.

Like Dorothy and Alice, September will be returning to Fairyland. There's a short story already about Queen Mallow's adventures, The Girl Who Rules Fairyland — For a Little While and a sequel, The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There.

I happened to listen to the audio, expertly read by the author. Both times, the book has made me cry. I also have a hardback on hand to enjoy the lovely illustrations by Ana Juan. (less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 04, 2012 Krystle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: did-not-finish

This book just wasn't for me. The writing style is so different, so whimsical, so fancy, that I can tell the author had a lot of fun stretching her vocabulary to the utmost and rolling around and playing in it till it came out in wonderfully wrapped paragraphs and pages. But I just didn't like it. There are so much things I had to remember, keep track of, and all that stuff that I just got so lost and became disinterested.

Don't get me wrong, the world building is creative and all sorts of fabulo...more

20 likes · like · see review

Jun 26, 2011 Leilani rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

This was like drinking a golden ambrosia comprised of dreams and childhood and fairytales from a dainty tea cup. If I could brew a potion called Nostalgia and put into it some of my favorite books and movies from the time before Grown-Up - "Return to Oz," "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," "The Neverending Story," and both of Alice's adventures - it would have the same effect as this novel. From September's mundane Midwest to the migratory tendencies of bicycles, from the tenacious Key to...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 01, 2011 April rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, childrens, middle-grade, highly-recommended, for-review

Sometimes you (and by you I really mean I) may think nothing is going to parallel Milo’s journey and valor in The Phantom Tollbooth. What could compare to Alice’s journey to Wonderland? I think The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente will have a comfortable spot among the perennial fantasy favorites of my childhood. Honestly, I really do believe this book will become a classic. I know I could see myself reading it to my metaphorical children so...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 06, 2010 Sbuchler rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2009, scifi-fantasy, audio-books, re-read, read-in-2011

Genre: Children's/Young Adult Fantasy

This has very much an Oz-like quality, including the early 20th century elaborate sentences - which I quite enjoyed, but it required a certain mood to read. The story follows the adventures of a young girl, September, though Fairyland as she meets various interesting individuals (which is strongly reminiscent of various interludes in Oz) and has conflicts with the nefarious Marquess. September comes from a world that seems somewhat World War 1 or World War 2-...more

6 likes · like · see review

Sep 08, 2011 The Library Lady rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Dolores Umbridge

Shelves: why-did-i-buy-this, skimmed-which-was-more-than-enough

There is an audience for this sort of thing among the sort of fully grown women who grew up reading George MacDonald, Frank Baum, James Barrie and all the other sentimental, precious fiction of an earlier era. And perhaps some of today's 21st century girls will grow up to be part of that audience.

Sorry fans, this is too derivative and too damn "twee" for me, and once more I am pissed off at librarians and other reviewers who review for the child in themselves rather than for the child actually s...more

17 likes · like · see review

topics	posts	views	last activity
References to other fantasy novels?	9	91	Jun 15, 2013 12:29pm
Catherynne M. Valente	3	17	Jun 10, 2013 08:29am
The Readers: Book #9; The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making – Catherynne M. Valente	9	40	Jun 04, 2013 06:29am
Wild Things: YA G...: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making	2	9	Feb 19, 2013 06:35pm
YA e dintorni: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland di Catherynne M. Valente: discussione unica	21	24	Feb 06, 2013 01:28pm

title link	preview: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
avg rating	preview: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making Goodreads rating: 4.00 (9069 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13512785-the-girl-who-circumnavigated-fairyland-in-a-ship-of-her-own-making?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337009654l/13512785.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13512785-the-girl-who-circumnavigated-fairyland-in-a-ship-of-her-own-making?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente[/url]

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland #1)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (27)

Videos About This Book

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Catherynne M. Valente

Books by Catherynne M. Valente

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Girl Who Circ...

Quotes from The Girl Who Circumnav...