East
by Edith Pattou
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 628)
recommends it for:
5th grade and up
East is a sweetly written telling of the fairy tale “East of the Sun and West of the Moon,” set in Norway and its surrounds. The adventurous heroine, Rose, is traded to an enchanted bear in exchange for the well being of her family. Far from home and imprisoned, Rose learns patience and compassion, and gradually develops a love for the bear. Curiosity leads her to betray the bear, however, and so begins her quest to right her wrong. Her journeys take her over land, sea, and snow, meeting a c...more
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Read in December, 2007
This novel is a retelling of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" which is probably one of the most underappreciated fairy tales out there. Unfortunately, this retelling doesn't quite do it justice. The author chose to use multiple viewpoints, which felt more like a gimmick and less like the best way to tell the story (especially since I was only really interested in the stories from two of the five narrators). Also, no one ever seems to have given Edith that all important advice to...more
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Read in May, 2007
recommends it for:
Fans of Pullman, Tolkien and fairy tale retellings
I got this book at the Bank Street Bookstore because, having been newly "promoted" to middle school lang arts, i felt that i'd been missing a lot and reading much further down the developmental scale for a long while. This was a wonderful addition to my brain. Apparently there's a Scandinavian tale called East of the Sun, West of the Moon, which i didn't know--i only knew the song. This retelling employs voices of all the different characters, from the beautiful young traveling woma...more
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I feel like I've been giving everything 4 stars lately, but ... this book can't have 3 stars b/c that would be too little, nor can it have 5, since that would be too much! ;)
I picked up this book while shelving, and it was pretty so I opened it. I was intruiged because it was a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, and so I checked it out. But I did thoroughly expect it to end up being vulgar and bad. Happily, I was suprised and the book turned out to be good.
East actually has e...more
I picked up this book while shelving, and it was pretty so I opened it. I was intruiged because it was a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, and so I checked it out. But I did thoroughly expect it to end up being vulgar and bad. Happily, I was suprised and the book turned out to be good.
East actually has e...more
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Read in March, 2008
This is a retelling of 'East of the Sun and West of the Moon'. I wasn't familiar with the original story...and I don't know if this book did it justice. The story switches narrators at each chapter, most of which come from Rose, Neddy (her brother), the White Bear, and the Troll Queen, but there were also parts by Rose's father and mother thrown in that were out of place. It felt like a lot of plot lines happened by 'coincidence' or convenience. The thoughts/actions of the characters seemed ...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Lisa by:
kelseyrecommends it for: fans of fantasy and fairy tale novelizations
A fantastic novelization of East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
A story told in multiple voices, EAST is a terrific read aloud and one of those rare books (like The Golden Compass) that has a strong female main character (Rose) but appeals to boy readers as well because of Rose's strength and determination, her adventurous trek and the voices of her father and brother in support of her.
EAST is a story about trust, honesty and being determined to fight for the right thing and to allow fat...more
A story told in multiple voices, EAST is a terrific read aloud and one of those rare books (like The Golden Compass) that has a strong female main character (Rose) but appeals to boy readers as well because of Rose's strength and determination, her adventurous trek and the voices of her father and brother in support of her.
EAST is a story about trust, honesty and being determined to fight for the right thing and to allow fat...more
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Read in January, 2007
An extraordinary read for anyone. The book is like an old time Grimm's fairy tale; it takes the reader north thru Norway; i.e., the reading gets colder and colder, and more treacherous, as Rose, the main character, travels to find her prince.
Also, fascinating are the intertwining stories from many characters' viewpoints. The only disappointment in the story is the prince. Read it to find out if you agree? This is a great bedtime read because it is a big book and you may not want to put t...more
Also, fascinating are the intertwining stories from many characters' viewpoints. The only disappointment in the story is the prince. Read it to find out if you agree? This is a great bedtime read because it is a big book and you may not want to put t...more
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Read in December, 2005
This is a gorgeous re-telling of the fairy tale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." Rose has always been a wandering child, consumed with the desire to travel the world. When a white bear appears at her destitute family's cabin and offers prosperity for the family and health for her sister in exchange for Rose, she is determined to go with him in spite of her father and brother's protests. What follows is a richly imagined adventure, reminiscent of "Beauty and the Beast" and...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Lydiali by:
a friendrecommends it for: young readers
I loved this book, it had everything: suspense, animals, love , adventure, magic etc. There was this adventures girl that had a long for polar bears. then mystical things happen and she has to go with the polar bear and live in a castle that is filled with secrets. Then her curiosity goes to far and gets into trouble. she now has to save the polar bear and go through many obstacles and become a profecy. I loved the part when she describes the ride on top of the bear. This book is on 3-person omn...more
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Read in July, 2004
recommends it for:
Those who like fairytale re-tellings
Before I'd read this book, I'd never even heard of the Scandinavian fairytale, <i>East of the Sun, West of the Moon<i>. I've since gone and found a version online and I can truly say that this book is a masterful re-telling of the original. Beautiful writing, great characters, and a pretty swiftly moving plot make this one fairytale you won't forget! (Oh, and it's of the same "type" of fairytale as <i>Beauty and the Beast<i> for those, unlike myself, who like
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is told in multiple first person, which could be problematic, but the author weaves the voices together seamlessly. I really enjoyed the nuanced handling of the main character, and her interactions with the other characters, as well as the integration of Nordic superstition, legend, and general aspects of life in that time and place. The story grabbed my attention from the first page and dragged me straight through until the end. Great book!
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Read in June, 2007
What a lovely book! I enjoyed it so much, it was such a light breeze of a book, fun with beautiful descriptions of cold views, and with all this unknown mythology.
I'm sure that I would have been much more wild about this book would I have read it when I was, say - twelve, but I liked it very much nonetheless.
I liked the lead character - Rose, a strong, tough girl. And the snow bear (he reminded me of my cat, whom I started calling 'snow bear').
13.6.07
I'm sure that I would have been much more wild about this book would I have read it when I was, say - twelve, but I liked it very much nonetheless.
I liked the lead character - Rose, a strong, tough girl. And the snow bear (he reminded me of my cat, whom I started calling 'snow bear').
13.6.07
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This book is based on a somewhat obscure fairy tale called "East of the Sun and West of the Moon", which is sort of like a cross between "Snow White and Rose Red" and "Beauty and the Beast". I enjoyed the style of this book. (Every chapter is written in the perspective of a different character.) The story itself was good as well. However, there was nothing really special or particularly memorable about this book. I liked it, but it isn't one of my favorites.
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I guess it is a retelling of the "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" or "The Polar Bear King" fairy tale, which I had never heard of before... to me it is Beauty and the Beast with a twist. It was a good read. The ending seemed to wrap it up a little too quickly for me, and with a little to much "back to reality." After all the action, I wasn't ready for it. I don't know what I would have changed though, so I shouldn't complain! :)
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Read in November, 2007
Overall, it was an enjoyable story. Based on a fairytale, which I enjoy.
I would have gotten very confused if I skipped the chapter headings, as it was told 1st person POV from several different characters.
For the most part I found it interesting and engaging.
It made me very curious about my own birth direction, although I don't care for superstitions anyway, it would be interesting to know.
I would have gotten very confused if I skipped the chapter headings, as it was told 1st person POV from several different characters.
For the most part I found it interesting and engaging.
It made me very curious about my own birth direction, although I don't care for superstitions anyway, it would be interesting to know.
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
Younger readers
The story wasn't bad, but the pacing took a long time to catch up. I had to read half the book before I cared what was going on. It could have been tightened up a little. The second half was pretty good fantasy, but I thought the ending was a little too abrupt and the magic that the author set up in this world didn't feel like it was holding consistently. I liked it, but I wanted a lot more.
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recommended to Danielle by:
Mom
This was such a cool book! A retelling of the Norse myth "East of the Sun, West of the Moon", which pretty much refers to nowhere. I love the authors usage of different perspectives to tell the story. The events and the people are both well described, and bold. There's an element of fantasy to it, yet it's not overbearing. You're able to really enjoy the story because of this.
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This retelling of the fairy tale has a definitely mystical feel to it, rather than a typical "once upon a time" simplicity, and makes the characters' actions believable, despite the original implausibility of the tale. It takes on various characters' perspectives throughout the book by chapter, and my favorite was of the bear, partially because all of his are written verse.
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Read in March, 2008
I read this book in 3 days! An Absolute favorite! It has everything I love: adventure, love, magic, enchantment, surprises... I actually loved how we are told the story from 5 different people. You get a glimpse into the main characters thoughts. It has a 'Beauty and the Beast' feel to it, but with more adventure and twists. Truly I was enchanted! LOVED IT!
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recommended to Terrie by:
my best friend kaya
recommends it for: animal and adventur lovers
recommends it for: animal and adventur lovers
great book. an epic tale! [as it says on the back] it startes out slow then more and more secrets are reviled. it is about a girls named rose who lives in a land called njored. it is a frozen land.she has always been differnt. she feel's the need to go north. she must go on an epic journy north, to find out why well youll have to read it!
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