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Jan 03, 2011

Sara ♥ rated it:

December 24, 2010 - January 2, 2011

Not sure what else to say about this book beyond, "Wow! It's awesome!". I mean, I've read it SEVERAL times now and just bought it for my sister-in-law for Christmas... I love it!

March 9-10, 2010

Errr... ditto to what I said before. And now I'm REALLY excited to read Enna Burning just as soon as it gets here through ILL!!

April 3, 2009

In an Austin Powers voice: "One million stars..."

It's been More...

7 comments like (22 people liked it)

Mar 30, 2008

Chanelle rated it:

What a sweet story, it's one you can transport yourself into another world where things like communicating with animals and controlling the wind seem entirely feasible. The characters are really likeable (esp. Geric- I don't think there was enough of him. Every word he said would make a girl smile) I'm classifying this book as strong female because I loved the fact that when Geric wrote Ani off, she was upset and angry, but her world did not collapse (contrast that to Bella in New Moon who did More...

4 comments like (30 people liked it)

Feb 08, 2012

Tyler rated it:

Wow, is all I can say, just plain old flat out wow. You expect this to be some sort of, princess fairy tale, in a sense it is just give it a little bit of action and suspense and there you go, The Goose Girl, It goes in a direction you totally don't expect, all of a sudden Ani the little naive princess is suddenly on the run from the scary warriors!
The ending doesn't disappoint there's even a battle, who'd expect that from a Princess Fairytale?
I really liked how it kind of kept you on More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Feb 19, 2008

Beth rated it:

The Goose Girl is an adaptation of the Grimm fairy tale by the same name — which I had never heard of before reading this book. I guess if Disney hasn’t already adapted it, I’m more or less clueless when it comes to fairy tales. ;-)

That comes in handy, though, when reading a new story — I figured that Princess Anidori-Kiladra (a.k.a. Ani; a.k.a. Isi, the Goose Girl; a.k.a. the Yellow Lady … there’s a lot about disguise and identity in this story, if you can’t tell) would live happily More...

0 comments like (11 people liked it)

Mar 04, 2008

Sesika rated it:

Super fun read. Incredible imagination that was clear and easy to read. Very likeable characters that made the books that followed interesting and appealing.

1 comment like (9 people liked it)

Jan 04, 2012

Parvathy rated it:

I love fairy tales and I will read anything which even remotely resembles a fairy tale in appearance. It is because of this same reason that I could never pick out a favorite from the lot but I will tell you one tale that is not in my list of favorites and that is Goose Girl. I have always found this story frustrating and scary regardless of how many times I have read it. The easily bullied, weak princess is the frustrating part and the talking horse head constitutes the scary part. Over the yea More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 30, 2011

JG (The Introverted Reader) rated it:

Princess Anidori-Kiladra is unusual in her kingdom; she has the ability to communicate with animals. Her mother frowns on the gift and discourages Ani from using it. The queen finally decides that Ani is not at all appropriate to be the next ruler of Kildenree and arranges her marriage to the Prince of Bayern, the neighboring kingdom. En route to the wedding, half of Ani's guards stage a mutiny to overthrow Ani and install Selia, her lady-in-waiting, as the princess. Ani barely escapes with More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 03, 2008

Jamie rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Aug 07, 2008

Cassie rated it:

Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee was born the Crown Princess of Kildenree, but her mother didn’t feel she was fit to rule and instead arranged a marriage with a neighboring kingdom, passing the title on to Ani’s brother. Ani was always a strange child, she didn’t open her eyes for the first three days after her birth, and her aunt taught her to speak with birds. It’s no wonder her mother didn’t feel that someone who could be considered a witch should sit on the throne. So off Ani goes with her La More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Oct 29, 2007

Lucy rated it:

Poor Shannon Hale. I think the most frequent comment I've heard about her as an author is, "She's LDS and like Stephenie Meyer, doesn't write LDS fiction."

I'm not sure it was a good enough reason to check out her book, Goose Girl, but I did it anyway. My sister, Jen, liked this book and that was one more reason, but a good enough one for me.

It was a nice break from some of the meatier stuff I've been reading. It's not meatless, exactly, but written as a fai More...

3 comments like (7 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

CLM rated it:

This is a book so wonderful I wish I had written it myself!

Although some criticize the heroine as being too passive, I think Hale does a good job of showing that she is dealing with such intense grief and shock that it takes her time to recover and assert her personality.

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 29, 2010

Jen rated it:

While I have read a few books by Shannon Hale before (Book of a Thousand Days and Austenland), I was truly blown away by The Goose Girl. Hale took a simple Brothers Grimm fairy tale, and created a fully realized world around that structure, truly making it her own.

Shannon Hale's writing is lush and gorgeous, filled with stunning, vivid descriptions. Both Kildenree and Bayern become vivid, real places under her pen, and the simplest descriptions of forest trees or flowers bloom to life. More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Apr 13, 2009

Tanja rated it:

I suppose I am simpleton, but I enjoy these kind of stories. It is an easy read and I could see the end almost from the beginning, but it was fun and entertaining. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

2 comments like (6 people liked it)

May 24, 2011

Isamlq rated it:

… And they lived happily ever after, *le sigh.* Reading Goose Girl is a breath of fresh air especially after the types of books I’ve been reading lately. It did take me a while to warm up to Ani. She was an absofreakinglute doormat…even the geese bruised her up! I could not get my mind around how pitifully she was treated. Despite that, I still enjoyed this. It’s a sweet fairytale fantasy.

Who doesn’t love a good fairy tale? A princess, a prince, and a betrothal. Except it wasn’t th More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Oct 25, 2010

Alyssa rated it:

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Hale presents the Grimm Brothers' Goose Girl tale with accuracy and imagination. She has moments of brilliance, where the prose is almost lyrical and the imagery so effortless you can't help but be drawn into the world of Ani. However, such shining moments are equalized by heavy handed passages that are discordant, strained and even confusing.

The book gets off to a sluggish start - truly slow and rather painful. That said, the last two hundre More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 30, 2008

Maris rated it:

The most fabulous fantasy book that I've ever read! It didn't even seem like fantasy, that's how real Ms. Hale made it seem. I can't boast of it enough. The storyline was extremely bullet-proof, unique and original. The characters were living, and the descriptions...maginfique! The story was beautiful, suspenseful and romantic. Truly any situation, anything, was possible - it's not one of those books where you know nothing bad is going to happen because that would ruin the story. No; the worst i More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jul 31, 2008

Woodge rated it:

The cover caught my eye and the blurbs drew me in. I found this in the Young Adult section while looking for something else. This fantasy story is a retelling of a Brothers Grimm tale (one I was not aware of beforehand). It's told in simple and poetic language and it's a fast read. Anidori-Kiladra, "Ani," is a crown princess from Kildenree sent on months-long journey to the kingdom of Bayern to be a bride for that kingdom's crown prince. But along the way, her scheming lady-in-waiting More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 23, 2008

Heather rated it:

What a wonderful book. I actually read this book in 2 days, since I was so interested in what would happen to the princess Anidori as she journeyed to the Kingdom of Bayern to marry the prince of that land all in the prospect of peace.

As the story begins, Andori feels that she is not very gifted in the fact that she cannot use the language of People speaking when it comes to talking with people, but she has the gift of
speaking with horses and with swans and also the wind as th More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 29, 2009

Jacqueline (Notes from the Nerdette) rated it:

Imagine that you are a princess–you live in a luxurious palace that is filled with hundreds of servants, you can go on exciting rides on your very own horse, who is also your closest friend, any time you want. But think again: what if, even with all the riches surrounding you, you were lonely and constantly self-conscious of your actions? And, just what would you do if your own mother commanded you to marry a prince from a faraway land, a prince you’ve never even met? Or perhaps worse: what wo More...

13 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 16, 2008

Jessica rated it:

Last fall, in a Newberry Award streak, I picked up Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale (a 2006 Newberry Honor book). I loved the book, and the fact that Shannon Hales lives near me. In fact, I recently went to one of her signings. Anyway, after Princess Academy, I read Book of a Thousand Days and Austenland. I hadn’t, though, delved into her Bayern series. Thus, when my book club picked the first Bayern book, The Goose Girl, for this month’s read, I was thrilled.

The Goose Girl is More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 19, 2008

Allen rated it:

A retelling of the Grimm tale 'The Goose Girl'. Princess Ani learns from her aunt to talk to birds as a child, but then her aunt disappears (and later dies), and her overbearing mother isolates her to keep her away from all animals and friends. She grows up shy and passive and at age 18 is married off to the kingdom to the north. On the way there, her maid-in-waiting carries out a plot to get rid of Ani and present herself to the king as the true princess. Ani escapes and circumstances force her More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 01, 2011

Shazzy rated it:

This book is about a princess who is sent by her mother to a far away land to marry the kingdom's prince with her servants who will lead her. On their journey, her disloyal servants make a plan to have her killed so her maid would be the one marrying the prince. She somehow escapes and goes through horrible experiences trying to be safe and get to the castle. However, she discovers her unnatural powers that help her through the voyage. She also makes new friends and gets her title as the "g More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 12, 2009

Cortney rated it:

I jumped right into it and couldn't stop. All I thought about was finding out what happened next. I even had dreams about it as if I were in it. It pulled me in and I have to say I would read it again. Such a cute story with a great outcome.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 30, 2008

Kris rated it:

This is a cute YA story cleverly written by Shannon Hale. If I were judging it by adult standard, it would merit 3 stars, but I think a 13 year old girl would be charmed by the story line and characters.

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 16, 2011

Angela rated it:

Ah, Geric ...

Listened to the audio book. Loved the voices. This story is even better the second time around!

** FIRST READ - October 2007 **
In my opinion, all of Shannon Hale's books to date are a must-read for girls (and their moms!). The stories are so interesting and always star a female "lead" character. She will have to make choices (some good, some bad), learn from her past, rely on others, choose good friends, and eventually triumph and overcome More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 28, 2008

Andrea rated it:

Ok, seriously I need to stop reading for a while and be a better mother and wife. I could not put this book down! It was such a cute fairytale. Something I love about how Shannon Hale writes is that the conversations between people are so real. In a lot of books (and movies), even books that I really like I find myself thinking a lot "People don't really talk like this". I loved how Ani changed and matured through her experiences. I'm so excited to read the next one. I really li More...

9 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 29, 2009

Stacy rated it:

This is my second favorite of the Shannon Hale books. An easy read and very good story.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 23, 2009

Rebecca rated it:

This is a book I would have read to tatters as a teenage girl. Self discovery, magic, and justice served in the end? Delicious. I love Hale's poetic writing style and the eerie, magical but grounded world she invents. Yes, it's a fairy tale so yes it is s bit predictable-- but I found that soothing. Those familiar archetypes of noble simple forests and dangerous dazzling cities, maidens and crones, mothers and daughters-- carry you through the story like a dream.
This book gets a five for b More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 20, 2008

Mandy rated it:

i loved this book! the reformed fairy tale format combined with characters so real that you can feel their pain and count their heartbeats made this story hard to put down. actually, i liked Ani (the goose girl) so much in the beginning that i had a hard time making it past the first few chapters - i just knew that something bad was going to happen to her and i didn't want it to! i almost hid this book in my freezer, Joey (from Friends) style. but, like any fairy tale worth telling, Ani's happil More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 25, 2011

El Templo de las Mil Puertas added it

"Anidori, la princesa heredera del reino de Kildenree, debe abandonar su país y su trono para casarse con el príncipe de Baviera y evitar así la inminente guerra entre los dos reinos. El viaje es largo, sobre todo para una princesa que jamás ha salido de los muros del palacio y que no sabe en quién puede confiar. Cuando ya casi han llegado, su doncella la traiciona y Ani debe huir para salvar su vida. Tras una serie de eventualidades consigue trabajo como cuidadora de los gansos del rey de More...

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