23rd out of 246 books
—
76 voters
The Enchanted Castle
by
E. Nesbit,
H.R. Millar
Gerald, Cathy and Jimmy wake a beautiful princess from her hundred-year sleep in an enchanted garden. It's really only Mabel, the housekeeper's niece - but the garden really is enchanted, and the ring she slips on really is magic! The children find that it takes magic to get everything sorted out.
Paperback, 291 pages
Published
July 1st 1994
by Puffin
(first published January 1907)
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This is a novel I like a lot, which I've experienced in different ways at different points in my life. I first read it when I was six or seven, and thought it was a great story. There are these kids, and they find a castle, and a magic ring. At first they think it's an invisibility ring. Then, to their surprise, they find it can make inanimate objects come to life, or make you rich. After a while, they come to a truly startling conclusion: the ring can do anything at all! When its latest power w...more
There are two types of enchantment in this book. One is the everyday sort, evidenced by how enthralled the reader might be as they proceed through the book, and especially by the young charmer Gerald who sweet-talks his way through pretty much every situation. This is enchantment that lives up to the term's origins, where chanting, speaking, singing and silent perusal of words creates the magic that keeps us literally in its spell.
Then there is the sort of enchantment that manifests itself most...more
Then there is the sort of enchantment that manifests itself most...more
E. Nesbit is one of the greatest authors of all time. You might not think so, but if you could only see the chain of minds that lead directly from children like me who read her books and grew up to be grown ups that believe in the power of both magic, and common sense, it would be a golden chain of the greatest stories of magic for the last 100 years.
This story was first published by E. Nesbit in 1907 and the vocabulary and style of the story seemed dated. As a result, I think that most children would not enjoy it. The tale contains many interwoven elements of traditional fantasy, including the start of the enchanted Princess story (e.g. the Princess is asleep and must be awoken with a kiss from her Prince), that ends up having a twist in that the Princess is not really a Princess and is actually the housekeeper's niece playing a trick on th...more
Four English children discover the magic of a ring, a castle, true love, and many adventures. How amazing that over 100 years later this story still enchants children and adults alike. The mix of magic with everyday life is brilliant! My children and I enjoyed reading this story that inspired other fabulous authors like C.S. Lewis. We're grateful for Nesbit's creativity that not only kept us spellbound, but also opened the way for many of the modern fantasy books that we love.
I really wish that I like this book better. But it went to be just okay for me. I usually have a soft spot for classic books about children, as I have so many sweet memories of my childhood, and reading these kind of books sort of remind me of those good old times.
Jerry, Jimmy dan Cathy menemukan sebuah jalan masuk rahasia ke sebuah kastil. Disana mereka bertemu dengan Mabel, keponakan dari pengurus kastil tersebut. Mereka berempat menemukan sebuah cincin, dan ternyata cincin tersebut bisa menga...more
Jerry, Jimmy dan Cathy menemukan sebuah jalan masuk rahasia ke sebuah kastil. Disana mereka bertemu dengan Mabel, keponakan dari pengurus kastil tersebut. Mereka berempat menemukan sebuah cincin, dan ternyata cincin tersebut bisa menga...more
There ought to be a sub-genre of British children's literature entitled something like Magical Garden Adventures. Fans of Alice in Wonderland, The Secret Garden, or the more recent and American offering The Penderwicks will find this classic tale quite appealing. Three siblings, Jerry, Jimmy and Kathy meet up for summer holiday at a house midway between the schools under the supervision of French governess, and quickly begin exploring the grounds and surrounding community. Though deeming themsel...more
This is a book very close to my heart, and in my top ten of my all-time favourite classic children's books. I first read this when I was 8 or 9, and have re-read it many times since. In fact my copy is looking decidedly battered and worse for wear (you always know you're on to a good book when the cover threatens to fall off). In many ways this is an underrated novel of E. Nesbit, and I will readily admit it is not one of her best. Nonetheless, I still love it more than 'The Railway Children', '...more
Somewhat disjointed work similar to Five Children and It. three children stumble upon an enchanted castle in the middle of an english town, and meet a girl there who looks very much like a princess. However she isn't, and the ring they find there causes all kinds of havoc.
it's very similar to the above book, as both involve wishes that tend to have time limits and go not exactly as planned. The enchanted castle is inferior because I never really got the sense of a unified plot. It careens from o...more
it's very similar to the above book, as both involve wishes that tend to have time limits and go not exactly as planned. The enchanted castle is inferior because I never really got the sense of a unified plot. It careens from o...more
Wiggadil yougaddo begadee leegadeeve nowgadow
Awas ada Ugly-Wugly
Repiunya menyusul yahhh
Ada beberapa eh banyak halaman yang kacau balau jd rada2 males buat bikin repiu sambil bolak balik halaman.
Sekedar saja ya.....
Kisahnya dimulai dari tiga orang anak Jerry, Jimmy dan Cathy yang menjelajah sebuah kastel.
Layaknya anak-anak, mereka menghayal sedang menemukan sebuah kastel sihir lengkap dengan putri tidurnya.
Tak disangka, di dalam kastel mereka menemukan seorang anak perempuan yang tertidur layakny...more
Awas ada Ugly-Wugly
Repiunya menyusul yahhh
Ada beberapa eh banyak halaman yang kacau balau jd rada2 males buat bikin repiu sambil bolak balik halaman.
Sekedar saja ya.....
Kisahnya dimulai dari tiga orang anak Jerry, Jimmy dan Cathy yang menjelajah sebuah kastel.
Layaknya anak-anak, mereka menghayal sedang menemukan sebuah kastel sihir lengkap dengan putri tidurnya.
Tak disangka, di dalam kastel mereka menemukan seorang anak perempuan yang tertidur layakny...more
Another eBook from Project Gutenberg.
Three siblings, blessedly free for the summer from parents or even adult supervision aside from the benign oversight of an easily manipulated French governess, discover an enchanted castle complete with a sleeping princess (or is she?) and a magic ring. Like all magical objects, especially those of the wish-granting sort, it seems bent on perverting their intents and doing its best to get its wearers into heaps of trouble. But they manage to get themselves o...more
Three siblings, blessedly free for the summer from parents or even adult supervision aside from the benign oversight of an easily manipulated French governess, discover an enchanted castle complete with a sleeping princess (or is she?) and a magic ring. Like all magical objects, especially those of the wish-granting sort, it seems bent on perverting their intents and doing its best to get its wearers into heaps of trouble. But they manage to get themselves o...more
When three children discover a castle, a sleeping princess, and a magic ring over their summer holiday, what they find are magics false and true and tricky, beginning them on a rambling journey of enchanted adventure. The Enchanted Castle is a book of fluff and whimsy, but it's not without heart. Much of the plot is the near-episodic doing and undoing of mischievous magicstales of "be careful what you wish for," but never quite in the way either characters or audience expect. Characterization i...more
Once upon a time, there were three bored but imaginative little children left all alone in a boarding school with one nosy maid and an agreeable French governess for the holidays. Having securely wrapped the governess around their collective little fingers, they secure her permission to go into the woods one afternoon. In the woods, they find a castle garden, and in the garden they find a sleeping princess dressed all in pink silk with a magic ring on her finger.
Well. All right. So she's the hou...more
Well. All right. So she's the hou...more
As a general rule I do not like fantasy but I had heard that this book was similar to but better than Harry Potter and I do like HP. For me, this book was okay, at best. I think what made HP so much better than other fantasy books I have read is that Rowling made me care about the characters and created a world that I could truly imagine and be interested in. This book just read like a chronology of events about people I knew nothing and cared nothing about. It also seemed very disjointed...a li...more
Jul 29, 2012
Kasey Jane
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult,
fantasy
I guess the first thing to note is that the version I read -- the free public domain version in the Kindle Store on Amazon -- is screwy. The spacing and punctuation is often incorrect. So avoid that version if possible.
In all, this was a cute kids' story about an enchanted ring which allows the children who find it to have wild adventures. It was entertaining and wrapped up nicely. It may have broken the mold of children's stories for the time (I don't know), but now it seems like pretty standar...more
In all, this was a cute kids' story about an enchanted ring which allows the children who find it to have wild adventures. It was entertaining and wrapped up nicely. It may have broken the mold of children's stories for the time (I don't know), but now it seems like pretty standar...more
What I love about Nesbit is her focus on the children in her stories. This is my second book by her, the first being Five Children and It. There are loads of similarities between the two. The children are pretty much without supervision. The adults who do appear in the stories are simple and easily controlled.Sometimes the kids tell them the truth and aren't believed, other times the kids stress the true parts of their adventures, leaving out the bits that might concern the mostly inattentive ch...more
Umm well, what to say but that Finally I'm finished with this book! First let me clarify that the Kindle ebook I downloaded only had 115 pgs and not 291 as stated on this version: of which I am glad I didnt have to read longer.
Anyway, to make long story short: three siblings who are on a 2 week holiday from school go exploring & find a girl sleeping on a bench in the garden of this castle the come across. Upon the girl waking, by one of the boys kissing her on the cheek, they believe she's a...more
Anyway, to make long story short: three siblings who are on a 2 week holiday from school go exploring & find a girl sleeping on a bench in the garden of this castle the come across. Upon the girl waking, by one of the boys kissing her on the cheek, they believe she's a...more
Dec 08, 2011
Speakercoret
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Harun, Momo
Shelves:
hadiah,
indonesian
.....
Be careful what you wish for, my friend
You might find what you fear
Listen to the whispers in your ear
......
-Yngwie Malmsteen-
Seharusnya itu yang dilakukan Jerry, Jimmy, Cathy, dan Mabel...
Hati-hati saat mengucapkan harapanmu, apalagi jika ada cincin ajaib di jarimu.
Liburan Jerry, Jimmy dan Cathy berubah menjadi petualangan penuh sihir setelah mereka bertemu putri tidur dalam labirin sebuah kastil dan Jimmy mencium pipinya dalam usaha membangunkan putri tersebut.. sebuah kisah lain tentang S...more
Be careful what you wish for, my friend
You might find what you fear
Listen to the whispers in your ear
......
-Yngwie Malmsteen-
Seharusnya itu yang dilakukan Jerry, Jimmy, Cathy, dan Mabel...
Hati-hati saat mengucapkan harapanmu, apalagi jika ada cincin ajaib di jarimu.
Liburan Jerry, Jimmy dan Cathy berubah menjadi petualangan penuh sihir setelah mereka bertemu putri tidur dalam labirin sebuah kastil dan Jimmy mencium pipinya dalam usaha membangunkan putri tersebut.. sebuah kisah lain tentang S...more
Apr 15, 2008
Julie
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
E. Nesbit fans
I read this book years ago and the only thing I really remembered about it was the children finding a princess in the center of a hedge maze, who turned out to be the housekeeper's daughter. (That's basically chapter 1.) I liked E. Nesbit's writing style, but the children in the book were rather selfish at times. The book is okay, but it didn't make me want to go on a big E. Nesbit kick or anything.
My thoughts:
I’ve always wanted to read this book, but never got around to it, really. When saw that they had this ebook for a free download from Girlebooks, with cover, I downloaded and decided to read it.
Story starts with three siblings, Gerald, Jimmy and Kathleen are spending their summer holiday in a West of England private school near the fictional town or village at Liddlesby. The story takes the siblings and Mable to number of different adventures with the magic ring. It’s an episodic ty...more
I’ve always wanted to read this book, but never got around to it, really. When saw that they had this ebook for a free download from Girlebooks, with cover, I downloaded and decided to read it.
Story starts with three siblings, Gerald, Jimmy and Kathleen are spending their summer holiday in a West of England private school near the fictional town or village at Liddlesby. The story takes the siblings and Mable to number of different adventures with the magic ring. It’s an episodic ty...more
Dedicated to Margaret Ostler, with a poem by the author.
The illustrations in this edition are very good quality, and contribute to the story significantly. Further, some of the text involves hints to the illustrator.
The four children in this book (one of whom lives at the Enchanted Castle) learn that they have to come up with complicated explanations that adults WILL accept, as opposed to the truth, which adults will find literally incredible.
The children, by the way, narrate their own lives as...more
The illustrations in this edition are very good quality, and contribute to the story significantly. Further, some of the text involves hints to the illustrator.
The four children in this book (one of whom lives at the Enchanted Castle) learn that they have to come up with complicated explanations that adults WILL accept, as opposed to the truth, which adults will find literally incredible.
The children, by the way, narrate their own lives as...more
This book is published in 1907 and it shows. The language and the adventures the children have, maybe that's why I couldn't enjoy it as much. You see, I am today's product.
Much as I (wish I can) love classic book, it always a struggle to read.
Gerald, James and Kathleen had to stay in Kathleen's dorm during school holiday. During their wandering into the woods they found an enchanted castle and a fairytale princess, the sleeping beauty.
It turns out that the sleeping beauty is Mabel, the housek...more
Much as I (wish I can) love classic book, it always a struggle to read.
Gerald, James and Kathleen had to stay in Kathleen's dorm during school holiday. During their wandering into the woods they found an enchanted castle and a fairytale princess, the sleeping beauty.
It turns out that the sleeping beauty is Mabel, the housek...more
An interesting period piece--a British children's book written in 1907 that also seems to target an adult audience, particularly through the dry wit of the adult narrator who has the gift of remembering how normal and natural an eight year old's vantage is when you are eight, and how commonsensical it can be, too.
The respect for common sense here is nicely balanced with a respect for magic, and for the possibilities that are there for all of us willing to have an open mind. Three siblings--Geral...more
The respect for common sense here is nicely balanced with a respect for magic, and for the possibilities that are there for all of us willing to have an open mind. Three siblings--Geral...more
Nesbit is one of the most amazing children’s authors I’ve ever come across. It’s hard for people today to appreciate her for what she is, considering the deluge of children’s works available today. It’s sad that very rarely do you even hear of people knowing who she is. But Nesbit truly was the first to begin writing modern stories for children that weren’t simply a few sentences long – but were complex, imaginative, and sometimes scary. She wrote like an adult speaking to children, in a way tha...more
Jul 27, 2010
Molly Westerman
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone, including but not limited to children and fantasy-lovers
This book is just delightful. Nesbit doesn't create perfect little darlings, though her child characters are certainly likable and engaging--it's just that they seem to be actual people. They get hungry and irritable, and have moments of sweeping exhilaration, and want to be kinder and braver and better-organized and all that than they manage to be most of the time. The adult narrator of The Enchanted Castle has a low-lying dry wit that I enjoy; this voice seems to ally itself with the children...more
I absolutely adored the first third of this book, and found it utterly delightful. I loved the children Nesbit had crafted, and they all felt so real. I love the way in which each was given a distinctive characteristic which made he or she stand out from his siblings and friends - Gerald, for example, spoke as though he was narrating a novel, and Mabel was a self-confessed dreamer, with wonderful thoughts dancing around inside her. The rest of the book didn't quite live up to the first third for...more
In the story, The Enchanted Castle, lot's of unusual events were happening. Kathy, Jim, and George with brothers and sisters who wanted to go on an adventure. They wanted to see and do things that fit into their idea of fun. They were wanted to stroll around the forest and see something magical appear. Suddenly, they saw a very deep big hole in the ground. They thought it would lead somewhere and they saw a little light in there. They went in and saw a huge castle. Since they're kids their mind...more
I had a notion to read a children's book for a change. There is a simplicity and directness in a well-written book for children that can be most refreshing. I have always loved children's fantasy books but this is the first I have read by Edith Nesbit. It was delightful and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
With regard to style, the version I read had no chapters - which was a little inconvenient at times; the punctuation was often suspect; and occasionally the grammar did not seem to make sense. The stor...more
With regard to style, the version I read had no chapters - which was a little inconvenient at times; the punctuation was often suspect; and occasionally the grammar did not seem to make sense. The stor...more
What a charming story. I don't know how I missed this book as a child but I would recommend it to kids and adults alike who enjoy fantasy and adventure tales. Children might find the old fashioned narrative a bit difficult at first but the story is so enthralling and moves quickly enough that they will enjoy it even if they don't understand all of the references. It's just the sort of fantasy every child wants to have, going out looking for adventure and finding it in the guise of an enchanted c...more
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Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English author and poet whose children's works were published under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a precursor to the modern Labour Par...more
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“Gerald's look assured her that he and the others would be as near angels as children could be without ceasing to be human.”
—
4 people liked it
“There are a thousand spears in my back,' said a little sharp voice, 'and they are all devoted to the Princess and to her alone.”
—
4 people liked it
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