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97th out of 920 books
—
5,221 voters
Goose Chase
It starts when Alexandria, a poor, plain goose girl, offers her own bread and water to a hungry old woman-who just happens to be a witch in disguise. Poof! Alexandria is suddenly heartstoppingly beautiful. Her hair rains down gold dust, and the tears she sheds turn to diamonds. Soon a prince and a king are fighting for her hand, and they've locked her in a tower to keep he...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
October 14th 2002
by Puffin
(first published March 26th 2001)
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Reviewed by Safia Abdul for TeensReadToo.com
Many would think Alexandria Aurora Fortunato to be blessed. She is not only extraordinarily beautiful, but gold pours from her hair and diamonds fall in place of her tears. However, truthfully, she has been cursed with these gifts ever since an old hag showed up at Alexandria's humble cottage and begged for a bite to eat. As a reward for Alexandria's kindness, a spell was cast--and Alexandria's life changed forever.
No longer a simple goose girl, Alexa...more
Many would think Alexandria Aurora Fortunato to be blessed. She is not only extraordinarily beautiful, but gold pours from her hair and diamonds fall in place of her tears. However, truthfully, she has been cursed with these gifts ever since an old hag showed up at Alexandria's humble cottage and begged for a bite to eat. As a reward for Alexandria's kindness, a spell was cast--and Alexandria's life changed forever.
No longer a simple goose girl, Alexa...more
This review is crossposted from my livejournal.
"And then I'll be married. Married! At fourteen, in the very flower of mine age! O, I know that many women my age are already married and mothers to boot, but it simply won't do for me." Goose Chase, page 6.
This may have been the first time I laughed out loud when reading this book. It wasn't the last.
Patrice Kindl's Goose Chase is an utter joy and delight. At least, if you like brave and clever heroines who, in spite of their cleverness, aren't per...more
"And then I'll be married. Married! At fourteen, in the very flower of mine age! O, I know that many women my age are already married and mothers to boot, but it simply won't do for me." Goose Chase, page 6.
This may have been the first time I laughed out loud when reading this book. It wasn't the last.
Patrice Kindl's Goose Chase is an utter joy and delight. At least, if you like brave and clever heroines who, in spite of their cleverness, aren't per...more
First line:
"The king killed my canary today."
What a great first line!
What a fun book to read! Full of fairy tale twists and characters.
Poor Alexandria became beautiful because of her god deed. Now the king of a neighboring kingdom seeks her hand in marriage as does the prince of her own kingdom. Her beauty helps as does the gold flakes that fall from her hair when she brushes it. Do these men really love her? Or her golden hair?
Alexandria is known as the Goose Girl because of the twelve geese...more
"The king killed my canary today."
What a great first line!
What a fun book to read! Full of fairy tale twists and characters.
Poor Alexandria became beautiful because of her god deed. Now the king of a neighboring kingdom seeks her hand in marriage as does the prince of her own kingdom. Her beauty helps as does the gold flakes that fall from her hair when she brushes it. Do these men really love her? Or her golden hair?
Alexandria is known as the Goose Girl because of the twelve geese...more
The past few times I have been at the library I have seen this on the suggested reading shelf; I liked the cover but never really stopped to look at it. Finally, I decided I would see what it was about, after reading the inside cover I decided to check it out. It is definitely meant for younger audiences, but I thought it was a fun quick read. It has a nice fairly-tale feel to it and the story was cute. I liked our heroine Alexandria, but was disappointed in Prince Edmund. At first he is portray...more
Alexandria is a goose girl with serious issues. Like being locked in a tower by the King and the Prince who think that is the way to win her hand in marriage. And then there’s the old hag, who gave Alexandria diamond tears, gold dust dandruff, and looks as beautiful as the dawn. Which, of course, have contributed to Alexandria’s current “locked-in-a-tower” status.
Fortunately our fair heroine has twelve geese. Geese with the ability to poach mattresses off of clotheslines and turn them into the f...more
Fortunately our fair heroine has twelve geese. Geese with the ability to poach mattresses off of clotheslines and turn them into the f...more
8 likes · like · see review
First of all, let me just say that I LOVED the heroine of this story. She is so smart, spunky, funny, and brave. I didn't exactly find myself relating to her (were I in her position, I basically would have just flat out died) but I did find myself wishing I could be more like her.
The setting was interesting, but not, like, the best i've ever read. I think what really made this story so good was
A. The main character
and
B. The language.
Sometimes I had to read a sentence a couple of times to...more
The setting was interesting, but not, like, the best i've ever read. I think what really made this story so good was
A. The main character
and
B. The language.
Sometimes I had to read a sentence a couple of times to...more
I first saw this book in a book sale here. Paperback edition..When I tried to read it, i felt a headache coming. The words are so cramped together that it makes it hard to read. Why oh why can't the publisher be so stingy..I put this book back..
I found this book again in the library. A hardcover edition though. And I love it. The story, the character, and the book especially the spacing (Hehe, thank you publisher for being generous with the space)
Now, I have to look for this book all over again....more
I found this book again in the library. A hardcover edition though. And I love it. The story, the character, and the book especially the spacing (Hehe, thank you publisher for being generous with the space)
Now, I have to look for this book all over again....more
A nice enough fantasy that incorporates elements from several fairytales to tell a new story. The heroine is smart and fiesty (although she does ignore those geese when they seem to be warning her to danger, a trait which I found out of character). Like a wild goose chase, this girl is on the run and falling from one predicament into the next in rapid succession. The language of the dialog is funny but often awkward, as it tries to be Olde English and is sprinkled with made-up words. It seemed t...more
Oct 08, 2012
Becky B
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fairy tale fans, Fans of humorous fantasy
I finished Goose Chase last night. I haven’t read it for almost 10 years. I remembered loving it the first time I read it and wanted to remind myself why. Now I remember. It was because of the Goose Girl herself.
Alexandria, the Goose Girl, is having a horrible year. First her mother dies, leaving her alone in the world with only twelve geese for company, and then an old hag rewards her for being kind by giving her incredible beauty, hair that produces gold dust when it is brushed, and the abilit...more
Alexandria, the Goose Girl, is having a horrible year. First her mother dies, leaving her alone in the world with only twelve geese for company, and then an old hag rewards her for being kind by giving her incredible beauty, hair that produces gold dust when it is brushed, and the abilit...more
- The characters' dialogue is in Old English, but the rest of the book isn't. The author did a really good job mixing the two while writing.
- The proverbs and verses at the beginning of each chapter are fun.
- The Ogress bit was a funny part of book. I really enjoyed it.
- I can't decided if I like the Prince or not. He is really sweet and kind, but he is also a fool.
- The book is a re-telling of The Goose Girl with a bit of Rapunzel in there. I really enjoyed the twists and plot of the book....more
- The proverbs and verses at the beginning of each chapter are fun.
- The Ogress bit was a funny part of book. I really enjoyed it.
- I can't decided if I like the Prince or not. He is really sweet and kind, but he is also a fool.
- The book is a re-telling of The Goose Girl with a bit of Rapunzel in there. I really enjoyed the twists and plot of the book....more
Jan 19, 2010
Phair
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fairy-tale-retellings,
young-adult-childrens
Right off the bat I was annoyed by some things about this book. First, the cover of the hard cover US edition shows a gaggle of runner ducks (at least I'm fairly sure they're runners) but definitely not geese...I own a flock of geese. Not geese. Next, the author tosses out the dreaded "mayhap"- the word that usually turns a book into a wall-banger for me. But I got over it. While the story was predictable I ended up enjoying the language (even with the occasional mayhap) and the tone of the boo...more
Goose Chase is set in a medieval fairy tale type of setting, and I love the secret magical identities. Summary: “Rather than marry a cruel king or a seemingly dim-witted prince, an enchanted goose girl endures imprisonment, capture by several ogresses, and other dangers before learning exactly who she is. I like very much how the story shows that something that at first may seem to be a good thing turns out to be something of a curse. (Our young heroine cries diamonds and gold dust falls out of...more
a few times a year- depending on my storage space and my financial state- i go through all my books to see if i can sell them to a used book store for a few bucks. it's sad, i know, but a girl's gotta eat, yo. (also more often than not, i end up spending those bucks on more used books before i even leave the store, SO. there is that.~)
anyway, everytime i come across this book in my collection, i hesitate to sell it. and i never have, since i first picked it up probably near a decade ago.
this bo...more
Feb 28, 2010
Rebecca
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
fairy-tale-retellings
Ever since her mother's death five years ago, Alexandria Aurora Fortunato has lived in a small cottage and tended the geese her family has always owned. Now fifteen, Alexandria would be happy enough to continue living her simple life. But everything changes on the day Alexandria is kind enough to feed a beggar, who rewards Alexandria with three gifts - to be as lovely as the dawn, to have tears that turn to diamonds, and to have gold dust fall from her hair. At first, Alexandria tries to continu...more
Okay, so I'll admit: when I started this book, I hated it. I hated the writing style, I didn't much love the premise, and there was not one character that I liked.
However, I made myself keep reading. Reading Challenge 2013, baby!
And, man! Am I happy I did!
I just LOVE, love love love, the Prince. Stupid in the way most commonly seen in 15-year old boys, but witty, too. And so sweet. And Alexandria wound up not being too bad, either. I wound up even liking her.
So, in short, if you can stand all th...more
However, I made myself keep reading. Reading Challenge 2013, baby!
And, man! Am I happy I did!
I just LOVE, love love love, the Prince. Stupid in the way most commonly seen in 15-year old boys, but witty, too. And so sweet. And Alexandria wound up not being too bad, either. I wound up even liking her.
So, in short, if you can stand all th...more
I found this on the shelf while trying to help a reluctant teen reader find something that would grab him. I was actually looking for Garth Nix, or a Dianna Wynne Jones with a male main character. But I was so excited to see a book by Patrice Kindl that I had not yet read. Turns out, I HAD read it, it was as delightful as Owl in Love and Woman in the Walls, and Labyrinth, except it was set in a fairytale country. So, I happily re-read it and was glad to be reacquainted with an old friend. And I...more
I enjoyed reading this book for the most part. I have to say it wasn't my favorite. Some of the characters really grew on me, like the prince. Throughout the book I kept trying to second guess the plot, but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. The plot overall was interesting the whole way through. The ending seemed a bit rushed; I thought it could've continued a bit longer. Some of the author's word choices in dialogue were a bit sketchy; she uses the word 'twas a lot, but not much other...more
This book was a wonderful treat in silliness. Not only was the fairy tale in and of itself enjoyable, our main characters, Alexandria and the Prince, not to mention her 12 geese, are quite a riot. Even when things are dire, the story is told with a humorous spin, and our hero and heroine are always concocting some new crazy scheme to get out of the next trouble. The way I figured it, any book that starts out "The King killed my canary" just has to be funny. And in no way did it disappoint. If yo...more
While this book was made for a far younger audience, I absolutely adored it. I related so thoroughly to the Goose Girl's tenacity and her doting nature towards her family of geese. Edmund was a delightful character and I fully suspected him to be far more than what was initially drawn up to be.
I was drawn to this book simply because geese are my favourite animals, and a goose in a crown truly made me grin in pure amusement and delight. After reading this gem my amusement and delight has tripled...more
I was drawn to this book simply because geese are my favourite animals, and a goose in a crown truly made me grin in pure amusement and delight. After reading this gem my amusement and delight has tripled...more
In a slight mash-up of fairy tales a young girl tending her geese gives the last of her food and water to an old woman. And the old woman bestows 3 gifts: beauty, tears that become diamonds, and gold flakes that fall from her hair. Which is all well and good until the prince, who's rather daft, and a neighboring king, who's evil and has already buried 2 wives, imprison her in a tower until she decides which of them to marry. Which doesn't please the goose girl, who only wants to go back home and...more
Fairytales are ridiculous. That's part of the reason why they're fun; there's that fantasy element, the wish-fulfillment.
But what if you don't get what you wish for?
A lot of times, those magical boons are never even requested. They are given to the poor souls in question by enchanted animals, disguised hags, and cursed princes, and not without ulterior motive. That's a bit like buying someone a Christmas present that you want for yourself with the expectation they'll let you use it!
Such is the c...more
But what if you don't get what you wish for?
A lot of times, those magical boons are never even requested. They are given to the poor souls in question by enchanted animals, disguised hags, and cursed princes, and not without ulterior motive. That's a bit like buying someone a Christmas present that you want for yourself with the expectation they'll let you use it!
Such is the c...more
14 year-old Alexandria Aurora Fortunato was a simple goose girl, until the day she kindheartedly helped a ragged old beggar woman, who "rewarded" her with gold dandruff in her hair and diamonds that fall from her tears. Now she finds herself locked in a tower as various unsavory princes and kings fight over her hand. (Only desiring her money, of course.) She engineers an escape with the help of her geese, who manage to fly her out of the tower. Have you ever spent time with a flock of geese? The...more
Feb 05, 2011
Ana
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Ana by:
Spoilers & Nuts, Cuiado com o Dálmata
Podem ler a opinião completa no Floresta de Livros.
I started this book with the wrong set of mind, but as soon as I understood that, all I needed todo was take this reading as lightly as it needed, and that worked.
I laughed, out-loud and internaly, several times each. It was a light read, that made me feel just happier when reading it, even despite every bad thing that happened in the story.
My favourite cjaracter was the Prince, followed suit by Alexandria, who's one of the wittiest and smartest...more
Fairytale retellings are the subject of many of my favorite books, and, having fallen in love with Shannon Hale’s The Goose Girl, I was immediately interested in Goose Chase’s similar sounding story. While the tone and style of this book is much different, it’s a good story nonetheless.
Patrice Kindl is known for writing humorous, touching stories bursting with originality. What set Goose Chase apart from any standard fairy tale retelling was the wit and humour that was sprinkled quite liberally...more
Patrice Kindl is known for writing humorous, touching stories bursting with originality. What set Goose Chase apart from any standard fairy tale retelling was the wit and humour that was sprinkled quite liberally...more
Subjects: Fairy tales, orphans, magic, geese, and kings, queens, and rulers. Author Patrice Kindl uses the two conventions of a fantasy: the quest and flux. Alexandria’s quest was to return to her former life as a poor, orphaned, goose girl. Her quest led her on a difficult and dangerous journey. Alexandria’s life was in a constant state of flux as she faced one obstacle after another: escaping from the tower, escaping from the ogresses, escaping from the dungeons, and escaping marriage to the w...more
Oct 19, 2010
Lia
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
retellings,
partial-reads
Maybe if I were ten I might have appreciated this book. This book suffers from several problems that keep it from being enjoyable by a wider audience:
1. Poor character development. The main character is abusive to her geese (physically and verbally) whenever they try to help her. She also functions on an entirely surface level. There isn't anything going on beneath the surface. The prince is even less developed. He's basically an idiot who sort of gets a clue later on, but not really.
2. Overwri...more
1. Poor character development. The main character is abusive to her geese (physically and verbally) whenever they try to help her. She also functions on an entirely surface level. There isn't anything going on beneath the surface. The prince is even less developed. He's basically an idiot who sort of gets a clue later on, but not really.
2. Overwri...more
Alexandria Aurora Fortnato has been cursed. She’s as beautiful as the dawn. Her hair sheds gold dust. She weeps diamonds. These may not seem like curses, but they resulted in her being locked in a tower for six months and forced to choose between King Claudio the Cruel and Prince Edmund of Dorloo (a bumbling fool). Before she was cursed, Alexandria was just a simple Goose Girl. She minded her own business and tended her 12 geese. Though her geese rescue her from the tower, she’s not out of dange...more
Aug 02, 2007
Kate Hastings
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Grades 5-7
Shelves:
fairytalenovels
SO GOOD!!
Oct 15, 2011
Sarah
added it
I have a funny feeling I've read this before and just can't remember it. I saw it in the library the other day--even though I felt the need to pick it up (in that oh-my-gosh-new-story kind of way), for some reason, I thought I knew how it all ended. Not that I'm dismissing this book as predictable; from what I remember, the narrative did take some unexpected twists and turns. A phrase that I think sums up my previous experience with it is: very odd pastiche; a high-spirited fairy tale-like parod...more
I'm charitably giving this book three stars because I think I would've liked it better had I been in the mood for this kind of book. I wasn't expecting it to be written in the format it was written. It was cute and everything, but kind of meh. It was very immature and implausible (obviously) but it had Olde English grammar and it got obnoxious after awhile, like the author was trying too hard to make it all Medieval and legit even though it wasn't. That's basically my only gripe. I need to move...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goose Chase | 2 | 16 | Dec 13, 2012 01:55pm |
Childhood:
I was born in Alplaus New York in 1951, the youngest of four daughters. My father is a mechanical engineer, my mother a housewife. My family is very nice – I like them all a lot. As a child I loved animals and read obsessively.
We had (still have) a family cottage on Lake George. The people who live next door are life-long friends. On summer weekdays during my childhood there were ten fem...more
More about Patrice Kindl...
I was born in Alplaus New York in 1951, the youngest of four daughters. My father is a mechanical engineer, my mother a housewife. My family is very nice – I like them all a lot. As a child I loved animals and read obsessively.
We had (still have) a family cottage on Lake George. The people who live next door are life-long friends. On summer weekdays during my childhood there were ten fem...more
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“You need not laugh; 'tis perfectly true.”
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“He was reading. I was struck dumb with amazement.”
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Apr 15, 2012 10:39am