East
by Edith Pattou
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 910)
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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For a re-telling this was very good. In many ways, other than just expanding on the original, this version seemed to try to add some realism to the tale. Fortunately it wasn't realism at the cost of magic. There was still plenty of magic. Don't look for anything staggeringly innovative here and the writing isn't perfect, but this is very readable.
The novel delineated an ordinary world from a magical world by making Rose's home life somewhat more mundane as well as keeping from her many of th...more
The novel delineated an ordinary world from a magical world by making Rose's home life somewhat more mundane as well as keeping from her many of th...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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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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Has a copy to sell/swap
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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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Really enjoyed this book! The book is told from many points of view which I believe the author pulled off very well. It enriched the story without getting confusing.
A quote I enjoyed:
"...I thought wistfully of how magic lets you skip over the steps of things. That is what makes it so appealing.
But, I thought, the steps of things are where life is truly found, in doing the day-to-day tasks. Caught up in the world of enchantment as I had been at the castle, it had been the routi...more
A quote I enjoyed:
"...I thought wistfully of how magic lets you skip over the steps of things. That is what makes it so appealing.
But, I thought, the steps of things are where life is truly found, in doing the day-to-day tasks. Caught up in the world of enchantment as I had been at the castle, it had been the routi...more
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Is it possible to love a book too much?
I fell in love with EAST when it was first published back in 2003. I have read it several times and never bore of this wonderful epic tale.
I urged (begged) both of my daughters to read it. Like most children, they bulked. Then, on a trip home from college my youngest daughter pulled it from the shelves and, like me, she fell in love.
The other day, my older daughter, looking for something to read, decided to give East a go. (Probably because of he...more
I fell in love with EAST when it was first published back in 2003. I have read it several times and never bore of this wonderful epic tale.
I urged (begged) both of my daughters to read it. Like most children, they bulked. Then, on a trip home from college my youngest daughter pulled it from the shelves and, like me, she fell in love.
The other day, my older daughter, looking for something to read, decided to give East a go. (Probably because of he...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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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! :)
Update: After reading Jessic...more
Update: After reading Jessic...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 July, 2008
recommended to GoldenjoyBazyll by:
Jenrecommends it for: Betsy
Superstition is a funny thing.... to some it is a hokey notion...to others it is nothing but how things work. Nose itchy-someone is thinking about you.... say rabbit first before any other words upon waking in the morning on the first day of each month you are assured a lucky month. Yes- I am a superstitious person. How do we know that it is not so for sure. East is an interesting story about how superstition can work. Do little boys end up being transformed into great white bears??? Are th...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 May, 2008
recommended to Kim by:
Leslie
Thank you to Leslie for my birthday present - I finally got around to reading it! I loved it. Such a fun fantasy - with girl power and a neat setting. The end left a tiny something to be desired (it just wrapped up so quickly, I needed a Lizzie and Darcy forehead nuzzle or a Corlath taking Harry's ankle before she slid down off of Tsornin moment...or something), but I loved being caught up in the time and place of this book. And Rose is AWESOME. What a great heroine. Loved how the story unfo...more
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1 comments
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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It's been a while since I read this, but of what I remember it was a good book. The beginning really hooks you, and when she goes with the bear back to the castle you can't help but wondering what's gonna happen. Then the action really picks up when she breaks the one un-said rule. From there it kinda falls flat. You get the action and then it slides back down hill to normal, and your left hanging. Then it finally resolves. I had issues with the ending but overall it was still a good read....more
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I lent this to a friend of mine once. She loved it so much, she actually went straight to Amazon and bought her own copy. It's absolutley beautifully written, and I really like the changing veiwpoints (although that did confuse me at first). The compass motif is intriguing, and the characters and their surroundings are firmly grounded in reality without losing touch with the magic I found in this book. Rose is a strong character with a great story to tell, and I love it absolutley.
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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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