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Freneqer Paje, à peine dix-sept ans, a déjà vécu dans plein de pays. La seule constante est la main de fer de son père qui l’éduque avec une sévérité qui confine parfois à la cruauté. Un jour, en se promenant en famille au souk, la jeune fille ose : elle exige de ramener chez elle un chat en piteux état. Avec cette rébellion en apparence anodine, Freneqer avance d’un pas sur le chemin de l’indépendance, sachant que chaque tentative pour s’émanciper de l’autorité de son père, sera punie. Si un combat s’engage alors entre père et fille, Freneqer se bat aussi contre elle-même : comment vouloir la liberté quand on est habituée à obéir et à être surveillée chaque minute de sa vie ? Car être libre, c’est précisément ce que lui propose Sangris, le chat qu’elle a sauvé et qui s’est transformé en jeune homme aux ailes magiques. Pas de famille, pas d’attachement, pas de règles, lui dit-il à chaque fois qu’il l’emmène sur son dos découvrir des lieux du monde qu’ils choisissent ensemble. Mais Freneqer est-elle prête à s’émanciper à ce point ?
331 pages, Paperback
First published July 19, 2012
11 people are currently reading
2256 people want to read
About the author
Rinsai Rossetti
1 book80 followersMy first day on earth was spent in a huge tropical storm which cut the power lines and brought century-old trees crashing down.
After that auspicious start, I spent many years sitting in an Emirati desert staring at the moon. My first book is The Girl With Borrowed Wings.
After that auspicious start, I spent many years sitting in an Emirati desert staring at the moon. My first book is The Girl With Borrowed Wings.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
September 30, 2012
My review can also be found on my blog Collections.
Before I started The Girl With Borrowed Wings, my sole reason for wanting to read it was the cover. It easily lured me in, and I couldn't stop thinking about what kind of story could be inside a book with such a vibrant and gorgeous cover. Reading the summary made my curiosity grow even more. There are tons of books out there with amazing covers but with stories that don't live up to their covers' greatness. I had a good feeling about The Girl With Borrowed Wings though, and while it took some time for me to fall in love completely, it ended up being much more satisfying than I expected.
I wasn't prepared for this story at all. It really surprised me. The first couple of chapters were interesting, but I admit I wasn't exactly wow-ed. I remembered thinking, 'Where is this all going?' I came in with some expectations and was nervous when none were met right away. All I had to do was wait and be patient, though, because this story eventually crept up on me. I remember the exact moment when I suddenly realized I was in love with this book. It was an amazing feeling! However, at the same time, the moment I realized how much I cared was a moment during the book that had my heart breaking into pieces. It was very bittersweet.
In the beginning, it almost sounded like the main character Frenenqer was a wingless angel and that her father was God. I started believing that was the case because of the cover. This book actually wasn't about angels, but in a way, the father and God comparison was true. Frenenqer was an isolated and lonely girl who wanted to be free and her father was a controlling bastard with twisted ideas. I desperately wanted her father to be thrown over a cliff into crocodile-infested water. I wanted Frenenqer to take Sangris (who will I get to in a bit) up on his offer to rip her father to shreds. I don't think I've ever hated a character as much as I hated Frenenqer's father. In his goal to create the perfect daughter, he came off as an emotionless, out-of-touch prick. I won't say more because you'll have to see for yourself. Besides, it's time to focus on better things, like what made this book for me: Frenenqer and Sangris.
Frenenqer was a complicated character. It's almost hard to describe her. Although she acted docile around her father to please him, she wasn't timid and spineless in the least. She desired freedom above all else. The thing was, if she truly had the chance to be free, would she actually take it? And because of the way her parents treated her, she lacked certain emotions. Or she believed she wasn't capable of certain emotions. Like love. It made her seem like she was uncaring of others, but deep down she knew she cared. It made her a really frustrating person at times. There were some moments where I wanted to shake some sense into her because I believed she was being completely unfair. But I understood why she acted the way she did. And there were some moments where I wanted to hug and comfort her. So, it all balanced out, and I grew to really admire her character.
Her relationship with Sangris was the highlight of the novel for me. It was the reason why I fell in love with this book. Sangris is a Free person. Free people are capable of shape-shifting and traveling to any world they want. Although Free people tend to keep to themselves, Sangris wasn't afraid or uncomfortable to let Frenenqer in. He was an open book with her and couldn't help hanging around. He was fascinated and curious, even though Nenner (his nickname for her) was cold to him a lot of the time. After he started taking her to exotic cities and worlds so that she could experience freedom, it was clear that he had feelings for her. And that underneath all that sarcasm and mischievousness Sangris was really sweet and loved deeply. He was capable of all the feelings Frenenqer lacked, and he helped her see what she was missing. It was strange that, although their personalities and views were different, they still were able to understand each other in a way that no one else did. It was a special bond. I wish I could go on and on about them, especially Sangris, but just know that they were perfect together and their interactions with each other were my favorite parts of the novel.
As I got closer and closer to the end of The Girl With Borrowed Wings, I was not only scared of what would happen but also sad that it was almost over. I didn't want it to end. Thankfully the ending didn't destroy my heart like I feared, and I could see just how much Frenenqer had changed. It was wonderful to read. The Girl With Borrowed Wings was just the type of story that I needed to read. While I can't say everyone will fall in love with this book the way I did, I thought the story ended in a way that everyone could appreciate. It brought a huge smile to my face and got me close to tears. It was a story that resulted in pure happiness and love, and one that I can't recommend enough.
July 18, 2012
2.5
I find myself, for the first time ever perhaps, struggling to properly organize my reaction to a book. So I am going to jump right in and hope that you follow me.
The first aspect of this novel that bothered me is the title. The Girl with Borrowed Wings. Maybe it just me being too picky and finicky but I feel that there’s a “the” missing there; the absence of which makes the title sound awkward and feel uncomfortably incorrect. It is probably me. I am no grammar queen.
The novel itself is a hotchpotch of contradictions and conflicts. Frenenqer is not an easy character to like or empathize with. In fact, I am of the opinion that I dislike her somewhat intensely but more on that later. The novel starts with a profound assertion of the main character’s existence being a result of a thought. Hm. I immediately thought (with no little delight) “She’s a Tulpa!” No, she’s not. This is just Fernie’s way of being all melodramatic. Her father who is a tyrant throughout the novel simply decided he would have a daughter. Really, maybe it’s just me but the strict rules that Fernie announces with utmost gravity that she lives under does not seem to be as big of a deal as she makes it out to be. She is not beaten. I mean, it is sucky that her father seems to want to rule her to the last strand of hair on her head but he doesn’t hit her, he doesn’t lock her into her room and he doesn’t put bars outside her window which would have been a good idea to portray her father’s tyranny. I have friends whose parents are more paranoid and perhaps just as controlling as Fernie’s dad is shown to be. Now you are going to counter that physical beating isn’t the only way to abuse a child and of course I know that. I do. But there have to be consequences for rebellious behavior in abusive parent/child relationships and here, apart from a stern face and disappointed sighs, there aren’t any. So if Fernie doesn’t love her parents as she asserts, why do the sighs and faces make any difference to her?
Another thing that bothered me about this novel was the gradual cohesion of an ideal beauty. In this case, it would be what Fernie looks like. The first clue given was that Fernie couldn’t go outside without men staring at her with varying degrees of lust. She refused to go outside in fact because she couldn’t handle it. And then later with the appearance of Sangris, there was mention, once and again, of how Fernie was obviously much better in her stick thin self, with her budding breasts and long coltish legs than those plump (fat) girls with doughy hips and you know, curves, ugh. Right? And Fernie, as smart as she was purported to be, going to a multicultural school as she was, couldn’t discern for herself that people come in different shapes and there is no one standard size for beauty. To make Fernie beautiful, everyone else (the more common sort of beauty in that part of the world, I guess) becomes ugly. What I don’t understand is why more people don’t look different because according to the novel, the school is full of expat kids from all around the world.
The multiculturalism provides a nice segue for my next point. There is a point in the novel when dearest Fernie wonders why people celebrate their culture. They are having a heritage day at their school, see, and since Fernie is a global creature with no one culture to belong to, she dislikes the fact that people place importance on their own cultures. This she shows by her less than enthusiastic “representation” of Thai culture and language with emphasis being placed on how none of the items were really “Thai” and the entire thing was, in fact, an amalgamation of products from different countries etc. I wonder how a Thai reader would react to this particular portion of the novel, I really do. Because let me tell you, I was somewhat insulted that diversity, instead of being celebrated, was being knocked. She could have celebrated all of her identities, not picked any one and said she belonged to all. There were so many other ways that this could have gone but no. It didn’t.
Fernie treats her best friend like a secretary. No, seriously, she does. It is horrible. She asks her stuff like “what classes do I have today? What am I doing tomorrow?” And the best friend obliges. Oh, she addresses this and excuses herself as saying that she is pushing her best friend to see how far she can go before she breaks. And that’s all good and great but don’t expect me to like you any more than I did which wasn’t very much. Similarly, her relationship with the winged boy is strange. She is so mean and horrible to him and he keeps on returning to her. Why? I certainly do not see what is so great about her. I really don’t. There are certain limits a MC cannot cross because to do so makes her less than a main character and more a person I’d like to squash under my thumb. She goes and crosses that line. And no, I’m sorry, I do not buy the justification. A well rounded main character would see the adversity, realize it and still find beauty. Fernie loathes the desert and she lets us know it over and over and over again. There’s not one single redeeming quality about the place she lives.
The romance is contrived. The existence of the winged boy is not discussed in any depth and we do not know if the world in which Fernie exists has other creatures like him because the ease with which she accepts this guy/cat/whatever suggests there is but it is not mentioned explicitly. There are barely any other characters worth mentioning and Fernie does have flecks of a Mary Sue in her. A lot of flecks. So I have written almost a thousand words on this book and come to the conclusion that I didn’t really like it.
However, I hesitate to write it off completely because as unlikable as Frenenqer is, as unbelievable and illogical the story is, it is still something different. The monsters in this novel all exist inside and it is an internal battle that colours liberty a different shade. So I would advise you to check this out yourself and make up your own mind. You may end up liking this more than I did and well, Sangris was the one redeeming point of the novel. I wish he had fallen in love with the best friend instead.
I find myself, for the first time ever perhaps, struggling to properly organize my reaction to a book. So I am going to jump right in and hope that you follow me.
The first aspect of this novel that bothered me is the title. The Girl with Borrowed Wings. Maybe it just me being too picky and finicky but I feel that there’s a “the” missing there; the absence of which makes the title sound awkward and feel uncomfortably incorrect. It is probably me. I am no grammar queen.
The novel itself is a hotchpotch of contradictions and conflicts. Frenenqer is not an easy character to like or empathize with. In fact, I am of the opinion that I dislike her somewhat intensely but more on that later. The novel starts with a profound assertion of the main character’s existence being a result of a thought. Hm. I immediately thought (with no little delight) “She’s a Tulpa!” No, she’s not. This is just Fernie’s way of being all melodramatic. Her father who is a tyrant throughout the novel simply decided he would have a daughter. Really, maybe it’s just me but the strict rules that Fernie announces with utmost gravity that she lives under does not seem to be as big of a deal as she makes it out to be. She is not beaten. I mean, it is sucky that her father seems to want to rule her to the last strand of hair on her head but he doesn’t hit her, he doesn’t lock her into her room and he doesn’t put bars outside her window which would have been a good idea to portray her father’s tyranny. I have friends whose parents are more paranoid and perhaps just as controlling as Fernie’s dad is shown to be. Now you are going to counter that physical beating isn’t the only way to abuse a child and of course I know that. I do. But there have to be consequences for rebellious behavior in abusive parent/child relationships and here, apart from a stern face and disappointed sighs, there aren’t any. So if Fernie doesn’t love her parents as she asserts, why do the sighs and faces make any difference to her?
Another thing that bothered me about this novel was the gradual cohesion of an ideal beauty. In this case, it would be what Fernie looks like. The first clue given was that Fernie couldn’t go outside without men staring at her with varying degrees of lust. She refused to go outside in fact because she couldn’t handle it. And then later with the appearance of Sangris, there was mention, once and again, of how Fernie was obviously much better in her stick thin self, with her budding breasts and long coltish legs than those plump (fat) girls with doughy hips and you know, curves, ugh. Right? And Fernie, as smart as she was purported to be, going to a multicultural school as she was, couldn’t discern for herself that people come in different shapes and there is no one standard size for beauty. To make Fernie beautiful, everyone else (the more common sort of beauty in that part of the world, I guess) becomes ugly. What I don’t understand is why more people don’t look different because according to the novel, the school is full of expat kids from all around the world.
The multiculturalism provides a nice segue for my next point. There is a point in the novel when dearest Fernie wonders why people celebrate their culture. They are having a heritage day at their school, see, and since Fernie is a global creature with no one culture to belong to, she dislikes the fact that people place importance on their own cultures. This she shows by her less than enthusiastic “representation” of Thai culture and language with emphasis being placed on how none of the items were really “Thai” and the entire thing was, in fact, an amalgamation of products from different countries etc. I wonder how a Thai reader would react to this particular portion of the novel, I really do. Because let me tell you, I was somewhat insulted that diversity, instead of being celebrated, was being knocked. She could have celebrated all of her identities, not picked any one and said she belonged to all. There were so many other ways that this could have gone but no. It didn’t.
Fernie treats her best friend like a secretary. No, seriously, she does. It is horrible. She asks her stuff like “what classes do I have today? What am I doing tomorrow?” And the best friend obliges. Oh, she addresses this and excuses herself as saying that she is pushing her best friend to see how far she can go before she breaks. And that’s all good and great but don’t expect me to like you any more than I did which wasn’t very much. Similarly, her relationship with the winged boy is strange. She is so mean and horrible to him and he keeps on returning to her. Why? I certainly do not see what is so great about her. I really don’t. There are certain limits a MC cannot cross because to do so makes her less than a main character and more a person I’d like to squash under my thumb. She goes and crosses that line. And no, I’m sorry, I do not buy the justification. A well rounded main character would see the adversity, realize it and still find beauty. Fernie loathes the desert and she lets us know it over and over and over again. There’s not one single redeeming quality about the place she lives.
The romance is contrived. The existence of the winged boy is not discussed in any depth and we do not know if the world in which Fernie exists has other creatures like him because the ease with which she accepts this guy/cat/whatever suggests there is but it is not mentioned explicitly. There are barely any other characters worth mentioning and Fernie does have flecks of a Mary Sue in her. A lot of flecks. So I have written almost a thousand words on this book and come to the conclusion that I didn’t really like it.
However, I hesitate to write it off completely because as unlikable as Frenenqer is, as unbelievable and illogical the story is, it is still something different. The monsters in this novel all exist inside and it is an internal battle that colours liberty a different shade. So I would advise you to check this out yourself and make up your own mind. You may end up liking this more than I did and well, Sangris was the one redeeming point of the novel. I wish he had fallen in love with the best friend instead.
July 19, 2012
Right now, I feel very unaccomplished. Rinsai Rossetti is currently twenty one and wrote the first draft of THE GIRL WITH BORROWED WINGS when she was eighteen. I'm twenty three and have yet to write anything as beautiful or as wonderful as Rossetti's debut.
Frenenqer Paje lives the way her father wants her to live. He dreamed of a perfect, submissive, quiet daughter and Frenenqer will be that girl no matter her natural inclinations. He keeps her in her room except for when she goes to the local English-speaking school where she gets a low-quality education. She couldn't really go out if she wanted to, since the streets of the oasis (in an unnamed Middle Eastern country) aren't safe for a lone teen girl. Frenenqer tries to stay within the bounds, escaping only through her books and a dream that she was supposed to be born with wings and she can feel the phantom of them on her back.
Then she meets a boy without a name, a Free person, unbound by any rules. He can shapeshift and travel between worlds and he can take Frenenqer flying. Soon she names him Sangris and he calls her Nenner, a name much lighter than the one of her father's expectations. But as the two grow closer, they become quarrelsome. Frenenqer is afraid to step outside of her father's rules, as well as the rules of society, and Sangris pushes her to ignore them all. Above all else, Sangris is free, and he fears the limits of Nenner's affections.
It's girl-meet-boy filtered through the fantastical lens of magical realism and told in Rossetti's gorgeous, poetic prose. But in addition to the romance, it's Frenenqer's discovery of herself.
"I'm young!" I shouted at him in exhilaration.
"What?"
"I'm young!"
His gaze flickered over me. From my free-flying hair -- I became very aware of it as soon as he looked at it; I felt it lifting off the base of my neck where the spine is tender, and streaming out behind me in tendrils -- to the tightness of my stomach -- I realized for the first time that I had a narrow waist and hips rather than the straight lines of my childhood; when had that happened? -- and down to the legs. At that point he pulled his gaze back up to my face. "Yeah," he said. "Didn't you know?"
-p. 63-4, ARC
I liked that Frenenqer's dialogue, as well as that of her long-suffering friend Anju, are in a modern vernacular unlike the narration. It emphasizes her youth and that she's not truly a prim lady, even before Sangris (and Anju) force her to stop denying her dreams for herself. It complements the narration rather than clashing with it.
THE GIRL WITH BORROWED WINGS is one epic romance. One moment the atmosphere is cramped and stifling; next, there's a lush description of Nenner and Sangris's travels. There's sophisticated storytelling and a heroine who is just seventeen and well aware of own immaturity. It's the struggle between control and chaos. Do not miss Rossetti's debut. THE GIRL WITH BORROWED WINGS is a story of startling power and beauty.
Frenenqer Paje lives the way her father wants her to live. He dreamed of a perfect, submissive, quiet daughter and Frenenqer will be that girl no matter her natural inclinations. He keeps her in her room except for when she goes to the local English-speaking school where she gets a low-quality education. She couldn't really go out if she wanted to, since the streets of the oasis (in an unnamed Middle Eastern country) aren't safe for a lone teen girl. Frenenqer tries to stay within the bounds, escaping only through her books and a dream that she was supposed to be born with wings and she can feel the phantom of them on her back.
Then she meets a boy without a name, a Free person, unbound by any rules. He can shapeshift and travel between worlds and he can take Frenenqer flying. Soon she names him Sangris and he calls her Nenner, a name much lighter than the one of her father's expectations. But as the two grow closer, they become quarrelsome. Frenenqer is afraid to step outside of her father's rules, as well as the rules of society, and Sangris pushes her to ignore them all. Above all else, Sangris is free, and he fears the limits of Nenner's affections.
It's girl-meet-boy filtered through the fantastical lens of magical realism and told in Rossetti's gorgeous, poetic prose. But in addition to the romance, it's Frenenqer's discovery of herself.
"I'm young!" I shouted at him in exhilaration.
"What?"
"I'm young!"
His gaze flickered over me. From my free-flying hair -- I became very aware of it as soon as he looked at it; I felt it lifting off the base of my neck where the spine is tender, and streaming out behind me in tendrils -- to the tightness of my stomach -- I realized for the first time that I had a narrow waist and hips rather than the straight lines of my childhood; when had that happened? -- and down to the legs. At that point he pulled his gaze back up to my face. "Yeah," he said. "Didn't you know?"
-p. 63-4, ARC
I liked that Frenenqer's dialogue, as well as that of her long-suffering friend Anju, are in a modern vernacular unlike the narration. It emphasizes her youth and that she's not truly a prim lady, even before Sangris (and Anju) force her to stop denying her dreams for herself. It complements the narration rather than clashing with it.
THE GIRL WITH BORROWED WINGS is one epic romance. One moment the atmosphere is cramped and stifling; next, there's a lush description of Nenner and Sangris's travels. There's sophisticated storytelling and a heroine who is just seventeen and well aware of own immaturity. It's the struggle between control and chaos. Do not miss Rossetti's debut. THE GIRL WITH BORROWED WINGS is a story of startling power and beauty.
July 26, 2013
This book had EVERYTHING going against it....
Stupid names (Frenequer and Sangris)---CHECK
Deep eccentric bookworm protag---CHECK
"Insert Supernatural Dude Here"---CHECK
I was just WAITING for some cheesy dialog and whiny insta-love....the horrible mixture that makes so many paranormal YA Romances so violently unreadable to ruin it...but no. This story was different and surprisingly refreshing!
First reason I like this book; the focus isnt on the relationship between girl and supernatural boy. It is about freedom.
Frenequer's name translates to 'restraint' because as she puts it, she wasnt born, her father "thought" her up. In a way, the man truly believes he did. Her father pushes upon her all these expectations and demands--literally trying to warp her very disposition into the ideal daughter. He even writes a list of "rules" she is supposed to study that will make her into the perfect, meek and submissive woman. (I wanted to strangle this man for his ghastly misogynistic views) This psychological torture leaves Frenequer in constant fear of messing up whether its closing the door too loudly or spilling a droplet of milk on the kitchen table. This is a legitimate form of abuse.
She is not allowed to think for herself. She is not allowed to leave the house (without permission as she is an expat in the Arabian desert) and she is taught to believe that love and affection are disgusting. Frenequer becomes so afraid of disappointing her father, and so utterly deprived of independence that she later fears she does not even own herself...
In fact it comes as a complete shock to her when Frenequer defies her father's orders and rescues a dying cat from the animal souk.
This kitty of course turns out to be a shapeshifting boy and her first taste of freedom.
Which leads us to the SECOND reason I enjoyed this book.
The dialogue isnt stupid. The characters in this story talk and act like teenagers. There was no haunting voice of a long-dead Shakespearean character awkwardly spewing out poetry like so many YA novels. In this story, despite the fantastical aspect of traveling to different worlds on the wings of a magical "Free Person" I could almost believe the banter between the two characters. It was as if they realized how absurd their friendship was and they sarcastically went along with it just for the ride.
And their friendship was believable! At first Frenequer didnt know what to make of this naked boy climbing out her window but she certainly didnt instantaneously fall in love with him! She said--and I quote--"I think I should scream now..." And he in turn responded with a perfectly rational fear of being exposed. Their later run-ins could be attributed to their overall curiosity towards each other. Frenequer, a caged yet completely unattached girl could genuinely relate to Sangris (as she named him) the nameless, family-less rule-less Free Person who was caged in his own sense because he was completely and utterly alone.
As they came to understand they were almost one and the same.
I honestly laughed at their conversations. It was sweet to watch the great and powerful Sangris slowly fall in love with Frenequer and even more comical to see Nenner's (Sangris' nickname for Frenequer) halfhearted attempts to deter him from confessing his love for her. (She sent him on a mission to retrieve falafel from Puerto Rico just to stall the conversation)
Which leads the the THIRD reason I enjoyed this story.
For ONCE there was finally a character who was genuinely unable to love. She was not suppressing feelings for Sangris, nor was she in denial that he loved her. Frenequer was simply incapable of loving someone because she didnt know how. This leaves her feeling ashamed of his kisses and afraid of his advances. The nudging finger of her puritan-like father was still digging at her make-believe wings. Love was shameful, disgusting and irrational. Frenequer tried everything to ignore Sangris' affections and deter him with insults and borderline cruelty but he was determined to hand over his heart. But as he later realized, she couldnt give him herself because she wasnt her own to give.
It takes a YEAR to finally work up the nerve to face her father and understand that he was not omnipotent. She had to do that to finally see that she was her own person.
Thankfully a certain shapeshifter was harassing her comically robotic school-friend for news about her the entire time they were apart. That being said, the story has a happy ending.
I just really REALLY liked this story. I might even buy it after reading it at the library; it was that wonderful. It was funny, insightful and worth reading a second time. (And third, and fourth, and maybe fifth and sixth like Frenequer as I too live in the desert--in California but a desert no less!)
My faith in books with 16 year old protagonists has been restored!
Thank you Ms. Rinsai Rossetti, I'll be keeping an eye out for other books under your name! :)
Stupid names (Frenequer and Sangris)---CHECK
Deep eccentric bookworm protag---CHECK
"Insert Supernatural Dude Here"---CHECK
I was just WAITING for some cheesy dialog and whiny insta-love....the horrible mixture that makes so many paranormal YA Romances so violently unreadable to ruin it...but no. This story was different and surprisingly refreshing!
First reason I like this book; the focus isnt on the relationship between girl and supernatural boy. It is about freedom.
Frenequer's name translates to 'restraint' because as she puts it, she wasnt born, her father "thought" her up. In a way, the man truly believes he did. Her father pushes upon her all these expectations and demands--literally trying to warp her very disposition into the ideal daughter. He even writes a list of "rules" she is supposed to study that will make her into the perfect, meek and submissive woman. (I wanted to strangle this man for his ghastly misogynistic views) This psychological torture leaves Frenequer in constant fear of messing up whether its closing the door too loudly or spilling a droplet of milk on the kitchen table. This is a legitimate form of abuse.
She is not allowed to think for herself. She is not allowed to leave the house (without permission as she is an expat in the Arabian desert) and she is taught to believe that love and affection are disgusting. Frenequer becomes so afraid of disappointing her father, and so utterly deprived of independence that she later fears she does not even own herself...
In fact it comes as a complete shock to her when Frenequer defies her father's orders and rescues a dying cat from the animal souk.
This kitty of course turns out to be a shapeshifting boy and her first taste of freedom.
Which leads us to the SECOND reason I enjoyed this book.
The dialogue isnt stupid. The characters in this story talk and act like teenagers. There was no haunting voice of a long-dead Shakespearean character awkwardly spewing out poetry like so many YA novels. In this story, despite the fantastical aspect of traveling to different worlds on the wings of a magical "Free Person" I could almost believe the banter between the two characters. It was as if they realized how absurd their friendship was and they sarcastically went along with it just for the ride.
And their friendship was believable! At first Frenequer didnt know what to make of this naked boy climbing out her window but she certainly didnt instantaneously fall in love with him! She said--and I quote--"I think I should scream now..." And he in turn responded with a perfectly rational fear of being exposed. Their later run-ins could be attributed to their overall curiosity towards each other. Frenequer, a caged yet completely unattached girl could genuinely relate to Sangris (as she named him) the nameless, family-less rule-less Free Person who was caged in his own sense because he was completely and utterly alone.
As they came to understand they were almost one and the same.
I honestly laughed at their conversations. It was sweet to watch the great and powerful Sangris slowly fall in love with Frenequer and even more comical to see Nenner's (Sangris' nickname for Frenequer) halfhearted attempts to deter him from confessing his love for her. (She sent him on a mission to retrieve falafel from Puerto Rico just to stall the conversation)
Which leads the the THIRD reason I enjoyed this story.
For ONCE there was finally a character who was genuinely unable to love. She was not suppressing feelings for Sangris, nor was she in denial that he loved her. Frenequer was simply incapable of loving someone because she didnt know how. This leaves her feeling ashamed of his kisses and afraid of his advances. The nudging finger of her puritan-like father was still digging at her make-believe wings. Love was shameful, disgusting and irrational. Frenequer tried everything to ignore Sangris' affections and deter him with insults and borderline cruelty but he was determined to hand over his heart. But as he later realized, she couldnt give him herself because she wasnt her own to give.
It takes a YEAR to finally work up the nerve to face her father and understand that he was not omnipotent. She had to do that to finally see that she was her own person.
Thankfully a certain shapeshifter was harassing her comically robotic school-friend for news about her the entire time they were apart. That being said, the story has a happy ending.
I just really REALLY liked this story. I might even buy it after reading it at the library; it was that wonderful. It was funny, insightful and worth reading a second time. (And third, and fourth, and maybe fifth and sixth like Frenequer as I too live in the desert--in California but a desert no less!)
My faith in books with 16 year old protagonists has been restored!
Thank you Ms. Rinsai Rossetti, I'll be keeping an eye out for other books under your name! :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2013
I could not put this book down and ended up finishing it in only 3 hours.
Frenenqer (I understand it is pronounced Fren-in-qar (like car but with a q) but I may be wrong) was created in her father’s thoughts unlike other children. Her father one day wanted a daughter, a perfect, ideal, submissive, daughter who would bring beauty into the world. In order to create this ideal daughter there were rules, strict rules. No slamming doors, no reading too much, milk should not drip from the spoon, silence, do not slouched, no romantic ideas.
And then one day Frenenqer discovers a world unlike her own. No rules to abide by, free to fly, run, yell, get dirty and she discovers this all through a boy who lives in a completely different world.
This review contains a few spoilers.
Should I write about the good or the bad first? Hmmm... Let us go with the bad and get the very few things out the way.
I’m not completely sure if it was Rossetti’s idea to leave the father detached from the story, even though he was the main cause of grief in Frenenqer’s life, or if it was on purpose to give us, the readers, a sense on how he appeared even to his daughter. There was no real insight to how he became his strict self, how he became.... well... an asshole really. I would have loved to read a little bit more about him before he wanted to have the ‘ideal daughter’. The same goes with the mother, and while the story doesn’t centre on either of them I believe that there was so much that could have been said.
How I would react if my father tried to take my books away.
One other thing was the whole .
Now, I don’t consider myself ignorant of the Middle Eastern culture, well at least on the main points, but I’m pretty sure that even showing the soles of your feet is considered rude. So that fact that Sangris practically begs to just threw me off for a little bit.
Now for the good!
This book is beautiful. I’m not even talking about the cover, or well that is amazing as well, but the story itself is just filled to the brim with all sorts. We have a teenage girl who is controlled by her strict, domineering, father and a mother who seems to just exist. And along comes a boy who shows her the world.
In the end this book is simply about learning to love when all you’ve ever been told is that love is wrong.
How I imagine Frenenqer standing in front of the mirror in the last few pages summoning up the courage to go and see Sangris.
Frenenqer (I understand it is pronounced Fren-in-qar (like car but with a q) but I may be wrong) was created in her father’s thoughts unlike other children. Her father one day wanted a daughter, a perfect, ideal, submissive, daughter who would bring beauty into the world. In order to create this ideal daughter there were rules, strict rules. No slamming doors, no reading too much, milk should not drip from the spoon, silence, do not slouched, no romantic ideas.
And then one day Frenenqer discovers a world unlike her own. No rules to abide by, free to fly, run, yell, get dirty and she discovers this all through a boy who lives in a completely different world.
This review contains a few spoilers.
Should I write about the good or the bad first? Hmmm... Let us go with the bad and get the very few things out the way.
I’m not completely sure if it was Rossetti’s idea to leave the father detached from the story, even though he was the main cause of grief in Frenenqer’s life, or if it was on purpose to give us, the readers, a sense on how he appeared even to his daughter. There was no real insight to how he became his strict self, how he became.... well... an asshole really. I would have loved to read a little bit more about him before he wanted to have the ‘ideal daughter’. The same goes with the mother, and while the story doesn’t centre on either of them I believe that there was so much that could have been said.
How I would react if my father tried to take my books away.
One other thing was the whole .
Now, I don’t consider myself ignorant of the Middle Eastern culture, well at least on the main points, but I’m pretty sure that even showing the soles of your feet is considered rude. So that fact that Sangris practically begs to just threw me off for a little bit.
Now for the good!
This book is beautiful. I’m not even talking about the cover, or well that is amazing as well, but the story itself is just filled to the brim with all sorts. We have a teenage girl who is controlled by her strict, domineering, father and a mother who seems to just exist. And along comes a boy who shows her the world.
In the end this book is simply about learning to love when all you’ve ever been told is that love is wrong.
How I imagine Frenenqer standing in front of the mirror in the last few pages summoning up the courage to go and see Sangris.
August 26, 2012
I've just finished reading "The Girl with Borrowed Wings"---isn't that a lovely title?---by Rinsai Rossetti.
How to describe this? It's a rather odd story, no doubt about it. At once we're plunged into a description of this terribly restricted life in a small middle-eastern town, bound and dominated by the harsh desert. But when the heroine rescues an unusual cat trapped in a cage and dying of the heat at a crowded animal bazaar, then the magic begins. Because it turns out this is no cat at all---Sangris can take many forms, though one of his most common is as a impossibly wild and beautiful winged young man. And together they begin a journey down a sometimes difficult road to friendship---and something more?
I confess that I wasn't particularly taken with the heroine. She was so repressed and cowed, so emotionally and socially stunted and inhibited, that I really did lose patience with her. Okay, I know her difficulties in relating to others was kind of the POINT of the entire story, and a quite natural result of her extremely restricted (and frankly emotionally abusive) home life. (Her father really is awful, and the mother isn't much better.) So---I did feel for her, but at the same time I just wanted to say "Snap out of it!" (Yes, not very helpful I know.)
However, the enigmatic Sangris helped make up for a certain lack of interest in the female lead. Many aspects of his past and the world he comes from really did remain a mystery right through the end. I found myself wanting to know much more about him, though I can't say the ending (with its lack of full disclosure) was disappointing at all. To the contrary, it was quite satisfying.
The book is beautifully written, but to be honest I can't quite guess how other people will react to it. But as for me---yep, in the end I did like it and will recommend it.
I had to think about the cover image a bit---at first I thought they could have come up with something more imaginative for the dust jacket, given the content of the story---something much richer. But on the other hand, I do like the symbolism---and there's a mysterious bit of the image on the back that doesn't show up in this scan.
How to describe this? It's a rather odd story, no doubt about it. At once we're plunged into a description of this terribly restricted life in a small middle-eastern town, bound and dominated by the harsh desert. But when the heroine rescues an unusual cat trapped in a cage and dying of the heat at a crowded animal bazaar, then the magic begins. Because it turns out this is no cat at all---Sangris can take many forms, though one of his most common is as a impossibly wild and beautiful winged young man. And together they begin a journey down a sometimes difficult road to friendship---and something more?
I confess that I wasn't particularly taken with the heroine. She was so repressed and cowed, so emotionally and socially stunted and inhibited, that I really did lose patience with her. Okay, I know her difficulties in relating to others was kind of the POINT of the entire story, and a quite natural result of her extremely restricted (and frankly emotionally abusive) home life. (Her father really is awful, and the mother isn't much better.) So---I did feel for her, but at the same time I just wanted to say "Snap out of it!" (Yes, not very helpful I know.)
However, the enigmatic Sangris helped make up for a certain lack of interest in the female lead. Many aspects of his past and the world he comes from really did remain a mystery right through the end. I found myself wanting to know much more about him, though I can't say the ending (with its lack of full disclosure) was disappointing at all. To the contrary, it was quite satisfying.
The book is beautifully written, but to be honest I can't quite guess how other people will react to it. But as for me---yep, in the end I did like it and will recommend it.
I had to think about the cover image a bit---at first I thought they could have come up with something more imaginative for the dust jacket, given the content of the story---something much richer. But on the other hand, I do like the symbolism---and there's a mysterious bit of the image on the back that doesn't show up in this scan.
March 29, 2016
I absolutely adored this book. The romance was just so HNNNNGHHH. I LOVED THEM TOGETHER. Their romance scenes were just so *sigh* adorable. Her character development was very well written out. I am so thankful for her best friend for giving her that "push" she needed. Loved the plot. It was so fresh and original. I re-read a lot of the cute romantic scenes. Hehe. So adorable. She even named him. :) *sighhhhh*
February 14, 2023
meowmoew
January 15, 2019
Personal response
*Spoiler alert*
At first, I thought this book was kind of boring, but then it started to get pretty interesting the more I read. The main character is a very strong person because of how she put up with her awful father every day amazed me honestly. This book had many ups and downs that were really exciting and intense.
Plot summary
In the beginning, the main character, Frenenqer Paje, explains how she came to be. She lives in a desert place called the oasis, where her father controls her every move. Frenenqer goes to this shop with her parents where people were selling animals and all kinds of goods. In one of the cat cages, Frenenqer notices that the cat is sick and almost dying, so she tells the shopkeeper and he throws the cat out. She goes and picks him up and takes him with her. Her father is totally against it, but she stands up to him and gets to keep the cat. Well, that night it turns out the cat was actually a free person in the shape of a cat. She makes friends with him and he takes her flying with him at night to all different country’s. In her home, there is no love so Frenenqer feels like she can’t love anyone. Sangris, the free person, tells her he loves her and she rejects him. He doesn’t come back and it turns out he’s been talking to her best friend Anji. Frenenqer stands up to her father and she tells him she loves him. She goes back to Anji's place and when Sangris comes she greets him. She tells him she loves him and they make up.
Recommendations
I recommend this book to people who have a hard time finding good books. I wouldn’t recommend this book to someone who likes horror and dark books. I also think someone who likes happy endings would like this book because it has a pretty good ending.
*Spoiler alert*
At first, I thought this book was kind of boring, but then it started to get pretty interesting the more I read. The main character is a very strong person because of how she put up with her awful father every day amazed me honestly. This book had many ups and downs that were really exciting and intense.
Plot summary
In the beginning, the main character, Frenenqer Paje, explains how she came to be. She lives in a desert place called the oasis, where her father controls her every move. Frenenqer goes to this shop with her parents where people were selling animals and all kinds of goods. In one of the cat cages, Frenenqer notices that the cat is sick and almost dying, so she tells the shopkeeper and he throws the cat out. She goes and picks him up and takes him with her. Her father is totally against it, but she stands up to him and gets to keep the cat. Well, that night it turns out the cat was actually a free person in the shape of a cat. She makes friends with him and he takes her flying with him at night to all different country’s. In her home, there is no love so Frenenqer feels like she can’t love anyone. Sangris, the free person, tells her he loves her and she rejects him. He doesn’t come back and it turns out he’s been talking to her best friend Anji. Frenenqer stands up to her father and she tells him she loves him. She goes back to Anji's place and when Sangris comes she greets him. She tells him she loves him and they make up.
Recommendations
I recommend this book to people who have a hard time finding good books. I wouldn’t recommend this book to someone who likes horror and dark books. I also think someone who likes happy endings would like this book because it has a pretty good ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2013
I had already checked other person's reviews before starting the book, and I saw rave reviews, and some mediocre. I must say I'm not disappointed and I found it to be a great book. It ended on a happy note, so that may have upset some who love tragedy. While the romance in the book did get a bit melodramatic at some points, I din't find it largely overdone; in fact, it appealed to my inner romantic female.
I loved Rinsai Rossetti's writing style. She has the gift of lovely, flowery, descriptive language, that not all writers possess, with quotable lines like,
"He. Does there have to be a he? It seems weak and unoriginal doesn't it, for stories told by girls to always have a he?"
and
"The hard thin body of my childhood was just beginning to miraculously soften like the cracked ground of wadi when rain falls."
Her description, as I mentioned, also initially drew me in,
"Pale sky, white land; like somewhere past the end of the world"
All in all, a good read.
July 29, 2012
Couldn't finish
December 27, 2023
I felt like there was a really interesting premise here — in terms of the fantasy/wings aspect, but also the household/family dynamic, the school, the side friend characters, etc. — but everything is kept so abstract and poetic it never fully feels explored. I didn't really feel the romance either; maybe because the main lead just never felt intriguing enough to have someone worship her like that. I'm even more unsatisfied with the way the family arc went and am altogether not that sure what the message was there.
Overall, I think the fantasy element here is so interesting, and I wish the characters were intertwined with it more — it would've added so much to their characters and the plot.
Overall, I think the fantasy element here is so interesting, and I wish the characters were intertwined with it more — it would've added so much to their characters and the plot.
April 13, 2024
this held up
May 11, 2024
This book is sad and you can feel all the feelings that she has and in the end I’m proud that she has found love
October 27, 2012
I've read quite a few good books this year, including one or two that aren't part of series, or are debut novels. But I think this may be the best one yet. The story is simple, but it's one of those times when "simple" makes the story that much more powerful.
Frenequer Paje belongs nowhere, can claim no nationality or birthright. From the beginning she has been her father's creature, bowed down under the weight of his impossible expectations and trapped in a cycle of suffocation within her own small home in the middle of the desert. Sometimes she swears she can feel wings struggling to break free, but so long as she is smothered by her parents, freedom is only a faraway dream.
And then Frenequer, in a small fit of rebellion, rescues a dying cat from an animal market. That night, she awakes to find a lean, black-haired, yellow-eyed, winged boy climbing out her window. And suddenly freedom is within grasp, because that boy is a Free Person, a being born without walls or rules in their bodies, minds, and spirits. And he's willing to show her the world that exists outside the desert and beyond. But the walls holding Frenequer are not just the ones in her house, and the barriers erected by fear, repression, and shame will take much more than one boy's wings to surmount.
This is one of those books where I feel I can use words like 'lovely', 'lyrical', 'triumphant', and 'heartbreaking' to describe it, and it isn't flowery exaggeration. The prose is breathtaking, especially because it's written in the first person. And the first person window is used here to the fullest; you live through every sweet, painful, beautiful, conflicted thought and moment with Frenequer inside and outside her mind. When she struggles, you struggle. When she feels, you feel. You see what she sees, and that is what a truly well-done first person novel is made to do. The sensory detail is balanced perfectly with internal feeling, the showing with telling; it's just unreal. This is one of the few books I've read where all the components together make it feel almost poetic, although it's written as a novel.
And my gods, the romance. I read books like this and I wonder how I could stand to read one of those bland cookie cutter romances ever again. The relationship that forms between Frenequer and the mischievous, innocent, playful, wild boy she names Sangris is just...incredible. I would say very, very near perfection. The arc of it is rich with development, power, and honest conflict. There are no invented, forced relationship bumps here, and for once internal struggles take precedence over external forces. And every step of their road, whether it be forward, backward, or sideways, resonated through every one of my emotions. As for the "swoonworthy" side of it, please look no further. Rossetti is not trying to make this romance steamy or doe-eyed; it is far too deep and important for that. But she, as few authors have ever seemed to be able to, writes the interactions between Frenequer and Sangris as charged with something soft, fragile, fierce, intimate, and achingly human. It was just something that needs to be experienced, as I honestly think words are not adequate here.
And upon seeing how few reviews The Girl With the Borrowed Wings has and thinking of how I only discovered it through a small glowing review in a local newspaper, I realize how severely underrated it is, and I hope this review will encourage others to add this gorgeous novel to their to-read list.
Frenequer Paje belongs nowhere, can claim no nationality or birthright. From the beginning she has been her father's creature, bowed down under the weight of his impossible expectations and trapped in a cycle of suffocation within her own small home in the middle of the desert. Sometimes she swears she can feel wings struggling to break free, but so long as she is smothered by her parents, freedom is only a faraway dream.
And then Frenequer, in a small fit of rebellion, rescues a dying cat from an animal market. That night, she awakes to find a lean, black-haired, yellow-eyed, winged boy climbing out her window. And suddenly freedom is within grasp, because that boy is a Free Person, a being born without walls or rules in their bodies, minds, and spirits. And he's willing to show her the world that exists outside the desert and beyond. But the walls holding Frenequer are not just the ones in her house, and the barriers erected by fear, repression, and shame will take much more than one boy's wings to surmount.
This is one of those books where I feel I can use words like 'lovely', 'lyrical', 'triumphant', and 'heartbreaking' to describe it, and it isn't flowery exaggeration. The prose is breathtaking, especially because it's written in the first person. And the first person window is used here to the fullest; you live through every sweet, painful, beautiful, conflicted thought and moment with Frenequer inside and outside her mind. When she struggles, you struggle. When she feels, you feel. You see what she sees, and that is what a truly well-done first person novel is made to do. The sensory detail is balanced perfectly with internal feeling, the showing with telling; it's just unreal. This is one of the few books I've read where all the components together make it feel almost poetic, although it's written as a novel.
And my gods, the romance. I read books like this and I wonder how I could stand to read one of those bland cookie cutter romances ever again. The relationship that forms between Frenequer and the mischievous, innocent, playful, wild boy she names Sangris is just...incredible. I would say very, very near perfection. The arc of it is rich with development, power, and honest conflict. There are no invented, forced relationship bumps here, and for once internal struggles take precedence over external forces. And every step of their road, whether it be forward, backward, or sideways, resonated through every one of my emotions. As for the "swoonworthy" side of it, please look no further. Rossetti is not trying to make this romance steamy or doe-eyed; it is far too deep and important for that. But she, as few authors have ever seemed to be able to, writes the interactions between Frenequer and Sangris as charged with something soft, fragile, fierce, intimate, and achingly human. It was just something that needs to be experienced, as I honestly think words are not adequate here.
And upon seeing how few reviews The Girl With the Borrowed Wings has and thinking of how I only discovered it through a small glowing review in a local newspaper, I realize how severely underrated it is, and I hope this review will encourage others to add this gorgeous novel to their to-read list.
August 11, 2016
This is the kind of book I love discovering: restrained and thoughtfully crafted, yet sensuous and evocative in its characters and settings.
The problem with most debut authors is that they cram all of their ideas into one book. Rosseti avoids this problem: her book is simple in idea and (for the most part) smooth in execution. Frenenquer Paje is an isolated girl: she's controlled by her father, trapped in the desert, and of (very) mixed cultural heritage. She has nowhere to belong, and is a stiffled soul. But, she meets Sangris, a shape-shifting Free person who gives her freedom. Is she brave enough to take it?
The Girl With Borrowed Wings is an almost perfect combination of elements. The juxtaposition between captivity and freedom is beautifully represented by the settings: the smothering, oppressive desert versus the airy and ever-changing worlds Sangris shows Nenner. The writing, too is perfect: sensuous and higly metaphorical, lush and evocative, it perfectly evokes the gorgeous landscapes and emotions of the characters. The characters are also highly metaphorical, almost otherworldy: the mischevious cat-like Sangris; the rigid, omnipotent father; the quiet, almost non-present mother. It fits very well together to make one lovely and unique bildungsroman.
Some parts, however, do not work. The romance was somehow both a stronger part of the novel and the weakest link. Sometimes, it worked perfectly as a catalyst to make Frenenquer grow. In fact, many times it felt like Rossetti was subverting typical paranormal romance tropes, giving them new meanings and implications because of the context: A simple, "Am I going to end up with him or not?" is given additional meaning because it's the decision that will determine whether Frenenquer is going to stay in her loveless world or be brave and learn to love and reach towards freedom.
However, many times the romance lapsed into annoying melodrama: there's this one particularly ridiculous sequence when Sangris is trying to talk to Nenner about his feelings, but she's trying to stop him and is becoming more and more desperate, and more and more ridiculous: at one point she even claims to have the slow metabolism of a sloth and how she's about to die of starvation, and sends Sangris to get her some falafel. It was simply ridiculous. But other than this, their relationship always seemed a little off and stuck a little too closely to tropes: Sangris becomes attached too easily despite a lifetime of wandering, there's a typical (and unneeded) jelousy subplot, Nenner acts much too melodramatic, etc. Nontheless, even the most annoying parts of their romance were much healthier than most you will find in YA PNR, so even some missteps are forgivable.
All in all, this is a beautiful debut, sweeping and sometimes dazzling with beauty and emotion. Despite some hiccups, it was well worth reading, and I can't wait to see what Rossetti comes up with next!
The problem with most debut authors is that they cram all of their ideas into one book. Rosseti avoids this problem: her book is simple in idea and (for the most part) smooth in execution. Frenenquer Paje is an isolated girl: she's controlled by her father, trapped in the desert, and of (very) mixed cultural heritage. She has nowhere to belong, and is a stiffled soul. But, she meets Sangris, a shape-shifting Free person who gives her freedom. Is she brave enough to take it?
The Girl With Borrowed Wings is an almost perfect combination of elements. The juxtaposition between captivity and freedom is beautifully represented by the settings: the smothering, oppressive desert versus the airy and ever-changing worlds Sangris shows Nenner. The writing, too is perfect: sensuous and higly metaphorical, lush and evocative, it perfectly evokes the gorgeous landscapes and emotions of the characters. The characters are also highly metaphorical, almost otherworldy: the mischevious cat-like Sangris; the rigid, omnipotent father; the quiet, almost non-present mother. It fits very well together to make one lovely and unique bildungsroman.
Some parts, however, do not work. The romance was somehow both a stronger part of the novel and the weakest link. Sometimes, it worked perfectly as a catalyst to make Frenenquer grow. In fact, many times it felt like Rossetti was subverting typical paranormal romance tropes, giving them new meanings and implications because of the context: A simple, "Am I going to end up with him or not?" is given additional meaning because it's the decision that will determine whether Frenenquer is going to stay in her loveless world or be brave and learn to love and reach towards freedom.
However, many times the romance lapsed into annoying melodrama: there's this one particularly ridiculous sequence when Sangris is trying to talk to Nenner about his feelings, but she's trying to stop him and is becoming more and more desperate, and more and more ridiculous: at one point she even claims to have the slow metabolism of a sloth and how she's about to die of starvation, and sends Sangris to get her some falafel. It was simply ridiculous. But other than this, their relationship always seemed a little off and stuck a little too closely to tropes: Sangris becomes attached too easily despite a lifetime of wandering, there's a typical (and unneeded) jelousy subplot, Nenner acts much too melodramatic, etc. Nontheless, even the most annoying parts of their romance were much healthier than most you will find in YA PNR, so even some missteps are forgivable.
All in all, this is a beautiful debut, sweeping and sometimes dazzling with beauty and emotion. Despite some hiccups, it was well worth reading, and I can't wait to see what Rossetti comes up with next!
January 9, 2013
If you are a reader who enjoys books that are heart- touching, gut wrenching, that leaves you wanting more at the end, this would be the perfect book for you.
It all started when Frenenqer Paje's father sat down one day and dreamed her up. You see, she wasn't born from her mother's womb, but in the brain of her father (Rossetti 1). That's how Frenenqer's crazy, restricted life came to be.
Her father is like God, or so she thought because no one was allowed to stand up to him, not even his wife. He has her whole life planned ahead of her and won't let her do anything. He even set up laws for her to follow. Frenenqer thinks that her father doesn't love her one bit. She knows she doesn't love him either because of the way treats her and her mom.
Ever since Frenenqer went to the Souk with her father and saved a dying cat stuffed in a cage, her life has never been the same (21). When she brought the cat home, he suddenly turned himself into a human. He was a FREE PERSON. That means a shape shifter with no rules, no attachments, and no family. That sounds like the good life to Frenenqer because her life is so restricted that she can't make plans with her friends unless she has permission from her father(78).
However, Sangris owes her a huge favor for saving him at the Souk market. He asks her to fly with him because she's never been allowed to go anywhere else besides stay in the terrible desert. She rejects him at first but ends up going with him because she can't live with the fact that she passed up an amazing, once in a life time chance. So he flies her to the places she lived before coming to the the dry, waterless desert. He also flies her to his past places he lived. These two learn about each other's past and realize there isn't much difference between a Free Person and Frenenqer because they both lack at least one thing. Sangris wants a family and belong somewhre where as Nenner wants no rules and be able to fly anywhere she wants.
As they spend more time together, Nenner doesn't know if she has feelings for him or if she is just "borrowing his wings" to go places. She needs to figure it out, but has a hard time loving someone because her father and mother had scarred her once. In the Paje family, no one is allowed to show affection and love.
These two go on a thrilling,fun- filled adventure that no Free Person and "a bound person" has ever gone on. However, if Frenenqer wants to keep living her double- life, as her father's idea of her and be free, she needs to be courageous and confront her isolation, her father, and break all the rules that would get her into a lot of trouble.
I honestly just fell in love with this book after a few couple pages because this book was unique in it's own way. It takes place in the Middle East and it's a book you would call "exotic" in a way because it's just different from most book you would read.
It all started when Frenenqer Paje's father sat down one day and dreamed her up. You see, she wasn't born from her mother's womb, but in the brain of her father (Rossetti 1). That's how Frenenqer's crazy, restricted life came to be.
Her father is like God, or so she thought because no one was allowed to stand up to him, not even his wife. He has her whole life planned ahead of her and won't let her do anything. He even set up laws for her to follow. Frenenqer thinks that her father doesn't love her one bit. She knows she doesn't love him either because of the way treats her and her mom.
Ever since Frenenqer went to the Souk with her father and saved a dying cat stuffed in a cage, her life has never been the same (21). When she brought the cat home, he suddenly turned himself into a human. He was a FREE PERSON. That means a shape shifter with no rules, no attachments, and no family. That sounds like the good life to Frenenqer because her life is so restricted that she can't make plans with her friends unless she has permission from her father(78).
However, Sangris owes her a huge favor for saving him at the Souk market. He asks her to fly with him because she's never been allowed to go anywhere else besides stay in the terrible desert. She rejects him at first but ends up going with him because she can't live with the fact that she passed up an amazing, once in a life time chance. So he flies her to the places she lived before coming to the the dry, waterless desert. He also flies her to his past places he lived. These two learn about each other's past and realize there isn't much difference between a Free Person and Frenenqer because they both lack at least one thing. Sangris wants a family and belong somewhre where as Nenner wants no rules and be able to fly anywhere she wants.
As they spend more time together, Nenner doesn't know if she has feelings for him or if she is just "borrowing his wings" to go places. She needs to figure it out, but has a hard time loving someone because her father and mother had scarred her once. In the Paje family, no one is allowed to show affection and love.
These two go on a thrilling,fun- filled adventure that no Free Person and "a bound person" has ever gone on. However, if Frenenqer wants to keep living her double- life, as her father's idea of her and be free, she needs to be courageous and confront her isolation, her father, and break all the rules that would get her into a lot of trouble.
I honestly just fell in love with this book after a few couple pages because this book was unique in it's own way. It takes place in the Middle East and it's a book you would call "exotic" in a way because it's just different from most book you would read.
February 10, 2025
J’aime beaucoup trop ce livre. Je l’ai pris il y a des années totalement par hasard à la médiathèque parce que je voulais découvrir quelque chose de nouveau, je n’ai pas été déçue.
🪽
Tout d’abord Nener. Je suis vraiment très peu patiente, alors quand je vois le perso principal subir autant sa condition de femme (et surtout ici de fille), j’ai envie de le secouer par les épaules. En bref, Nener m’a beaucoup frustrée. Mais c’est d’un réalisme agaçant, on ressent tellement toutes les barrières que lui impose son éducation qu’on ne veut qu’une chose, c’est qu’elle s’émancipe, mais évidemment elle est bloquée, endoctrinée, et durant tout le livre elle va subir ce contrôle de la part de son père, et avancer vers la liberté tout petits pas par tout petits pas.
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Si elle s’autorise peu à peu à profiter de la liberté qui lui est offerte, c’est évidemment en grande partie grâce à Sangris, mais surtout, grâce à elle. Vers la fin du livre, il y a toute une partie que je n’aime pas (parce que trop frustrante, et que je ne détaillerai pas pour ne pas spoiler) mais qui est encore une fois très logique et cohérente, durant laquelle elle trouve enfin les clés pour se libérer, seule. C’est beaucoup plus qu’une histoire d’amour face aux contraintes : c’est une histoire sur l’espoir et le fait de prendre le contrôle de sa vie.
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Le mot de la fin est évidemment pour Sangris. Au moment où j’ai lu L’envol, j’y ai découvert le gars le plus green-flag que je n’avais jamais lu, et si depuis j’en ai lu pas mal, il reste très bien classé. Sa déclaration (avant la partie frustrante mentionnée plus haut) est l’une des plus belles que je n’ai jamais lu. Alors oui, je ne suis pas particulièrement friande de romances, mais il faut bien des exceptions pour confirmer la règle, et celle-ci est si douce, si belle, et si emprunte de liberté qu’elle est devenue l’un de mes livres préférés, et que je la relis à chaque fois avec le sourire. (Dites-vous que c’est le seul livre que j’ai acheté via internet, Vinted exactement, parce qu’il était introuvable et il me le fallait dans ma bibliothèque, aujourd’hui il y est bien au chaud, même si pas dans le meilleur état.)
🪽
Tout d’abord Nener. Je suis vraiment très peu patiente, alors quand je vois le perso principal subir autant sa condition de femme (et surtout ici de fille), j’ai envie de le secouer par les épaules. En bref, Nener m’a beaucoup frustrée. Mais c’est d’un réalisme agaçant, on ressent tellement toutes les barrières que lui impose son éducation qu’on ne veut qu’une chose, c’est qu’elle s’émancipe, mais évidemment elle est bloquée, endoctrinée, et durant tout le livre elle va subir ce contrôle de la part de son père, et avancer vers la liberté tout petits pas par tout petits pas.
🪽
Si elle s’autorise peu à peu à profiter de la liberté qui lui est offerte, c’est évidemment en grande partie grâce à Sangris, mais surtout, grâce à elle. Vers la fin du livre, il y a toute une partie que je n’aime pas (parce que trop frustrante, et que je ne détaillerai pas pour ne pas spoiler) mais qui est encore une fois très logique et cohérente, durant laquelle elle trouve enfin les clés pour se libérer, seule. C’est beaucoup plus qu’une histoire d’amour face aux contraintes : c’est une histoire sur l’espoir et le fait de prendre le contrôle de sa vie.
🪽
Le mot de la fin est évidemment pour Sangris. Au moment où j’ai lu L’envol, j’y ai découvert le gars le plus green-flag que je n’avais jamais lu, et si depuis j’en ai lu pas mal, il reste très bien classé. Sa déclaration (avant la partie frustrante mentionnée plus haut) est l’une des plus belles que je n’ai jamais lu. Alors oui, je ne suis pas particulièrement friande de romances, mais il faut bien des exceptions pour confirmer la règle, et celle-ci est si douce, si belle, et si emprunte de liberté qu’elle est devenue l’un de mes livres préférés, et que je la relis à chaque fois avec le sourire. (Dites-vous que c’est le seul livre que j’ai acheté via internet, Vinted exactement, parce qu’il était introuvable et il me le fallait dans ma bibliothèque, aujourd’hui il y est bien au chaud, même si pas dans le meilleur état.)
July 29, 2012
Living in an oasis with her very controlling father and her detached mother, seventeen-year-old Frenenquer Paje watches her life growing ever more restricted by the day. Because of the notice men pay to her when she ventures outside, she hardly goes on walks anymore. Much of her free time is spent reading and rereading the stacks of books she has in her room. Her father has been molding her to fulfill his idea of perfection almost since birth, and often behaves quite cruelly toward her, at one point removing all her reading material. She and her friend Anju attend an inferior school where Anju makes sure that Frenenquer stays organized and makes it to class on time. It isn't a great life, but it is all she's ever known. One day, though, she rescues a cat from the market place during a family trip. The cat turns out to by one of the Free persons, able to shift into various forms, including human. Sangris has wings and uses them to take the teen all over the world. Readers will quickly realize that Sangris is falling in love with Frenenquer, and he may represent one way to escape the oppressive world in which she lives. But she has become skilled at turning off her emotions to protect herself from her parents, and denies her love for him.
This highly imaginative book addresses several interesting themes about identity and love and is filled with beautiful language as well as raising all sorts of questions about taking risks. While some parts of the title are confusing, and it isn't clear exactly how the two will navigate any future they might have, it left me pondering why some of us are so willing to take risks on relationships while others are not. I look forward to reading more from this talented new writer.
This highly imaginative book addresses several interesting themes about identity and love and is filled with beautiful language as well as raising all sorts of questions about taking risks. While some parts of the title are confusing, and it isn't clear exactly how the two will navigate any future they might have, it left me pondering why some of us are so willing to take risks on relationships while others are not. I look forward to reading more from this talented new writer.
July 25, 2012
This is my favorite book ever! I think it may be one of the best Young Adult books ever written. I'm so impressed by the author. I can't believe this book is only her debut. Her book has the literary skill of a master and she deals and develops her characters beautifully.
Her characters are really unique and realistic. Unlike most books that try to create overly sympathetic protagonists, Rossetti's book develops strikingly complex characters. Moreover, through Frenenquer's relationship with her father, the book embarks upon a distinctive new approach to the typical 'growing up' story. It explores issues surrounding guilt, responsibility, and personal identity in a way that is both refreshing and cathartic. Few books have such an impact on me that I analyze my own life and relationships with others but this one did. My teacher read a part of it and actually cried!
It was also one of the funnest books I've ever read as well. The plot and place are combined with magic and fantasy effortlessly. The prose is amazing! It's so simple and yet so beautiful, metaphorical, and engrossing. I couldn't put the book down. It was literally one of the best books. Everything about the book is fantastic. I can't wait for her next book. I wouldn't be surprised is Rinsai Rossetti becomes one of the greatest authors of our time.
Her characters are really unique and realistic. Unlike most books that try to create overly sympathetic protagonists, Rossetti's book develops strikingly complex characters. Moreover, through Frenenquer's relationship with her father, the book embarks upon a distinctive new approach to the typical 'growing up' story. It explores issues surrounding guilt, responsibility, and personal identity in a way that is both refreshing and cathartic. Few books have such an impact on me that I analyze my own life and relationships with others but this one did. My teacher read a part of it and actually cried!
It was also one of the funnest books I've ever read as well. The plot and place are combined with magic and fantasy effortlessly. The prose is amazing! It's so simple and yet so beautiful, metaphorical, and engrossing. I couldn't put the book down. It was literally one of the best books. Everything about the book is fantastic. I can't wait for her next book. I wouldn't be surprised is Rinsai Rossetti becomes one of the greatest authors of our time.
November 24, 2015
I can see why this would have its fans. It focuses on very simple, very basic things and is an exercise in total wish fulfillment. This girl feels trapped in her life and meets a boy who is beautiful and acts as an escape and is 100% totally into her, but (despite how into her he is) he tries really hard and almost gives her enough space. The only "drama" is whether the girl, who clearly loves him the whole book, is willing to accept that she does.
I mean, fine.
This book could have used some characters. Everyone outside the main character is not really defined well at all. The main character is defined, but just because she repeats a series of phrases that turn out not to have much meaning.
There's actually the possibility of some real thought in her. Her father is abusive, the culture she's in is restrictive in a way that the author clearly disapproves of, and perhaps her quiet best friend could have been written in a way that explains why she's so restrained. But these are just used as small steps toward the "My love for a magical boy who could never exist, but wouldn't it be dreamy if he could" plot.
I mean, fine.
This book could have used some characters. Everyone outside the main character is not really defined well at all. The main character is defined, but just because she repeats a series of phrases that turn out not to have much meaning.
There's actually the possibility of some real thought in her. Her father is abusive, the culture she's in is restrictive in a way that the author clearly disapproves of, and perhaps her quiet best friend could have been written in a way that explains why she's so restrained. But these are just used as small steps toward the "My love for a magical boy who could never exist, but wouldn't it be dreamy if he could" plot.
September 5, 2012
This book struck me as the sort of thing I would have written when I was 13 and feeling particularly emo. The ridiculously controlling and emotionally abusive father, the girl who thinks she's ugly even though she's obviously drop-dead gorgeous, and the over-the-top boyfriend who pretty much sings "I can show you the world" in between sessions of begging to be allowed to kiss her feet (no, I am not making this up)...oh, the melodrama! Not to mention the way that the main character's lifetime of emotional baggage instantly vaporizes after a single bold action on her part. I wasn't surprised to discover that the author wrote her first draft of this story when she was a teen. Her prose was actually quite good, so I have hopes that perhaps one day she may produce something I'd enjoy reading, but unfortunately, this one was pretty laughable.
(Just for the record, in spite of my melodramatic writing style at age 13, my father is wonderful, and I have never wanted to have a boy kiss my feet, literally or figuratively.)
(Just for the record, in spite of my melodramatic writing style at age 13, my father is wonderful, and I have never wanted to have a boy kiss my feet, literally or figuratively.)
May 2, 2013
Frenenquer (what a name) lives in an isolated oasis in the Middle Eastern desert, under the iron rule of her father. Her father has put her into a little box and she is not allowed to do anything remotely immodest. Then one day she rescues a cat. A talking cat. A cat who turns out to be a shape-shifting, flying "free person" - someone not even bound by the rules of staying human.
She names the boy Sangris, and despite everything she finds herself enjoying her time spent with him. He takes her to places she's only dreamed about. But is she truly her father's daughter?
This was an interesting story. The setting and culture were strange and unfamiliar and it was interesting to see how the culture of repressed women affected Frenenquer, who clearly yearned to be free of all the rules. I grew frustrated with her as she continued to be mean to Sangris, who was clearly in love with her, but happily the story ended well.
She names the boy Sangris, and despite everything she finds herself enjoying her time spent with him. He takes her to places she's only dreamed about. But is she truly her father's daughter?
This was an interesting story. The setting and culture were strange and unfamiliar and it was interesting to see how the culture of repressed women affected Frenenquer, who clearly yearned to be free of all the rules. I grew frustrated with her as she continued to be mean to Sangris, who was clearly in love with her, but happily the story ended well.
November 10, 2013
I loved this book, although at times, I despaired that I was going to hate the main character. Frenenqer Paje is completely controlled by her father, and her life is utterly dry and constrained and claustrophobic. Her only escape is in reading, and she dreams of having wings with which to fly away. She lives in the middle of a desert in the Middle East, so the setting is both physically and culturally oppressive, but really it is a perfect manifestation of Frenenqer's mental and emotional repression. Her home seems lifeless and her family loveless. She has one friend, Anju, but their relationship is hard to describe as a relationship. Then, Frenenqer, in a small moment of rebellion, rescues a caged cat, and her world expands. This is an original and surprising supernatural romance.
December 20, 2014
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
The beginning really got me going. I was hyped and gave myself a pep-talk after the first few chapters that I would forever love this writing style and the characters.
Alas, what is this?
What is that in the distance?
Lumbering towards me on two prancing, slim feet?
Is that...*squints, shields eyes from sun*...is that a romance I see?
And a clingy one too!
Okay, in the end, Sangris was a whole lot less you-love-me-just-admit-it-already, but that didn't stop that fact that during his stalker-ish, forced motives, my heart sunk when I realized this book wasn't all I wanted it to be.
Overall, it was pretty amazing and different.
The beginning really got me going. I was hyped and gave myself a pep-talk after the first few chapters that I would forever love this writing style and the characters.
Alas, what is this?
What is that in the distance?
Lumbering towards me on two prancing, slim feet?
Is that...*squints, shields eyes from sun*...is that a romance I see?
And a clingy one too!
Okay, in the end, Sangris was a whole lot less you-love-me-just-admit-it-already, but that didn't stop that fact that during his stalker-ish, forced motives, my heart sunk when I realized this book wasn't all I wanted it to be.
Overall, it was pretty amazing and different.
July 19, 2013
The Girl with Borrowed Wings drew me in and kept me riveted to the very end. It's a quiet but powerful book about relationships and taking up the power of love to become who you want to be. Set in an oasis, the novel depicts a girl's budding relationship with a shape-shifting boy and her sterile, controlling relationship with her father. The relationships contrast with and feed off each other, building to a climax that--if not unexpected--comes about in an unexpected way. Rossetti's writing wings from the page, at once lush and spare. An amazing first outing. I'm looking forward to reading her future novels.
July 2, 2013
I really wanted to like this book but I had to fight my way through it. The plot never really grabbed me and frankly I didn't like any of the characters. Why did I finish it? Because it was on a Best Of Fantasy list. I thought it would improve...it didn't. I would agree that the writing is lyrical but that was about it. Nothing really happened to make it interesting. It didn't help that it took place in a desert oasis and I'm reading it during a Texas summer!
July 29, 2012
3.5/5
really, really different. original.
bit too corny, but cute nonetheless.
how she finally seperated her strings to her father as simple and difficult as that.
[ read nafiza's review ]
really, really different. original.
bit too corny, but cute nonetheless.
how she finally seperated her strings to her father as simple and difficult as that.
[ read nafiza's review ]
February 25, 2016
This is the best book I've read in a while. Both the main characters and the story were heart wrenching and lovely. The writing was sublime. I couldn't stop reading.
April 6, 2016
Review to come.
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