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The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1)

Catherynne M. Valente

Start date: December 1, 2011

Finish date: January 1, 2012

Discussion: G-L Book Discussions Archive

Why we're reading this: Open Selection for December 2011
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What Members Thought

Dec 18, 2011 mark monday rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-modern, inbetweenworld, legendarium

growing up, i loved the Oz books (the Baum ones, at least). i read all of them multiple times - i think there are 14 or so - and have enjoyed rereading them here and there as an adult. i love how the fancifulness and frequent absurdity of Baum's creations are anchored down by prosaic reality. i love their no-nonsense child heroines (and occasional heroes) - precocious but never precious, cute but never cutesy-poo. i love the transparency of Baum's prose, the layering of meaning and metaphor, the growing up, i loved the Oz books (the Baum ones, at least). i read all of them multiple times - i think there are 14 or so - and have enjoyed rereading them here and there as an adult. i love how the fancifulness and frequent absurdity of Baum's creations are anchored down by prosaic reality. i love their no-nonsense child heroines (and occasional heroes) - precocious but never precious, cute but never cutesy-poo. i love the transparency of Baum's prose, the layering of meaning and metaphor, the use of genuine tragedy, the light touch, the wisdom of it all. so it is a happy thing and one of the highest compliments that i can imagine giving when i say that reading Girl Who Circumnavigated brought me right back to that enchanting feeling of reading a classic Oz book.

Valente is a marvel with language. i knew she could write like a mad poet after reading the amazing In the Night Garden; less expected was her ability to smooth down and simplify her lush style so that it is perfectly tailored for a children's novel. it loses no lustre in the transition. reading Valente's prose reminds me of looking through my window at a light rain falling on an otherwise bright day, the sun and water making a painting of the world, images seen through the droplets of rain rolling down glass. lovely!

the character of The Girl Who Circumnavigates is instantly familiar from any number of Oz books - her sensible and at times irritable nature, the depth of her feelings, her forthright way of navigating the places through which she wanders. she is a classic type, but never a tiresome one. her attachment to her new friends is adorable, but never corny or mawkish. i love the brave moments when she considers returning home but almost instantaneously rejects that cowardly path. and when she finally builds that Ship of Her Own Making... my gosh, that was wonderful! much internal cheering ensued.

Valente makes the adventure a pleasure from beginning to end. her use of irony is constant - and sweetly good-humored, never heavy-handed, suitable for kids but thoroughly adult as well. equally sophisticated is her use of symbol and metaphor, her smooth incorporation of various mythologies and mythological creatures, and especially her entirely original conception of the novel's arch-villain - so appalling, so tragic, so understandable. poor child!

and any children's fantasy that features the parallel saga of a brave & loyal Key, a strikingly sinister Shadow of a Little Girl about to run off on its own strange journey, a helpful & industrious Smoking Jacket, two Witches married to an elegant little male Witch/ Wair-Wolf, and most of all a genuinely touching & loveable Wyvern... well, i am that novel's true friend. ...more

76 likes · Like · see review

Dec 03, 2011 Danielle The Book Huntress rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: library-checkout, ww2, alternate-dimension-or-world, cats, favorite-or-autobuy-author, audiobook, fantasy, metafiction, faerie, all-things-autumn-challenge

Reading Catherynne M. Valente is a unique experience. Her writing is full of magic and imagination. It doesn't always make 'sense', but it feels right. The child in me who never grew up, who loves fairy tales, lands of magic, mythical creatures, and folklore, ate up this story like the most scrumptious dessert. I listened to this on audio, and at first, I wasn't sure how well it would work. There are a lot of concepts, and they don't tie together in a straightforward fashion at first glance. If Reading Catherynne M. Valente is a unique experience. Her writing is full of magic and imagination. It doesn't always make 'sense', but it feels right. The child in me who never grew up, who loves fairy tales, lands of magic, mythical creatures, and folklore, ate up this story like the most scrumptious dessert. I listened to this on audio, and at first, I wasn't sure how well it would work. There are a lot of concepts, and they don't tie together in a straightforward fashion at first glance. If other readers are like me, I'd encourage you not to give up on it if it doesn't catch you right away on first listen. Initially, I felt that Ms. Valente didn't quite feel comfortable reading her story. However, that changed, and she seemed to get into the flow of it, using different voices, timbres, and cadences for the various characters. I could feel how much she loved this story she had written, and the characters within.

This novel is one that both kids and grown-ups with a love of fantasy and make-believe tales would love. It's a story of a young girl who is very, very brave, strong-minded, determined, but with a very big heart for a kid (who are considered to be mostly heartless, according to the narrator). She goes to Fairyland on a romp, to escape the reality of a mother who works all the time and a father who was shipped off to war. Feeling alone and too different from the other kids she went to school with, she longs for adventure and a place where normal isn't the ideal. That's when she gets swept off to Fairyland and becomes a champion for this place of magic. And we are along for the journey.

At times, I got a bit confused with the narrative, because it's not exactly a linear story. Fairyland isn't a place that always makes sense, and that could make for strange listening when I was focused on driving or getting where I was going. If the reader embraces that this isn't that kind of novel, it makes for a very satisfying reading experience. Just immersing oneself in this marvelous world where anything is possible is gratifying.

This book is suitable for a young audience, but there are elements that feel pretty sophisticated, if one is older and catches the subtext. Some younger readers might not get all those references, but that's okay. I think it's fine for them to grasp an understanding of the story at their own level. There is some violence and dark subject matter, but the message of self-sacrifice, determination, friendship, and love are very good elements for kids to experience.

At one point, I thought I'd have to take off half a star because of getting lost and things slowing down a bit, but the overall beauty and power of this story requires a five star rating for me. I definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy mythopoeic/folklore-rich fantasy novels, young and older. ...more

29 likes · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2010 Sarah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fairy-tale-myth-fable, fantasy

This is an absolutely lovely fairy tale, full of whimsical beasts and clever wordplay, and also possibly clever beasts and whimsical wordplay. The protagonist is a spitfire of a little girl, making and breaking the rules of Fairyland according to her own logic. It was particularly interesting to read this on the heels of The Book of Lost Things. Both are new stories for adults familiar with the old ones (old stories, not Cthulu). Both feature youthful protagonists with parents who are being spre ...more

16 likes · Like · see review

Feb 15, 2010 Wealhtheow rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: pocmaincharacters, fantasy, mannerpunk

Valente is extraordinarily good at tales. She can play with them like a cats-cradle, so that a girl may be Peter Pan and an engineer and a tree all at once, and her adversary may be a princess and a wicked witch and several ages all at the same time. This is mostly the story of September, a little girl who travels to Fairyland and has extraordinary adventures there. Valente's language is beautifully baroque, with lots of word play, yet never loses its clarity. I loved this story, and can't wait ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Jul 06, 2012 Nicky rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

The whimsical nature of this is classically Valente; you can tell it was written by her, if you’re at all used to her style, but the style is less pronounced — it requires less concentration to be rewarding, to be enchanting. Which, given that it’s essentially a young adult book, makes sense. It’s still gorgeous, but more like cream and less like treacle.

It’s exactly as charming as the cover copy suggests. There’s a Wyvern who may or may not be the son of a library, there’s wild herds of bicycle ...more

11 likes · Like · see review

Oct 30, 2018 Nicky rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.

This is a reread for me, for the sake of pure delight, and it definitely worked to uplift me during my exam period. I know these books show up in the young adult section, sometimes even the children’s section, but I really don’t think they’re primarily meant for kids: the knowing, clever narrator is surely aimed at someone with years of experience of books, including books where people go to fairyland. Surely the references — like September being Ravished — are the ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 18, 2011 Maree rated it it was ok

I think that I kinda liked this book. It was different, and I liked it for that, and it was great at pointing out story thoughts and plot ideas and the sort of things that happen in most stories, which I enjoy. It's called hanging a lantern in visual media, where they point out something because it's a little coincidental or whatnot, and it's done a lot here as we're reminded that it is a story and not real life. I liked it for that, but that also kept me away from the story in some ways because ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 04, 2011 Ryandake rated it it was amazing

Shelves: the-good-shit

superb! absolutely superb! funny and scary and twisty and full of weird and wonderful critters, as any good fairy tale ought to be.

but even better, because it's missing the two things that drive me most insane: The Evil One and The Chosen One.

thank you, catherynne valente, for making the genre grow up in just this tiny way, without losing any of its wonder.

if you've got little girls, or know little girls, or used to be a little girl, or ditto all of the above for boys, you've really got to read ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 10, 2011 Suz rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club, fantasy, library, award-winner

This book is just wonderful. It's a fairytale. Appropriate for children (nothing horrible happens), but clearly written for adults (or at least older children with an awesomely developed vocabulary).

A little girl goes to Fairyland as one of the "Ravished." Shenanigans ensue. Fairyland is saved (as, of course, it would be - this is a fairytale after all).

Valente's prose, especially in this book, is so very delightful and satisfying. I want to kidnap children just to read this to (my dog, oddly, d ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 30, 2012 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, childrensbooks, magic

I used to check the backs of wardrobes for snowy woods, just in case.
I loved the language in this book. It was full of delicious descriptions of magical places and creatures, of beaches strewn with fairy gold, handsomely dressed witches, golems made of scraps of soap and named Lye. Who wouldn't want to be ravished off by by the Green Wind on a flying leopard to have adventures in such a place?
Our adventuress, a young girl named September, is described as being slightly heartless, and leaves fo ...more

7 likes · Like · see review