The Goose Girl

by Shannon Hale

I have had The Goose Girl sitting on my shelf for MONTHS, but for some reason I haven't been able to pick it up. Once I did, I didn't want to put it down.

The book starts off a little slow, typical of Hale. I like that the story starts out in one place and the story evolves from there, creating history and depth as you're reading. I also appreciated the fact that there weren't hundreds of pages dedicated to narrating weeks-long journeys; apples gathered, bales of hay slept in, etc. The best part of this book was the way the protagonist, Ani, changed and gained an awareness of who she was, who she wanted to be and, ultimately, who she became. It was all very subtle and enmeshed in the story.

Hale is a very accomplished writer and the culture of Bayern flowed seamlessly. I liked the characters, although I would have enjoyed a more complete development of Geric. The antagonists were deliciously villainous and possessed intelligence, which I find more realistic than a group of dumb thugs. The jealous goose boy, Conrad, provided some wonderful, if predictable, conflict as well.

The biggest complaint that I have with The Goose Girl is the gory and morbid imagery of punished miscreants and, especially disturbing to me, was the sub-plot involving Ani's horse, Falada. It was heart wrenching, but too graphic and cruel.

This book would have a "G" rating if not for the violence. Excellent and fun read despite.