16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Enjoyable Book, January 25, 2005
This is a retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon. To readers unfamiliar with the Norwegian fairy tale, think of "Beauty and the Beast" with an extra adventure tacked on to the end. (The main character is even named Rose.)
I'll discuss Pattou's version at the end, but the bare bones of the fairy tale goes something like this: In exchange for her family's future well being, the youngest daughter offers to live with a bear in a distant castle, whom she suspects to be a prince under a spell. On a visit home (this is a very gentle confinement: our heroine has servants, good food, and can visit her parents if she promises to return), her mother and sisters question her easy acceptance of everything (rightly so, in my opinion) but can not convince her to stay home and forget the bear.
Here is where the story diverges from Beauty and the Beast. Finally, the girl's mother and sisters convince her that her situation is weird, to say the least. They tell her to sneak up on the bear after dark with a candle and see if, as she suspects, he really does turn into a man at night. Our heroine agrees with predictable results: the bear's human form is very nice but she spills wax on his shirt and wakes him up.
The bear's response is one of the things I've never understood about the fairy tale. Shortly put, "You've ruined everything, now I have to marry a troll and it's all your fault! Bye." When pressed for details, the bear (now in human form) explains about the spell and says if she had waited only one night more, it would have been broken. Now, of course, he has to marry the Troll Queen. He leaves wearing nothing but the night shirt with wax stain, but before he does, he mentions that the troll kingdom lies "east of the sun and west of the moon."
This is very helpful and our heroine sets out immediately to rescue the bear. She has many adventures and finally hitches rides with the west wind and his brother the north wind to get to the Troll palace. After some more adventures, she rescues the prince (with no help from him), kills the queen, and destroys the palace, but not before rescuing some travelers waiting to be eaten. They return home (somehow), The prince formerly known as the bear marries her, and they live happily ever after.
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What makes Pattou's version interesting:
Pattou brings the stock characters of the tale to life and creates backgrounds and motivations for everyone Rose meets, from her family to the Queen to the new patron who helps her family after she leaves with the bear. The book is narrated by several different characters in turn, making for a facinating read. The bear's chapters, for instance, are told in poems.
The best part, though, was finding out how Pattou incorporated all of the unanswered questions of the original tale in. Why did Rose and her family first agree to let her go but later wanted her to stay? Who was the prince and how could he go missing without anyone caring? Why was the Bear living all alone in his house? What did Rose do with herself there? How does Rose find the troll palace? How does she get home? How can you ride on the back of the West Wind? What kind of troll would want to marry a human? Why would a queen willing to wait a hundred years to marry a man agree to let Rose have one more shot at him when she's already won?
If you liked "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire, you'll like the Troll Queen. She hates that her hands are so rough compared to a human's skin and doesn't understand why the rules of her land say she can't marry whom she likes but must allow a human girl a chance at her prince.
My only criticism of this book is that it ends so abruptly. I understand the the book is nearly 500 pages long, but I would have liked a longer chapter about the trip home and what happens to her family.
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
'East' Will Lead You Home..., October 21, 2005
This review is from: East (Paperback)
Ebba Rose - known simply as Rose to her family and friends - was different from the day she was born. It was clear from that tell-tale day that Rose was destined for something great. However, her superstitious mother keeps the strange circumstances of Rose's birth to herself, silencing her husband - Rose's father - from ever telling a soul, in the hopes that she can keep her daughter from leaving home, and fulfilling her destiny for an adventure. But even concealing the truth cannot stop Rose's inquisitive nature. So, one evening, when an enormous white bear appears at Rose's home, asking the teenager to accompany it on a journey to a magical castle in the woods, in exchange for her sister's health, and wealth for her family, Rose accepts the invitation - much to her family's chagrin - and travels the long distance atop the bear's back, to an empty castle, where, each night, a mysterious stranger joins her each night. But when Rose discovers the stranger's identity, she realizes that her journey has only just begun, and that she is destined for even more adventure.
I was instantly attracted to EAST by its wonderful cover illustration, but when I read the back cover, the promise of adventure sealed the deal, and I purchased the book. I think it was one of the best decisions regarding literature I have ever made. EAST reminds you greatly of the story BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, though it is truly based on the fairytale EAST OF THE SUN, WEST OF THE MOON. Rose is an exciting heroine, who takes her daily life in the castle in stride; and the other characters dappled throughout the tale, from Rose's immediate family, to various evils lurking, and a few kind souls, all add to the stories pace, and keep the reader on the edge of their seat. Written in differentiating viewpoints by Rose, her father, older brother Neddy, the Troll Queen, and the White Bear, EAST is a story that will be eaten up by all who love a great fantasy novel. An epic novel that cannot be missed.
Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I actually liked it a lot..., January 9, 2005
Contrary to what most of the reviewers seem to think, I really enjoyed the book. I love the way Pattou lets us see through the Troll Queen's eyes as well, and thus, she becomes less of a villain, and more of a character you can sympathize with, while recognizing she was wrong. It was great how Pattou put little snippets of the bear-man's memories in the beginning and then we get to see how it all ties together.
A lot of people don't seem to have picked this up, but I felt this was a compilation of three fairy tales: East of the Sun and West of the Moon [which I've always wanted to read, but haven't had a chance to yet], Beauty and the Beast, but also, Psyche and Eros, the greek myth in which a young girl is whisked away to live unknowingly with the goddess of love's son, Eros, who's been smitten with her through his own arrow. The girl becomes curious and gazes upon his face one night and as the hot wax drips on the young god and wakes him, all is thrown into turmoil.
Anyhow, I liked East, and I would recommend reading the Psyche and Eros myth as well. I'm sure the link is quite obvious.
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