Customer Reviews

An Exchange Of Gifts

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm usually a really big fan of Annie, but lately some of her books have left me feeling cheated. I think her publisher is pushing her too hard to crank out the books too fast and she is skimping on material. Basically this was a delightful short story, but it isn't even close to being a book. With the addition of a couple of other stories, this could have been a nice book. If I were you, I would check it out from the library, but don't spend the money on this one.

I must admit that I had high expectations for this book after reading the Dragonriders and Harpers series. This was a very cute book but by no means superb. I find the price exorbitant for such a little book, and it would be much better to get it through the library system. All things told, it kept me interested for a couple of hours.

This is one of McCaffrey's shorter stories for juveniles. It is about a princess who runs away to avoid an arranged marriage with a much older man. The princess uses her knowledge of flora and fauna in order to escape and survive - but her knowledge is all gleaned from books, so it is more difficult than she believes. However, she perseveres, and she is joined by a waif of a boy who has been beaten and starved. They form a friendship that enables them to survive in the woods on their own - but without either knowing the other's past. I took this to be a story about trust, faith, and love.

Many have complained that the book is too small for the price. Or too short. Or that nothing much happens. This book is not an action adventure story. It is the story of two people who were misfits in their former environments with their former companions but learn their own real worth through the relationship that develops between the two of them. It is not too small, it is a beautiful little book, well worth the price. It is not too short, it is just the right length to tell the tale well. And many valuable things happen in your heart.

not like most of her books but this book is a good quick read without losing any of the Anne McCaffrey magic we know and love.

I think this was an enchanting and charming short story. I normally don't read short stories, but the description was quite intriguing. It a little over 90 pages so I finished it rather quickly, but I loved it nontheless. I bought the book as soon as I had put it down. I admit MeAnn and Wisp's characters could have been expanded to make them more realistic, but the setting was beautifull described and the plot was completely original. This was the first Anne McCaffrey book I ever read, although some of my other family members have read many of her Dragonrider series. This book got me interested in her as an author and her other works. I wish the story could have been longer, but it stands out as it is. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Very good book for kids - and quite pleasant for adults but If I had understood it was a kids book I might not have bought it.

The lady who taught ships to sing and dragons to fight thread turns to children's fantasy ...

This is a novella rather than a full length novel, the book only runs to 92 pages of which 84 tell the actual story. It has a beautiful cover illustration, and each page of the story is framed with an illustrative border showing drawings of scenes from the book.

"An Exchange of Gifts" is a romance set in a fantasy world not too dissimilar from our own feudal age except that many of the inhabitants have a special ability or "gift." The title refers to a phrase which has a special meaning in the local culture, which is revealed in the last paragraph of the book.

Princess Anastasia, who prefers to be called Meanne, runs away from her father's castle because her father the King intends to marry her to one Baron Estevan de Bolivarre, who she has never met. His portrait shows a handsome man, and he is supposedly a fine and generous man, but instinct tells her there is something wrong about the Baron.

Having run away to hide in a cottage in a nearby forest, making it look as though she has been murdered, Meanne finds a fellow-fugitive, a boy called Wisp, who from the stripes on his back appears to have run away from a cruel master.

Together they seek to make a living in the forest - until both their pasts come looking for them ...

A beautiful story for a child aged between about eight or twelve to read. Adults will also enjoy it but will not find it as challenging a read as most of the rest of Anne McCarreey's books. But it is beautifully told.

Pat Morrisey painted the beautiful cover of the book, and also drew a line drawing frontispiece illustration showing one of the most important scenes in the story, and the illustrated border.

Don't judge this book by the kind of story it is not meant to be. If you are looking for a full-length novel for adults, look elsewere. If you are looking looking for a delightful novella to introduce a young reader to romantic fantasy or provide half and hour's light diversion for a grown-up, this book works very well.

This was the first Anne McCaffrey book I read. It's my favorite book by her so far. The plot is absorbing and different. Meanne and Wisp both hide their pasts from each other (for good reason), and yet if they had revealed their histories things might not have turned out better after all. The language and art are intricate yet delicate. Absolutely stunning.

About the only thing I liked about the book was that it was visually pleasing. Huh, what a thing to say! It's about the size of a CD case, irregular for a book, and it has the most beautiful cover artwork... but about the book! The story wasn't up to snuff, and I'd say the same thing about any other book of the same caliber, I don't care who wrote it. The plot wasn't particularly exciting, and the romance (could it be called that?), well, it fizzled. The characters weren't very endearing (the main girl character, Meanne, seemed like such a wilted flower. I kept wishing she'd just grow some SPINE!) and although there was magic involved, it wasn't enough to keep me interested for long. I think I'll just stick with reading the Pern books; they're longer and I actually liked the characters.