Customer Reviews

On Fortune's Wheel

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book was one of the best books I have ever read. It was full of romance, adventure, and more than one near death experience. My heart wrenched when Birle's did and I felt Orien's pain and loneliness. Although this is only the second book that I have read by Cynthia Voigt, I have already added her to my list of favorite authors. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy with a strong, ambitious, unpredictable lead character.

Beautifully written. This book can be devoured or chewed thoughtfully. I suggest first one then the other. The characters are captivating, and utterly real. Voight does some of the best characterization you'll find anywhere, not just the main characters but also the supporting characters. Even people who appear on one page of the book she draws so well you can see them clearly. This book contrasts beauty with sorrow, and explores subtlely the age-old question of why bad things happen to good people and vice versa. The analogy of Fortune's Wheel is especially appealing. The ending, however, left me drained and a little unsatisfied. I'm not sure how I would change it, but the first half of the book is by far my favorite part. Overall, one of the best books I've ever read.

When my friend first showed me this book, I read the first pageand wouldn't let her have it back untiI had finished it. That's howawesome this book is. It is about a young girl named Birle who dislikes her life at her home and one night discovers a thief stealing a boat from the inn. She follows him and they embark on a series of adventures that will keep you turning the pages, one after another! If you like romance, adventure, or just a plain good story, this book is for you.

Here is the story:girl catches theif, girl meets boy, girl in love at first sight, questions, doubts, slavery, hunger, escape, boy realizes he loves girl, become lord and lady, girl gets pregnant, girl leaves because she doubts boy's love, boy gets heartsick and...you can find out the end for yourself. Along with Orien's bellflower eyes the best part of the book is all of the meaning you get from the book and how much you think about it when you aren't even reading it. My favorite part is the end when Orien wants to meet Liss and he says, "Lady, my heart, when you smile like that, let the child sleep..." Orien and Birle are complex "human" characters that feel and love deeply. They make you cry, laugh, dream and wish that someday you see a pair of eyes like Oriens or a minx's smile like Birles. It is a deep and beautiful story and I recommend it to anyone.

On Fortunes Wheel is a stirring tale about a humble, innkeeper's daughter who finds herself longing for adventure. Birle finds herself among many different people, including slaveholders and philosophers. After living in a quiet village in a good but strict kingdom. Birle is in for a shock when she leaves her closed world. The girl stumbles upon an Earl who is running away. Their personalities were not alike, though you cherished and agreed with each of them. Lord Orien (the Earl) is courageous but scared, something that any person would admire. Birle decides to join him on his journey, and they begin their adventures together. This book tells about their struggle and misfortunes, as well as the cheerful times that they shared. I have often imagined what life would have been like in the medieval centuries and this book was a superb example. You could imagine the hardships and trials people must have gone through, such as slave traders or kings who would use their power for ill. I thought this was an incredible book with two rousing characters and an excellent setting. Cynthia Voigt really gets you interested in what is going to happen next in the story. As you read you understand what the characters are going through, and you share their same emotions. For example, when two of the character's get separated you feel their pain and suffering. It is a "silent" love story filled with adventure, and an amazing story line. Birle's journey with her Earl, "Lord Orien," is a remarkable, story of which everyone should read.

Birle is tired of living the laborous and boring life of an innkeeper's daughter. One night she attemps to stop a man from stealing one of the village's fishingboat. From there she is dragged down river where she loses her heart to the young lord. They are marooned in a rocky cove after a violent storm and are rescued by pirates who sell them into slavery. Seperated they live as slaves. They escape and return home where Orien (the lord) takes his place as earl. Birle tires and leaves. loyalty and true love wins in the end. A nice set of characters. A great string of events ties the story together nicely and provides a entertaining plot. A great story for those who like reading fantasy.

This story is told so skillfully, you forget you are reading. It's everyone's dream, to grow into an individual, richer for your experiences, yet to find a place in the world.

My teacher got me to read this book. Once I got it in my hands, I couldn't put it down till I knew how Birle and Oriel end up. It's about an innkeeper's daughter named Birle who sneaks out at night to find a shadowy figure stealing a boat. She follows him and ends up traveling with him. This book twists and turns as Birle finds true love in Oriel, a lord. If you like romance, adventure, and books that keep you turning the pages in suspence, then On Fortune's Wheel is for you!

This book is even more exiciting than Jackaroo! It tells the story of (once again) the inkeepers daughter. But when Brile finds a mysterious man trying to take one of her ships she attacks him but dosen't manage to stop him. And she is immeaditally thrown into a new life where everything has changed, and all she knows may be the only thing that will keep her alive. What's in store for the inkeepers daughter? I reccomend this book highly.

I absolutley loved this book! It's incredible. Especially the gut-wrenching sad moments.It has an ending I didn't expect. I couldn't put it down. The characters had such beautiful personalities. I really recommend this book to people who love romance and adventure.