Customer Reviews

Juniper

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a guy (you know the drill - testosterone has me rooting for the robots in the terminator movies) with 3 young daughters and so story time for me can be it's own kind of hell, overpopulated with too many thoughtful ponies, joyous princesses and other terrors from the Id.

Juniper at least is a story that can engross a child while being satisfying to the adult reader. I never once had the urge to plunge my head through the sheetrock in the bedroom whereas when forced to read stories like the Pony Pals, that's all I can think about. The wise women in Juniper are are a bit too knowing and all seeing, the plot a bit formulaic but other than that, it's a story of growing up, persistence against adversity good and evil, courage and adventure and some things in between. Same holds through the rest of the trilogy: Wise Child and Colman though they're not written in order.

I suspect that these stories catch the mind of young girls more than boys and are aimed more at a female audience. I don't know if I would have read it by myself, but with mission to read to my daughters, it was an enjoyable journey. I could see adult women enjoying this for it's own sake. In any case the books of this trilogy are well above the average children's fare for girls or for boys. Definitely worth the price of admission.

Ninnoc finds herself caught in a web of love, friendship and magic. Her life at the palace is interupted by her having to go to her god mother's house to learn to defeat her evil aunt using her own good magic against her aunt's bad. Mainly, this is a story of love, friendship and magic, all tied into a beautifully written prequil to Monica Furlong's Wise Child. I have enjoyed reading Wise Child and Juniper over and over agiain since fourth grade, this is truely a book for all ages so i'd say forget that young adult stamp there and buy this book! It is amazing!

What would you do if you, the princess of Cornwall were tolld to live with your disgusting, peasant of a godmother in a tiny shack on the outside of town? this is what happened to Juniper. She had always known there was something special about her since the day she picked up a stick and it wiggled about like a snake. She had a great life with her cousin, Gamal,her parents, and her friends. When she moved in with Euny everything changed. She was underfed, dirty, tired, and had to sleep on the floor. And when the year was over, she found out her wicked aunt Meroot had put a curse on her country, her unborn brother is going to rule the county in her place, and Gamal has been frozen in a trance by Meroot, too.

Monica Furlong writes with so much detail, and everything is full of so much color and can be pictured in your mind. It is almost as if you're in the book, living in Euny's house, walking the long tiring journies, and learning the ways of the Doran yourself.

If you like enchanting stories about magic and the struggles between good and evil you will like this book. I did, and I couldn't stop reading until it was over. I went on the read the sequels Wise Child and Colman, and I hope you will too and like then all as much as I do.

I've always loved tales of "wise women" with knowledge of herblore, healing, and a special understanding of nature. And that is exactly what "Juniper" is about. I read it first (before "Wise Child") and enjoyed it as a stand-alone novel. However, for those who are not as interested in "wise women" and herblore I would recommend reading "Wise Child" first. "Wise Child" has more suspense and excitement and will get you interested in the character of Juniper. Otherwise you might find yourself asking, "Why should I care?"

After reading both novels, I wish that "Juniper" had gone further. "Wise Child" reveals the events between the two novels, but I still wish the author would have actually written a third novel about the intervening events, or at least extended "Juniper." Neither novel lacks--it's just that I liked them both so much I wish that there was more.

As much as I enjoyed reading "Juniper," I would be careful giving this book to younger children as there is a detailed description of mother goddess worship. The initiation of the two young girls may also be disturbing to younger readers.

I picked up 'Juniper' in my local used bookstore a few years back, in the mood for a simplistic YA fantasy. I had never heard of Furlong, nor had I read 'Wise Child'. I just thought it looked interesting.. and it was!

While in some ways this book is rather formulaic, (girl apprenticed to priestess type, has to save various people or things), in others it is extremely unique. I love the Zen feeling-- half of the time Furlong is not concerned with adventures, but rather simple, engaging illustrations of Juniper's day-to-day life. The feeling is mostly restful and peaceful, with an edge of excitement that shows through now and again. A very good read for people of all ages who are looking for a simplistic, beautifully-drawn, more-to-it-than-meets-the-eye book.

Juniper by Monica Furlong
Set in Medieval England, this book tells the story of Juniper and her quest to become a doran. Juniper, also called Ninnoc, is a princess, daughter of the king of Cornwall, and wants for nothing, until one day, when an old woman named Euny arrives. To Juniper's displeasure, this rag wearing woman turnes out to be her godmother. Euny offers her the chance to give up her life, and live with her for a year and a day to study healing, herbs and magic. Her parents agree, at first to Juniper's dismay, and she lives with Euny learning to be a doran, a person skilled in magic.
In living with Euny, Juniper faces many trials; cold, hunger and sleeping on the hard floor, which Euny claims are her teachers. But slowly she begins to learn to observe, to learn about healing herbs, to spin and weave and other such skills. Just in time, as well, for when Juniper returns to her home, a fully initiated doran, she finds things going badly for the kingdom.
Her aunt, Meroot, whom Juniper has long disliked and distrusted, in a conspiracy for her son, Gamal, Juniper's closest friend, to gain the throne, is trying to bend him to her will along with another sorcerer whom Euny has encountered before. Juniper, and Gamal's good friend Finbar must track down Gamal and cure him before the kingdom is completely in Meroot's hands. Juniper is a book full of magic, wisdom, guidance and narrated by a young, spirited and bright heroine who gradually comes to understand the ways of the dorans and her place in the world.

she really knows how to use her words and everything really came together.both juniper and wise child take you to a whole different level in reading and writeing. she makes you feel as if your really there in the book.the book is not only amazing but it really shows you that there is more to this world then we might know.it may be fiction but she doesn't write it that way.

After reading both books several times, I think Juniper is actually better then Wise Child, the first book written about these characters. Juniper is a more intresting character with a better story line. She begins her story as a Cornish princess who begins to learn the ways of the dorans through her godmother,Euny. I especially liked the parts of the books with Angherhad and Trewyn, with Juniper making her doran's cloak and at last beginning to understand more about magic. Although this is the better book, I would still recommend you read Wise Child first, as it makes it more of a surprise when characters from there come up in Juniper. But this book stands on its own.

Juniper By Monica Furlong By Sam Levine

Juniper by Monica Furlong is an adventurous book that inspires anyone who reads it. This books makes a person feel as though they cannot let go of it. Its plot grabs you and pulls you in and makes you want to finish this book as quickly as possible. This book deserves everyone's attention including mine. Juniper is the story of a pampered princess named Ninnoc. Ninnoc goes off into the outlands of her father's castle to live in a shrewd hut with her godmother because it is her destiny. There she learns helpful magic and how to become a doran. After Ninnoc completes her learning with her godmother she must go back to the castle and prevent her evil aunt from disparaging Ninnoc's cousin and taking over the castle. Juniper is a book that I recommend because shows people how they should not be afraid of things that they have not experienced and it is inspiring. For instance, Ninnoc is afraid of living with her godmother because she lives far away in the "dangerous" wilderness. Ninnoc overcomes her fear and goes to live with her godmother. In time Ninnoc adjusts to the living style and learns much with her godmother. This book also inspires people. For instance, the part in the book where Ninnoc becomes a doran. This is inspiring because it is a dramatic scene that makes you feel as though you are in the hut with Ninnoc and that that you are accomplishing what she accomplished. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for an adventurous and emotionally moving novel. This book is a great book but gender-sensitive males might not enjoy this book to the fullest. For instance in the scene where Ninnoc is asking about dorans, she asks her godmother if all dorans are girls. Her mother responds by saying "No. But there are more women to take the path. Men prefer to put their trust in weapons and fighting. They don't know it, but it makes them weaker" (43). This is a minor setback but otherwise this book is great for everyone. I, being a boy, was a little but I still managed to enjoy Juniper. This book is definitely worth reading!

The prequel to Wise Child, Juniper is the story of Ninnoc, know as Juniper, a medieval princess sent to apprentice under her godmother. Juniper leaves her friends, family, and the comforts of her father's small palace to live with Euny, her grandmother, in a small cold shack on the edge of the kingdom. Under Euny's care she toils throughout the day, eats little, and sleeps poorly, all with the promise that, in time, Euny will teach her the knowledge and ways of a doran, the women of the world who live alongside the rhythms of nature and use their skills and magic to help others. While Juniper spends a year and a day at Euny's shack, her father's castle comes under attack by her aunt, and evil sorceress who wants the kingdom for herself. Juniper's first task as a doran will be to use her powers and what Euny has taught her to defeat her aunt and save her father's kingdom. While I prefer Wise Child, Juniper is also an engrossing, worthwhile read. Many of the same themes are present, especially the concept that nothing worthwhile comes without a price. Juniper's story is darker than Wise Child's: Euny is a tough task master and Juniper's aunt is a more immediate and threatening foe. In exchange, the elements of magic are larger and more visible. While perhaps not as enjoyable or as skillfully crafted as Wise Child, Juniper provides interesting backstory and continues to examine the path of a doran--how they learn, what their purpose is, and what trails they must face. I recommend this text, especially as a prequel to Wise Child.

Despite the similar storyline, Juniper is very different from its sequel, Wise Child. Both stories are about young women who live with a doran, working hard and suffering in order to learn from her and train to be dorans themselves. However, Juniper deviates from Wise Child's focus on the nature of love and family: unlike Wise Child, Juniper comes from a stable and loving home. Rather, Juniper's story is about assessing one's own skills and finding one's own path, even if that path takes you far away from the comfort and desires of your youth. This theme of self-discovery is worthwhile and interesting to readers of all age groups: it's instructive and comforting to the young, and reminds older readers that the sacrifice and reward of self-discovery is never really over.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Wise Child and Juniper is the role of magic in the books. In Juniper, magic plays a much more visible role and doesn't fit into the world as we know it quite as well as it does in Wise Child. Talking animals, transforming sorcerers, and magical items all transform the visibility and role of magic. While not as extreme as it could be (there are no dragons here), magic is more obvious and harder to explain in this book. As a result, the story is a little more distant and harder to identify with than Wise Child, making for a less sucessful book. Juniper's story is more exciting, with a more physical and exciting climax, but on the whole it isn't as successful or as enjoyable as Wise Child.

Nonetheless, Furlong writes in a clear, readable style, her characters are realistic and easy to identify with, an the lessons contained within the book are worthwhile and personal. It is a fitting companion to Wise Child and contains many of the concepts and themes that make that book so wonderful. As a prequel, this book successfully provides backstory and characterization that should interest anyone that has read Wise Child. I do recommend this text, primarily but not only as a sequel, and I like to come back to it every couple of years.