Customer Reviews

The Princess and Curdie (Twelve-Point)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Most sequels stink. A lot. George MacDonald, the first fantasy master, managed to buck that trend with the sequel to "The Princess and the Goblin," with "The Princess and Curdie." If anything, this book is even better than the first -- a bit more mature, a little bit darker, but with the same haunting prose and likeable characters.

In the time since the defeat of the goblins, Curdie has gone back to his life as a miner. Unfortunately he also begins to stray from the pure actions he showed in the first book, pushing aside thoughts of Princess Irene's grandmother and trying to convince himself that the more supernatural events of "Goblin" were just imagination. Until he needlessly wounds a pigeon with his bow and arrow, and takes it to the stately, mysterious Grandmother.

As Curdie regains his innocence and his faith, the Lady sends him on a quest, with a weird doglike creature called Lina who was once a human. She also (by having him stick his hands into burning roses) makes his hands able to feel a person's soul when he touches them, if a person is "growing into a beast" on the inside. Now Curdie and Lina set off for the capital, where Irene's father is physically ill, and falling prey to the scheming of his sinister officials.

If the first book was Irene's, then this book is undeniably Curdie's. The focus is on him almost constantly through the book, and it's his internal struggles that we are fascinated by. Every person (well, most of them, anyway) eventually loses their childlike faith and innocence, as Curdie has begun to do at the beginning. He's naturally a more skeptical person than Irene, and so time begins to fade whatever he thought he saw; also, being "one of the guys" in the mine requires a seemingly more mature attitude. But with the loss of innocence also goes some of the faith and internal beauty, and so MacDonald brings Curdie back to the gentle, trusting kid he was in the first book.

The Lady (also known as Irene's great-great-great-grandmother, Lady of the Silver Moon, and Mother Wotherwop -- don't ask about the last one) is also a more prominent figure. She's still both maternal and supernaturally distant, very warm while also seeming to know everything. Precisely who and what she is remains a mystery, but we see more of her subtle, awe-inspiring powers here.

The writing is, as the first book was, immensely dreamy and haunting. MacDonald let rip with the surreally beautiful descriptions of the Lady's room and appearances, and of scenes like Curdie sticking his hands into the rose petals. Like in "Princess and the Goblin," the plot takes awhile to get moving, but it's so well-written that you probably won't notice.

"The Princess and Curdie" is currently harder to find than the first book, which strikes me as a little odd. (Especially since this duology is just screaming to be compiled in one book) But anyone who enjoyed the first book, or even just enjoys a gorgeously-written fantasy, will definitely want to get this sequel.

The Princess and the Goblin and this book, The Princess and Curdie, together make up a single story that is among the most moving and insightful tales ever penned for children, or rather for the child-like.

In the first book, Curdie is an almost perfect young boy, fearless and valiant, and though only twelve he is instrumental in saving the kingdom from a goblin plot. In The Princess and Curdie, though, he sets out becoming more and more ordinary, until by good fortune he comes face to face with the mysterious old woman rumored to live in the nearby tower (the Princess already knows her quite well!). The old woman prepares Curdie for a quest she is sending him on. How? By having him plunge his hands into a pile of rose petals that burns like a fire.

Though Curdie thinks his hands have burned off, he finds them unscathed. But they have a new sensitivity: by shaking a person's hand, he can tell what kind of an animal they are turning into, at heart. The old woman also gives him a companion--a hideous dog-like beast, but whose great ugly paw feels to Curdie like the hand of a little girl.

Curdie travels to the capitol city, where he finds the kingdom in a sorry state, his friend the Princess near despair, and her King-Papa ensnared and enfeebled by the devious plots of the all-too-real and believable officials of the court. The threat posed to the kingdom by those who serve in the castle is far greater than the earlier threat posed by the goblins.

This wonderful story shows good and evil fighting, and shows that the two go by very different sets of rules! And help comes from strange quarters. I never grow tired of this book's insights or of the great plot and storyline. I've re-read both books every couple years since my first time as a child, more than 30 years ago. MacDonald and Lewis Carroll were friends, but to my tastes MacDonald is the greater storyteller. And the ending of this story is unlike any I've read elsewhere, serving as the source of many discussions on why MacDonald ended it that way!

I recommend this book to anyone who forgets what they are here for in life...and what their meaning is... I have my doctorate in Psycholgy and I work to integrate spirituality and philosophy in my practice. I purchase THIS book-- The Princess and the Curdie -- as well as George MacDonald's The Wise Woman -over and over---to help my clients with their problems. In my opinion, George MacDonald has more insight into the psyche than any other writer I have encountered.

After reading the Princess & the Goblin, I found this book a bit slow at first. It focuses on Curdie and his moral development, and is perhaps the most "preachy" fantasy novel I have ever read - without being poor literature. MacDonald's ethical and spiritual insights are a natural part of the narrative. Anyway, in our day of political correctness and pretended nicety, this story highlights the war of good and evil that occurs mainly inside us - yet requires us to behave accordingly in our outward life. As the old princess tells Curdie, don't discard your weapons - there are plenty of things in this world that NEED to be killed. A great book for young people and for those who need younger and purer hearts. Like a child's version of a Walter Scott novel, it sets up things slowly, then rushes to a dramatic finish.

I have not written any reviews before but I felt that the works of George MacDonald deserved reviews to bring the works of this forgotten genius back to the light of day. Especially as you can get many of them for free on your kindle. It must first be understood that George MacDonald inspired such authors as J.R.R. Tolkien, W.H. Auden, Madeline L'Engle and E. Nesbit. C.S. Lewis regarded him as his master. If you are a fan of these authors then you might want to seriously consider exploring the works of one who inspired them.

The Princess and Curdie is a sequel to the Princess and the Goblin. While the former dealt primarily with the adventures of Princess Irene this one focuses almost exclusively on the young miner Curdie who struggles to aid the King and Princess Irene against the treachery of those who wish to overthrow their Kingdom. Unlike the Princess and the Goblin this tale starts off quite a bit more slowly and the first chapter or two I had to kind of struggle to maintain interest. However, once Curdie starts his quest the story really gets moving along and I was hooked on it nearly as thoroughly as I was hooked on the Princess and the Goblin. It is a wonderful fairy tale of adventure and a fair bit of action. There is much thought in the story and like the Princess and the Goblin the author illustrates virtues, vices and morality quite well. However I feel that he manages this without being too preachy. Still there may be some that don't like the pointing out of moralities so your mileage may vary. The characters are interesting as in the first story and again the Great-Great Grandmother of Irene wields a subtle magic manipulating events but only by aiding the primary characters in aiding themselves and others. It is only in the last desperate battle at the end of the story that this cunning Enchantress takes an active hand in the action.

MacDonald loves songs and poetry and often puts them to use in the story. However I found them to be distracting and they did not hold my interest. However that may not be the case for you. All in all though I greatly enjoyed the story and highly recommend it if you enjoyed the Princess and the Goblin.

George MacDonald has the gift of expressing a deep theological idea through the form of a story.I grew up with his fairy stories,as a Adult,I am still affected by the skillful and beautiful portrayal of the quest for wisdom of a pure heart.The Princess and Curdie,is a story of just that.Curdies own journey is a story of the Christian walk and if one wishes can learn much from it.Do not get the idea that The Princess and Curdie is dull however!This book pays tribute to George MacDonalds fantastic imagination,as a child and as an "grownup" once picked up this book is difficult to put down.Perhaps the deepest things are also the most interesting.

Until I read other people's reviews of this book, it never occurred to me that The Princess and Curdie was at all "preachy" or "dull." It certainly isn't any more didactic than The Chronicles of Narnia, and I would say it is much less so. This is one of my favorite books and has been since I was a kid. I can see how it might seem overly moralistic to someone who is only used to reading cynical, modern (or, more appropriately, post-modern) children's books, but I think anyone who can handle C.S. Lewis should be fine with this book. It's a sweet book and a wonderful sequel to The Princess and the Goblins.

One of the few sequels better than its predecessor, this is a beautiful fairy tale about a young boy who saves a kingdom from its greed and selfishness. George MacDonald has taken a more social turn in this book in comparison to the first, "The Princess and the Goblin", dealing with human nature in a most clever way. It's only a fairy tale, of course; but it's one of my favorites

THIS BOOK IS AWESOME!!! I'M 13 AND I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! I RECCOMEND IT TO EVERYONE WHO LIKES C.S. LEWIS OR SIMILAR AUTHORS. READ IT!!!!!!!!

The father of fantasy scores big in this sequel to the "The Princess and the Goblin." A must for all fantasy and fairy tale fans. Before Tolkien and Lewis there was Macdonald.