Customer Reviews

The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is what my children say every night after I read them this wonderful book. I grew up with Alexander's Prydain books. When my oldest was 8 I read her all the Prydain books in order. She loved them and my 6 year old, who I thought would not understand the book, was entranced every night. I couldn't believe that they would enjoy a book more that those great fantasies. Now we're reading Prince Jen and enjoying it even more. I love the style of questions and comments at the end of each chapter and the chapter titles, insights help set the stage for the next chapter. This book is a beauty to read outloud. My Kindergartener is enjoying it as well as her older siblings.

I'm a best-selling author of both fiction and non-fiction books. Don't even remember how I came upon "The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen," but I enjoyed it immensely, and it's worth revisiting annually, such as I do other favorites, such as Siddhartha, or Lord of the Rings. This book is most certainly not just for kids. I'm surprised it's not a perennial best-seller. Alexander has shown himself to be a master story-teller in this book, which remains personal, humorous, human, even as it touches on mythic proportions. For young or old, it's a must-read book.

I have read many books in my life, but my favorite one is The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen. It is a fantasy written by Lloyd Alexander.
The main character, Young Lord Prince Jen Shao Yeh, is very honest and is willing to help anyone. He does not act as a prince while outside the palace. Instead, he wears a yellow robe and a yellow hat. This book takes place in back in 7th century China, during the Tang Dynasty. The celestial palace is in the capital, Changan where Jen Shao Yeh comes from.
In the beginning, when Jen departs from the celestial palace on a great journey, he brings his servant and army with him. He rides a carriage along the way, carrying a sack of gifts, heading to the kingdom of TienKuo. On his journey, he meets many people, including a painter named Chen Cho, Natha Yellow Scarf, and Master Chu. He parts with some of his group and some of the gifts but finds them back. Jen is informed by his servant that his father, the king, died when they were on the journey and that he was now king of Tang. He is immediately sent back to the palace. When he does, he finds that an enemy has already taken over the palace. Will Jen be able to recapture his kingdom and rule with his beloved lady?
I would recommend this novel because Lloyd Alexander has used very descriptive words and I can picture what is going on. I would give this book a 5 star rating because it is just one of my favorite books that I have read in my whole entire life! This book is confusing the first time you read it though not the second time. I would especially recommend this book to children in fourth grade and up because the vocabulary skills necessary are quite demanding. This book sure will be a joy to read.

This is the first of Lloyd Alexander's books that I have read. I came across it by accident at the local library and felt mildly curious about it. I read the entire book in one (very long) sitting and was so pleased with it that the next day I read it again, savoring little gems of dialogue and observation and subtle humor. It's not a perfect book but it is a book I'll return to because (like the Six Gifts in the story) there is much more to it than first meets the eye.

As other reviews have noted, the story (actually, stories within stories) is richly endowed with myth and legend. I don't know how much of the mythic/fantastic content is a retelling of traditional Chinese folklore and how much of it is direct from Alexander's imagination, but in any case, he brings a refreshingly light and skillful touch to telling stories with deep roots.

The book does leave me curious to explore traditional Chinese myths and legends - a vein of folklore with which I'm not very familiar but which based on this book may well hold storerooms of hidden treasures.

The story Alexander tells concerns the inner journey just as much as it concerns an outer journey. There are a number of quotes from Taoist and other mystical tradition that indicate Alexander is aware of this, but he is too good a writer to be heavy-handed about it.

Stories in the myth/legend genre risk falling into stereotypical characterization - good guys versus bad guys - and Alexander doesn't entirely escape this. However, the main characters do do have some complexity and life, they can do unexpected things and they can change. Even the main Bad Guy has some good traits at the beginning, although by the end he is simply vain and vicious. The minor characters are fun to read about but for the most part they are streretypical - particularly the greedy merchants, the vacuous officials and the wandering sages.

Whether you are reading this book for yourself or reading it to your child you will be glad to know that this book is written with a good heart. It is an invitation to life, wisdom and compassion told with keen observation and a great sense of humor.

The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen is a fantastic fantasy and an incredible un-put-down-able read by Lloyd Alexander. When Prince Jen sets off to find the legendary court of T'ien-kuo with the king's best soldiers and six mysterious gifts, he never could have guessed it could lead to such a remarkable journey. Disaster strikes almost at once. First, a sniveling old man almost drowns the young royal, then their carriage breaks down and they lose the soldiers and finally, Jen almost loses his head to a terrifying bandit and has his royal warrant stolen. But with his trusty servant Mafoo and the clever flute girl Voyaging-Moon at his side Jen is determined to find the legendary kingdom and not to fail his father. Jen continues steadily north and meets a conceited official and a `long legged lunatic' or `honest robber' named Moxa. Together Jen, Mafoo, Voyaging-Moon and Moxa finally reach the River Lo. In their haste to cross they make the mistake of trying to cross in bad weather. During a storm their boat is ripped apart and the four friends are swept away from each other down the speeding River Lo!!
Will the four friends survive a storm on the river?
Will they ever see his each other again?
To find out read this fantastic book!

If I was stuck on a desert island.. you've probably heard that one before.. However, The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen is one of my most absolute favorites of LA's books.. Although the chapters are short and set up like a chapter adventure.. you will be hard-pressed to set it down.

Prince Jen travels to a mythical kingdom with 6 gifts that he loses along the way to the people he meets on his journey. The lives he touches has a karmic effect and his gifts he 'loses' comes back to him in the end many times over.

I devoured each word, eagerly looking forward to finding out what happened next. Although it's geared toward the young adult age, this 30-something found it quite entertaining,and full of insights. Each time I read the book I get something else back.

I personally believe that Prince Jen is a book everyone should read and would be great for classroom work by all ages and set up easily for discussion into many areas such as relationship structures, mythic journeys, classic children's fiction, and of course Chinese or Asian History.. This story was based (although a fantasy) on Chinese Myths...

Bottom line: Lloyd Alexander is an amazing virtuoso of storytelling and The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen is another proof of that..

The Remarkable journey of Prince Jen is a good book for many reasons. There are many different charecters, a good plot and there are good morals and values. Also, at the end of each chapter, Lloyd alexander sums up what happened in that chapter in case you got confused!

How many years has it been since cute symbolic tales were in vogue? A very long time. That is why this book is such a treasure. Not only does Mr. Alexander give us an entertaining story with lovable, quirky characters, but it works in the tradition of a true fable as it tells of true lessons in life. I know this is but a review, but I'd like to take the opportunity to point out one particular lesson I found: Take notice of Jen's gifts. When first selected, everyone was less than impressed and thought them nothing but junk. But as various people experienced in the lines of the various gifts meet them (i.e. Voyaging Moon and the flute), they truly appreciate the gifts as practically priceless.

So, yes, ignore my annoying observation, and please consider my recommendation of this book. You will not be disappointed.

A huge fan of Alexander's Prydain stories, I was deeply impressed by the Kestrel series as well. Just when I thought my top ten favorite books were set in stone, I read this delightfully profound archetypal adventure filled with vibrant, colorful characters whose seemingly insurmountable challenges wend through exciting, unpredictable yet insightful resolutions. A great read to curl up to at the end of the day!

If I ever have kids, I'm going to make sure that their bookshelves are stocked full of Lloyd Alexander's books. Most famous for his award-winning The Prydain Chronicles, Alexander has carved out a little niche for himself in children's literature by taking his often-used (but never stale) technique of adapting a particular culture's mythology and shaping it to include his own brand of wisdom, poignancy and humour. For The Prydain Chronicles Alexander borrowed heavily from Welsh mythology as found in the The Mabinogian, whereas The Iron Ring (Novel) focused on India's The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic and The Arkadians was based on Grecian legend. For The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen, the story is given a Chinese setting.

Jen Shao-yeh is an innocent, yet good-hearted young prince who hears about the kingdom of T'ien-Ko from a mysterious stranger named Master Wu. Enraptured by the tale of the peaceful and happy kingdom, Jen is given permission by his father to seek out T'ien-Ko and learn the secrets of King Yuan-ming's safe and happy governance. Accompanying him is his faithful (though grumbling) servant Mafoo, and a collection of strange gifts chosen by Master Wu to present to Yuan-ming. Jen is initially confused at the seeming worthlessness of the six gifts: an old sword, a saddle, a flute, a bowl, a paint-box and a kite. However, Master Wu insists that they are valuable, and Jen sets off optimistically to find the legendary kingdom.

Of course, nothing goes according to plan. As Jen's royal entourage slowly dwindles (as does his strange assortment of gifts through a series of misfortunes) the prince's hopes of reaching T'ien-Ko gradually begin to dwindle - despite his meeting with the lovely Voyaging Moon, an intelligent flute-girl who cleverly uses the prince to escape her lecherous master. And yet, it is not with our protagonist, but through the gifts that the narration flows. As they part from Jen and constantly change hands throughout the story, we see the true value of each of them - realizing that this value comes from the personal gifts of their owners.

Furthermore, it becomes clear that this is a coming-of-age story, as the naïve prince goes from innocence to experience throughout the course of his journey, learning wisdom, patience, love and a fuller understanding of the world: particularly the injustices of his own kingdom. With the loss of his possessions, his honour and his identity as prince, he ends asking himself the inevitable question: who am I? Struggling with his integrity and sense of worth, Jen finally succumbs to despair in a bone-chilling chapter, though he is helped along at the most opportune times by the enigmatic Master Wu - or is it Chu? Or Shu? Or Fu?

Lloyd Alexander's warm, humourous narration just leaps off the page. On describing the elderly man who approaches the gate of the royal palace we are told: "He was not a beggar, because he asks for no alms. He was not a man of wisdom, because he asked for something ridiculous: he demanded an audience with King T'ai." Likewise, if you were amused by the tendency toward extravagant titles in The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure (the Cliffs of Insanity for example), then you'll love the lengths to which this book goes to in naming various objects, including the Rod of Correction, Hand of Enthusiastic Obedience and Pavilion of Joyous Mornings.

Alexander also has some fun with the chapters, usually giving each one several subtitles, and ending each one with a few lines to entice the reader onto the next installment of the story, for example: "Our young hero is eager to start his journey, but Master Wu seems to be casting a dark shadow on a bright prospect. What can be the difficulty? To find out, read the next chapter."

There is always one requisite female character in Alexander's books, who inevitably act as the love interest to the male lead. However, Alexander always writes her with such wit, affection and twice as much intelligence as any other character in the story that you cannot help but fall in love with her yourself. By the skill of his storytelling, Alexander always manages to keep her from becoming a Mary Sue, and Voyaging Moon is no exception. Bright, clever and cheerful, it's no wonder Jen falls head over heels in love with her!

In short, this is a terrific book. Filled with life-lessons that never sound preachy or heavy-handed (something not even Philip Pullman or C.S. Lewis could completely pull off), a satisfying conclusion in which all of Alexander's scattered pieces come together to a climactic finish, and several laugh-out-loud moments: "Give the task to the lowest-ranking official in the palace. If something fatal happens to him, he won't be missed. Better yet, send a high official, who will be missed even less."