<data:blog.pageTitle/>

This Page

has moved to a new address:

http://readeroffictions.com

Sorry for the inconvenience…

Redirection provided by Blogger to WordPress Migration Service
A Reader of Fictions: Review: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland

A Reader of Fictions

Book Reviews for Just About Every Kind of Book

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Review: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
Fairyland, Book 1

Author: Catherynne M. Valente
Pages: 247
Publisher: Square Fish
Source: Gifted by Kayla of Bibliophilia, Please

Description from Goodreads:
Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

With exquisite illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan, Fairyland lives up to the sensation it created when the author first posted it online. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass, here is a reading experience unto itself: unforgettable, and so very beautiful.


First Sentence: "Once upon a time, a girl named September grew very tired indeed of her parents' house, where she washed the same pink-and-yellow teacups and matching gravy boats every day, slept on the same embroidered pillow, and played with the same small and amiable dog."

Review:
Though Catherynne M. Valente's novels have been on my radar for a while now, I've honestly been a bit terrified to read them. They're so lauded by readers I respect highly and I really feared that I would be the black sheep of dissidence. I'd heard they were strange and that doesn't always jive so well with my tastes, but, oh, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland is just the right kind of strange.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland recalls many classic tales: Alice in Wonderland, the myth of Persephone, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to name a few. I make these comparisons not to suggest that Valente's tale lacks in originality in any way, but that she cleverly weaves a story full of allusions to those classic tales. Though I don't usually do this, I'm going to structure much of my review around these comparisons, since The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland has been reviewed by many people already, and I feel free to do my own weird thing with it.

The tone and the sheer madcap adventure-filled feel of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland is one hundred percent Alice in Wonderland. Though there was little that specifically seemed directly out of Carroll's classic absurdist tale, his influence is visible on every page. The girl stumbles into a magical land and bounces from quest to quest, with the ultimate goal of unseating an evil female ruler, who destroyed the benevolent queen. Valente fully embraces the absurd, but, where Carroll's story lacks for mecharacterization, Valente shines, but I'll talk about that more later.

The Persephone myth works as a frame story to September's adventures. There are clever references throughout, but the main purpose is to explain why September will eventually return. I love the way that Valente set up the very end. It's simply perfection, bringing the rest of the plotting full circle. Sometimes it feels like the weird novels are so spontaneous and surprising because the author didn't know what was going on either, but it's very apparent that Valente knew exactly what she was doing.

I have two points to make with reference to the The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The most overt similarity is that one of the characters traveled to Fairyland by means of wardrobe, an obvious omage to Lewis' tale. However, there's another comparison to be made, a bit subtler. Like Lewis' classic, September travels to a magical world during wartime. Her father is off fighting in WWII and her mother works as an engineer. She feels lonely and doesn't understand what's going on very well. Valente turns September's adventures in Fairyland into a neat platform by which to make observations on the nature of war.

As I said, there's so much more to Valente's tale than those structural similarities, all of which I love a lot. Her characters are a delight, though I must admit this is one of those times where the supporting cast is much more dear to me than the MC. September is a delightful girl, it's true. She has a lot more strength and graciousness than the average heroine, and is much more empowered in her story than any of the ones in the three classic tales I mentioned previously, which is utterly fantastic. She just can't compete with her sidekicks, though.

Those who know me well will probably not be surprised to learn that my favorite character is A-Through-L, affectionately known as Ell, the wyverary. He's a wyvern, sort of like a dragon, but also the son of a library. He knows absolutely everything about anything found between the letters A through L, which is immensely helpful on a journey, and he's the most delightful companion a girl could want through Fairyland. I also love Gleam, a lantern over a century old and desperate for adventure, and Saturday, a creature similar to a genie who I'm really looking forward to getting to know better in the next installment.

Even the evil Marquess is a marvelously well-drawn character. Often villains take a back seat to the good guys, lacking complexities in books with otherwise sophisticated characterization. Valente, however, made her villain one of the most complex characters in the piece. She gives the Marquess a reason for the way she is, and makes her at least a little bit sympathetic.

On top of all of that, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland is one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. Her writing is a veritable feast of deliciously underused words. Though I do think this might be a tough read for children, it would be a perfect choice for parents to read aloud to their kids, though they may end up explaining quite a few terms. This is a story that will delight children, I think, but adults even more so, in a rather different way perhaps.

Valente's The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is absolutely marvelous, and I can't recommend it highly enough to anyone who delights in verbiage, characterization, fairy tales, or any of those stories I mentioned above. With this one book, Valente goes on my auto-read list.

Rating: 4.5/5

Favorite Quote: "All children are heartless. They have not grown a heart yet, which is why they can climb tall trees and say shocking things and leap so very high that grown-up hearts flutter in terror. Hearts weigh quite a lot. That is why it takes so long to grow one. But, as in their reading and arithmetic and drawing, different children proceed at different speeds. (It is well known that reading quickens the growth of a heart like nothing else.)"

Labels: , , , , , , ,

24 Comments:

Blogger Brandy said...

I love the way you brought out all of those comparisons. And I'm so glad you enjoyed this. Her writing is so beautiful. You're right about it being the right sort of strange. I really look forward to reading the third book after the twists of the second.

March 30, 2013 at 4:28 PM  
Blogger Bekka said...

I'm so happy you liked this, Christina. I loved the way this book alluded to the other tales, but was something all on its own. And the ending was absolutely perfect.

If you plan to read the second, I highly recommend listening to the audio version. Cat herself is the narrator and she reads it wonderfully.

Anyway - yay a thing we agree on again! (I'm actually a little surprised.)

March 30, 2013 at 7:59 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

This one was pretty amazing and I loved the second one even more. I should really check out some of her other novels too, I've heard they're just as amazing. Great review! :)

March 31, 2013 at 12:20 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

One of my favorite books, Catherynne Valente is fantastic!

April 1, 2013 at 10:12 AM  
Blogger Amy said...

I have almost taken this book out from my library at least 5 times, but haven't because I don't have time to fit it in. It sounds amazing though. I will have to get to it sometime! Fabulous review!

April 1, 2013 at 10:44 AM  
Blogger Dragana M. said...

I read 'Deathless' by Catherynne M. Valente last year and I didn't really like it. I loved her writing style but the book went in a direction I was not comfortable with and ending was very loose and open... Why am I telling you this? LOL Well, because I was not sure if I should read something else written by Valente. But your wonderful review changed my mind, I think I will give 'The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making' a try when I find the time (although I am a little bit intimidated with long book title).

April 2, 2013 at 6:26 AM  
Blogger Kara_Malinczak said...

Did I mention Alice In Wonderland in my review? I think I DID! I'm glad someone else saw what I saw.

Ell was my favorite as well. And I also liked him more than September. I hope he is present in the next book even more than he was in this one.

I completely agree with the rest of your review. She's an auto-buy for me because I just loved this book so, so much. This is a really awesome review though because I didn't see the Persephone myth at all. Though I wasn't looking that deep either. But yeah, you are much smarter than me. Hah!

April 2, 2013 at 4:17 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I am so happy to read your review of this book! It has been on my to-read list for a while, ever since another blogger mentioned it, but I've never remembered to find it when I go to bookstores. But I am now positive that I will really enjoy this book. There is nothing I love more than a well-written fairy tale! (Juliet Marillier being one of my favorite authors).

April 2, 2013 at 9:05 PM  
Blogger Amanda said...

I really enjoyed how you framed your review - you're right, there are tons of reviews out there praising this work, so it was interesting to read a slightly different perspective on the story. Although I'm not a huge fan of Lewis' children's works, I am eager to read this book and make the comparisons to Persephone and Alice in Wonderland. I've felt a similar reluctance to you in terms of actually picking up this book, but I did buy it for my little sister and she loves it, so I really should pick it up soon! That's awesome that with one book Valente has become an auto-buy author for you! I also love that quote that you provided at the end!

April 3, 2013 at 8:34 PM  
Blogger roro said...

great to read your review. it sounds amazing

April 4, 2013 at 3:21 PM  
Blogger AnimeJune said...

I loved LOVED LOVED this book! LOVED IT! Her writing is just so gorgeous and creative. Now this means you have to read THE ORPHAN'S TALES by her (both volumes) - a puzzlebox of stories that is strongly based on 1001 Nights.

April 5, 2013 at 8:12 PM  
Blogger Christina said...

Awww, thanks! I usually try to avoid getting too comparison happy, because people seize on those and won't let go, but I felt freer since this is so well known.

I'm starting the second one very soon!

April 9, 2013 at 10:32 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

She did that perfectly, and the ending made me smile. I'm excited about the romance that I think is coming in later books.

I am totally reading the second one, but I'll be reading the ARC that you sent me. :-p

WOO! We don't ALWAYS disagree. Proof.

April 9, 2013 at 10:33 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

Ooh, even more. I'm stoked!

April 9, 2013 at 10:33 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

She is!

April 9, 2013 at 10:35 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

You should totally take it out. You could read it with the kids or something! Though I don't know how old they are, so maybe not.

April 9, 2013 at 10:35 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

Awww, that's too bad. I thought that one sounded interesting. I like loose, open endings sometimes, but it really depends on the sort of book it is. Oh yay! If you give it a try, I hope you like it more. I would hate to steer you wrong!

April 9, 2013 at 10:36 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

You probably did, because you are a genius.

Ell was way better than September. I didn't dislike her, but she didn't come alive for me, but I think she might later.

I may have heard the Persephone thing beforehand, but there were references to pomegranate seeds, and the whole fairy food thing, and having to return. That's all Persephone. :)

April 9, 2013 at 10:37 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

Gah! Another reminder that I need to read Juliet Marillier. I have the first book of the Sevenwaters series. Now I just need time!

April 9, 2013 at 10:38 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

I'm not a huge Alice in Wonderland fan either, actually. It went a bit too much into the absurd. I want a bit more meaning than that. Valente's is absurdism that makes sense, if that has any logic behind it at all.

You should certainly check it out, especially since you can just nab your sister's copy!

April 9, 2013 at 10:39 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

I wonder if my library has those... Uh oh. I don't think they do. :( Sad day.

April 9, 2013 at 10:40 AM  
Blogger Dragana M. said...

Well maybe I would not mind open ending to Deathless, but the book already lost me by then... There was cheating in marriage (something I hate in my heroes/heroines) and I simply could not cheer for them after that. But first 50% of book was great. :) But as I said I liked her writing style and I read your review so The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making sounds very nice, so I am putting back this book on my tbr. Don't worry, I won't hold it against you if I don't like it. ;)

April 11, 2013 at 2:02 AM  
Blogger Christina said...

Bleh, I hate infidelity. There's no need for it. Just go your separate ways if you're not going to be faithful. Gah.

Anyway, no infidelity here because they're young. So yay!

April 11, 2013 at 10:07 AM  
Blogger Dragana M. said...

Yeah I hate it too. And here, they were practicing "open marriage' - you know: we still love each other but we sleep with other people too. Yeah right.

Yay for no infidelity. :D

April 12, 2013 at 4:50 PM  

Post a Comment

Every comment is appreciated and I will almost always respond, because I love conversing about books!

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home