Fractured Fairy Tales

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

I expected to like The Goose Girl. Instead, I loved it.

In this beautiful retelling of the Grimm brothers’ fairy tale, Hale takes a classic and makes it her own, weaving in countless details of two unknown kingdoms and the characters–both good and bad–who fill them.

Growing up, Ani has always known that she is not the Crown Princess her mother wishes her to be: she is not good at speaking with others and is not diplomatic or charming like her mother, who has the ability of “people-speaking”. Instead she feels more at home by the pond where her nursemary once taught her the language of the swans and the bluejays overhead; even her horse, Falada, shares her thoughts and feelings. Still, Ani does her best to grow into the queen she is destined to be, and with the help of her graceful maid-in-waiting, Selia, she struggles forth.

At the burial of her suddenly deceased father, though, her mother announces that another sibling will be crowned; feeling betrayed and bitter, Ani learns she has been betrothed to a prince in the kingdom across the mountains, Bayern, as a peace-offering to prevent war. On the months’ long journey through the forests and mountains, half of her riders revolt and Selia abandons her, claiming that she–who, like the queen, has the skill of charming speech, “people speaking”–deserves to be princess instead and will be a maid-in-waiting no more. Ani runs for her life, chased by the murderers who know she could ruin their plot, and finds herself alone and with (more…)