The Goose Girl (novel)

The Goose Girl is a fantasy novel by Shannon Hale based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the same title, published by Bloomsbury in 2003. It is Hale's debut novel and the first in her Books of Bayern series. It follows the story of Anidori-Kiladra "Ani" Talianna Isilee (later called "Isi"), Crown Princess of Kildenree, as she travels to the neighboring kingdom of Bayern to wed their Crown Prince. On the journey, she is usurped by her jealous lady-in-waiting, and must prove her true identity as the princess. Critical reception of the novel was mostly positive. The book won the 2003 Josette Frank Award for fiction and has been published in English, Spanish, Hungarian, Dutch, Japanese, and Vietnamese.[1][2][3]

The Goose Girl
First edition cover of The Goose Girl
AuthorShannon Hale
Cover artistAlison Jay (first edition), Juliana Kolesova (photograph cover)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Books of Bayern
GenreFantasy novel
PublisherBloomsbury Press
Publication date
August 8, 2003
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages383
ISBN1-58234-843-X
OCLC51042139
LC ClassPZ8.H134 Go 2003
Followed byEnna Burning 

Development

While in graduate school at the University of Montana, Hale decided to write a novelization of her favorite fairy tale, The Goose Girl,[4] after a challenge from a friend.[5] She sought to mainly stay "as close to the skeleton of the original tale" as possible[6] while diving deeper into parts of the story that were left unexplained before.[7] Her original manuscript was 80 pages long. It was rewritten some 30 times[5] and rejected by multiple editors before publication.[8]

Hale wanted to create a world that readers could reconcile with reality. The land of Bayern that Ani travels to was "partly inspired by Germany." Hale wrote the novel with both her teenage and adult self in mind as the ideal audience. Both Ani and Enna's friendship and Ani and Geric's romance were inspired by Hale's own relationships.[9]

Plot

When crown princess Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee was born, she did not open her eyes until her aunt held her. The woman became her nursemaid and constant companion, nicknaming her Ani and telling her stories about three gifts people have: people-speaking, animal-speaking, and nature-speaking. The aunt has the second ability, and teaches Ani to speak with birds, mainly swans. Ani grows to be more comfortable at the pond than in the palace. When her aunt leaves, Ani is forced to abandon her unique talent. At age sixteen, she devotes herself to preparing to be the next Queen of Kildenree, but finds solace in communicating with her horse, Falada. After her father dies, Ani's mother tells her that, instead of becoming queen, she is to travel to the kingdom of Bayern and marry their crown prince. During the journey, half of the royal guards mutiny and attempt to kill the princess and replace her with Selia, Ani's lady-in-waiting; but Ani flees, leaving behind Falada.

After days of walking in the forest and recovering from near starvation, Ani assumes the alias of "Isi," and travels into the capital of Bayern. She soon discovers that Selia has assumed the role of princess. Ani finds a job tending the king's geese, and lives among other animal workers to whom she tells stories. After a few hiccups, she learns to use her animal-speaking skills to communicate with the geese. In this time, she slowly discovers her nature-speaking ability: understanding and eventually manipulating wind. Ani also befriends a royal guard named Geric, and soon they begin to develop romantic feelings for each other. One day, Ani's best friend, Enna, discovers her secret identity and swears to help her reclaim the throne when the time comes. Geric tells Ani that the execution of Falada has been planned; she tries to rescue him, but is too late. He later sends her a letter saying he will be unable to see her anymore. Ani continues life as the goose girl, and uses her animal-speaking and wind-speaking abilities to save her geese from thieves. She then learns that Selia has spread a rumor that Kildenree is planning to attack Bayern. Ungolad, Selia's most loyal guard, hunts Ani down and stabs her in the back. She narrowly escapes and flees to the forest, where she heals. It is here that she discovers one of her loyal guards, Talone, has survived, and he accompanies her back to the kingdom. When she returns, Enna had told the other animal workers Ani's secret, and they rally behind her.

The group rides to the castle where the wedding is to take place. It is here that Ani confronts Selia and learns that the Crown Prince of Bayern is actually Geric. Selia and Ungolad trap Ani alone, but before they can kill her, an eavesdropping Geric appears with the king in tow after hearing Selia's full confession. A fight breaks out; and Geric, with the help of Ani's wind-speaking, defeats Ungolad. Selia is also captured. Days later, Ani goes before the king and convinces him that Kildenree has no plans to attack Bayern. Geric is impressed by this and Ani's knowledge of Bayern. Now that she is proven to be his true betrothed, they acknowledge their love for each other and happily rule together.

Critical reception

The New York Times praised Hale's expansion of the original Goose Girl fairytale, saying: "In layer upon layer of detail a beautiful coming-of-age story emerges, a tale about learning to rescue yourself rather than falling accidentally into happily-ever-after."[10] Diane Samuels, in a review for The Guardian, wrote that Hale's writing "has energy and can be gripping, but the sheer bulk of words used to elaborate on each detail is a problem."[11] A Publishers Weekly review also cited too much detail as a drawback, but also called The Goose Girl "a satisfying and richly embellished retelling of a classic that communicates values still pertinent to contemporary readers."[12] Kirkus Reviews also remarked that "Hale's first novel is too long by a fair amount," but added that "ensorcelled teen readers, swept up in the romance and the luscious language, probably won’t notice."[13] School Library Journal wrote: "Hale's retelling is a wonderfully rich one, full of eloquent description and lovely imagery, and with a complex plot, a large cast of characters, and a strong female protagonist."[14] Booklist also praised Ani's characterization, and called the novel "a fine adventure tale full of danger, suspense, surprising twists, and a satisfying conclusion."[15]

Awards and nominations

Publication history
  • 2003, USA, Bloomsbury Children's Books, ISBN 1-58234-843-X, Pub date 8 August 2003, Hardback
  • 2003, UK, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, ISBN 0-7475-6419-1, Pub date 3 November 2003, Hardback
  • 2005, USA, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, ISBN 0-7475-7123-6, Pub date 3 January 2005, Paperback
  • 2005, USA, Full Cast Audio, ISBN 1-932076-72-7, Audiobook
gollark: I suppose you could use polygons instead if you really wanted to.
gollark: Extremely small rectangles.
gollark: Make everything axis aligned rectangles.
gollark: Your interface is too general.
gollark: Code to make the reminder system more real time.

References
  1. "Formats and Editions of The goose girl [WorldCat.org]". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  2. "Formats and Editions of La princesa que hablaba con el viento [WorldCat.org]". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  3. Hale, Shannon; Németh, Anikó (2005). A suttogó: meseregény (in Hungarian). Budapest: General Press. ISBN 978-963-9598-62-1. OCLC 439486385.
  4. "The Official Site of Shannon Hale". www.squeetus.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  5. "Author's tales: Writers recount struggle to get published". Deseret News. 2007-07-06. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  6. Ward, Barbara A.; Young, Terrell A. (2008-06-04). "Talking with Shannon Hale". American Library Association. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  7. Whitman, Stacy (2008). "Review: Good Stories Told Well". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 41 (2): 137 – via JSTOR.
  8. Rollins, Jenny (2018-08-04). "Shannon Hale's 'The Goose Girl' turns 15". Deseret News. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  9. Hale, Shannon (2005). "A conversation with Shannon Hale". The Goose Girl. New York, New York: Bloomsbury. pp. 404–407. ISBN 9781681193168.
  10. Harrison, Deborah (2004-02-08). "Children's Books". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  11. Samuels, Diane (2004-01-17). "Review: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale". the Guardian. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  12. "THE GOOSE GIRL". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  13. THE GOOSE GIRL | Kirkus Reviews.
  14. Burns, Connie Tyrrell (2003). "Hale, Shannon. The Goose Girl". School Library Journal. 49 (8): 160 – via EBSCO.
  15. O'Malley, Anne (2003). "Hale, Shannon. The Goose Girl". Booklist. 99 (22): 1971 – via EBSCO.
  16. "Past Award Winners (1943-2006)". The Children's Book Committee Bank Street College of Education. Archived from the original on 2009-12-02. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  17. "The Books of Bayern Series". Kids Book Series. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  18. Hunter, James Michael (2013). Mormons and Popular Culture: The Global Influence of an American Phenomenon. ABC-CLIO. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-313-39167-5.
  19. "Search results - YALSA Book Finder". booklists.yalsa.net. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  20. "Utah Center for the Book". Salt Lake City Public Library. 2003. Archived from the original on 2007-09-24. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  21. "One Thing Leads to Another: An Interview with Shannon Hale". The Hub. 2014-03-20. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  22. "AML Awards 2002-2003". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  23. "Nominees for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award". The Mythopoeic Society. Archived from the original on 2007-07-20. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  24. "BTW News Briefs | Bookselling This Week". archivenews.bookweb.org. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  25. "Beehive Award Nominees 2004-2005". Children's Literature Association of Utah. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  26. "Past Lists". Texas Library Association. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  27. Noble, Barnes &. "First in Series eBooks, 2004-2005 Texas Lone Star Reading Lists, 2000s - Texas Lone Star Reading Lists". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  28. "New Jersey Library Association / GSTBA Nominations and Winners". njla.pbworks.com. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
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