Quick Book Report - East
Jul 7th, 2008 by learningumbrella
My sister loaned me this book a couple years ago, because she really liked it and wanted to share it. I should have read it right away, but for some reason I kept putting it off. Now I’ve had to read it, because I put it on my 8×8 in 2008 challenge, and I can see why she liked it.
It is a retelling of the fairy tale East of the Sun West of the Moon, in which a young girl is carried off by an enchanted white bear and lives in a strange palace for a year. She fails to meet the requirements of the enchantment, and consequently she must set off on a journey to rescue her prince from the Troll Queen. It has a very strong female hero, and an exciting journey narrative. The romance aspect is light and appropriate for 9-13 year olds, as is the violence.
My only quibble with the book is that the author was inspired by Kingsolver’s Poisonwood Bible to break the story up in chapters each told by a different narrator. This can be interesting, to hear multiple voices, but it also makes it really longer than necessary for the narrative. By the time I was half-way through the book, I was getting a bit tired of it. It seems rather thick to hold the interest of a young reader with this pace, but my sister liked it, so perhaps I’m wrong about that.
East was so popular when it first came out I always planned to read it. I wish I could read as fast as you. I also need to make reading more of a priority. I’ll have to keep East on my long list.