Rating: 
Summary: The Compass Rose
Review: I liked this book because it was about a girl (...) in Norway, or Njord, as they called it back then. The book is a fantasy, so it takes you away from real-world drama. Another reason i liked this book is because of the way the author wrote the book from several points of veiw. This feature let you know what was happening in other parts of the story.
The best part of the book, was when the main character, Rose, is a captive in the mountain castle with the white bear. She explored and found a room full of thread, needles and most beautiful of all, a large loom. The loom was carved with intricate designs and was the color of chestnut. Rose chose the prettiest thread and wove three dresses of these colors:gold, silver and moonlight. All of these dresses are useful in the rest of her journey and save her from poverty and capture.
The setting of the story was very vivid, as the author explained the soft, purple heather and the ice figures of Gronland. The characters were deftly explained with their actions, dialogue, and thoughts.
Rating: 
Summary: dreamy and mystical book
Review: In a land very much like our own icy shores of Antartica, fairies exist just across an invisible border, and there IS an Ice Queen. She is, in fact, the queen of the Trolls, not ugly, but made of stone & granite.
In a different land, a family of mapmakers settle, and for each child a mapped horoscope is composed. Rose is the last child, and her mother is determined that she not wander, as her birth direction calls her.
When an out of place polar bear rescues Rose it signals the true beginning of her adventures which will demand much bravery & courage
So we are introduced to our story.
With shades of Snow White & Rose Red, and the bear, hints of The Magic Flute, and nuances of the Ice Queen, Cameron Dokey has created a fabulous and mythical composition of riviting reading, sheer escapism.
Gritty whilst still being dreamy and romantic, I find this book on par with favorites like Cameron Dokeys Beauty Sleep, or Robin McKinleys books, such as Beauty or A door in the Hedge...
Rating:
Summary: East is a wonderful book
Review: Jan. 17 2004
A reader from Columbus Ohio.
This 494 page book is the best book I have ever read. East is a exciting book and it is a wonderful story. Though it occasionally gets a little bit borring I recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful adventure story
Review: There is a Norwegian fairy tale, about a prince who is turned in to a white bear by a witch, when he refuses to marry her. He can turn back into a man by night, but no one should see his face, or else, he'll have to marry the witch. He falls in love with a princess of a northern kingdom, and marries her, but when she falls to her curiosity of seeing his face, he's claimed back by the witch. Then the princess must rescue him. Edith Pattou took some of the basic elements of this story, and made an altogether different one. The main character, Rose, is a farmer's daughter who loves weaving almost as much as exploring the world. Pattou adds some new important elements, such as the superstition of the girl's mother, who believes that the nature of every person is determined by the orientation of his/her birth. Although Rose is meant to be born facing East, due to some confusion, happens to be born facing North. Thus, although her mother tries to hide it from her, and make her believe that she is an "east girl", she cannot deny her true nature. When the White Bear comes to claim her, in return for the health of one of her sisters, she willingly accepts to go with him. The bear takes Rose to a hidden castle in Fransk (France), where she is allowed to weave as much as she likes, and although lonesome, she becomes fond of the bear. When a Troll Queen claims the bear, in very much the way of the original story, Rose embarks in an epic journey into the deep Arktisk (the Arctic), where the Troll kingdom is, in order to rescue him before the wedding. The story is reasonably well written in simple language, in first person, alternatively by Rose, who has the longest chapters, the White Bear, who has the shortest, Rose's father, her brother Neddy, and the Troll Queen. The story is convincingly conveyed, as can be seen in the following excerpt: "The farther north we went, the colder it got. Before then I had thought I knew about cold. But the winters in Njord [Norway] were springlike compared to the bitter, lancing cold of that frozen land. It was like a predatory, hovering beast, bent on sucking every bit of heat and life out of a body". Although the book is recommended for ages 12 and up, I find the story perfectly appropriate for younger children. It is enjoyable reading that can be enthusiastically recommended to young readers.
Rating:
Summary: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
Review: This classic fairy tale, intertwined with the story of Beauty and the Beast, is a truly heartwarming tale. Weaving through the minds of four characters, we get a true narrative from different sides of the story. I am not normally a fan of multiple narratives, but Edith Pattou is brilliant at capturing your attention through this technique.
It all begins with the birth of Ebba Rose. Lies encircle her birth for the sake of her mother's superstitious need to protect Rose...from her true destiny.
As it turns out, covering over Rose's birth does not stop the lies from unfolding and her true destiny being played out. A White Bear offers to exchange good fortune for Rose's family in return for Rose herself. As it turns out, she leaves with the white bear and a whole new adventure begins.
POSITIVE POINTS: Very cozy and adventuresome. I highly enjoyed the use of descriptives and emotions. Pattou did an excellent job at recreating the feeling of a true (classic) fairy tale.
NEGATIVE POINTS: The only reason I gave this book four stars instead of five is because there wasn't much development in friendship between the bear and Rose. At least not much that I could see. And I felt that it could have been better if Edith Pattou had chosen to do it all from the viewpoint of Rose-even though she still did an excellent job at the multiple viewpoints.
RECOMMENDED? Definitely!!!
AGE RATING: [G] All ages. There were no crude or sexual references. The farthest point the characters get to is holding hands. :D
READ WITH: Ice cream. ;) I'd choose peppermint. If you like listening to music while you read, I suggest something with bells and harps. Or classical twists.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Enjoyable Book
Review: This is a retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon. To readers unfamiliar with the Norwegian fairy tale, think of "Beauty and the Beast" with an extra adventure tacked on to the end. (The main character is even named Rose.)
I'll discuss Pattou's version at the end, but the bare bones of the fairy tale goes something like this: In exchange for her family's future well being, the youngest daughter offers to live with a bear in a distant castle, whom she suspects to be a prince under a spell. On a visit home (this is a very gentle confinement: our heroine has servants, good food, and can visit her parents if she promises to return), her mother and sisters question her easy acceptance of everything (rightly so, in my opinion) but can not convince her to stay home and forget the bear.
Here is where the story diverges from Beauty and the Beast. Finally, the girl's mother and sisters convince her that her situation is weird, to say the least. They tell her to sneak up on the bear after dark with a candle and see if, as she suspects, he really does turn into a man at night. Our heroine agrees with predictable results: the bear's human form is very nice but she spills wax on his shirt and wakes him up.
The bear's response is one of the things I've never understood about the fairy tale. Shortly put, "You've ruined everything, now I have to marry a troll and it's all your fault! Bye." When pressed for details, the bear (now in human form) explains about the spell and says if she had waited only one night more, it would have been broken. Now, of course, he has to marry the Troll Queen. He leaves wearing nothing but the night shirt with wax stain, but before he does, he mentions that the troll kingdom lies "east of the sun and west of the moon."
This is very helpful and our heroine sets out immediately to rescue the bear. She has many adventures and finally hitches rides with the west wind and his brother the north wind to get to the Troll palace. After some more adventures, she rescues the prince (with no help from him), kills the queen, and destroys the palace, but not before rescuing some travelers waiting to be eaten. They return home (somehow), The prince formerly known as the bear marries her, and they live happily ever after.
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What makes Pattou's version interesting:
Pattou brings the stock characters of the tale to life and creates backgrounds and motivations for everyone Rose meets, from her family to the Queen to the new patron who helps her family after she leaves with the bear. The book is narrated by several different characters in turn, making for a facinating read. The bear's chapters, for instance, are told in poems.
The best part, though, was finding out how Pattou incorporated all of the unanswered questions of the original tale in. Why did Rose and her family first agree to let her go but later wanted her to stay? Who was the prince and how could he go missing without anyone caring? Why was the Bear living all alone in his house? What did Rose do with herself there? How does Rose find the troll palace? How does she get home? How can you ride on the back of the West Wind? What kind of troll would want to marry a human? Why would a queen willing to wait a hundred years to marry a man agree to let Rose have one more shot at him when she's already won?
If you liked "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire, you'll like the Troll Queen. She hates that her hands are so rough compared to a human's skin and doesn't understand why the rules of her land say she can't marry whom she likes but must allow a human girl a chance at her prince.
My only criticism of this book is that it ends so abruptly. I understand the the book is nearly 500 pages long, but I would have liked a longer chapter about the trip home and what happens to her family.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This is a stunning piece of literature. Although short, Pattou did not fail to include magnificent details and thoughts of the characters. I promise you, when you start reading this, you will not be satisfied until you finish. This is fantastic. I highly reconmmend this to all fantasy-lovers or just anyone who would want a great read.
Rating:
Summary: entertaining fantasy
Review: Well written. Short, very short chapters alternating view points with each chapter requires skill to avoid being choppy. The story never feels abrupt but smoothly goes from prose to verse and back carrying the tale smoothly forward with each transition. I thoroughly enjoyed this elaborate fairy tale.
Rating: 
Summary: No _Beauty_ of a book
Review: _East_ is a novel-length retelling of a traditional tale, after the manner of Robin McKinley's award-winning works.
Unfortunately, the cultural tidbits and handwork that add depth to McKinley's novels are flat and sterile here in Pattou's work; all the vocabulary is in the right place, but the feeling of relevance that comes from experience rather than book research is sadly lacking. In addition, the plot is clunky, the perspective often awkward, and the supernatural element a skimmed-milk version of the incredible wealth availible in Scandanavian folklore.
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