Rating: 
Summary: 5 stars is only the highest it'll go to? It deserves 10!!!
Review: Wise child is a girl who's father goes away, and is sent to live with Juniper, a rumored witch. Juniper does not go to Mass which is in the book a very big deal. She heals people, but everyone thinks by witchcraft. Wise Child is treated very differently at Juniper's house. She is not beaten, is learning English, sums, latin, and other other things that the people in the town think is foolish for a girl to learn. She and Juniper are getting closer to eachother, but then Maeve, Wise Child's gorgeous mother returns and tempts her to live a glorious life with riches with her. So, Wise Child has to decide between a tempting evil but, gorgeous women who's her mother, and a witch, but a witch who she has found kindness and comfort in. Besides that, Wise Child also has to figure out what would happen if she made the wrong descision.
Rating:
Summary: Something for Everyone - Enchanting and Interesing
Review: Welcome to the world of ancient world of witchcraft that was true and not what so many people see it as today. Furlong has created a place of magic from the land of the druids. Taken in by the town witch whom everyone in the village suspicious of, but does not get rid of because she cures their ills after her cousins give her up. Now considered an orphan, the spoiled Wise Child learns much about life and her future from the slightly omniscient Juniper, her witch-teacher who teaches her to read books, the stars, and people. But when temptation of a better life lures the young girl away, she is forced to choose between a woman who has become her best friend and the mother who gave her up long year ago. Deep and beautiful, enchanting and full of stirring thoughts and passageways into an ancient cutlture, you won't want to put this book down. Five stars because there is nothing that compares to this book. -Lia
Rating:
Summary: The best book!!! one of my favorites!
Review: This is one of my favorite books that i have read. as soon as i started it , i couldn't put it down.
This book makes you feel very peaceful.You can almost taste the magic in it.it really tells a good story and how when one person has one idea, others can follow it and become "like a pack of dogs" if i am quoting colman (one of the characters) correctly.
i would reccomend this book to anyone who is in school, or has been out for a long time.
whoever reads it , i think they will think as highly of it as i do!!!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I ever read
Review: From the moment I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down. A mesmerizing fantasy about a girl left alone in the world who goes to live with Juniper, a woman rumoured to be a 'witch'. Afraid at first, Wise Child soon finds out that Juniper, though strict at times, is loving and caring and very different from what people think. This book is more than a mere fantasy, it symbolizes our society steeped in ignorant beliefs and superstitions about Wiccan. It should be read by people of all ages, for there is a valuable lesson to be learned whether you are 8 or 80.
Rating:
Summary: Wise Child
Review: This is one of my all time favorite books for children or adults! Each time I read it, I am filled with peace, hope and a yearning for the simple, good life that Wise Child and Juniper share. The book, though not particularly long, is full of wonderfully well developed characters whom you come to care about. It is at once both adventurous and educational (it takes place in a 12th century Scottish village) and conveys a reminder of our inherent connection to each other, to nature and to the cosmos.
Adults and children 10 years and older will love it - guaranteed!
Rating:
Summary: This book is an absolute Gem!
Review: This book was well written and vetry hard to put down once I began reading. A friend loaned my daughter this book, and I too read it... it has now been added to our wish list! Although there is a hint of Paganism to this book, it is by no means full of anything evil or termed "witchy. Juniper is simply a wonderful lady who offers her knowledge & lore of healing and teaches all this to Wise Child. This is no different than the doctors now-a-days working in the free clinics and helping those who need it. I often found myself wishing I was Wise Child and had a teacher like Juniper.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: I love this book, and its prequel, Juniper (which I acually read first). I believe this is an amazing story. It is about a girl nicknamed Wise Child who lives in a Scottish village. Her mother left her, and her father went out to sea. When her grandmother dies, the only person who will take her in is the village witch, Juniper. However, when she goes with Junipers, her eyes are opened to amazing new things to learn. But when her real mother returns offering Wise Child a life of leisure, will Wise Child go with her and forget Juniper's kindness?
I will only comment on this because others have: When I first read the book, I did not detect the Paganism implications. If it would bother you for such to be implied, you might not even notice. This book will not turn someone away from church, though it might open eyes to Nature-based religions (which, contrary to many beliefs, is not evil, just different than some other belief systems).
If you read this book, be sure to read its prequel, "Juniper" as well.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: I'm fourteen, and an extremely avid reader, and I read this book when I was eight, I think. To this day it remains one of my favorites. This book is about a young girl in Scotland, nicknamed "Wise Child" by her peers because of her big dark eyes. Her father is away at sea, her mother left when she was very young, and her grandmother dies. With no one who will take care of her, the one person who volunteers is "Juniper", the village doran(witch is a vulgar word). Wise Child is afraid because of the rumors about the young woman, but has no choice. Wise Child learns about herbs, "spells" and becoming part of the world. She also has some trouble with the village priest, Fillan, who believes Juniper is evil, and with her mother, a harmful Doran. I would recommend this to anyone of any age, for it's a classic tale of fantasy and frustrations.
Rating:
Summary: The Most Amazing Book I Have Ever Read
Review: Wise Child is the most amazing and detailed book I have ever read its my favorite book. Ever [since] I first read it in middle school 3 years ago. When I read this book its like I am really there like I was wise child. I have only read two of Monica Furlongs books and she's already my favorite author. I have read this book many times (...) How ever is thinking about geting this book I would get it its worth a million times over the value that it costs.
Rating:
Summary: The path to wisdom comes at a price
Review: To begin, I direct you to the original cover. Let's take a gander at the beauty of this cover, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, it's beyond beautiful. It's stunning. Two women, one grown and one small, gaze coolly at the viewer. They are surrounded by the elements of their trade, namely herbs with a pistle & morter. I salute the cover artist in this case. Both characters are unaccountably and undeniably right. Wise Child lives in an early Scottish community. Her mother left her long ago and her father is a shipman, ever away at sea. When her grandmother dies of old age, Wise Child is nine years old and utterly alone in the world. Taken in by the local witch, Wise Child is initially reluctant to live with someone potentially evil. In time, however, she comes to love her guardian, Juniper, and the two become close. Even as Wise Child's mother, an evil sorceress, lays claim on her child and the villagers grow restless at having a witch in such close proximity the two stick together. This is a story about finding the person who loves you and bearing with them through thick and thin. It's about love. Furlong's an elegant writer, and this was an amazingly well wrought tale. Juniper is almost without fault, though she is by no means unlikable because of her perfection. Certainly I felt the woman's hands off approach towards raising a willful child was a little bizarre. Juniper is almost never angry with the initially spoiled Wise Child, and one has to wonder what a less well-behaved tyke would have done in her place. Wise Child herself is entirely human and full of the kind of flaws that make her real and interesting. She's rarely in complete control of any situation, but she knows her own mind. The book itself is very appropriate for younger viewers. There's relatively little violence and zippo inappropriate language. Even Wise Child's flighty parents were married when she was born. You probably would have a hard time finding a book more appropriate for those kids that want a fantasy but are also attached to stories with a good solid grasp on reality. I myself was drawn to the idea of the strong wise woman raising a girl child on her own. The book works best when it recognizes different points of view and calmly points them out without screaming or battering you over the head with the moral. In fact, even as I write this, I realize that this is a story about morality in the finest sense. It's about accepting others and being true to what is good and pure in human beings, regardless of religion or beliefs. And in today's madcap (...), that's exactly the kind of message we should be striving to get out there more and more. A gem.
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