Colman

Rating:
Summary: A great follow-up to "Wise Child" and "Juniper"
Review: After reading "Juniper" and "Wise Child", I was excited to hear that Monica Furlong had written another book involving similar characters. Colman was not the main focus of the other books, but he takes center stage in this endearing story. Juniper, Colman, Wise Child, with the help of Finbar, return to Cornwall. To their horror, it has been ransacked, and the inhabitants are now at the mercy of the Gray Knight and Meroot. Juniper's brother, the prince, has been kidnapped and taken to Caerleon. Determined to help the citizens, Colman and Wise Child go to Caerleon in hopes to save the prince. What follows is an exciting story!
I enjoyed this book a great deal. It was a very good end to the series. I would suggest reading "Wise Child" and "Juniper" prior to reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: A must-read if you liked Wise Child and Juniper!
Review: Wise Child and Juniper are two of my all-time favorite books, and I was surprised and delighted to discover Colman, the completion of the trilogy! Overall, it's an amazing and wonderful book, as is to be expected of Monica Furlong, but it does not live up to Wise Child and Juniper.

The story begins immediately where Wise Child left off, and the events of Wise Child and Juniper are explained in a very cursory way. I would not recommend reading Colman unless you have read Wise Child and Juniper, otherwise the story will not make much sense and will not be as fulfilling! Both Wise Child and Juniper could be read as stand-alones, but Colman could not.

Colman includes all of the familiar characters - Wise Child, Juniper, Cormac, Meroot, Euny, etc., but the difference is that this book is narrated by Colman, Wise Child's best friend/cousin. However, I would hesitate to say he's the main character - it's still Wise Child and Juniper's story, as it should be. I just wish it had been narrated by one of them!

Colman joins Juniper and Wise Child as they flee their home to escape persecution as witches. They sail to Juniper's homeland, where Juniper's father was once king. But now Juniper's evil aunt Meroot has taken over the land and rules it with her black magick. She and her partner have killed many of Juniper's family and friends, control the remaining people through violence and taxation, and by holding Juniper's brother hostage in Meroot's castle. It is up to Wise Child and Juniper, with the help of Colman, Finbar, Cormac, and Juniper's childhood teacher, to save the land from Meroot's evil and free Juniper's brother to reign as king. Wise Child and Colman voluntarily enter Meroot's castle, posing as traveling children seeking work as servants, in hopes that being inside the castle will allow them to discover a weakness in Meroot that they can exploit, as well as give them a chance to find Juniper's brother and help him. Their plan requires great courage, courage that is to be tested many times...

It seems to me that Wise Child was a book that was character-driven, while Colman is plot-driven. The greatest strength of Wise Child was its focus on the deep and loving relationship between Wise Child and Juniper - Juniper was simultaneously a mother, mentor, and friend to Wise Child. Although Wise Child contained exciting and suspenseful scenes, for me, the "meat" of the story took place during Wise Child and Juniper's "mundane," daily life - while they worked, talked, ate, and slept together and their bond grew. When Wise Child experiences something exciting then becomes bored with the return to normal life, Juniper tells her that she feels that the "dull bits" of life are usually the best, and that excitement is only necessary here and there to feed off of.
I agree, which was why it was a bit frustrating that Colman had virtually no "dull bits" at all! Wise Child, Juniper and friends are in mortal danger nearly from start to finish, which makes for an exciting, suspenseful story, yes...but that's not what drew me to Wise Child and Juniper, and it's not what I expected/hoped for from Colman.

Nonetheless, I will be reading Colman again, and I still enjoy my "least favorite" of Furlong's books lots more than I enjoy most books! :) It's technically a Young Adult book, but I'm 25 and still enjoyed it! I would recommend the Wise Child trilogy to anyone, child, teen, or adult, to be read in the following order:
-Wise Child
-Juniper
-Colman

I was very saddened to learn of Furlong's death (Jan. 03), but am immensely grateful that she gave us this final book.

Rating:
Summary: A must-read if you liked Wise Child and Juniper!
Review: Wise Child and Juniper are two of my all-time favorite books, and I was surprised and delighted to discover Colman, the completion of the trilogy! Overall, it's an amazing and wonderful book, as is to be expected of Monica Furlong, but it does not live up to Wise Child and Juniper.

The story begins immediately where Wise Child left off, and the events of Wise Child and Juniper are explained in a very cursory way. I would not recommend reading Colman unless you have read Wise Child and Juniper, otherwise the story will not make much sense and will not be as fulfilling! Both Wise Child and Juniper could be read as stand-alones, but Colman could not.

Colman includes all of the familiar characters - Wise Child, Juniper, Cormac, Meroot, Euny, etc., but the difference is that this book is narrated by Colman, Wise Child's best friend/cousin. However, I would hesitate to say he's the main character - it's still Wise Child and Juniper's story, as it should be. I just wish it had been narrated by one of them!

Colman joins Juniper and Wise Child as they flee their home to escape persecution as witches. They sail to Juniper's homeland, where Juniper's father was once king. But now Juniper's evil aunt Meroot has taken over the land and rules it with her black magick. She and her partner have killed many of Juniper's family and friends, control the remaining people through violence and taxation, and by holding Juniper's brother hostage in Meroot's castle. It is up to Wise Child and Juniper, with the help of Colman, Finbar, Cormac, and Juniper's childhood teacher, to save the land from Meroot's evil and free Juniper's brother to reign as king. Wise Child and Colman voluntarily enter Meroot's castle, posing as traveling children seeking work as servants, in hopes that being inside the castle will allow them to discover a weakness in Meroot that they can exploit, as well as give them a chance to find Juniper's brother and help him. Their plan requires great courage, courage that is to be tested many times...

It seems to me that Wise Child was a book that was character-driven, while Colman is plot-driven. The greatest strength of Wise Child was its focus on the deep and loving relationship between Wise Child and Juniper - Juniper was simultaneously a mother, mentor, and friend to Wise Child. Although Wise Child contained exciting and suspenseful scenes, for me, the "meat" of the story took place during Wise Child and Juniper's "mundane," daily life - while they worked, talked, ate, and slept together and their bond grew. When Wise Child experiences something exciting then becomes bored with the return to normal life, Juniper tells her that she feels that the "dull bits" of life are usually the best, and that excitement is only necessary here and there to feed off of.
I agree, which was why it was a bit frustrating that Colman had virtually no "dull bits" at all! Wise Child, Juniper and friends are in mortal danger nearly from start to finish, which makes for an exciting, suspenseful story, yes...but that's not what drew me to Wise Child and Juniper, and it's not what I expected/hoped for from Colman.

Nonetheless, I will be reading Colman again, and I still enjoy my "least favorite" of Furlong's books lots more than I enjoy most books! :) It's technically a Young Adult book, but I'm 25 and still enjoyed it! I would recommend the Wise Child trilogy to anyone, child, teen, or adult, to be read in the following order:
-Wise Child
-Juniper
-Colman

I was very saddened to learn of Furlong's death (Jan. 03), but am immensely grateful that she gave us this final book.