Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Interpretation of a Personal Favorite
Review:
This is excellent, well crafted book reminded me why I loved Grimm as a child...because Grimm's "fairytales" never talked down to children, never assumed they couldn't see the dark side of the world. As a child, growing up in a world of Vietnam vs Lawrence Welk, I vividly remember being mesmerized by the absolute honesty of the old world stories, feeling smarter for reading them and wickedly proud of myself simply because I enjoyed reading them.
Shannon Hale's book doesn't diminish that experience at all.
Hale's brilliantly thoughtful insights into my favorite Grimm tale was well worth the deprivation of a night's sleep. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. As in any good adventure, there is violence, betrayal, loss and hardship, but it is not glorified nor is it ignored or glossed over. It has the proverbial prince charming, but the romance is handled neatly with very few references to hormonal palpatations and an emphasis on friendship first.
I loved it, and I think smart younger ladies with spirit and attitude will love it as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Dragged on FAR too long¿
Review: As someone who has never heard the actual Grimm fairy tale about the goose girl/princess, I can't exactly judge this book against the original story. As a story in itself, I found it just okay. We are first introduced to Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree when she is just a young girl, and helped by her aunt, discovers she has the ability to speak to animals. As the first child born to the King and Queen, she is supposed to be first in line to the throne, but Ani (as she is called) doesn't really feel like she fits in. After her father dies, the Queen announces that Ani's younger brother will take the throne and Ani will be send to marry the prince of Bayern, a nearby country that Kildenree has only a "civil" relationship with. Ani, her guards and her lady-in-waiting, Selia, set off on the long journey to Bayern, only to find out that Selia has other plans. Ani eventually arrives in Bayern, but must be careful to blend in. She ends up taking a job as goose girl. While I think this first book by the author was good, it wasn't GREAT. Too many characters and the fact it dragged on in some spots made me not like it as much as I could have. I think I might check out the next book by Hale however, because it centers on interesting and little developed character that appeared in this book.
Rating:
Summary: A not too Grimm retelling
Review: Debut author Shannon Hale succeeds wonderfully with her first novel, "The Goose Girl." A retelling of the moderately well-known tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, she reinvents the story for a modern audience. Ani, a crown princess, learns at an early age that her special gifts are not those valued by her queen mother and her future subjects. She is eventually sent to marry a prince in a different kingdom, but along the way is overthrown by her lady-in-waiting. Ani becomes a servant, tending geese, while she searches for a way to return to the marriage and throne that is rightfully her own. Hale has reimagined the story in such a way as to give us a strong, if flawed, heroine with a conscience. In this book, the reader isn't left wondering how a princess could allow herself to be displaced so easily from her birthright. We are also given a magical reason for Ani's successful sojourn with geese. Ultimately, Hale's prose is the book's greatest asset. Ani and her world are vivid creations, ready to be shared during a long, quiet read. If you enjoy fairy tale novelizations, such as those by Robin McKinley and Donna Jo Napoli, this book will make a great addition to your bookshelf. If you simply like historical fantasy, forget the fairy tale, this novel will also please. Royalty, deception, intrigue, treason, and redemption make up a story that doesn't obviously derive from a fairy tale.
Rating:
Summary: 'The Goose Girl' Takes Flight
Review: I absolutely loved this book, so much so that I didn't put it down. (Fortunately I was sick that day and didn't have to worry about doing anything else than moan/read). It is one of the best books I've ever read and gave such life to the old fairy tale of the goosegirl. The author did a great job of combining the well-known story with politics, intrigues, social status, and romance. The writing was beautiful, the characters extremely well developed, and the ending was perfect. The story follows the crown princess Ani of Kilendree, who is painfully shy and has, or had, a secret gift of talking with animals. After her father's untimely death she is ceremoniously disposed of to make way for her brother to become an heir, for she is too shy and unsure of herself to properly lead the country, or so her mother thinks. For this, she is shipped off to Bayern, a neighboring kingdom, to ensure peace between the two kingdoms. However, a plot had been boiling, and while traveling to Bayern there is a mutiny. Ani is almost killed, but she manages to flee. The party that tried to kill her still continues to hunt for her while carrying out her plan, disgusing another woman as Ani and planning to have her marry the crown prince of Bayern. Ani manages to find work in Bayern, pretending she is another Bayern girl, hiding her blonde hair beneath a scarf and darkening her eyebrows to hide their fairness. She takes a job as a goosegirl for the king, all the while trying to decide what she should do about thsoe that overthrew her. She knows they plan no good and she fears for her home kingdom.
Eventually she meets a young man with whom she begins to talk for many days. They develop a romance, but this is interrupted by her being discovered by the leader of the men that want her dead so that they can fulfill their plan. She has to flee again, but ends up finding some old friends. Together they manage to do great and wonderful things, and the story ends with a romance, which was quite pleasant. This book was so good, I've even preordered the next book by Ms. Hale and I have absolutely no idea what it's about.(Generally speaking, I don't do that.) If you like fairy tale remakes, your time won't be wasted on this.
Rating:
Summary: I love this book!
Review: I bought this book after I heard the author speak at a book store. I was so impressed with her that I took the plunge and bought the book. I have to say that I stayed up all that night reading it, I could NOT put it down. Shannon Hale writes with amazing imagery, and I felt that I was actually in the story. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful read-aloud
Review: I had this book read aloud to me as I nursed my new baby. Although it's prose, it reads beautifully, like poetry. I was captivated by the multi-sensory descriptions, which drew us right into Ani's world. Towards the end, our reading sessions lengthened because we just couldn't wait to find out what was going to become of the heroine! While the story is intended for young adults, any grown up would enjoy this beatiful novel.
Rating:
Summary: The Goose Girl
Review: I love this book. The plot constantly changes throughout the book. Hale keeps you spellbound with her retelling of the fairy tale.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet and soft, like the voice of a gentle breeze
Review: I read this book in one sitting. All 300 pages. It was that good. The language, as another reviewer wrote, is lyrical and beautiful. I always had a vague idea that a story existed about a goose girl, but I never knew it and am so glad that this book was my first introduction to the tale. It's a story with a hint of magic, a heroine you can root for who connects to the natural world in an eloquent and profound way, and an ending that leaves you satisfied and glad. I'm really not sure what else to say, since I don't want to spoil any of it for you, so I will simply say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My one disappointment: this author has not yet written any other books! Please publish another, Ms. Hale, because as soon as I finished this one I looked to see what else I could read by you, and there is nothing yet! Rest assured that your next book is awaited by an eager audience.
Rating:
Summary: A fabulous read
Review: I was not familiar with the Brothers Grim fairy tale before reading this book; but the story is fabulous even without knowing the story. The characters are very real and engaging. And while the story follows the usual fairy tale formula, Hale tweaks it slightly to show Ani's growth from silence and inaction to empowerment. Hale's use of language and imagery is very beautiful. I especially like one description of "words hanging like a dying moth". This novel reminds me quite a bit of Robin McKinley's _Beauty_ and _The Blue Sword_. I look forward to reading many more books by Ms. Hale. I highly recommend this book for teens or adults (like me) who love Young Adult Fiction.
Rating:
Summary: 'The Goose Girl' Takes Flight
Review: Imagine a rush of sweet, warm air washing over you, tingling your senses and flowing into a smile. 'The Goose Girl', by Shannon Hale, is like that soft breeze, a story of a girl of winds and birds. Crown princess Anidori-Kiladra was born with a mysterious love for the birds of her palace, especially the graceful swans. Encouraged and guided by her aunt, she quickly learns the tongue of her most beloved friends. But another friend awaits her. Falada, the colt who she saw taking his first breath, speaking his first word, talks to her and loves her even more than the swans did. Yet with the death of her aunt and her mother keeping her away from the swan pond, young Ani strugles to fit the mold of a princess.
Years later, with her father dead and her mother as cold as ever, Ani learns that she is betrothed to a prince in the next kingdom, Bayern. Ani, her lady in-waiting Selia, and all of her guard embark on a perilous journey through the Forest. Never having left her sheltered palace in Kildenree, Ani is easily amazed by everything she encounters, but soon the unthinkable happens.
Selia and half of her guard revolt, attacking the others and chasing Ani until she is lost in the Forest, thirsty, hungry, and mourning for her lost friends and Falada. Worst of all, she knows that Selia, whose plan is to pretend she is the princess and become queen of Bayern, will reach the kingdom before her. And even if Ani does make it to the king alive, how will she ever produce the evidence to prove that Selia and her band of murderous guards are frauds?
Ani makes it to Bayern alive, but she must hide. She knows if she reveals herself without protection and witnesses Selia's lover, Ungolad, will kill her, so she takes a job as the palace's goose girl.
A story of a confused girl with unexpected love and the struggle to find herself, this novel is a masterpiece. Each and every detail is beautifully woven and stitched into a magical, enchanting story.I loved it and it instantly became my favorite book. It keeps you thinking, wondering about the way the world works, wondering if everything has its own tongue...
When the wind whispers, can you hear it?
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