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Summary: This book will still captivate you.
Review: Karen Cushman has written a book targeted toward teenagers in general, but focuses more on females. It is an excellent and very informative book for people interested in Medieval England because it goes into the culture of the time. Even if you are not interested in the Medieval times, this book will still captivate you. Karen Cushman was born in Chicago. She was interested in World History but was bored from always hearing about kings and presidents, so she wrote her first book about the lives of teenagers in history. Karen Cushman's writing style is not too serious, often humorous. She sometimes writes about things not related to the plot, but that adds flavor to the story. She makes the reader feel as if he/she is living in the time of the story, while removing major cultural and language differences so that the reader can relate to the characters. This book is historical fiction written in diary form. The events in the book didn't take place. Instead, the events reflect something that could have occurred at that time. The book Catherine Called Birdy takes place between 1290-1291. Most of the book takes place in the manor of Stonebridge, where Catherine lives. England in 1290 was quite different from today. Life was simple but hard during these difficult times. Through Catherine's diary, she explains her life and the lives of all the people around her. During this time period, feudalism was the form of government. Catherine gives the readers an understanding of the roles of all the different people, such as Perkin, the goat boy, who wanted to be a scholar. Catherine knew that he would never become one, but still taught him some Latin. The readers learn and understand more about the feudal system by reading this book. Catherine, a fourteen-year-old girl, doesn't want to get married against her will, but her father tries to sell her into marriage anyway. The characters in this book make it really enjoyable. Karen Cushman made all of them so realistic that she captures the readers in the story, and they can't put the book down. Catherine is the stubborn, outgoing, independent, and young girl who writes this diary. It is about her life while she was a teenager. Her brother Edward, a monk, gives her this diary to help her practice writing. All of her stories really make people (girls especially) realize how lucky we truly are. She writes in great detail of the village people, all of her friends, people who work on the manor, and her dreaded marriage. The closing scene of this book, provided some closure for Catherine and the reader. It reflects one of the themes of the book. Catherine realizes that life is not and will never be perfect, but she must enjoy what she has while she has it. This is true even today. Catherine said, "I am who I am wherever I am." After reading the entire book, it has extended our knowledge of this time period and much more. One of the main themes in Catherine Called Birdy is finding yourself. Being a woman in the Medieval times and daughter to a knight, one of the things Catherine was obligated to do was marry the man of her parents desired. Catherine, being a typical teenager, didn't want to marry the men her father liked. Catherine disliked the fact that villagers married who they wanted and she couldn't because her father was an important figure. "I wish I were a villager," Catherine said throughout the book, suggesting she wished she was someone else and didn't live on the manor. The birds are the most important symbols in the book. Catherine is nicknamed "Birdy" or "Little Bird." She owns many birds as pets and refuses to eat fowl meat. One lesson she learns is to use her "wings," like a bird, to set herself free. There are many images that are placed in the book to compare the characters to other things. Catherine is compared to the birds caged in her bedroom because they're all restrained from doing as they wish. Catherine liked to write many things in her journal to emphasize the events in her life that made her angry. When her father got mad at her, she hopes, "...one day his angry liver will set him afire and I will toast bread on him." This shows her hatred of her father. This is the typical teenager aspect of Catherine because, like most teenagers, she dislikes her father. When Catherine is angry, she uses curses such as "Corpus bones!" which is a good way of showing when she is angry at something. Another curse she might say to show anger in her life is "God's Thumbs!" People should "...marry whom they will," she wrote when she was making a list of the things a woman is not allowed to do. Catherine wanted to fall in love for herself. Catherine would also, "...rather sit in an apple tree and wonder," than be forced to sew, embroider, or learn how to be a proper lady. Catherine didn't understand why a lady must do what they do. "A lady must have six hands!" she exclaims. We hope you will read this book for yourself. It is interesting and you will learn a lot about being a woman, mostly, in the Medieval Times. If you don't care to read this book, we hope that this review has helped to influence your decision.
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Summary: A hilarious look at the Middle Ages!
Review: I loved this book! I first read it two years ago, and have reread it many times since. It takes a light look at serious history, and gives readers a taste of life in Medieval times without depressing them with all the morbid details. However, the details were accurate, and some were presented in such a funny way. I loved it when Birdy talked about their bathing habits (going from October to May without bathing because the tub was being used to keep eels!). Birdy was such an engaging character that I go back to this book time and again to get another laugh.
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Summary: This book is hilarious!
Review: If you want a good laugh, read this book. It has love, wit, and humor. Catherine is a very strong, bright, and witty character with great talent in the area of disposing of unwanted suitors. God's thumbs, this book is GREAT! I also think that this book really deserves six stars. It was written beautifully, and in a way that you could relate to.
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Summary: This Medevil comedy is Hilarious!
Review: Catherine Called Birdy is a hilarious book! Certainly it is one of the best I have ever read. Catherine is devious, tom-boyish, and everything that is not part of being a Lady. She hates almost everthing about her life and uses her journal to express her pure hatred of her father and overall boredom of her daily life. A wonderful and hiarious account of a Lady's life in those days!
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Summary: What a great book!
Review: Catherine Called Birdy In an interview, Author, Karen Cushman said the following: "I grew tired of hearing about kings, princes, generals, and presidents. I wanted to know what life was like for ordinary young people in other times." She did that in her book called Catherine Called Birdy. At last, an author has finally written about a younger generation from a long time ago; this is a book written about kids and for kids. Moreover, this book won the prestigious Newbery Award for Literature because of its originality, humor, romance, and its application towards audiences of all ages. I was astonished by how comical the book was. I personally enjoyed the book thoroughly. The characterization in this novel is impressive because the people sound like young people in the 1200's. Catherine, called Birdy, is a young girl who is the daughter of a manor keeper in 13th century England. She is a saucy, young 14-year-old girl who hates her father; also, Catherine bitterly hates her own life. She does not have good self-esteem and, in fact, she thinks of herself quite poorly. She describes herself as unlady-like, ugly, bitter, and stubborn. She hates her father because he is an embittered and nasty man: he is not a good role model for his daughter. He is mean to all the people of the manor. He is also quite mean to her. This main character, Catherine, is faced with quite a dilemma. She is trying to decide which dirty, greedy, rich man to marry throughout the book. In fact, Cat's greedy father insists on her marrying a man who is rich; he believes this will give him more opportunity if she marries a wealthy man. Another main character is called Perkin. Perkin is a poor boy who tends the goats, and Catherine really likes him, but only as a friend. He is one of Catherine's only companions. He also likes her as a good friend. He could be described as gentlemanly and full of integrity. Morwenna is also a big part of Catherine's life. She used to be like her mother, but now that Catherine is grown up, she considers herself more as Catherine's nurse. Basically, the book progresses as Catherine meets more and more men. Finally, after a while, the decision is made that Catherine would marry a fellow who she really did not like; he is called Shaggy Beard. This book is definitely a winner. It teaches many life lessons. For example, one such lesson is to treasure your freedom. It teaches the reader this by making him/her feel grateful that he/she is not in poor Catherine's position. The book also gives us an idea of what life was like for a normal girl back in those times as well as what the people were like in those olden times. One might be astonished by how primitive they and their culture were, for instance, the way the men treated the women and the crude language the people used. Another aspect of the book, which is worth making note of, is the fact that the author wrote the book as each day progressed in Catherine's diary. This gives the entire book a more personal feeling as the reader is submerged into Birdy's life through her own eyes. What a great book! Too bad these were just fictional characters. But then again, maybe they were actually real!
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Summary: God's thumbs, you're insane if you don't like this book.
Review: I regret that when I was younger, I passed up a chance to own this. This was very funny, although the ending made me want to pull out my teeth. I wish Birdy had run off, but true, she doesn't know anything about living alone. The beginning begins like this: "Picked off 29 fleas today." "My brother Edward believes that writing this account will make me less childish. I will not eat. I will not drink. Less childish indeed." "Tangled spinning." "Spinning. Untangled."
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Summary: LOVED it! God's Thumbs!
Review: If you didn't like it, then something is majorly wrong with you! I didn't think she gave too many facts, like some people said, and I thought that she deserved to get a little happiness. Who can blame her actions? If she hadn't been that way, she would have ended up marrying one of those jerks her father chose. Oh, yeah. Why can't people start spelling things right and correct their grammatical errors? I find it hard to respect the opinion of someone who doesn't know how to form sentences.
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Summary: Excellent portrayal of life in the Middle Ages
Review: I enjoy reading, but typically stick with the great classics of literature, JANE EYRE, A TALE OF TWO CITIES, etc. When someone recommended this book to me, I was a little cautious because I had to go to the children's section of the bookstore to find it. However, I found it to be a most enjoyable book and an extraordinary picture of life for a common person in the Middle Ages. In history, you learn of the kings and queens and princes at this time, but you never learn about the ordinary people during this time period. Catherine was not the stereotypical girl of this era. Most simply married who their fathers chose, for they did not know any different. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I also enjoyed reading what Ms. Cushman had to say at the end of the novel about the Middle Ages, or the Dark Ages, as they were sometimes known. She gave a great historical documentary of everyday life for these people. That to me was as fascinating as the book itself. If you are a student out there who will have to read it for school, someone who is just looking for good book to read, or perhaps someone who is interested in this particular time period, this will definitely become one of your favorites. Don't waste time with the library; buy the book, you could read it over and over and over again.
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Summary: Mischief, mayhem, and humor-this book has it all!
Review: "Catherine Called Birdy" portrays a very different version of the typical medieval woman. Catherine, the main character is headstrong, intelligent, and extremely stubborn. Her unique blend of characteristics, which are so rarely found in novels featuring women from the Middle Ages, give us unique insights into Catherine's life and beliefs. If you are looking for a welcome change from the usual medieval reads, check out this book. It is sure to amuse readers of all ages.
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Summary: Great Bo
Review: 'Catherine, Called Birdy' is an absolutely wonderful book for people of all ages. It tells a story of a girl who just wants to live her own life. I think that it is so intricately detailed and tells about every aspect of this girl's life. It is almost as if the author is actually living in the time of the story. I absolutely LOVE this book and recommend that any person of any age read it.
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