The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

The attractive descriptions caught me quickly. The story starts with a baby's birth in a royal household to a seemingly cold mother. It smacks of fairytale
structure with sinister figures present or to come.

The "calloused hands" that pick up the baby, her words "my fat one" uttered to the baby call the Hansel and Gretel witch to mind. This character appears only in the early part of the story. Her influence on the baby is a major element in her character development and in the plot. She shortens the baby's name to Ani, a name she chooses to call herself though others use her long name. Ani knows herself very well. She lives in "The Ugly Duckling" world which thankfully is not overplayed, she is not a victim at all. She knows her strengths and what she lacks. The plot and Ani's character development create a good amount of tension where the reader doesn't know what she will choose, or discover in herself, what she will accept or struggle with.

I like character and plot and this book has both. It makes good reading. The characters with political ambition at any price make it even better. The plot is not predictable nor is it unrealistic. It shows how humans relate to those in power, and also how that changes when the power is gone. It would relate to children's experiences in school too. One moment one is in favour and the next one is excluded.

There is only one flaw in the book for me. The plot is sorted out and that's it. It's not satisfying because Ani's character is sacrificed for plot resolution.