The Grace of Wild Things is billed as "a fantastical reimagining of Anne of Green Gables," and that made me jump up and put it on hold at my library immediately. (So: excellent marketing strategy!) But, in retrospect, I wish I hadn't known that going into the story, because it set certain expectations in my mind and then the book kept knocking against those expectations. I would have preferred the experience of reading the book, feeling that it reminded me of something, and then figuring out or finding out at the end that it was Anne of Green Gables with witches.
But if I can get that out of the way, this was a lovely story, a worthy homage to Anne-with-an-E, and an enjoyable read.
I loved Grace: she's proactive, creative, fearless and positive, just like Anne. When she realizes that no one will adopt her because she's a witch, she goes herself to the witch's cottage in the woods and refuses to be intimidated by being shut in the oven.
The witch grew on me, and by the end I was really enjoying her reluctant relationship with Grace. I have a few niggling issues with how she was portrayed: (slight spoiler, you can read it if you highlight it) I choose to believe she never actually cooked and ate any children, because that seems inconsistent with both her actions in the story and with the way magic seems to work—actually, I think my niggle is that the magic is fun and whimsical but isn't really developed beyond "oh look at all the crazy ingredients we have to gather for this spell."
My favourite part of the book was the friendships, which I don't want to spoil, and I did love the magic and wish there had been more of it. It was quite fun seeing how Fawcett translated many of Anne's escapades into magic spells with unexpected results.
There were a lot of things I wish had been developed further (even though it's a fairly long book), so I felt a little unsatisfied with certain aspects of the plot, but the setting and characters were delightful, and the book has so much heart! The themes of friendship, tolerance, helpfulness and forgiveness—not to mention trusting yourself and a healthy dose of girl power—were true to the spirit of Anne of Green Gables. So for Lucy Maud Montgomery fans, you won't be disappointed. Just check your expectations at the door and let Grace take you into her world.
I would recommend this for an older middle-grade audience, just because of its length and complexity.
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg at Always in the Middle, where you can always find great middle-grade recommendations.
You know, as I started reading your review, I wondered how the book compared to Anne with an E, so I'm really glad you mentioned it. I'll add it to my TBR. Thanks for sharing your review. :)
ReplyDeleteI hadn't seen this book before, but it sounds like a really compelling read, as long as you focus less on the Anne of Green Gables aspects and more on the story itself! Also, I do have to say that the cover is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteAnd as someone else who uses Blogger, I may have to steal (well, "borrow") your trick of changing the color of a spoiler so you have to highlight it! If only Blogger just had spoiler tags...but in the meantime, that's a great solution!
Thanks so much for the thoughtful review, Kim!
Teasers like you have described have also set unrealistic expectations for other books I've read. I, too. like to be surprised. I'm glad you found the story and character appealing and will add it to my future read list.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate it when a reviewer mentions both what she likes and doesn't like in a book. Thanks for your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for an honest, thorough review. This sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteGreat in-depth review! Interesting how that strategy backfired a bit but glad you could get past it! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSometimes it is hard to go into a book with a certain expectation- so I can understand how you wish you didn't know about the Anne of Green Gables connection. Thanks for sharing! :) ~Jess
ReplyDelete