"And to this purpose"

"If people like to read their books, it is all very well, but to be at so much trouble in filling great volumes, which, as I used to think, nobody would willingly ever look into, to be labouring only for the torment of little boys and girls, always struck me as a hard fate; and though I know it is all very right and necessary, I have often wondered at the person's courage that could sit down on purpose to do it." (In other words: rambling analyses, opinions, ideas, views, and comments from an English major, Essay/paper-writing enthusiastic, Austen-loving Master Librarian on, well, Jane Austen...and a whole lot of other things, too.)

"Celebrated Passages are Quoted"

Heidi's favorite quotes


"What is it really like to be engaged?" asked Anne curiously. "Well, that all depends on who you're engaged to," answered Diana, with that maddening air of superior wisdom always assumed by those who are engaged over those who are not."— L.M. Montgomery

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Goose, Part 2

3. In my opinion, there are so many well-written characters in this book. Ones you just love, and ones you just don’t. It’s one of the best things about the book! So let’s hear some of your thoughts on the following:

Enna - I love Enna. She's fun, spunky, strong, and doesn't take anything from anyone. But some times she is just a bit too tough for me. I want to be strong and fun and spunky, but I also want to be tender. And Isi seems to have more of the tenderness that I would wish for myself. Enna on her own, I probably would have thought her great and left it there. But put her next to Isi, and every time I will opt for the gentler of the two. (Which I do in every book in the series.)

Gilsa - Loved her from the start. Knew she would be a gruff country mother figure from the start. Wish she could have played a slightly larger role in the book (and the series!).

Selia - I wanted to slap her at the beginning because I thought she was unfair to Ani. And then her betrayal? Well, I wanted to slap her again! And as the book progressed, I was ready to tear out her hair and mace her eyes and do all sorts of Enna-like things. Another reason why I'd like to be more like Isi, because it's more how I think I should be.

Isi’s mother - She made me so mad. How dare a mother treat her own daughter like that. No matter how awkward our child can be, you should still love them unconditionally. And if Isi's mother did. I certainly didn't get that vibe. Loved her, yes. But approved, trusted, supported, etc? Nope.

Razo - A showy goof-off who reminded me too much of the boys I knew in Junior High. Didn't dislike him. But I'm 15 years past that stage of life and those guys can be a bit too annoying for me now.

Conrad - Though he made me laugh, he still was pretty annoying. Such a whiner. But the hat scene was a great laugh.

other minor character - I can't remember who the good guard's name was, but I LOVE him! He's like a teddy bear, father figure, older brother, and chocolate covered donuts all in one. How can you not love the guy?

4 comments:

Meredith said...

How could you leave off Finn? I love Finn an unhealthy amount, I'm sure. He's just that wonderful. The strong silent type. I love the brother-sister vibe with Isi, and I love how loyal he is to her, right from the very beginning.

And Talone (aka the Good Guard). Also love him a crazy lot. When Isi discovers that he's still alive, and he calls her princess and kneels down, I cried. And when Geric is a little worried that Isi might love him, I was like , "Yeah, you should be worried!" Although he's more of a father figure to her, I think. That's one of the reasons I love him so much. She's on her own for most of the book, even when she still has her family and when she's with her friends, but when Talone is there, he knows who she is, and he loves her.

Razo-I don't think I noticed him too much the first time I read the book. When I realized how important he was in the later books, I paid more attention to him. He's kind of fun, but I'm glad he grows (as a character, not in height) in the later books.

Gilsa-Bam! She's awesome. You can see where Finn gets his awesomeness from.

Enna-I loved her in this book (feelings change a bit in the sequels). Another person who loves Isi unreservedly right from the beginning. For someone like Isi, who has had a pretty terrible time, that's just what she needs.

Selia-EVIL!!!

Ani's mom-Worst. Mom. Ever. Maybe not, but she is pretty lame. Poor Ani/Isi.

Conrad-what a whiner baby. I'm glad he redeems himself in the end, but also glad that he's not in the other books (that I can remember).

Anyone else-What was the goose's name? Jock? He's pretty sweet.

ldsjaneite said...

Ha ha. What fun I had reading your answers! I left off Finn I felt about him the way you thought of Razo--I didn't notice him much. I liked him, but I didn't feel there was much of him in the book. So glad he entered the series more.

Talone! That's his name! (Thanks!) "Father figure." Yes indeed.

I'm also glad Razo grows later in the series. But in just "Goose Girl," eh. He's all right.

You know, I realized that I did with Enna in this book what I tried not to. It's so hard to answer about one book when you've read the rest of the series! I think I liked her best in this first book and let my turn-off by her increased toughness in the later books influence my answer for the first book. I agree with you--she was just what Isi needed in a friend. Interesting to think how blessed Isi is once she begins her life with Geric, and we sometimes forget what an awful time she had growing up.

Conrad--also glad he's not in the other books. (Well, he makes a brief appearance in #4.) I suppose if Hale could put him back in grown up, I might be able to like him better.

The goose was nice. And her horse! Oh, I cried about the horse. Thought the whole talking thing was weird until I learned that was in the original fairy tale.

Sara Lyn said...

I agree with Meredith. Finn was my favorite boy character. (Okay, maybe except for Geric.) And I loved Talone also. Gilsa was wonderful. But Enna was a little brash for me, even in this book. I never finished the second because I just couldn't get into her. Pretty much agreed with Meredith on everyone else, too. (Thanks for making it so I didn't have to say anything!) :) But concerning Selia, answering the question from your previous post, I suspected Selia almost from the first moment. Even as a child, there was something wrong so when it came out that she was evil, I was not at all surprised. In fact, I couldn't understand how Isi didn't see it sooner. But there you go. Maybe I'm just a suspicious beast. Have to say I didn't even get into the book until Talone, Gilsa and Finn showed up. This book was really hard for me to get into! I think I've said that before, but I still haven't quite figured out why. Whatever. I liked her characters even if I didn't like her characters.

ldsjaneite said...

SaraLyn- Somehow I had thought that you hadn't finished the first in the series. And I don't think you're a suspicious beast. Just very good at judging character.

And the second book? My least favorite simply because Enna is the main character (and what a good word for her--brash) and so much war. I'm not sure how you would like the other two in the series.