by Sharon Creech
Libby audiobook 5 hours
Read by: Jennifer Wiltsie
Published: 2007
Genre: YA historical fiction
I really like Creech as an author, but I prefer Karen Cushman for this type of book. Since I listened to it, I may have name spellings wrong! (And I don't want to search the correct ones.)
Siblings Pia and Enzio are poor peasants who serve a harsh master. The king and queen have three horrible (IMO) children: Gianni (a vapid, languid, wanna-be poet who doesn't read or learn), Fabritzia (a spoiled, selfish, "foolish," "frail," vain girl), and Vito (a violent boy).
The peasant children are lovely enough, with their dreaming of possibilities and hoping for a better future. The "hermit," storyteller, and old woman add interesting elements.
It was enjoyable but not amazing. I prefer Creech's realistic fiction.
Just for fun, I read a few reviews on Goodreads. This one from user Mir sums it up well:
"Creech sets the stage well enough: there is a castle, with a royal family of five useless, discontent, and rather stupid individuals. In a nearby village there are a poor, orphaned brother and sister. And there are a couple of hermits. The problem is that nothing happens. The book is like a "fairy tale twist" short story that was somehow dragged out from 35 pages to 300, but without any additional action or character development. The whole thing was just... boring."
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