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    The Princess and Curdie
    The Princess and Curdie
    The Princess and Curdie
    Ebook203 pages4 hours

    The Princess and Curdie

    By George MacDonald

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    About this ebook

    The Princess and Curdie is the sequel to George MacDonald's popular The Princess and the Goblin. After saving the Princess Irene in the first book, the young miner Curdie travels to the King's castle for more adventures of faith and courage. Considered the grandfather of modern fantasy novels, MacDonald published this

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherUnorthodox Press
    Release dateAug 31, 2021
    ISBN9781631710162
    Author

    George MacDonald

    George MacDonald (1824 – 1905) was a Scottish-born novelist and poet. He grew up in a religious home influenced by various sects of Christianity. He attended University of Aberdeen, where he graduated with a degree in chemistry and physics. After experiencing a crisis of faith, he began theological training and became minister of Trinity Congregational Church. Later, he gained success as a writer penning fantasy tales such as Lilith, The Light Princess and At the Back of the North Wind. MacDonald became a well-known lecturer and mentor to various creatives including Lewis Carroll who famously wrote, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland fame.

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    Reviews for The Princess and Curdie

    4/5

    288 ratings8 reviews

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    • 3/5
      In the sequel to The Princess and the Goblin, Curdie has continued to work in the king's mines after the departure of Princess Irene to the palace. But when a threat emerges to kingdom, Irene's great-great-grandmother calls Curdie to her, and after bestowing him with a gift, sends him to the king's palace where he works to correct the evils that have befallen the kingdom.MacDonald's novel is an allegory first and foremost. While the plot is intriguing and Curdie's development as an individual is interesting, it is MacDonald's exploration of morality that makes the book a worthwhile reading experience. Of course, the narrative itself has the distinct feel of a fairy tale and would appeal to children, but it does have language that shows the book's age. The descriptions however, are delightfully rich. A read that is fun as an intellectual exercise but also a delightful children's novel. However, be warned that the last page and a half gives the book a distinctly unhappy ending, after the expected happy ending for the characters.
    • 4/5
      This is a George MacDonald book that kids can read or enjoy having it read to them. Is it, as someone else said about one of his other books "moralizing fluff"? Well, yes. But of that genre, it is a lovely example. MacDonald's books make you want to be good, instead of telling you you ought to be good.
    • 5/5
      This sequel to "The Princess and the Goblin" starts a little oddly (though the discussion of the mountains is beautiful), but it develops into a wonderful and rich tale."The Princess and Curdie" picks up about a year after the events of "The Princess and the Goblin." It starts a new adventure, while remaining firmly a part of the story of the first book. I read the second book immediately after finishing the first, so I can't quite imagine appreciating it as much without the history I feel with the characters, the places, the mythology, and the themes that "The Princess and the Goblin" gave me.Remember that MacDonald wrote allegorically. These, as well as many of his other fictional works, were intended to be appreciated not only for the sake of the story itself, but also for the moral, philosophical, and even theological lessons the story promotes. Remembering that will explain, for example, why "The Princess and Curdie" ends the way it does. Part of the ending I loved and anticipated eagerly (I won't spoil it) and part disappointed me. But no doubt MacDonald intended the reader to be disappointed. It's instructional and will be clear when you finish.I don't give out many five-star ratings. That is how much I enjoyed this book!
    • 4/5
      One of the better old-fashioned children's books, MacDonald has a way with words.
    • 2/5
      The Princess and the Goblin was one of my favorite childhood books, My copy was read and re-read for the dreamlike sense of magic and wonder of the rooms at the top of the tower; the gritty terror of the goblins under the mountain.
      I suppose one can read religious allegory into the story if one tries (and the same goes for the poignancy of The Light Princess), but in those cases the message never got in the way of the story.
      Such is not the case with The Princess and Curdie. From page one to the end, the characters (there is nothing in particular to identify them with the characters of The Princess & the Goblin save for the names) walk through their roles woodenly in order to illustrate MacDonald's religious and social beliefs. It's unbelievably preachy - and most modern readers will find MacDonald's ideas rather peculiar. His worldview is naively idealistic, verging on offensively classist. (Servants have a duty to serve honestly, a good child should have nothing to keep from his parents, drinking is bad (except if you're a king; then it is wholesome), sophistication is bad, rustic naiivete is good, poverty is a privilege (!!!!).... the list goes on.

      If you're looking for a fantasy with the beauty of the Princess and The Goblin, with that fairytale quality to it, try something by Patricia McKillip instead of this "sequel."
    • 4/5
      The second of MacDonald's books about Curdie the Miner and Irene the Princess. Curdie is sent out by the Princess' grandmother on an errand - he does not know what it is, but only that he must go to the King and do what is needed when he gets there. Like all MacDonald's books it is steeped in Christian imagery and meaning, the main theme here being faith. When I read it as a child I remember being very struck by the gift that Curdie is granted of being able to fell the true shape of a person's soul by taking their hand in his. Thus: his mother's work worn hand seems like that of a lady; the scheming courtiers are revealed as a snake and a bird of prey; and the dishonest servants as various creatures associated with stupidity or theft. It strikes me still as an arresting idea. The explanation for his gift is this:"Since it is always what they do, whether in their minds of their bodies, that makes men go down to be less than men, that is, beasts, the change always come first in their hands...they do not know it of course; for a beast does not know that he is a beast, and the nearer a man gets to being a beast the less he knows it....To such a person there is in general no insult like the truth. He cannot endure it, not because he is growing a beast, but because he is ceasing to be a man. It is the dying man in him that makes him uncomfortable, and he trots, or creeps, or swims or flutters out of its way - calls it a foolish feeling, a whim, an old wives' fable, a bit of priests' humbug, an effete superstition, and so on....Many a lady, so delicate and nice that she can bear nothing coarser than the finest linen to touch her body, if she had a mirror that could show her the animal she is growing to, as it lies waiting within the fair skin and the fine linen and the silk and the jewels, would receive a shock that might possibly wake her up."MacDonald is too preachy for most modern tastes, but he tells hard spiritual truths, and mixes them in with a good yarn and some beautiful language.
    • 3/5
      2.5 starsThis is a sequel to MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin, which I read 15ish years ago and remember liking. In this one, the princess seeks Curdie's help and sends him on a quest. Pretty sparse description, I know, but I had trouble focusing, so I just missed way too much to do a proper summary. I was listening to the audio and it just couldn't hold my interest for very long at a time. I'm guessing that it might, in part, have to do with personal stuff going on right now. There did seem to be a lot of description and it seemed to take a long time to get to the plot of the book (and it's not a long book), though (and I'm not big on description).
    • 3/5
      Didn't like this one as much as the first book. More preachy and less cerebral but still a good story about how sloth can lead to greater sins.

    Book preview

    The Princess and Curdie - George MacDonald

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