The Princess and the Goblen

For those of you who don’t know, I LOVE to read! I will read almost anything, as long as it is something that is not too violent, provocative, or against my faith. Now, I am not saying that I enjoy everything I read but I am the type of person who will usually just endure the book and finish it. However, not very often do I find a book that I struggle to finish. That being said, I want to be able to share my books with you as I finish them.

The most recent book that I finished was actually one that I read for my book club (which I will share more about later) and I did not enjoy it. It was way too provocative for my taste but I stuck it out so that I could actually participate in our group.

The book I do want to share today is one I read quite a while ago and decided to pick up again. This book is called “The Princess and the Goblin” and it was written by George MacDonald in 1872. The book is actually written as a children’s novel but it is one that adults can definitely enjoy as well!

The book is about a little princess who is protected by her friend Curdie from the goblin miners who live beneath the castle. What I love the most about it though is that although it is great for children and has a wonderful story, there are also some underlying themes and meanings that only an adult can truly pick up.

If I were to rate this book, I would definitely give it a 5 out of 5 stars! I love how well written this book is and how MacDonald was able to tell a lovely children’s story as well as include some hidden messages! His writing is very fluid and interesting. It was very easy to get swept up into this book!

Here is a review I found on Amazon:

Amazon.com Review
As always with George MacDonald, everything here is more than meets the eye: this in fact is MacDonald’s grace-filled vision of the world. Said to be one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s childhood favorites, The Princess and the Goblin is the story of the young Princess Irene, her good friend Curdie–a minor’s son–and Irene’s mysterious and beautiful great great grandmother, who lives in a secret room at the top of the castle stairs. Filled with images of dungeons and goblins, mysterious fires, burning roses, and a thread so fine as to be invisible and yet–like prayer–strong enough to lead the Princess back home to her grandmother’s arms, this is a story of Curdie’s slow realization that sometimes, as the princess tells him, “you must believe without seeing.” Simple enough for reading aloud to a child (as I’ve done myself more than once with my daughter), it’s rich enough to repay endless delighted readings for the adult. –Doug Thorpe

Well, I hope that you enjoyed reading about this book. Please feel free to ask me any questions that you may have! I am an open book!