Egg & Spoon

by Gregory Maguire

Gregory Maguire, master storyteller and bestselling author of Wicked, spins a magical and mesmerizing adventure set in Tsarist Russia.

Gregory Maguire, bestselling author of Wicked, combines fairy tale and folklore in this irreverent re-imagining of the classic story of mistaken identity – The Prince and the Pauper. Described by School Library Journal as "a beautiful reminder that fairy tales are at their best when they illuminate the precarious balance between lighthearted childhood and the darkness and danger of adulthood”, this book will appeal to readers both young and old. Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside. Her father is dead and her mother dying, while her brother has been conscripted into the Tsar's army. Elena's future is as bleak as the wastelands surrounding her village of Miersk. That is until the night of a freak storm when a majestic steam train is forced to stop at the village’s abandoned station. The train carries a fabulous Fabergé egg and Ekaterina, a girl whose fate is now entwined with Elena's. When their lives collide, a complex, funny and engrossing adventure begins. An adventure that features the mythical Firebird, a prince travelling incognito, the awesome city of Saint Petersburg, the glacial lands of the north, and – in a starring role – Baba Yaga, the enigmatic witch of Russian folklore, and her shapeshifting house, Dumb Doma, perched on chicken legs.

• ISBN10: 1406359769
• ISBN13: 9781406359763
• Publish Date: 16 October 2014 (first published 9 September 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Walker Books Ltd
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 512
• Language: English

Reviews

[Beth C.]

I am a *huge* fan of Gregory Maguire's 'Wicked', though I think some of his other books kind of were...not at good. So I was very curious to read this one and to see if it was capable of living up to its promise. In short - yes and no.

I loved the writing overall - it definitely reminded me of an old-fashioned fairy tale. The characters were interesting, including the narrator who pops in every so often to describe his part in the story. Where I think it went wrong was its length - in places, it felt like it was dragging on and on. I think had the editor been a bit more precise in his/her cutting, the book would have read better. Also - Baba Yaga. Loved her. Thought she was fabulous. BUT. I'm not certain how throwing in elements of the future advanced the story. It didn't make much sense at all, and was a bit jarring during the reading.

In all - a good story, but only if you have the patience to wade through its slightly-too-long length and don't mind the "time traveling Baba Yaga" thing.