I, Coriander

These days there is so much good fiction for young adults that I am finding it hard to resist reading as much of YA stuff as I can while an ever growing pile of books for grownups keeps getting higher.

I, Coriander was an accidental find at my favourite local children's bookstore and I am glad I

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read it. An engaging read, I, Coriander blends the worlds of Cromwell's 17th century England with the imaginary land of fairies well.

Where the book fails, and it is sufficiently nagging failing to somewhat ruin otherwise good story, is in providing adequate motif for the father's actions. We never get a satisfactory explanation why is it that he left Coriander behind with her horrible step-mother. (I find the ending to be another minor irritant - it's just a bit too much of a Disney-like cliche with a string of marriages and happily-ever-afters.)

Having said that, the book was an intriguing read and it could provide an excellent introduction into difficult discussions about family violence and religious violence for an appropriate age group. The historic portion of the novel is compelling and complex. The novel also features a strong female character who deals with serious issues and makes difficult choices - and that alone is worth an extra star.

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I didn't realise when I picked this up in a charity shop that it was a novel for young people. Finding this out almost put me off reading it but the cover design was ver tactile and it felt beautiful to hold. The theory of you should never judge a book by its cover has been blown out of the window

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by this book. Set in the 17th century it has a hint of historical fantasy which is encased in history covering Cromwell and the plague.

It is beautifully written and the main character Coriander is captivating from the start.

A definite must for adult readers who feel they left 'young fiction' behind them years ago!

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I recommend this book to women of all ages.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was darker then I expected but more interesting as well. The historical setting in London during the time of Cromwell added extra interest for me.

This is an original fairy tale that opens in 17th Century London just after Oliver Cromwell and his Roundheads have beheaded King Charles I and begun their crusade to eliminate joy from England, banning colorful clothes, singing and dancing, and even Christmas.

Coriander is the only child of her

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parents and very much doted upon. One day she mysteriously receives of gift of beautiful silver shoes which her mother at first does not want to let her wear and which she obviously knows more about than she is revealing. A few years later, Coriander's mother dies and her father ends up marrying a Puritan woman in order to squelch rumors that he is a Royalist, plotting against the Roundheads. This opportunistic, evil stepmother plots and schemes until Coriander's father flees the country under threats leaving her alone with this evil, sadistic woman. It is during this time that Coriander discovers her true heritage from her mother and the world of the fairies enters her life.

For a children's novel, this was very well-written and had an intriguing storyline. The juxtaposition of Cromwell's England the world of the fairies was well-done. I was very drawn to the main character, Coriander, and I loved the device of telling the story with six candles marking the major divisions..."And so the first part of my life is told, and with it a candle goes out."

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Coriander Hobi tells us about her life as a child and a grown woman.She lives outside the river Thames with a normal happy life until her mother dies and her father is forced to marry again. Then she learns the evil of the world.Her stepmother has a child called Hester who Coriander quickly makes

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friends with.

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This is a book for young teens about a girl who finds out her mother is a fairy. From there she is drawn in a series of adventures against the evil queen Rosmore.
It is an allegory for what happened during the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell's rule followed by the restauration.
I'm not a big fan

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of fantasy literature and although the plot was made interesting by the historical allusions, it was a basic fairytale of good against evil. Gardner, however, has a wonderful style which conveys moods and pictures delightfully. As such, she is able to pique the reader's curiosity and maintain her interest until the end.

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A nice mix between history and fantasy. I loved this story, even though it was written for younger people. It was a book, I found, that I could not put down. Fantastic.

Another heartfelt tale, 'i Coriander' tells the story of a young girls upbringing and the multitude of events that shape her as a person. Set in London in the time of the Puritan commonwealth Coriander starts an adventure when she slips on a pair of silver shoes from an anonymous person.

It all

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starts to slowly change, She soon finds out all her mother's deepest secrets and must fight the evil Rosmore, her grandfather's 2nd wife who has put him into a trance. To save her mother's beautiful, yet deadly power and her father's faith. As all things she once knew vanishes, she must fight the horror's of the angry, puritan world in which she lives, and those of the world of magic, which holds the secret of time and all things possible as death draws near.

the theme of religion are what make this story unique in how it effects how the evil characters treat Coriander. I loved this book and was reccomended it by my mum.

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Fairy Folk Tales ion Cromwell's England - an engaging mix. The story is intriguing and I found I couldn't put it down. The characters ring true and you can't help but want to see how it all turns out. In a time when YA titles abound this one is a real keeper - I really liked it.

Extremely well written. A really great story. The end felt a bit rushed but other than that really good book.

Reads like a children's version of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, with a parallel magical world leaking into ours (also has a raven), but set two centuries earlier, during the English Civil War. Enjoyed this one more; sufficiently dark, but still charming, and the characters actually breathe.

I listened to the audiobook, and it was great. This is a teen fiction, but I have never read anything quite like it. It was a good trip into another world.

[I Coriander] And old-fashioned, mystious fairy tale tied with little girls wishes and a scary horrible truth though a childs mind this book can be amazing.

I loved this book, i liked how you could make up and imagine the paintings of tales on corilanders wall then you yourself hate that awful

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wolman for painting over them and taking them away. I really got involved in this story and the well written plot made my nose stick in this book for days!

I hated her step mother so much that i scared myself silly, i was 10 of course when i read this though..... I normally don't get up tight hating anyone so i got a bit scared of this book, silly enough. Not because of the characters but i imageined putting her step mum in a chest and laughing at her...... :)

I also love witch books so this so did it for me! I love corrander and this made be think about religion a bit too! :L

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After her mother dies and her father, a Royalist, flees to escape punishment from Cromwell's regime, Coriander is left in the hands of her cruel, greedy stepmother and her partner in crime, Puritan minister Arise Fell. When the two lock Coriander in a trunk and leave her to die, she travels to her

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mother's fairy world, finds her love Prince Tycho, and realizes that things will only worsen in both worlds unless she prevents the evil fairy Queen Rosmore from finding her mother's shadow. The story is well-written and the characters are, for the most part, rich and interesting. The Tycho love plot feels more functional (every fairy tale needs a prince) than believable, however, and the ending feels forced. Still, Gardner's London comes to life, as does the fairy world. The audio version is well-executed, though Maud's voice is so shrill and horrible (true to her character) that you will hope she dies early on, and be disappointed when she doesn't.

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This is the memoir of Coriander who lived in 17th century London during the aftermath of the English civil war. The only daughter of loving parents, her world changes dramatically when her mother dies and her father marries a puritan widow in an attempt to safeguard his family. Coriander discovers

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that her mother was a fairy and she herself is drawn into the fairy world. This book is an enjoyable read with plenty of action as well as an insight into earlier times.

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Really great book. I wasn't expecting it to be a Cinderella retelling-it was different than any other fairytale retelling I've read. It was very dark, at times, and some kids might not be ready for it, and I thought the ending was cut off a bit too soon, but all in all I liked it a lot, and I'm

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glad to have read it.

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YA read for able readers who understand the fairy tale and faery tale tropes. Set in 17thC London during the "Commonwealth" of Oliver Cromwell, thru' the Restoration. Time travel might be confusing to some. Baddies are awesome - Arise Fell, what a name!
Happy ending which deserves some discussion.

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Great Reading Group pick for able readers, some historical background necessary to help with understanding.

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Born in 1643 to a wealthy London merchant and his beautiful wife, Coriander Hobbie was raised in a loving and affectionate home, knowing only happiness until the day a mysteriously alluring pair of silver shoes was delivered to her house beside the Thames. This strange gift, which her mother

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refused to allow her to wear, introduced the first note of disquiet into Coriander's life, and was the beginning of a series of strange events that would bring her great heartache, and involve her in dangerous adventures in both the mortal world and in the fairy world existing alongside it. Having lost her mother early in the book, Coriander moves back and forth between the two worlds, contending with an abusive and scheming Puritan stepmother - the horrible Maude Leggs, ugly, ignorant, and shrill, is seen as a wise choice for her father, whose Royalist sympathies had put him at risk from the repressive forces of the Commonwealth - her stepmother's maniacal preacher friend, Arise Fell; and the evil Fairy Queen Rosmore, whose cunning schemes are all aimed at stealing the powerful shadow that once belonged to Coriander's mother...

This work of historical fantasy, which alternates between Commonwealth and Restoration England, and a magical fairy world existing alongside our own, was chosen as the October selection for The Children's Fiction Book-Club to which I belong, and I am very happy to have finally read it, as I have owned a copy since it was first published in 2005. That said, while I found I, Coriander an enjoyable read in many ways - I thought the writing itself was lovely, and that Coriander made for an engaging heroine - it had some significant problems. From a storytelling perspective, I thought the sections of the book that occurred in the mortal world were far more convincing than those that occurred in the fairy world. Rosmore, for all that she is the true author of Coriander's misery, is never as fully realized a character as Maud, while Coriander's romance with Tycho had a distinctly tacked-on feeling to it, when compared to the relationship between Hester and Gabriel Appleby.

Unfortunately, while Maud Leggs and Arise Fell were marvelously realized villains, from the storytelling perspective - just the sort of repulsive characters one loves to hate! - their depiction raises troubling questions of historical inaccuracy and bias. I have no quarrel with a critical depiction of the Puritans - they were often zealots, bringing persecution to bear upon those with whom they disagreed, and their notion of culture (what was and wasn't 'godly') was appalling - but Gardner's aim is more than a little off here, potentially leaving young readers with some mistaken ideas. Like many other Reform-based Protestant sects (as opposed to both Catholics and Anglicans of this period), the Puritans placed great emphasis on the individual's relationship with the divine, unmediated by the clergy. To encourage this, they promoted education - the idea being that everyone should be able to read the Bible for themselves - and female literacy rose under their aegis. The exact opposite impression is created in the story, however, through the depiction of Maud and Arise, and their hostility toward women learning. Similarly, although the Puritans arose in response to a worldview every bit as repressive as their own, this is not the impression created by the story at all, which leaves readers with the impression that the monarchy (jubilantly welcomed back at the end of the book) was somehow benevolent.

I don't know that these glaring errors really ruined the book for me - although I did laugh out loud, when reading the historical afterword, to see Quakers described as a 'radical sect' and classified with the Puritans! - but then, I feel equipped to perceive them. It troubles me that young readers, perhaps not as informed about this period, might not be. For this reason, I really wavered in my rating. Three stars represents my enjoyment of the writing. If I were rating for historical accuracy, on the other hand, I might give the book only one.

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This young adult novel is set in the period following the English Civil War and Charles I’s beheading. Coriander lives with her father, a wealthy merchant and her mother in a house backing on to the River Thames. Life changes suddenly for Coriander the day she tries on a pair of silver slippers

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against her mother’s wishes and starts a chain of magical events that will have a huge impact on her family.

Sally Gardner’s story cleverly integrates the fairy world with the mortal one in this Cinderella-style tale. The ending was a bit corny, perhaps, but nevertheless I enjoyed it.

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Narrated by Juliet Stevenson
In this fairy-tale-like fantasy, Coriander's father is of the human world and her mother is of the fairy world. Coriander is unaware of her own power until after her mother's death and her father's forced remarriage to an abusive woman named Maude. During a couple of

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blackouts, Coriander finds herself in the fairy world where she falls in love with Tyco, a young prince. But Coriander must choose between the human and fairy world and she chooses the human world so that she can locate her father who was forced to flee during an unfriendly reign. She and Tyco later reunite and plan to marry.

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This was a lovely reading (by Juliet Stevenson) of an interesting mix of fairy tale and historical novel. A young girl with a mother of mysterious origin lives through the time of Cromwell in London. One day, she is the recipient of silver shoes, and her life changes at breakneck pace.

I've been recommending this book to kids for a few years now, so I figured I'd better read it. It was thoroughly satisfying. I liked the blend of historical fiction and fairy tale fantasy. And how very interesting to read about how horrible the Puritans were! So different from the New England

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history I learned as a kid!

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Someone reviewing the Merrybegot recommended this over it.
They are both interesting stories. Both involve witch hunting but really that's where they diverge. Actually "I, Coriander" compares well with "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" if a lot lighter.
It is a story of London and a London beside

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the real London which is faerie. Coriander has some sort of connection with that world and she has to find it out before her father's new wife kills her.

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