The Two Princesses of Bamarre (The Two Princesses of Bamarre, #1)

by Gail Carson Levine

Paperback, 2006

Status

Available

Call number

J4A.Lev

Publication

HarperCollins (HarperTrophy)

Pages

241

Description

With her adventurous sister Meryl suffering from the grey death, meek and timid Princess Addie sets out to find a cure.

Collection

Barcode

9638

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2004

Physical description

241 p.; 7.6 inches

ISBN

006440966X / 9780064409667

User reviews

LibraryThing member hawaiianmermaid701
Honestly, I'm not sure what I think of this book. It was good, but not the best thing I have ever read. The beginning was engaging and compelling, the middle was good but pretty standard (girl finds her inner strength stuff), and the end just sort of happened and left me wondering what just
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happened.

I like short books, I consider it a mark of a great author if they can get me to care about their characters in less than 300 pages, but with this book I found myself craving more. I felt like I needed some more character development, or a slightly more concrete ending, or something.

I liked Addie as the main character, she was flawed and made me care about how her quest would end. I believed in her development from a girl who was afraid of almost everything to a woman that could stand up for herself and the people she cared about.

(SPOILER!!)The part that I have an issue with is the sudden romance and marriage to Rhys. I love a good happy ending, but in their case it felt a bit too rushed. It seemed like they had barely spent any time together and then they were married!
(END of SPOILER)

I understand that this has a precedence to follow because it's a fairy tale, but I need to see more interaction between the couple to make their romance seem natural, it seemed out of nowhere and abrupt. Other than that I really liked this book. It was a good adventure story with girl power thrown in.
Happy reading!
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LibraryThing member SummerButterfly
I credit this book with teaching me how to read out loud or give public speeches. One scene depicts declaiming, the recitation of poetry, and reading it deeply affected me. The descriptions of a girl declaiming, with her voice rising, falling, and changing to match the subject matter of the poem
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have stayed with me to this day, and I now try to use them whenever I am called upon to speak. I truly believe that this book has made me a better public speaker. While it is secondary to the plot, the declaiming scene is very dear to my heart.
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LibraryThing member BoundTogetherForGood
This is a book for young adult girls, but I found the reading level to be just high enough and the writing to be done so well that I truly did enjoy it.
LibraryThing member DSDragon
I first heard of this book when I was looking for "Ella Enchanted" by the same author. I bought both books at the same time, and I loved this one just as much as the other.
LibraryThing member snapplechick
This book is wonderful!It tells of two sisters who are as different as day and night but still love each other. The book is filled with action,suspence and love.
LibraryThing member xxgonecrazyxx
The Two Princesses of Bamarre is a teriffic book. I've read at at least 3 times! I especially like how she can see her sister from the dragon's cave through her spyglass.
LibraryThing member RayLynneSH
A bit predictable, a bit light, but full of fun characters and delightful dialogue. It would be worth reading the book just for the conversations between Addie and the dragon who holds her prisoner for awhile.
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
In a land where a disease, the Grey Death, kills many there lives two sisters, princesses called Meryl and Addie. Meryl is the brave one and Addie is timid. When Meryl is stricken with the disease Addie has to overcome many obstacles, not least of which is her own timidity, to find a cure.

It does
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read like a fairy tale, an interesting story of honour and striving to do what is best to defeat the evil that seems unsurmountable. A story about growing up and growing into yourself.
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LibraryThing member cornpuff12
A princess goes on a quest to find the cure for a deadly sickness (The Gray Death) when her sister is struck by it. On her way, she encounters many dangers and adventures.
LibraryThing member the1butterfly
I wasn't expecting this to be quite as good as it was, but I was happily surprised. Princess Addie lets herself be ruled by fear, while her sister fights fear head on. When her sister finds an adventure she can not defeat, Addie has to finally face her fears and find the strength within herself.
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She does it- and goes on quite an adventure to boot. The story is engaging, and one I might come back to again.
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LibraryThing member ReadingWhileItRains
This is one of my favorite middle-grade books! I first read it when I was about 10, and I've even read it a few times since then. This is a very cute story about the adventures of two princesses, one fighting for her life and the other fighting to save her. Gail Carson Levine certainly knows how to
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tell a good fairytale. This book is so much fun, and I'd definitely recommend it to any young girls who like princesses who can rescue themselves.
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LibraryThing member The_Hibernator
The Two Princesses of Bamarre is a fairy tale about two princesses—one shy, the other adventurous. The shy princess has to sally forth into strange lands to rescue her ailing sister. She overcomes many fears, realizing that she, too, can be a hero. This is a sweet story, with adventure and
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romance. It is appropriate for girls starting at perhaps age 10. It was not as magical as Levine’s other books in this series (Ella Enchanted and Ever), but it is worth reading nonetheless.
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LibraryThing member kaylaraeintheway
Even 15 years later, this book still makes me cry (I'm 22 now). This book, although written for younger children, is great for anyone who wants a light and exciting read. The story centers on two young princesses, one adventurous and brave (Meryl), the other more quiet and reserved (Addie). When a
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deadly sickness strikes Meryl, Addie is determined to set aside her fears and go out in search of the cure. There are fairies and dragons, wizards and demons, adventure and romance, and one hell of an ending that still gives me goosebumps and causes me to tear up.

I recommend this book to anyone, young or old, girl or boy, who wants a good old-fashioned fairy tale adventure.
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LibraryThing member hoosgracie
Good YA fantasy about two princesses, in a kingdom plagued by the dread disease, the Grey Death. When one of the princesses gets the Grey Death, the other sister, who is not brave, has to find her courage to get the cure.
LibraryThing member satyridae
I'm afraid I'm a dissenting voice in a sea of love here. I didn't like this book a bit. I found the plot tired, the characters cut from cardboard, and the writing phoned in. I felt like I'd read this story a hundred times already. Simplistic, predictable and wearying.
LibraryThing member lovelylime
I LOVED this book as a kid.
LibraryThing member Tigerlily12
Good fairy tale story. Not as good as Ella Enchanted, but in my opinion better than most of Levine's other recent fairy tale stories. Younger readers will really enjoy.
LibraryThing member dayspring777
Didn't care for this...weird magic...not that great story..not that it was too predictable, the adventure was ok, a sort of coming of age story..just the rest of the story was kind of flat/blah/empty...not that great ending, (anticlimactic!)..almost an allegory to cancer...kind of depressing. It
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left me with an indescribable feeling of being "off".

I got rid of it.
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LibraryThing member librisissimo
Didn't remember reading it so read it again.
LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
The two princesses of the title are beloved sisters, Addie and Meryl. However, their personalities couldn't be more different. Meryl longs for adventure, but Addie is shy and timid. But when Meryl is struck by the dreaded Gray Death, Addie is motivated by necessity to strike out on her own and seek
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the source of and cure for the disease that is epidemic in her land. Alone, she must face a dragon and learn that she too can be brave.
This was an entertaining enough light fantasy, but considering that the author is a Newbery-Honor winner, I expected more from it. It was a little too "message"-y as far as the "coming of age" theme, and I didn't really enjoy the somewhat silly personality of the dragon. I also felt it really neglected the stated situation that the Gray Death was a serious epidemic in the country, but all the way through, Addie really cares only about her sister, not about her people who are suffering equally - and that's never really addressed.
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LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
Meryl and Addie are very different - Meryl is brave and adventurous where Addie is timid and fearful. But Addie doesn't let her weaknesses get in the way when her beloved sister is deathly ill. Addie discovers untapped depths of courage and love.
LibraryThing member Jean_Sexton
I fell in love with this gentle fantasy and coming-of-age story. Anyone with experience in fantasy could tell where this story was going; it was the "getting there" that made it a page turner. There were some unexpected twists, but they delighted me in that they took the less traveled road and
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added depth to the tale.

If you like well-written fantasy, I think you'll like this story. I think that young, shy adults will find validation. It is certainly a book I won't mind revisiting.
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LibraryThing member jdifelice
I read this book as a child and loved it! I re read it on audio, and I still liked it, but not as much as I remember. I think the narrator didn't suit the story. The voice felt too old for the character, which caused her to sound super whiney at times, and it took away from the experience.

The
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story of Addie and Meryl is a great one. Addie is the timid, scared of everything sister, and Meryl just wants to go on adventures. Meryl becomes sick, and it's up to Addie to save her. The story is a great coming of age and finding yourself tale. Addie really grows as a character, and realizes she doesn't need to be afraid of everything. I really liked this as a kid, and it showed me that I could do and be whatever I wanted to in life, and it really did help me in the long run.

I definitely recommend this to younger readers, and maybe adults if you have the nostalgia factor.

Overall, I really liked this re-read, but would not recommend the audiobook.
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LibraryThing member AngelaRenea
This is one of my all-time favorite books. It has all the aspects of a good fairy tale: Adventure, danger, love, loyalty, magic, princesses, and so much more. I have been hoping that they will make this into a movie for a long time as long as they don't destroy it like some books.
LibraryThing member LibraryCin
Addie and Meryl are princesses, sisters and opposites. Addie is quiet and fearful, and Meryl is adventurous and would love nothing more than to be out fighting monsters. Meryl has promised Addie that she will not leave her until Addie is married. After Rhys, the new sorcerer arrives, Meryl becomes
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ill, so Addie must find some courage and leave to find a cure. Meanwhile, Addie has fallen for the handsome young sorcerer. Addie must battle various monsters, including a dragon, to help her older sister.

I really liked this book. It was fun and exciting to read and to cheer on Addie as she finds courage to go out on her own in order to save her beloved sister. I have really enjoyed all the books I've read by Gail Carson Levine so far, and will likely read more. Her books are easy to read and understand and very enjoyable.
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Rating

½ (812 ratings; 4)

Awards

Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2005)
Mythopoeic Awards (Finalist — Children's Literature — 2002)
Utah Beehive Book Award (Nominee — Children's Fiction — 2003)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2003)

Call number

J4A.Lev
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