I, Coriander (I, Coriander - Sally Gardner)

Member Name: jensattaur

Product:	I, Coriander - Sally Gardner
Date:	11/08/09 (12 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superbly well-written, timeless, exquisite classic

Disadvantages: None!

This one of my all-time favorite children's books, and it is not only children it is likely to appeal to. If you liked Umberto Eco's 'The Name of the Rose', or Connolley's 'The Book of Lost Things', or anything Angela Carter, or Guillermo del Torro's 'Pan's Labyrinth, and if you like children's books that are very well-written and magical, you will love 'I, Coriander'.

Firstly: the story is set in Cromwell's England, but one of the most impressive thigns about the writing is the way in which Gardner packs the story full of accurate historical detail without overtly showing-off her knowledge or boring the reader with what feels like a lesson.

Secondly: this is a fairy story, and Gardner masterfully injects her historical ficition with all the magic of a true fairy tale. There is nothing soppy or romaticised about this - Coriander's story is heart-rending, and her happy ending feels like a homecoming for the reader as well. It is a true psychological exploration of the reasons we need magic in our lives, and the consequences of allowing that magic to die, or be stolen from us.

Finally: the story is timeless, resisting classification into a particular genre, or age-group, or era. There is nothing in here, for example, that is not suitable for a very young reader, nor is there anything that might put off an older reader. This story has all of the qualities needed to make it a timeless classic of children's fiction - one which children of generations to come will discover and enjoy anew, and which the children of our own generation will treaure and enjoy for the rest of their lives.

Summary: I cannot recommend this book enough!