EGG & SPOON

🇬🇧 Description:

In this tour de force, master storyteller Gregory Maguire offers a dazzling novel for fantasy lovers of all ages. "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." -- School Library Journal (starred review) Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside. Her father has been dead for years. One of her brothers has been conscripted into the Tsar’s army, the other taken as a servant in the house of the local landowner. Her mother is dying, slowly, in their tiny cabin. And there is no food. But then a train arrives in the village, a train carrying untold wealth, a cornucopia of food, and a noble family destined to visit the Tsar in Saint Petersburg — a family that includes Ekaterina, a girl of Elena’s age. When the two girls’ lives collide, an adventure is set in motion, an escapade that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and — in a starring role only Gregory Maguire could have conjured — Baba Yaga, witch of Russian folklore, in her ambulatory house perched on chicken legs.

Reviews:

Though the story bears some marks of a heroic quest, it is really a series of dreamy, expertly painted vignettes, set pieces both absurd and spectacular. … Maguire’s wit is shown to best advantage when in sync with his lush whimsy… In this surfeit of myth and mayhem, there are also moments of poignant quiet, when the grand quest of saving the magic of Russia recedes. In these moments, the human comes to the fore, and our focus narrows once more to a child longing for a parent, a mother longing for a child, the aching burden of living through suffering that life demands again and again. … It is impossible not to root for girls and watches and aunts alike, and to cheer their little victories as acts of grace. —The New York Times Book Review

Even minor characters have flesh and blood, and brilliant cameo moments. ... The writing, frankly, is brilliant. ... It is common enough for a novelist to be able to plot intricately. It is common, even, for novelists to write as lyrically as poets. It is rare to find both qualities in the same novelist. ... “Egg & Spoon’’ is thoughtful, engaging, and theatrical in the deepest sense. This is one of those young reader’s books that may be gifted to any ardent reader of almost any age, as long as they’re open to the possibilities of wonder. —The Boston Globe

Maguire marries the traditional “Prince and the Pauper” narrative to the Russian folktale of Baba Yaga with his trademark wit and aplomb. His lyrical descriptions of the drab countryside are equally detailed and moving as the charmed, floating courts of the Romanov dynasty. Each character is well-drawn and fascinating... The author weaves a lyrical tale full of magic and promise, yet checkered with the desperation of poverty and the treacherous prospect of a world gone completely awry. Egg and Spoon is 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. —School Library Journal (starred review)

The story ... [is] richly told [and] contains important lessons about wealth and inequality. ... Part fantasy, part fairy tale, part adventure, this is a children's tale also directed at grown ups — or one perhaps best enjoyed together. —Plain Dealer