I, Coriander

Sally Gardner's novel (winner of the 2005 British Nestlé Children's Book Prize) is a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of Cromwellian England and a mirror-world of fairies, magic, and evil queens. Young Coriander must cope with her splintered family, the revelation that her mother was a fairy, and the sinister machinations of her Puritan stepmother and the preacher Arise Fell. With a dreamy narration that befits the fantastical nature of the story, Juliet Stevenson skillfully adjusts her British accent to depict different characters and classes--and even the scratchy, menacing voice of a talking raven. Listeners will also be interested in an interview at the end of the book in which the author discusses her writing process and her struggle with dyslexia. J.M.D. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

Starred review from July 18, 2005
First-time British novelist Gardner coats England's turbulent Commonwealth era with a layer of magic in this stunning tale, narrated by Coriander Hobie. Coriander, a resident of 17th-century London, enjoys a trouble-free, comfortable childhood until her beautiful mother, a well-known healer, dies unexpectedly. The author evokes an aura of mystery and enchantment from the very first chapter, as the heroine begins her life story by introducing the artifacts she holds dear. "On the table next to me is the silk purse that holds my mother's pearls and beside it is the ebony box whose treasure I am only now beginning to understand." She proceeds in seven installments to explain her acquisition of these objects, the secrets they hold and her journey into a fairy world, where she learns startling information about her heritage. Readers will recognize many elements of classic fairy tales here. There is an evil witch, an evil stepmother, good fairies, a handsome prince and magic slippers, all set against the stark backdrop of the beheading of King Charles I, his son's flight from England and Oliver Cromwell's rise to power. Gardner particularizes the impact of these events when Coriander's father, a Royalist, feels pressured to marry "a good Puritan woman" in order to hold onto his property. (But good she is not.) Seamlessly meshing fact and fantasy, the author composes a suspenseful masterpiece that will have audience members gladly suspending their disbelief. Ages 10-up.