goml books??

[QNPoohBear]

I read them all awhile ago and I liked the Dear America Royal Diaries better.

Minuk- This story was depressing and it made me feel bad to be an Anglo-American. I liked it for the most part until about halfway through. I did not like the missionaries and I felt horrible for Minuk's people. I did like learning about the culture though.

Cecile-I thought it was OK but the ending was kind of fairy tale-ish. I studied a lot of French culture in school so Cecile's story wasn't new or exciting to me at all.

Isabel-I liked Isabel a lot. She was an appealing character and I don't mind 21st century type girls in a historical setting.

Neela-I didn't like this one at all. The author didn't do a good job of describing what things were or why they did certain things. I looked in the glossary and saw a definition "a kind of tree" well I want to know what the tree looks like so I can picture it. The story was OK.

Leyla- This book was OK but I thought it dealt with some issues that may not be apppropriate for all readers. I can't remember much about this one for some reason.

Kathleen-I didn't like this story at all. I thought Kathleen was bratty and immature. At 12 she should know better than to pray for a dress and I thought the plot was a bit predictable.

Spring Pearl-this one was my second favorite. Laurence Yep is a great writer but this story was a LOT like the Royal Diary he wrote. Betsy-I think the names Oriole and Spring Pearl, etc. are translations of Chinese names.

Saba- I liked Saba's book the best. It was about a culture I was unfamiliar with and the author did a great job explaining the whys and hows and details I wanted to know. Saba was a brave girl with an interesting story. I thought it ended too soon and I wanted to know what happened next!

<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ March 15, 2005 01:34 PM: Message edited by: QNPoohBear ]</font>

[kamakajr]

I also agree that Saba was the best of the GOML books. Superior to the rest in that it is the kind of story taht stays with you for awhile. I didn't want it to be over. Spring Pearl was, in my opinion, the second best of the GOML books.

[Candie D]

I have to laugh...not in bad way...but I have exactly the opposite reviews (just about) of QNPoohBear. Funny how different people are and can be and what we can/can't like! I thought Leyla's was the BEST of all of them, I would tie Neela's and Kathleen's for second...though very close was Isabels, I loved her travels and her aunt (isnt' that who she went to live with?) ...Cecile, I still don't know how I feel about hers. It seemed to end very abrubt and I do agree with QNpoohbear that it was kinda a fairytale ending. The only thing that kept me going through the book was what the mystery behind her dad was and would the little boy die or not. I will not even go into how horrid I thought Minuk's book was...I could go on and on about that for days, but basically the author had the missionaries quoting the bible wrong left and right. Perhaps the missionaries during that time frame were as ignorant as they were depicted. I do not know, I am not a hisotrian. Okay, I am moving on before I have my blood boiling..again...Spring Pearl's and Saba's were both very good books, not my favorites, but both very good. They were a little hard to get into...kinda slow to me in the beginning, but after about half way through...they got really great and hard to put down!

All these are my opinions only...not written to offend anyone...I am glad to have gotten to read them all. I like hearing what others thought of the books!

[StarTrekCaptain]

Oh, I forgot I had read Kathleen's book!!! I really liked it. I liked Kathleen because she messes up the cooking and stuff and I do that all the time ruining things LOL and also I liked how she can dance really good and I thought the parts about dancing were interesting...but I did think there was too much emphasis put on clothing, of course you want to have a nice dancing dress but come on, it doesn't need to be the plot of a whole book! LOL

But you know what made me laugh? This was SO funny. Kathleens' dad is singing twinkle twinkle little star and he can't remember the words. He is singing and then he stops to ask her the words:

Dad: "Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder...Kathleen, what do I wonder?"

Kathleen: "What you are!"

Dad: "Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder WHAT I AM.....But Kathleen, that doesn't rhyme!"

That just made me roll around laughing. Her dad seemed kind of spacey and it was funny.

[KimberBee]

I've read the first 5 books, but it was a while ago. I really liked Cecile and Spring Pearl's books, I think Spring Pearl was my favorite. I didn't like Isabel, Minuk, or Neela though. Minuk's book was okay but the end was just so horrible! I wish I had liked Neela's book more because the doll was very pretty.

[StarTrekCaptain]

Which of the Girls of Many Lands books have you read so far?

I have the books all cause I got them with the dolls (on sale). But so far I've only read three of them because they take forever to read.
I've read Isabel and Neela. Right now I'm reading Spring Pearl and I am halfway through sort of toward the end which is good!

I liked Isabel's the best I think it was exciting how she traveled with the traveling players and all that. Her sister got married real young. I was afraid the other sister would die. I liked her aunt but she was different than I thought she'd be. I don't know if the book is what i really thought the 1500's would actually be like, but it was still good. I did not like her dad though. I don't know why. Just struck a bad chord with me I guess.

I liked Neela's a lot too but I thought it was kind of scary because she had to worry about getting caught on that train and stuff. I would have been really nervous.
I thought it was interesting how she saves up her jewelry for getting married. To me that was interesting because it was like when her parent sgot her a present of jewelry, it wasn't really for her, it was more like to take with her for her husband or something. I don't mean this was bad or antyhing, just different, never knew about that before. Although I did think it was kinda sad that she would always be wearing jewelry as like an advertisment of how rich her family was, to attract a husband. I am not passing judgement on it or anything, that is how her culture is and that's okay, I am just saying I personally would have felt like a walking advertisment.

I like Spring Pear's but it has taken me longest to read out of the three. I like how she is nice and doesn't shout at the girls for being mean to her. I don't like how they call her names, I thought she should've said "my name is spring pearl!" but she is too humble and forgiving to do that. The girls are real stuck up but they seem to get more of a good attitude later on. I like how Mistress and Master Sung are nice to her for the most part because I was afriad they would be mean to her and that would make me sad. I kind of don't like the later part of the book now because it is scary what's going on with the war and stuff. Also I don't know why all the people have nature kind of names like Oriole and Emerald and stuff, are those Chinese names? But I was also gonna say I think Spring Pearl is really, really nice and a good example for kids because she always thinks about trying to help, she's really loyal to her firends, and she just wants to be useful and helpful and all that, and she doesn't think about herself very much, instead she thinks about other people more.

Oh, also, I have read about half of Cecil's but I stopped reading because I decided to read Spring Pealr's first. I liekd Cecil's okay I guess but the stuff about the poor people was really sad, and it was especially sad how Cecil talks about the palace and her old home being like two different worlds, because everyone at the palace wears fine things and has plenty of food while poeple outside in villages and stuff are suffereing. That was sad, because it's like the royals didn't care about their own people or soemthing.

So what have you read and what did you think?

<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ March 15, 2005 12:38 PM: Message edited by: StarTrekCaptain ]</font>

[Felicityexpert]

I've read them all

I'll rate them on overall enjoyability, re-readability, character developement, and give a few pros and cons

Cecile
Enjoyability: 7.5-8
Rereadabilty: 7-9
Character deveolopement: 7. Madame is facinating. On the other hand, Philipe is a completely useless character.
believability: 7
Pros: Madame
Cons: Philipe, fairy tale ending

Isabel
Enjoyabilty: 8
Rereadability: 7-9
Character developement: 7.5
Believabilty: Unbelievable, but that makes it good book. The acting stroyline wasn't very good though.
Pros: Interesting setting, though not something that hasn't been in historical fiction before, interesting story
Cons:
Spoiler (the button is not working)
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It starts this story line about a growing friendship between Isabel and Meg, but then it stops and at the end of the book Meg is dead.

Spring Pearl
Enjoyabilty: 10
Rereadability: 8-9
Character developement: 10.
Believeabilty: 8.5 somewhat unbelievable, but the same reasons make it a good book.
Pros: Very good
Cons: Hmmm...

Minuk
Enjoyability: 5
Readabilty: 2
Character devolopement: 7
Believeability: more than others.
I did not like the book, but for other reasons than what have been mentioned. I am not turned off by the portrayl of White Christians, and I am both. What has been portrayed in this book is the tip of the ice berg. there are so many other incidents I could bring up. Besides, some of the white characters were good.
Yes it is depressing.

Neela
Enjoyability: 10
Rereadabilty: 9
character deveolpement: not much but that wouldn't go with the exiting and fast paced story anyways
Believeability: 6
Pros: BEST BOOK IN SERIES.
Cons: forgotten plot-line

Leyla
Enjoyabilty: 8.5 interesting, but slow.
Rereadability: 7-9
Character developement: didn't see much. Also, there are a lot of characters, a lot of whom levae and pop back unexpectedly. Spoiler
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Wish I could've seen more of Leyla's one friend, I forget her name now.
Believeabilty: 6.5. The interaction with royals was a bit unbelievable.
Pros: Interesting
Cons: long

Saba
Enjoyability: 6. Tried, but something was missing.
Rereadabilty: 2-3
Character devolopement: 5 Not much. WOuld've wanted to learn more about family.
Believability: 9. Ok, so an entire branch of the royal tree was made up, but I suspended my disbelief
Pros: Interesting location
Cons: Somethings missing

Kathleen
Enjoyablity: 10
Rereadabilty: 9
Character developement: 7. Da and Aunt Polly were amusing.
Believeablity: 7.5. Kathleen seems a bit immature for her age.
This book contrasts oddly with the others in it series. It's sort of a cute little story about a girl who wants an Irish Dancing costume. Cute, entertaining, and good in it's own right.

[gingerharp]

I've read Isabel's and Kathleen's book. I enjoyed them both. I thought both books were well written, especially for the style and time they are supposed to be. I did enjoy Kathleen's over Isabel's though.
I read Isabel's first and she does have a rather unbelievable storyline, but that is what makes it an exciting, page turner. Even though it had a dramatic storyline, I was able to predict the ending. She's a good character though. I like her spirit.

I know some of you thought that the storyline of the Kathleen book was frivolous, and thought she was immature but I guess I'll admit that I am immature as well. I saw a lot of myself in Kathleen. I think until I was 14 I prayed all the time for stupid trivial things. Like Kathleen I went to Catholic school so all that stuff about praying to Saint Bernadette, I had had hammered into me at the age of 10 by a teacher. I was always praying and making bargains with God about becomming a nun, just like Kathleen did. And as with Kathleen I'd decide I wouldn't make a very good nun. I even made a bargain for my wedding last summer. I told God let it pour on the 4th of July, rain out the fireworks, just don't rain on my wedding day. It rained the entire 4th of July weekend, but my wedding was sunny and 80's.
I also just loved the authors style and wording. It was written in a very friendly style. I also had had visions like Kathleen about getting older. Instead of brandy though I wanted margaritas for breakfast.
Anyway I just thought that Kathleen was probably one of the best characters I've seen in a story in a while. I also didn't mind the basic plot of just wanting a dancing dress. If you look into it there is more to it. A young girl who isn't perfect, from a poor family, trying to find her own self and does that through dancing. Plus after Isabel's story it was nice to read something that could actually happen to the common person.

[courtneysunshine]

Ashley I think the sign of a good book is one in which the author writes in such a way to where the reader finds ways in which he or she can identify with the characters in the book. If you did that with the Kathleen book, than it must be a good one.

Kim

[OSusannah]

I have read all of the books except Minuk's, just couldn't get interested. After reading everyone's opinion on it, I think I will try again. I like reading a book where I learn something, even if the plot or characters don't interest me so much.

Thanks for everyone's reviews of Minuk-both good and bad!