The Princess and the Goblin (Puffin Classics)

Description

Princess Irene lives in a castle in a wild and lonely mountainous region. One day she discovers a steep and winding stairway leading to a bewildering labyrinth of unused passages with closed doors - and a further stairway. What lies at the top? Can the ring the princess is given protect her against the lurking menace of the boglins from under the mountain?As always with George MacDonald, everything here is more than meets the eye: this in fact is MacDonald s grace-filled vision of the world. Said to be one of J.R.R. Tolkien s childhood favorites, The Princess and the Goblin is the story of the young Princess Irene, her good friend Curdie--a minor s son--and Irene s mysterious and beautiful great great grandmother, who lives in a secret room at the top of the castle stairs. Filled with images of dungeons and goblins, mysterious fires, burning roses, and a thread so fine as to be invisible and yet--like prayer--strong enough to lead the Princess back home to her grandmother s arms, this is a story of Curdie s slow realization that sometimes, as the princess tells him, "you must believe without seeing." Simple enough for reading aloud to a child (as I ve done myself more than once with my daughter), it s rich enough to repay endless delighted readings for the adult. --Doug Thorpe