Read on Le Guin's recommendation. I liked this well enough, and it's noteworthy for its place in history, but I wouldn't rush to read this to a 21st century kid. ( )

A hidden stairway to a secret room leads a little princess to a mysterious but charming silver-haired woman who gives her a magic ring to use in time of trouble. Trouble, the little princess soon learns, takes the shape of a group of devilish goblins who live in the ore-rich subterranean caverns of a nearby mountain.

Despising royalty and all their descendants (including the little princess), these misshapen creatures plot to kidnap the little girl and flood the mines. Their efforts, however, are frustrated when the princess, with the help of a fearless and resourceful young miner lad named Curdie, outwit these mischievous little people and learn -- along the way -- some valuable lessons about bravery and loyalty.

3.5

George Macdonald's Phantastes is one of my favourite books. This is a different beast, being one of his later works aimed at a much younger audience. He isn't such a well-known name today but he was a great influence on the likes of Lewis Carol, Tolkien and C. S. Lewis and is owed a lot. His 'fantasy' has much more in common with 'fairy tales', but his work acted as a sort of bridge between the two.

The Princess and the Goblin is a charming and simple tale that quickly betrays itself as a children's story with its endearing simplicity. It is written with care and creative readable prose that conjures magic in the mind. I like how MacDonald still drops allegory in a way that can speak to the child but also challenge the adult to think a little deeper, nor does he shy from some subtle blows pertaining to the darker side of life. These are handled with absolute care, to a point that a child would only perceive it should they have the maturity to handle it. That's the kind of writing I can admire, even as an adult. Here's such an example:

After they had been alone for a little while, she thought of what she had resolved to ask him.

'Please, king-papa,' she said, 'Will you tell me where I got this pretty ring? I can't remember.'

The king looked at it. A strange beautiful smile spread like sunshine over his face, and an answering smile, but at the same time a questioning one, spread like moonlight over Irene's.

'It was your queen-mamma's once,' he said.

'And why isn't it hers now?' asked Irene.

'She does not want it now,' said the king, looking grave.

'Why doesn't she want it now?'

'Because she's gone where all those rings are made.'

'And when shall I see her?' asked the princess.

'Not for some time yet,' answered the king, and the tears came into his eyes.

The book also houses a touch of Alice in Wonderland, though it doesn't go nearly so deep down the rabbit hole. Carol would have drawn from MacDonald and indeed the latter was instrumental in its publication, but The Princess and the Goblin came after and I dare say he drew a bit from Carol in turn. It's also quite easy to see how this simple story would act as a precursor to the likes of The Hobbit; there's something faintly Tolkien-esque about its rhymes and portrayal of goblins.

A much less likely thing to suggest is the possibility that this influenced H. G. Wells, who was no stranger to fantasy and wrote a couple of stories playing on the tropes himself. The goblin origins described here I thought to be reminiscent of the origins of the Morlocks in The Time Machine (both being a deformed species of human, originating from a lower class that are driven underground and transformed over time by their dark surroundings). The latter was Wells' debut and wouldn't be written until two decades later. That same year Wells penned the lesser known The Wonderful Visit which he wrote of to MacDonald, drawing parallels between his own novella and MacDonald's adult fairie novel, Lilith. ( )

This is the cutest book. An absolute fun story. The author's voice is bright and pleasant, making you feel like a child being told a marvelous bedtime story by Grandpa. Princess Irene comes across as a good, caring girl; wholey adorable. And the boy, Curdie, is a brave, charming, perfect gentleman. I only hope I don't have nightmares staring those ghastly goblins! ( )

OK story if somewhat simple and old-fashioned. I heard it was an inspiration for Tolkien. ( )

This was a cute book, I expected there to be more interaction between Irene and the goblins. I liked the message/idea of forgiveness and understand (at least towards other humans - not much forgiveness for the goblins [ha ha]).

"I must be fair - for if I'm not fair to other people, I'm not worth being understood myself." (p. 173) ( )

OK fantasy novel. Can see its influence on Tolkien. ( )

George MacDonald was greatly admired by C.S. Lewis. His children's fiction shares with Lewis's the quality of having strong (sometimes overly strong) religious metaphors. Fortunately, that was not the case in The Princess and The Goblin. Although there are elements that could be interpreted as religious metaphors, the story is, for the most part, a charming and entertaining fairy tail. What is more present are charming little moral comments; the story is written as if it is being read to children, so there are often bits along the lines of "and the Princess felt bad that she could not keep her promise, because true princesses cannot live with a broken promise". The Princess and the Golbin was a cute, entertaining story. ( )

For my full, non-spoiler review: https://christianlovingbooks.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-princess-and-goblin-review... ( )

Stories like these are my weakness, I’ll admit. Beautifully written, full of adventure and interesting characters, and a little lesson on the side.
( )

The plot itself was something I really enjoyed - a really cute story. What totally dragged this book down for me, though, was the narration. The way it was told was somewhat disjointed and got on my nerves when he would reference something and then say "but I'll get to that later" or "that really doesn't matter." It was like when a friend says they know something juicy and then they refuse to tell. So that unfortunately leaves me with some sour feelings about the book. If you can get past that, though, it is actually fairly decent. ( )

Here's a classic that has not aged well. I read this and at least one other in the series at my hometown library when in my early teens, and then bought a discard copy of this book from that same library a few years later. I liked it, back in the day.

This time around, I still enjoyed the very fairy tale-like voice. The illustrations in this 1951 edition are lovely, too. But the story itself? The characters? Oof.

Princess Irene is supposed to be 8 years old, but reads more like she is 4 or 5. She does absolutely nothing for herself in this book, not even dress herself. All of her actions are essentially dictated by her ethereal ancestress who lives in a hidden part of the castle. The goblins are nasty beings who live in the mountain beneath the castle. They lack all nuance, and nothing about them makes any sense. Then there is Curdie, the young miner who is smarter than everyone in the book except for the ethereal grandmother. He's the one who discovers that the goblins are up to mischief, and he is the closest thing the book has to an active hero.

I feel somewhat sad that the book ended up being such a disappointing re-read, but I also feel fine getting rid of the book now. Goodness knows, I can use the shelf room. ( )

When I was 100 pages in, my wife and I started reading it aloud to each other. She ended up getting sick that night, and we finished the whole book the following day as she rested and recovered. We were both glued to the book as the action started, and we really enjoyed hearing what happened next to the Princess and to Curdie.

George MacDonald is a delightful storyteller, with the same types of insights that mark C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia--it is no wonder that Lewis regarded MacDonald as "his master." ( )

A writing style I'm neutral on, but a most excellent story and spirit. ( )

I wanted to read The Princess and the Goblin as an adult; it's a foundational book in the development of children's fantasy, with an active female protagonist as well. And... I didn't love it. Supposedly less moralistic than prior MacDonald works, it still reads like an instructional manual on how to be a good person, which doesn't make a great story. I had questions at the end, like why does the Goblins' Queen have toes? And Curdie is heaped with praise for choosing to stay with his family while King-Papa spends the whole time gallivanting around the country WHILE HIS DAUGHTER IS BEING ATTACKED BY GOBLINS. Every children's book goes into logical conniptions to get the parents out of the picture so that adventurous things can happen, but then one doesn't go on and on about the importance of staying with one's family: it makes one of your characters look like a royal jerk.

Important work, and I'm definitely never going to read it again. ( )

"It was foolish indeed—thus to run farther and farther from all who could help her, as if she had been seeking a fit spot for the goblin creature to eat her in his leisure; but that is the way fear serves us: it always sides with the thing we are afraid of."


The Princess and the Goblin is a classic children's fairy-tale. I really enjoyed this one. Princess Irene makes friends with a Miner boy named Curdie, when he protects her and her nurse from being attacked by goblins. Curdie discovers the Goblin's plot to kidnap Princess Irene and force her to marry the Goblin Prince. Soon afterwards, he is in need of rescuing, and he and Irene's friendship is put to the test. I could have done without the narrator's interruptions, and the poetry sections were sub-par, especially when we are to believe that poetry is a weapon against the Goblins. Other than those few qualms, I think it's a wonderful tale, full of magic, with a classic good vs evil plot. On a deeper level, it's about facing your fears and standing up for the truth even when no one else believes you.


CAWPILE Rating:

C- 7

A- 8

W- 5

P- 6

I- 8

L- 6

E- 8

Avg= 6.8= ⭐⭐⭐

#backtotheclassics (19th Century Classic) ( )

While exploring her great house eight-year old Princess Irene gets lost; in attempting to retrace her steps she comes across a beautiful old woman who is spinning. The woman tells her that she’s Irene’s great-great-grandmother, and that her name is also Irene. She shows the princess the way to return safely to her room. But when she returns to it she gets a scolding from her irate nurse who accuses her of hiding and then making up a story about some old woman living in the attic.

The reverend MacDonald’s 1872 allegorical fairy tale of faith in a nurturing being that is not visible to everyone is very well read by Heldman whose sweet narration brings across the reassuring elements of the story. The voices that she uses for Princess Irene and the young miner Cudie are especially effective. ( )

I wanted to like this book. Having heard a lot of good things about George MacDonald, I expected it to be enchanting. However, while it wasn't terrible, it also fell far short of my expectations. As I see it, the book has three major problems:

1. The two main characters. This is the most frustrating of the book's problems by far, in my opinion. The two characters, Curdie and Irene, were unreal. Irene in particular was far sweeter and more mature than any actual 8-year-old, virtually an icon of perfection. Curdie, also, was much more noble and mature than any normal boy of his age would be, though he did have an actual flaw--being too practical to believe when Irene tells him of the magical things she's experienced--which is more than can be said of Irene. The two would have been much easier to relate to, and more interesting to read about, if they hadn't been such paragons.

2. The frequent didactic asides to the reader. I realize that these are partly just due to the style of the book, as fairy tales can get away with being more openly didactic than other forms of story, and that this story was clearly written for children and the author wanted to give them a good example. However, these asides often crossed the line and made me feel as if MacDonald was talking down to me. They had the additional effect of making the characters even harder to relate to, as Irene and Curdie would often be held up as models of behavior for children.

3. The plotting. This is probably the least frustrating of the three problems, as it is mostly pretty decent, with some events towards the middle and end of the book getting pretty suspenseful. However, I felt that the story was much too easy for Irene and Curdie. They encountered no problems that were not fairly easily overcome. The most glaring issue was at the end, when it was thought that Irene had been kidnapped by goblins, but it actually turned out that she had been guided by her magical grandmother to take shelter with Curdie's mother. That was a huge disappointment, as it just deflated all the tension from the climax without giving any satisfaction whatsoever, or even allowing either of the main characters to do important things.

So, while I did enjoy many aspects of the book, and while it did have a genuinely magical air in parts, and a number of good ideas, I can't give it more than two stars. I would not reread it, but I would love to someday see a retold version that corrected those flaws. ( )

The goblins almost come across as an oppressed minority - or rather the king and his people are clearly oppressors of goblins. Somehow this charming tale doesn't work quite as meant when it has the goblins being taxed underground and redeemed by becoming brownies. All the verbiage of how one must behave when one is a princess (or prince?) is a bit much too. But the brisk story and the steadfastness of Curdie and Irene remain. ( )

A classic fairytale where a princess rescues a miner boy from goblins with the help of a magical thread woven by her great, great grandmother. A nice escape into a fantastic world...I am looking forward to reading more by MacDonald. I definitely see the relationship between his writing style and that of CS Lewis. ( )

Personal reflection: I loved this classic, it reminded me very much so of "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll. I loved how MacDonald made the goblins not only believably wicked by infused a dark sense of humor into the scenes with them, and the constant bickering between the Queen and Harelip especially made me laugh. This would be a fantastic book for high schoolers looking for a world to escape into, and I'm excited to read the sequel! ( )

A well narrated and well written story. ( )

To be entirely fair, this isn't a book I read as a child (wish I had, though). I saw the film as a kid never knowing there was a book, and even after I was introduced to George MacDonald it wasn't till a nostalgia trip looking for the origins of the movie that I discovered this story. I absolutely love MacDonald's work, just so original and fantastic and imaginative, but what I love most of all about it, and which figures in this, is his apparent belief in the union of two people to reach a solution. There is an inherent power that comes from loving someone else, a theme pervasive in his works that, despite all the learned cynicism of the world, still makes my heart flutter a bit and feel hopeful and happy for the characters. Typical of this, Princess Irene and Curdie both have their skills and advantages, but they'll only succeed by joining together.

I have to read books like this in private because I get a ridiculously sappy smile on my face whenever this happens. It cramps my style. ( )

a young miner boy rescues a princess from goblins and saves a castle from the goblins revenge. ( )

Cute. Kind of an archetypal fantasy story. The language is a little high/classic - it was written a long time ago - but the content is geared toward younger readers. This would be a great book to give to advanced younger readers to challenge their reading abilities and help them grow. ( )