Admired by J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis and considered by W. H. Auden to be “the only English children’s book in the same class as the Alice books,” The Princess and the Goblin is a classic example of nineteenth-century children’s literary fairy tales. This is an ageless tale of courage and loyalty, beauty and mystery, and above all, good and evil.
The discovery of a secret stairway running to the top of the castle where she lives leads Princess Irene to a revelation even more weighty than the fiendish plans of the goblin community that Curdie, a miner boy, has discovered. Will the Princess and Curdie understand the significance of what they have found, or will Harelip and the goblins successfully execute their evil plan?
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"I love MacDonald. One of my favorite stories of all time is his fable The Day Boy and the Night Girl. He was a great influence on the authors (Lewis, Tolkien) we think of as the fathers of modern fantasy. This book is a more recent application of fairy tale motifs, and it is interesting to view them outside of realm of the more familiar fairy tales." — Tiffany (4 out of 5 stars)
"I love MacDonald. One of my favorite stories of all time is his fable The Day Boy and the Night Girl. He was a great influence on the authors (Lewis, Tolkien) we think of as the fathers of modern fantasy. This book is a more recent application of fairy tale motifs, and it is interesting to view them outside of realm of the more familiar fairy tales."
“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…Simple enough for reading aloud to a child, it’s rich enough to repay endless delighted readings for the adult.”
" I shall certainly be reading this book to any future children that I have. A lovely tale. "
" Another great fantasy by George MacDonald. Crisply written, humorous, and sensitive, it is simply a great example of the ever-popular children's fairy-tale. "
" It was a charming story overall. It was not very fast paced. I kept waiting for the crisis to get bigger, but it never did. "
" This was a really cute book. I still enjoyed it even if I am probably much older than the intended audience. I loved that the writing was old-fashioned but not in a way that I got irritated with or distracted from the story by. A really lovely story. "
" I can't wait to share this with my children when they get older!! "
" Great story to read with the kids, has many examples of virtue for them to emulate. "
" One of my absolute favorites as a kid, I've reread it recently and it (and The Princess and Curdie) still hold up well for me. "
" enjoying this together on my Kindle :) A perfect book! "
" Loved this book, it was so cute and adventurus. And you just had to fall in love with the characters. They made a animated movie of it also, it's ridiculous. "
" 3.5 actual rating. Goblins and a princess. A great combo. Finally read this book after owning it for years. Now to read the sequel. "
" Actually listened to an audiobook version, so now I don't know how to spell some of the main characters' names. Oh, well. A delight. "
" Magical! This books make my heart happy, and that is really all I have to say. "
" I adore this book, it has a charm all of its own. "
" childlike, fantasy and fun, this is a classic story of a brave princess and a surprising hero. while the movie ruined most of the suspense in here, the story kept me reading and feeling like a kid again! "
" Amazing! Simply amazing! This is like, the guy Tolkien learned from! "
" Not my favorite tale, but I was engrossed enough to be highly annoyed when it ENDED in the middle of the freakin' story... one of these days, I will seek out book 2, but sheesh. Really?? "
" So intriguing to read something written so long ago... That seems to have just been written so modernly. And he influenced Lewis carrol. Pretty cool. "
" It was a great book and I think you should read it! "
" This is far and away the best "fairy tale" that I have ever read. MacDonald crafts the story masterfully and with great purpose. "
" Epically awesome. If you like Oz, you'll love this. "
" Cute old-fashioned fairy tale that you can download for free. "
" As a kid, this was the coolest book. "
" I read this back in elementary school, in Japanese translation. I remember reading it at least 5 more times after that. It's been ten or so years, and I need to re-read this. "
" A charming little classical adventure for children. A good one for a parent to read to a child under ten. "
" Is a great book to read forever "
" A beloved novel from my childhood. Highly recommended for all ages! "
" I remember loving this but I haven't read it for years. Have you read his short story collections? "The Gifts of the Child Christ" Volumes 1 & 2 - I bet you'd love them if you haven't. "
" Lovely fairy tale by the Scottish George MacDonald. C.S. Lewis was heavily influenced by MacDonald and I enjoyed reading his winsome style. "
" We listened to this on a road trip and it had us all engaged. It was a fun story. There were some parts that you didn't know whether to like or not, but overall, it works out and we liked it. "
" It helps to know this fable is a Christian allergory - and was written late 1800s / early 1900s. "
" I remember reading this when I was younger, and just loving it. It's one of those classic books that's just so well written you can't help but get drawn in. Never gets old, and it would be great to read out loud. "
" It was the first time I read a book by George MacDonald who is considered as the "master" for many well-known, great fantasy authors (J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis). It was a pity that I read Turkish translation as it was not entertaining to read the rhymes of Curdie in Turkish. "
" We loved this book. Great read aloud with the kids. : ) "
" This is another book I found on a list of fantasy classics that no one reads anymore... and they really should. I was familiar with this book inasmuch as I had seen the 1994 movie, but the book was simply precious. If I ever have a little girl, this is the book I will read to her. "
" This is a good book. The characters are wonderful, it's beautifully written, and it has such a mysterious, magical setting and plot. I really loved it, and I hope to read more of George MacDonald's books soon. "
" One of the best children's books out there. My dad read this to me as a child and it still is one of my favorites. Absolutely a classic! "
" I liked this, but didn't love it. There wasn't anything wrong with it, it just felt a little flat. I most likely won't be reading this to the boys. I think there are many other more interesting fairy tales out there. "
" The more I read, the more I loved it. Webs of meaning and beautiful story-telling. "
" Reading this one aloud to the kids (after reading it for the first time myself last year) - love MacDonald, love Curdie. The kids are enthralled. We just finished it, and even Sage wanted immediately to begin the sequel (Princess and Curdie). I love wonderful children's literature! "
George MacDonald (1824–1905), Scottish children’s author and novelist, was educated at Aberdeen University before training as a Congregational minister. Finding his own individualistic views unacceptable to his parish, he gradually turned to literature. He published over fifty volumes of fiction, verse, children’s stories, and sermons but is remembered chiefly for his fairy stories, including The Princess and the Goblin (1872) and its sequel The Princess and Curdie (1873).
Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.
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