East by Edith Pattou

"THAT'S THE TROUBLE WITH LOVING A WILD THING: YOU'RE ALWAYS LEFT WATCHING THE DOOR" 

- Edith Pattou, East

Revew by Kathren 

Book Synopsis:
Rose has always felt out of place in her family, a wanderer in a bunch of homebodies. So when an enormous white bear mysteriously shows up and asks her to come away with him — in exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family — she readily agrees. The bear takes Rose to a distant castle, where each night she is confronted with a mystery. In solving that mystery, she loses her heart, discovers her purpose, and realizes her travels have only just begun.


As familiar and moving as Beauty and the Beast and yet as fresh and original as only the best fantasy can be, East is a novel retelling of the classic tale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon," a sweeping romantic epic in the tradition of Robin McKinley and Gail Carson Levine.


General Review:
Of the three of us, I can easily be called the "nerdiest" in terms of what I read. I tend to go for the more fanciful and "magically" themed books. I will admit I am one who greatly enjoys folklore and fantasy. This book, I read back in middle school and I can easily say, aside from Grimm's fairy-tales, is the origin of my fascination with folklore.


Plot:
This is a genius retelling of an old Norwegian folktale that in my opinion was the origin of the classic, "Beauty and the Beast" mixed with elements found in the grimm's version of Cinderella. The idea is that a human prince is bewitched by trolls( Ice giants to the north - a common antagonist in Norwegian folklore) and is forced to roam the land as a white bear until he can find someone who will love him as the beast he has been turned into.


Characters:
The protagonist, Rose, is, from the moment she is born, a headstrong girl that will do what she wants and go wherever her feet will take her, much to the dismay of her mother. She is the youngest of 7 children although the book doesn't really go into too much detail about them except for her older brother (2nd youngest), with whom she relates to the most. Her mother is an extremely superstitious woman married to an extremely level headed map-maker, her father. The antagonist of the story is a Troll queen who was the reason the prince has been turned into the white bear, and is constantly trying to thwart the white bear's attempt to lift the curse that has been placed on him. The characters are dynamic in that I couldn't imagine a single person on earth that couldn't relate to one or more of them. 


Final Thoughts:
East is a great book for young adults and those who are young at heart and enjoy a good fairy-tale love story. This book definitely has themes of self empowerment, independence, and the power of true love. 

Read It For Yourself