La stella di Kazan

Eva Ibbotson weaves an old-fashioned adventure around a young foundling called Annika . Abandoned in a church on the slopes of Mt. Dorfelspitze , the baby is adopted by a pair of friends: Ellie, the cook and Sigrid, the housemaid. They take her back to their owners’ house in Vienna. Annika is a happy, Leggi tutto

This is a sweet story. In general I like Eva Ibbotson's books, but honestly, this one really stood out to me. I love how she catches you off guard with details you didn't think mattered. The main character is kind and you can really sympathize to her, and the overall plot is well developed. It's not Leggi tutto

SO AWESOOOOOMEEEE!!! I loved this! It took me a little while to get into it at first, (due to the slow build up) but when the part came about the stolen trunk, I couldn't put it down. From there on everything got so nerve wracking and exciting, I had no idea what to expect! The storytelling's absolu Leggi tutto

Eva Ibbotson has a unique gift for lovable characters, evocative settings and intricate roller-coaster plots. I know the Professors, I know Pauline and Stefan and I know Gudrun and Mathilde... and I know la Rondine. There are always a lot of characters in Eva Ibbotsons (as there are in life, yes?),

3.5 stars This is just a fun, very enjoyable tale of an foundling child, Annika, who was taken in by Sigrid and Ellie, the servants of a trio of professors in Vienna. She has a happy life there with her adopted mother Ellie, her "aunt" and "uncles", and her many friends throughout the town. She daydr Leggi tutto

A wonderfully readable mystery by the incomparable Eva Ibbotson. Annika is an orphan who was abandoned as an infant. She is taken in by two servants who work for a family of eccentric professors. She grows up in a servant’s world, surrounded by love, but she yearns to know more about her birth mothe Leggi tutto

I liked the parts of this story that took place in Vienna. The author made it sound beautiful and charming. Also, the food sounded delicious. The parts that took place in Germany were boring. Not much happens there in this story. The MC, Annika, was all right, but I didn't connect with her. I did en Leggi tutto

'Oh God, she had to believe that her mother was good. How did people live if they thought their mother was dishonest?'-- Chapter 37 Two striking images, among so very many, stand out for me in this novel: one is of a Lipizzaner horse and its rider, working together as one, and the other is of an armo Leggi tutto

A splendid orphan story --- and a good one for reinforcing the idea that we can make our own families. I loved the turn-of-the-century Vienna setting, and there were just the right amount of fairy/folk tale touches. Excellent for 10-13 year old girls, but also for adults who like old-fashioned stori Leggi tutto

The last time I read this book was about 5 years ago and I remembered it to have been a good book but I had forgotten just how good it is. Once again, I am blown away by the way Eva Ibbotson creates a completely believable new world and thoroughly enjoyable characters. Although this book is written