Play Book Tag discussion

Reading the story was like stepping into a fairy tale. It centered around Eleonora Cohen, an 8 year old girl. All sorts of improbable things happened to her. Some I enjoyed, while other events seemed contrived or too similar to fairy tales I've read in the past (ie. she had an evil step-mother).

Here is a short summary of the story: Eleonora was born in 1878 in a Romanian town. Her birth was marked by signs and portents and a flock of hoopoes (rather remarkable birds). These birds stayed with her throughout the years and watched over her. As she grew older, it was evident that Eleonora was a genius. Her brilliance was both a gift and a burden. Events in the story took both Eleonora and her father to Turkey, where her intellect made her known to the Sultan.

I enjoyed the colorful descriptions of Stamboul (Istanbul). Having an interest in birds, I also liked reading about the hoopoes as well as birds native to Turkey. The Sultan himself was portrayed as a birder whose birding observations were spot on.

This sounds cute, but doesn't have the highest overall ratings. Just curious, why only the three stars?

I decided upon 3 stars, due to feeling that the tale borrowed too much from other stories and even biblical events. That's not to take anything away from other parts of the story that were truly original. I also was unhappy with the ending - it seemed too implausible.

I still found the story to be entertaining. If you're interested in reading it, I would say, "go ahead."

Thanks for an informative review. Once in a while I enjoy a fairy-tale like book. Makes a difference to know ahead of time!

Thanks for the extra information Holly! I think I’ll hold off on this one unless I start seeing more reviews for it - While fairy tales are always fun, fairy tales mixed with Bible stories leans more towards a no go for me.