A review by sergek94
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

5.0

5/5

Hearts weigh quite a lot. That is why it takes so long to grow one.

It's not often that a book captivates me on such a visceral level. When I first marked this book to read, I wasn't expecting it to go down as one of the most memorable reads of my life! This beautiful story follows a girl named September, who one day gets taken away from her mundane life into a fantasy world called Fairyland, where she becomes the hero of her own story.

Catherynne M. Valente has earned her place among my favourite authors! The writing style is beautiful, her choice of words are poetic, whimsical and wise. The writing style is light on the soul but incredibly deep and meaningful at the same time. The ironic humour that teases many aspects of our sometimes very tedi0us, treacherous and unfair adult life through the lens of an innocent child unspoiled by the soul sucking realism of the real world was magnificently written!

Writing that is very whimsically clever and runs with meaning and depth:
...Hats change everything. September knew this with all her being, deep in the place where she knew her own name, that her mother would still love her even though she hadn’t waved good-bye. For one day, her father had put on a hat with golden things on it and suddenly he hadn’t been her father anymore, he had been a soldier, and he had left. Hats have power. Hats can change you into someone else.

A sample of how a harsh reality is described in such innocent language. In this one passage, if the reader is perceptive enough, they can see the harsh reality that is being described. The hat symbolizing the official job and status given to someone, which figuratively changes him from a human being, a father with his own sentiments and humanity, to a hard and cold soldier, who takes away the lives of others and has to serve his state no matter the cost. Someone who has his own loved identity in our hearts, changed into a person we barely recognize, who leaves us for months at a time to go and do "terrible" things. Perhaps I am reading too much into that passage, but that is what it evoked in me, and the fact that it did shows how talented the author is.

Companionship and all the warm feelings it can bring:



September, A-Through-L and Saturday were our adventuring trio in this story. Their dynamic was very well written, with selflessness and genuine kindness being highlighted. A-Through-L was adorable and made me wish I had a Wyverary buddy of my own. His friendship with September was beautiful and the chains that restricted his wings broke my heart every time. I genuinely wanted the best for him.
“I … I can’t,” he said wretchedly. “Not while my sister M-Through-S can’t fly. Not while my brother T-Through-Z can’t. Not while my mother wanders on foot. The Marquess is splendid—oh, she is so splendid! If she should appear right this second, I would abase myself in gratitude. But I cannot take her beneficence. I cannot bargain for my own joy alone—no one else gets to fly. Why should I? I am not special, or worthy. If she should appear right this very second, I would beg her, ‘Let your magnanimousness find some other soul who longs to fly and unlock her chains.’ I will walk wherever it is I wish to go. I will walk to my grandfather the Municipal Library, and he will praise me for my unselfishness. I have walked my whole life. More will not hurt me.”

A-Through-L is a very kind soul.

Saturday is more solemn and serious, a Marid (a sort of creature that can grant you wishes if you defeat him in battle who September rescues from a cage the evil Queen of the story had put him in. His silent but strong personality and his unwavering support towards September was really nice to read.



Of course, we musn't forget Gleam, our beautiful lantern who came later on in the story and stole our hearts with her kindness and fancy letters and helped September during very painful and messy situations.


A very irritating villain who managed to make us be very cross with her while also breaking our hearts and making us feel for her and wanting her to be happy.



The Marquess was phenomenal. Sweet, charming, annoying, detestable, deep, authentic, heartbreaking and lovely. She definitely is one of my favourite characters in the story. I will tell you why.

Spoiler Alert:

The Marquess is the current ruler of Fairyland, who has deposed of the old queen everybody loved, Queen Mallow, and is subjecting Fairyland to strict laws that make life not so pleasant, for example, she's behind chaining the wings of most of the creatures of fairyland, including A-Through-L, with iron chains that hurt and cause allergic reactions. She sends September off to a quest to fetch her a sword and puts her through several painful obstacles and even kidnaps her friends and hurts them and we end up truly disliking her, though her dialogue is just hilarious and she's awfully charismatic in her own way.

“Oh! Iago, did you hear that? You mean to say that one day the governor or something came and took your father even though you were quite sure he was yours and yours alone? Well, that is certainly different. A Father is nowhere near as valuable as a Spoon! I can see why you prefer your sensible, logical world.”
“Well, they didn’t kill anyone in the process!”
“No, September. They wait until little girls like you are out of sight first. War must always be done out of sight, or it shocks people and they stop immediately.” The Marquess’s hair slowly deepened to the color of blood.

The twist at the end though, showed us how tragic and layered this character is. The Marquess is actually the kind and loving Queen Mallow, whose time in fairyland had run out and she was plunged out of it only to be thrown back to her miserable life. After years of being queen and serving her people, she was forgotten and sent back like nothing had ever happened. Her heartbreak touches the reader, because underneath all the fluff, we see the truth of what she went through. This is a child who was beaten and abused by her alcoholic father. Fairyland was her escape from her cruel and cold reality, just like it is the escape of many children who face abuse today. That is a primary reason why so many kids develop maladaptive daydreaming. This very sad reality being part of this fairy-tale made it even more beautiful. The Marquess broke my heart and even though she was a villain, I can say I love her.

End of spoiler

A wonderful journey overall, and I am left wanting more!

I can write so much more about this wonderful story, but this is where I'll end it. A beautifully written whimsical tale that holds so much substance and meaning underneath. This story is meant for children and I think it's an ideal read for them, but it's also something they will appreciate when they reread the whole thing as adults and discover the multilayered depths of meaning they might have missed during their first read.

Before I end this, let me just plug in another sample of this masterpiece.

When you are born,” the golem said softly, “your courage is new and clean. You are brave enough for anything: crawling off of staircases, saying your first words without fearing that someone will think you are foolish, putting strange things in your mouth. But as you get older, your courage attracts gunk and crusty things and dirt and fear and knowing how bad things can get and what pain feels like. By the time you’re half-grown, your courage barely moves at all, it’s so grunged up with living. So every once in a while, you have to scrub it up and get the works going or else you’ll never be brave again...

I highly recommend this story for everyone, it was a wonderful reading experience! A very well deserved 5 stars!