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A review by swampthingsarah
The Beggar Queen by Lloyd Alexander
5.0
This is my favorite book series from when I was in middle school, and I can officially say now that I've reread the whole series that still, even now, I would rank these books as some of my favorites of all time. I was enthralled the whole time I read them and got emotional as I approached the final lines because I knew it was ending. Some character endings I remembered, and others I didn't, meaning I got the full force of those emotions all over again (and Lloyd Alexander pulls a fake-out with one of the last ones that had me genuinely worried!). I cannot recommend these books highly enough.
That's really all I want to say in this review- uncharacteristically brief, for me- but I'll add a few things just in case you're reading this for useful information:
- I refer to this series often as "Les Miserables for middle grade," and nowhere is that more true than in this book. Be prepared to get songs from the musical stuck in your head as the narrative describes barricades going up.
- If you thought the second book hit the limit on character deaths you're willing to read about, maybe quit while you're ahead, because you're gonna part with more in this third installment. Your emotions may not recover.
- Middle grade in general doesn't get enough credit for the nuance its authors often manage to put into stories for younger readers, but this book/series in particular astounds me now that I'm an adult with the weight of its story and the complexity of its characters. You can see, for instance, why Theo adores Florian, but also why he resents and is frustrated by him at the same time for the situations Florian compels Theo into- the situations that compromise the morals Theo clung to so strongly in the first book, challenging them while not actually making him immoral. Alexander gives us very sparse interactions to establish these dynamics, but quantity is not more important than quality- every scene in these books matters, and you get every bit of the emotional resonance.
- These books are action-packed without necessarily feeling high-energy in a lot of ways. Some very tense moments are dealt with matter-of-factly; some more ordinary narrative explodes off the page with surprisingly beautiful prose. For some readers, that contrast may not be what they're looking for. But for those of us who love Lloyd Alexander's writing, it's what really makes the book jump off the page.
I hope you enjoy these books. I've been loving them for over 20 years, and it looks like my time of obsession with them is far from over!
That's really all I want to say in this review- uncharacteristically brief, for me- but I'll add a few things just in case you're reading this for useful information:
- I refer to this series often as "Les Miserables for middle grade," and nowhere is that more true than in this book. Be prepared to get songs from the musical stuck in your head as the narrative describes barricades going up.
- If you thought the second book hit the limit on character deaths you're willing to read about, maybe quit while you're ahead, because you're gonna part with more in this third installment. Your emotions may not recover.
- Middle grade in general doesn't get enough credit for the nuance its authors often manage to put into stories for younger readers, but this book/series in particular astounds me now that I'm an adult with the weight of its story and the complexity of its characters. You can see, for instance, why Theo adores Florian, but also why he resents and is frustrated by him at the same time for the situations Florian compels Theo into- the situations that compromise the morals Theo clung to so strongly in the first book, challenging them while not actually making him immoral. Alexander gives us very sparse interactions to establish these dynamics, but quantity is not more important than quality- every scene in these books matters, and you get every bit of the emotional resonance.
- These books are action-packed without necessarily feeling high-energy in a lot of ways. Some very tense moments are dealt with matter-of-factly; some more ordinary narrative explodes off the page with surprisingly beautiful prose. For some readers, that contrast may not be what they're looking for. But for those of us who love Lloyd Alexander's writing, it's what really makes the book jump off the page.
I hope you enjoy these books. I've been loving them for over 20 years, and it looks like my time of obsession with them is far from over!