The Star of Kazan

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Ibbotson, master of the “poor orphan makes good” tale, offers another eminently satisfying example, this one wrapped in a valentine to Vienna, the author’s natal city. Raised by servants to be “a person who was interested in doing things, not having them,” 11-or-so-year-old foundling Annika sees a dream come true when lovely, regal Edeltraut von Tannenberg appears at the door one day, joyously announcing that she’s her real mother. Blinded by adoration, Annika barely notices how badly in need of repairs is her fortress-like new home, or how poorly she fits in with her spoiled and predatory new “family.” Readers will, though, as piece by piece, the author reveals an elaborate, clever fraud involving faked documents, smoothly plausible lies, and a hoard of supposedly imitation jewelry that Annika has inherited from an elderly neighbor. Creating suspense by letting readers into the scheme long before Annika and her friends, Ibbotson also paints a vivid picture of pre-WWI Vienna, from its delectable pastries to the famed show horses of the Spanish Riding School. Along with this beguiling atmosphere and expertly developed plot, readers will long remember the admirable Annika and cheer her eventual, well-deserved, triumph. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction. 10-13) 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 stories. The novel reads more like a mystery novel with elements of suspense, adventure and even a bit of horror which makes for an interesting read. I like how the story takes unexpected turns, while at the same all the little details and hints fit together and has a satisfactory payoff at the end. The character development is really good with some really memorable character. I particularly liked the worrying professors and the antics they got upto! Lccn 2004045455 Ocr tesseract 5.0.0-alpha-20201231-10-g1236 Ocr_detected_lang en Ocr_detected_lang_conf 1.0000 Ocr_detected_script Latin Ocr_detected_script_conf 0.9763 Ocr_module_version 0.0.13 Ocr_parameters -l eng Old_pallet IA-WL-2000026 Openlibrary_edition

The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson | Goodreads

I've just reread this book for the above-mentioned Book Club -- and I think that I like and admire it even better the second time. You are soon transported to a magical city that seems to hum with colour, light and vitality. This is a book to be savored and enjoyed at a leisurely pace. One day while Annika is walking with Zed and Hector, the dog, Hector discovers some remnants of La Rondine's trunk in the lake, but there is no sign of the jewels. Upon asking Frau Edeltraut of the trunk's mysterious appearance, she retorts that Zed must have stolen it. Afraid of being arrested, Zed flees Spittal with Rocco and arrives in Vienna to tell the professors his suspicions about Annika's mother.Rocco is a gentle, quarter-Lipizzaner breed bay-coloured horse belonging to Zed. Although the Master bought him originally for Hermann, he changed his mind and left Rocco to Zed shortly before having a stroke. Stefan Bodek is the son of a poor washerwoman. His father is a groundsman in the Prater. He is the third of six brothers and the strongest. He wants to be an engineer but fears that he can't afford to study. The story takes place over a year in the Austro-Hungarian and German empires in the early 20th century. Certain events are discussed, however, that are set in the late 19th century or other parts of Europe. Though the story is fictional some people and events from actual history are discussed (such as Emperor Franz-Josef and the founding of the German empire). The author, with ancestry from Vienna herself, dedicates the second chapter of the book to discussing life there at that time. Oh God, she had to believe that her mother was good. How did people live if they thought their mother was dishonest?' A simple story…a predictable mystery and a plot oft-repeated. But what makes Star of Kazan so engrossing is the absolute love and affection with which Eva Ibbotson describes the splendour and grandiose of a vintage Vienna : the ancient but much-loved Emperor Franz Joseph with his ‘mutton-chop whiskers and bald head’...the extravagant waltzes streaming out of the cafes...the decadent opera houses...the sinfully rich confectioneries bursting with aroma and taste...and of course the pride of Vienna : The dancing Lipizzaner Stallions.

The Star of Kazan (Audio Download): Eva Ibbotson, Ruth Jones The Star of Kazan (Audio Download): Eva Ibbotson, Ruth Jones

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. Some of the books, particularly Journey to the River Sea, also reflect Ibbotson's love of nature. Ibbotson wrote this book in honor of her husband (who had died just before she wrote it), a former naturalist. The book had been in her head for years before she actually wrote it.

Annika is the protagonist of the story. A foundling, she is found and taken in by Sigrid and Ellie. She has a real talent for cooking, but she is very trusting. She only has one wish…that her birth mother sweeps in one day and says, ‘Where is she? Where is my long lost daughter?’. And here the adage of “Be careful what you wish for, it just may come true” comes into full play. Very soon, an aristocratic lady named Edeltraut von Tannenberg comes to claim Annika and swoop her off to a cold and desolate castle in Germany. 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 daydreams about her mother one day coming for her, until it actually happens and she is dragged off to Germany.

The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson Detailed Review Summary of The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson

After twelve-year-old Annika, a foundling living in late nineteenth-century Vienna, inherits a trunk of costume jewelry, a woman claiming to be her aristocratic mother arrives and takes her to live in a strangely decrepit mansion in Germany. Reading the title of the book, I imagined it to be a Fantasy book given its title as well as the cover image which invokes a sense of magic and mystery. The book in fact a historical fiction/ mystery novel which is set in early 20th Century in Vienna which was a part of the Austro Hungarian and German empire at the time. However given the evocative description of the neighbourhoods in Vienna, the Spanish Riding school, brooding castles in the German countryside and food delicacies, it could very well pass for a fantasy novel as well! Kids growing up/acting up? - Yes Internal struggle/realization? - Yes Struggle over - search for family/history Crime & Police story - Yes Story of - conman stealing/fraud Is this an adult or child's book? - Age 11-14 Sigrid works for the professors as a housemaid. She works well, but can be a little 'snappy' at times. Sigrid is very good friends with Ellie and is a hardworking role model for Annika. Ibottson began writing with the television drama 'Linda Came Today', in 1965. Ten years later, she published her first novel, The Great Ghost Rescue. Ibbotson has written numerous books including The Secret of Platform 13, Journey to the River Sea, Which Witch?, Island of the Aunts, and Dial-a-Ghost. She won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for Journey to the River Sea, and has been a runner up for many of major awards for British children's literature.Hermann is Edeltraut's son, and heir to the family estate. He is a couple of years younger than Annika and obsessed with all things marshal. Hoping for a future military career, he follows the timetable of the officer school he dreams of attending each day. I don't know how Ibbotson does it, but her storytelling can only be described as LOVELY and DELIGHTFUL. Annika is asked by Loremarie Egghart, a snobby rich girl whom Annika despises, to read to her great-aunt. Annika does so and the two (Annika and Loremarie's great aunt) become friends, telling each other about their lives. Loremarie's great aunt was a famous theatre personality who went by the stage name La Rondine. They become so close that the great-aunt leaves Annika her jewels when she dies, having been told that the jewels are pastings of the real ones which she had sold through a jeweler. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Silver Award and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. [1] [2] Setting [ edit ] Lo stile della Ibbotson è sublime! Si diverte ad esasperare i caratteri dei personaggi creando splendide caricature ai quali dona un tocco personale per far capire al lettore se quel personaggio è buono o cattivo.

The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson - Fantastic Fiction The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson - Fantastic Fiction

I admired the heart in this story which emphasised the lengths some may go to find love and true friendship; that, and the authenticity of the details with which Ibbotson invested the narrative felt right to me. Even the fictional aspects I found convincing, such as the school at the schloss at Grossenfluss which at times outdid Brontë's Lowood School, and the von Tannenberg's castle of Spittal which belies its name, deriving as it does from the word for hospital as a place of healing. The uncredited map which accompanies this edition shows Grossenfluss and Spittal in the old region of Pomerania, once part of Prussia and now split between Germany in the west and Poland in the east; you will, however search vainly for either location, or that of the spa town of Bad Haxenfeld, even though castles and spas are numerous in this area. Some of the main characters are: Professor Emil, Professor Gertrude, Professor Julius, Zed, Stefan, Pauline, Gudrun, Loremarie, Hermann, Rocco, Edeltraut von Tannenberg, and of course Annika. Fitting into a new scenario is always tough, but for Annika who has been used to a warm and friendly Vienna, her new home throws up many nasty surprises. Unfriendly relatives…lies and secrets…dreary food...dank climate...things are not as Annika imagined her new life to be. Good book. You think it is predictable but it really isn't. There is strong story line and a nice calm ending. A lady works as a cook in a grand professors house in Vienna, Austria. She finds a baby in a beautiful church and she and her friend, the housemaid raise the baby like she is their own. They name her Annika after the cooks mother. When Annika is twelve a woman appears at the front door of the professors house. She says she is Annika's mother and takes to her house in germany and i...Eva Ibbotson's hugely entertaining The Star of Kazan is a timeless classic for readers young and old. This was a perfectly satisfying and fulfilling read, despite being a children's/middle grade book. I mean, every element of a good story, of good writing, of good telling, literally everything, is spotless. Nonostante ormai non sia più una bambina, e da diverso tempo direi, è stato un piacere leggere questa storia. The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson makes your heart beat faster than a mouse's heartbeat. From an abandoned baby, to a grim suicide to a very volatile school and many more gripping events, The Star of Kazan has no bounds to its extraordinary moments. In 1896, in a pilgrim church in the Alps, an abandoned baby girl is found by a cook and a housemaid. They take her home, and Annika grows up in the servants' quarters of a house belonging to three eccentric Viennese professors. She is happy there, but dreams of the day when her real mother will come to find her.