Novel Review

Title: Egg and Spoon
Author: Gregory Maguire
Copyright Date: 2014
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Lexile Score: 700L
# of Pages: 475

Stuck in the rural, impoverished village of Miersk, Elena Rudina must take care of her dying mother alone. Her father is long gone, and her two brothers are conscripted to work for different noble families. Cat, on the other hand, is a girl from a wealthy noble family, on her way to see the tsar. However, in a sudden turn of events and with an accidental switch, Elena finds herself trapped in Cat’s life, on her way to the Tsar’s palace, and Cat, in Elena’s shoes, is stuck in Miersk.

In Egg and Spoon, Gregory Maguire brings his expertise of writing fantasy into the Russian setting. His previous work, the more notable ones including Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Out of Oz, and Mirror, Mirror, has established Maguire as one who skillfully re-imagines classic tales.

Maguire deftly weaves well-known characters from Russian folklore into the lives of Elena and Cat. From Elena’s encounter with the Firebird to Cat stumbling into the house of none other than the infamous witch Baba Yaga, the book is packed with mystical elements. Narrated by an imprisoned monk, both his commentary and Baba Yaga’s wisecracking musings liven up the story. Maguire’s fanciful word choice and remarkable style of writing builds a world far from anyone’s imagination; the deliberate crafting of his words evoking a childish imagination as readers are whisked along the railroads of Miersk, through the streets of St. Petersburg, and into the Tsar’s palace.

Nevertheless, the plot development is slow. Much of the beginning is unnecessary and the pace is sluggish throughout parts of the book. Though well written, the detailed imagery that Maguire paints in multiple segments of the story may be overused to the point where it takes away from the magic of the book itself. That said, this reflects on the character development as well. Especially towards the beginning half of the book, the characters of both Cat and Elena are considerably flat and lack any growth that one would usually see in a typical novel. Thankfully, both the plot and character development picks up a little towards the second half of the book, and the pace quickens.

Throughout the novel, struggle, especially among class and status, is a significant theme. Much of the motivations of the heroines stem from their status in society, and Maguire manages to present their problems in a relatable fashion. The novel reintroduces the idea of social class, reminding the world of the inequity that comes along with it. 

The book is marked for children, but it is a good choice for those age 13 and up as it does feature richer descriptive language and has some important underlying messages for a more mature audience. Though mildly frustrating to read at times because of its slow pace, it proves to be a captivating read as Maguire uncovers the layers to a breathtaking tale and opens up a portal to magical Russian folklore.

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Link to Rough Draft: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tFuL3iSCYaBM_TicpsMH0pOUcJ0qwIfVtNADDg8EuQo/edit

Reflection: This is my first time ever writing a review of some sort – so it was somewhat of an uncharted territory for me. It was quite challenging to start writing, as I had all these ideas of what to write, but did not have any way of connecting all of these thoughts. However, once I was able to get started, it was quite easy to finish writing. I liked writing this review as it was a way to communicate my thoughts in a manner that wasn’t what I was used to. This assignment was challenging to a certain extent, I think that this book review was a really fun to write and I’m really proud of how it turned out!