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Catherine, Called Birdy
Catherine, a spirited and inquisitive young woman of good family, narrates in diary form the story of her fourteenth yearthe year 1290. A Newbery Honor Book.
Audio CD
First published May 23, 1994
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About the author
Karen Cushman
34 books699 followersKaren Cushman was born in Chicago, Illinois.
She entered Stanford University on a scholarship in 1959 and graduated with degrees in Greek and English. She later earned master’s degrees in human behavior and museum studies.
For eleven years she was an adjunct professor in the Museum Studies Department at John F. Kennedy University before resigning in 1996 to write full-time.
She lives on Vashon Island, Washington with her husband, Philip.
(source: http://karencushman.com/about/bio.html & http://www.arnenixoncenter.org/findin...)
She entered Stanford University on a scholarship in 1959 and graduated with degrees in Greek and English. She later earned master’s degrees in human behavior and museum studies.
For eleven years she was an adjunct professor in the Museum Studies Department at John F. Kennedy University before resigning in 1996 to write full-time.
She lives on Vashon Island, Washington with her husband, Philip.
(source: http://karencushman.com/about/bio.html & http://www.arnenixoncenter.org/findin...)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,282 reviews
August 3, 2008
Entertaining, but overall highly anachronistic. Yet another author who transplants a spunky, modern heroine into a vastly different culture without an explanation of how such a character could have developed. People forget that 'teenagers' have only existed since the middle of the last century.
I wish Cushman had created a protagonist who was both engaging to the reader and able to provide illumination of how much people have changed over time. That's the book I want for my kids. You know, if I wasn't half-convinced that I would destroy the poor things with my eccentric brand of madness. Then again, I couldn't do any worse than most parents.
I wish Cushman had created a protagonist who was both engaging to the reader and able to provide illumination of how much people have changed over time. That's the book I want for my kids. You know, if I wasn't half-convinced that I would destroy the poor things with my eccentric brand of madness. Then again, I couldn't do any worse than most parents.
July 13, 2024
Filled with medieval life and the charm of our headstrong title character, this was a delight from start to finish. From the Saint Day headers of Birdy’s diary entries to the myriad of ways she rebels, it’s a wonderful “year in the life “ book.
Had this been published when I was a young teen, I would have devoured it in one sitting… and then probably re-read it again.
(Instead, I had The Maude Reed Tale by Norah Lufts. I was happy to see the author suggest my fave medieval tale as another good book to read.)
Now on to the streaming adaptation— may it be as funny as the book!!
(Reviewed 12/15/22)
Had this been published when I was a young teen, I would have devoured it in one sitting… and then probably re-read it again.
(Instead, I had The Maude Reed Tale by Norah Lufts. I was happy to see the author suggest my fave medieval tale as another good book to read.)
Now on to the streaming adaptation— may it be as funny as the book!!
(Reviewed 12/15/22)
August 24, 2008
If there were a 6-star rating, I'd give it to this book. When it won the Newbery Medal for Children's Literature, it was Cushman's first book. It's Hi. Lar. I. Ous. Birdy is the 14-year old daughter of a 14th-century landowner in Merrie Olde Englande. While her father plots suitable arranged marriages for her and her mother tries to prepare her for being a wife by teaching her manners, needlework and herbal medicine, Birdy, the ultimate tomboy, plots ways to get rid of the suitors and sneak off to the village where she can help with the hay harvest and sing hey-nonny-nonny amongst the peasants.
The book is written as a journal and spans a year, during which Birdy learns to stop fighting against the position she was born to (including the arranged marriage!) Through her eyes, we come to see and know the village peasants as if they were old friends. It has all the elements relevant to 14-year-old girls in America today: the longing for a best friend; the parent-related angst; the feeling that no one understands you; the compulsion to do something that really matters in the world. Birdy is by turns selfish, generous, compassionate, merciless, moody and serene. It's a brilliant book: one that I read over and over when I need a laugh.
The book is written as a journal and spans a year, during which Birdy learns to stop fighting against the position she was born to (including the arranged marriage!) Through her eyes, we come to see and know the village peasants as if they were old friends. It has all the elements relevant to 14-year-old girls in America today: the longing for a best friend; the parent-related angst; the feeling that no one understands you; the compulsion to do something that really matters in the world. Birdy is by turns selfish, generous, compassionate, merciless, moody and serene. It's a brilliant book: one that I read over and over when I need a laugh.
February 24, 2023
Can't believe I never read this before! Super fun and enjoyable, delivered in short diary entries which made me fly through it.
April 18, 2008
In reality, this probably isn't a five-star book, but I'm giving it such a high rating because this is the book that made me love reading.
I first picked it up in 4th grade and started reading it for no particular reason, and I loved it so much I decided to read all of Karen Cushman's other books as well. The rest is history.
One of my favorite parts of the book is when Catherine complains about her brother Robert and how he likes to "drown ants by pissing on the anthill."
Ten-year-old Madeline: "Humor and dirty words? BEST BOOK EVER!"
I first picked it up in 4th grade and started reading it for no particular reason, and I loved it so much I decided to read all of Karen Cushman's other books as well. The rest is history.
One of my favorite parts of the book is when Catherine complains about her brother Robert and how he likes to "drown ants by pissing on the anthill."
Ten-year-old Madeline: "Humor and dirty words? BEST BOOK EVER!"
November 27, 2017
They found the remains of several spindles, many skeins of wool, and an unfinished tapestry in the muck from the privy. Why is everyone so certain they are mine?
Catherine is the best. I wanted to be her best friend when I was ten, and I now want to read her adult diary more than anything in the world.
Read
January 8, 2025 I picked up this book when I was in England recently, quite taken in as I was by the subtitle "She's Not Your Average Damsel in Distress." It's written in the form of a diary composed by the eponymous character who is 13 years old when the novel opens. She is the only daughter and youngest child of "Rollo and the Lady Aislinn", desperately trying to avoid marriage. Her father is determined that she's the right age to marry, but Catherine has managed to present herself as undesirable to suitor after suitor. She has tried her father's limited patience to such an extent that he finally decrees that she will marry a much older man, with a large estate that Rollo wishes to combine with his own. Clearly, Catherine must obey the males in her life, for such is the role of women in the year 1290.
What's most enjoyable about the book is the world of 1290 that the author creates: with all of its smells and sights, oddities and irregularities. I felt immersed in every location, particularly the manor house where Catherine lives. I was engaged by her hijinks and amused by the relationships she has with the other characters, especially the long-suffering Morwenna and the up-for-anything Perkin.
I can see middle school kids easily becoming involved in this world and cheering on Catherine as she attempts to be her own person in a life that demands she be seen and not heard, submissive to males, and utterly resigned to a future over which she has no control.
What's most enjoyable about the book is the world of 1290 that the author creates: with all of its smells and sights, oddities and irregularities. I felt immersed in every location, particularly the manor house where Catherine lives. I was engaged by her hijinks and amused by the relationships she has with the other characters, especially the long-suffering Morwenna and the up-for-anything Perkin.
I can see middle school kids easily becoming involved in this world and cheering on Catherine as she attempts to be her own person in a life that demands she be seen and not heard, submissive to males, and utterly resigned to a future over which she has no control.
February 18, 2023
Rereading before I watch the movie version. Still a lot of fun, but curious what changes made for the movie because some of it is dated.
____
Excellent! Both funny and historically realistic.
Books like this is why I would never want to live in the past (even if there was a hot Scott involved) - dirt, stench, sickness, boredom, ugh.
____
Excellent! Both funny and historically realistic.
Books like this is why I would never want to live in the past (even if there was a hot Scott involved) - dirt, stench, sickness, boredom, ugh.
November 18, 2016
Corpus bones, this book was terrible. i hated it. it was very boring and horrible.
April 16, 2008
My biggest complaint about this book is how horribly she speaks of her father. We listened to it on CD (edition wasn't available to post) but the girl who does the reading has a very "common" accent. Combined with her sharp tongue I couldn't feel for the character. She sounded like she should be cleaning out the stables instead of the daughter of a knight and a lady. In fact you are always surprised when she mentions a servant.
It is written in diary format which is so popular for this age group BUT her abrasive personality really makes it so you could care less about her poor plight. (I wonder what I would have thought if I had read it years ago before I had my own daughters...)
It is written in diary format which is so popular for this age group BUT her abrasive personality really makes it so you could care less about her poor plight. (I wonder what I would have thought if I had read it years ago before I had my own daughters...)
December 20, 2010
Recently reread this for probably the hundredth time and continue to love Catherine entirely too much. Sadly, a revisit to this book as an adult highlights, to my great despair, that I always wanted her to marry the goatherd, and that part of me has been mourning the fact that she doesn't for like more than a decade. What is my life. Accessible for kids and (obviously) for adults, it felt very in the moment, like I could see and hear and live all the delights and discomforts of Catherine's time -- still one of the best books I've ever read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2008
One of the most hilarious, charming books I've read. The adventures of Birdy as she grows up in a medieval manor are priceless.
March 17, 2025
I didn’t read Catherine Called Birdy growing up and I’m so glad I finally picked it up. I am a sucker for for an epistolary novel (this one told in diary entries) and a plucky main character. It may be anachronistic but there’s enough accuracy to understand that medieval England was another world, so you’d really have to be a curmudgeon to be bothered by it. 100% would recommend.
November 12, 2018
"I am left with a beastly father, a life of chores, no hope, no friends, no escape, and a large bosom!" writes Catherine in her journal on October 13, 1290.
Same.
Catherine, Called Birdy is like Bridget Jones's Diary if Bridget were 14, adamantly uninterested in men, and living in the 13th century. Catherine (who is only called Birdy, like, twice), is a lady of a not un-wealthy knight, and she feels perpetually stuck. She wishes she were richer, rich enough to have servants do everything for her, or poorer, poor enough to make her own decisions in love and marriage instead of being a piece of property for her father to barter with. As she journals her daily life, she muses on social class, gender differences, marriage, and religion. ("I wondered why Jesus used his miraculous powers to cure lepers instead of creating an herb or flower that would cure them so we could continue to use it even now when Jesus is in Heaven.")
Like Bridget, who cataloged her calorie intake, cigarettes smoked, and alcohol units consumed everyday, Catherine tells us which saint's day every day is, after she comes into possession of a book of saints. The book catalogs mid-September 1290 to end of September 1291. Catherine finds the saints' book in October, and something terrible happens on September 7 (my birthday) making it the ONLY day she doesn't tell us which saint's day it is!!
There is some beautiful writing in here, both humorous ("One day [my father's] angry liver will set him afire and I will toast bread on him") and touching ("When I was little, I used to try to capture the colored light. I thought I could hold it in my hand and carry it home. Now I know it is like happiness--it is there or it is not, you cannot hold it or keep it.")
The most popular review of this book on here criticizes it for being "anachronistic" and having a "spunky, modern heroine," with no justification given for this interpretation, leaving me to assume it's because the main character is a young woman who questions her situation. That critique has me thinking of Mackenzi Lee, author of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, who said this criticism is often leveled at her own work, mostly by men who seem to find it unthinkable that there might have been ANY non-male (or non-white, or non-hetero) people in history who questioned their own culture. She said one reviewer -- an old, white, male historian -- said he finds it much more interesting for historical fiction to portray a powerless woman instead of a powerful one. The review I mentioned of this book actually says, "I wish Cushman had created a protagonist who was both engaging to the reader and able to provide illumination of how much people have changed over time."
That's exactly what Cushman does. Catherine, Called Birdy is an engaging work of historical fiction that shows both the similarities and differences between our times and Medieval ones.
Same.
Catherine, Called Birdy is like Bridget Jones's Diary if Bridget were 14, adamantly uninterested in men, and living in the 13th century. Catherine (who is only called Birdy, like, twice), is a lady of a not un-wealthy knight, and she feels perpetually stuck. She wishes she were richer, rich enough to have servants do everything for her, or poorer, poor enough to make her own decisions in love and marriage instead of being a piece of property for her father to barter with. As she journals her daily life, she muses on social class, gender differences, marriage, and religion. ("I wondered why Jesus used his miraculous powers to cure lepers instead of creating an herb or flower that would cure them so we could continue to use it even now when Jesus is in Heaven.")
Like Bridget, who cataloged her calorie intake, cigarettes smoked, and alcohol units consumed everyday, Catherine tells us which saint's day every day is, after she comes into possession of a book of saints. The book catalogs mid-September 1290 to end of September 1291. Catherine finds the saints' book in October, and something terrible happens on September 7 (my birthday) making it the ONLY day she doesn't tell us which saint's day it is!!
There is some beautiful writing in here, both humorous ("One day [my father's] angry liver will set him afire and I will toast bread on him") and touching ("When I was little, I used to try to capture the colored light. I thought I could hold it in my hand and carry it home. Now I know it is like happiness--it is there or it is not, you cannot hold it or keep it.")
The most popular review of this book on here criticizes it for being "anachronistic" and having a "spunky, modern heroine," with no justification given for this interpretation, leaving me to assume it's because the main character is a young woman who questions her situation. That critique has me thinking of Mackenzi Lee, author of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, who said this criticism is often leveled at her own work, mostly by men who seem to find it unthinkable that there might have been ANY non-male (or non-white, or non-hetero) people in history who questioned their own culture. She said one reviewer -- an old, white, male historian -- said he finds it much more interesting for historical fiction to portray a powerless woman instead of a powerful one. The review I mentioned of this book actually says, "I wish Cushman had created a protagonist who was both engaging to the reader and able to provide illumination of how much people have changed over time."
That's exactly what Cushman does. Catherine, Called Birdy is an engaging work of historical fiction that shows both the similarities and differences between our times and Medieval ones.
February 19, 2017
I won't be able to read another book for a while. I'm ruined.
This book boasts a delightful heroine, and in spite of the (wonderful!) medieval setting, all the angst and rebellion and other feelings I had in my own adolescence came spilling out of the pages. Kids are kids, no matter when or where.
I loved the characters (the goat boy, the dairy maid, the brothers, the uncle, the best friend!), the hilarious diary entries, the main character's love of animals (from ants to sad, dancing bears!), and the descriptions of medieval life. So fun! And nerve-wracking, too, with the horrible old husband-to-be lurking on the horizon.
Now I guess I'll go find some cleaning to do, or perhaps organize my toiletries or mend a pair of tights. Because I'm scared the next book won't be, can't be, this enticing.
This book boasts a delightful heroine, and in spite of the (wonderful!) medieval setting, all the angst and rebellion and other feelings I had in my own adolescence came spilling out of the pages. Kids are kids, no matter when or where.
I loved the characters (the goat boy, the dairy maid, the brothers, the uncle, the best friend!), the hilarious diary entries, the main character's love of animals (from ants to sad, dancing bears!), and the descriptions of medieval life. So fun! And nerve-wracking, too, with the horrible old husband-to-be lurking on the horizon.
Now I guess I'll go find some cleaning to do, or perhaps organize my toiletries or mend a pair of tights. Because I'm scared the next book won't be, can't be, this enticing.
April 10, 2017
Gods thumbs!!!!! It was horrible and i hated it.
June 5, 2009
This is one of the "classic" books that they like you to read in late elementary school or early junior high. I'm sure it would hold the attention for that age. And it is rather intriguing to read a book set in medieval times, especially with a spunky heroine. But there were quite a few bawdy references, though they were made to be light or humourous. Perhaps it was like that back then, I don't know. I do know that I don't like that kind of humor, or that kind of talk in general.
I certainly did not like the incessant taking of the name of deity in vain. I've never been all right hearing that in daily life, and I'm certainly not all right reading it in books. As I was listening to this book, it made it twice as hard for me to bear through it.
I was also rather bored (and even disgusted) by the mentioning of each saints' day and why they were saints. Interesting, but still boring. Don't ask how, that's just the way it was for me.
What I did like was the journal format. That the main character was spunky and did not want to conform to the role that everyone expected of her. That she grew quite a bit over the course of the book. How she learned to understand other people. How much she loved her mother. How loyal she was as a friend. And that she sought out and clung to hope so dearly.
Perhaps I would have enjoyed and/or appreciated the book more if I'd read it when I was younger. I don't know. I'm not saying it's terrible, and that others shouldn't read it. It just wasn't for me.
I certainly did not like the incessant taking of the name of deity in vain. I've never been all right hearing that in daily life, and I'm certainly not all right reading it in books. As I was listening to this book, it made it twice as hard for me to bear through it.
I was also rather bored (and even disgusted) by the mentioning of each saints' day and why they were saints. Interesting, but still boring. Don't ask how, that's just the way it was for me.
What I did like was the journal format. That the main character was spunky and did not want to conform to the role that everyone expected of her. That she grew quite a bit over the course of the book. How she learned to understand other people. How much she loved her mother. How loyal she was as a friend. And that she sought out and clung to hope so dearly.
Perhaps I would have enjoyed and/or appreciated the book more if I'd read it when I was younger. I don't know. I'm not saying it's terrible, and that others shouldn't read it. It just wasn't for me.
September 23, 2022
Catherine called Birdy does not disappoint at all. I love medieval times and this book is such a good representation of that time. I love how the author always makes us feel like we are truly looking into the mind of a child. These books gives me a sense of appreciation for living in a day where we have advanced and progressed in our understanding of medicine, math, science, history, etc. In most of today's civilization, we choose our partners, education, profession, travel, real estate, regular bathing and food of our liking. There is just a beauty to theses times of knights, damsels and ladies romanticized in novels but this author shows us a different reality of the crude old world we might never truly understand.
June 3, 2023
I've owned this book for years and have read it a few times, it's always a treat. It was neat having a different perspective of being a "lady" and not fitting in.
Would fit The 52 Book Club's 2021 prompts:
10 - Related to the Word Fire
16 - Set Before the 17th Century
32 - A Selfish Character
42 - An Epistolary
47 - A Character With a Disability
Would fit The 52 Book Club's 2021 prompts:
10 - Related to the Word Fire
16 - Set Before the 17th Century
32 - A Selfish Character
42 - An Epistolary
47 - A Character With a Disability
December 12, 2022
3.5, rounded down.
The impetus for reading this was, naturally, the delightful, charming new film adaptation by Lena Dunham. Sadly, this is one of those rare instances where the movie is actually quite a bit better than its source material. There is a samey-ness to the writing that proves rather enervating - at one point I even considered DNF-ing it, as it just wasn't really going ANYWHERE! Since it was so short, I trudged along, but I wanted more of the liveliness and sense of fun and humour that is abundant in the film, but sorely lacking in the book itself. It's odd that even though it basically tells the same story, there are very few scenes from the book that make it intact into the movie itself.
The impetus for reading this was, naturally, the delightful, charming new film adaptation by Lena Dunham. Sadly, this is one of those rare instances where the movie is actually quite a bit better than its source material. There is a samey-ness to the writing that proves rather enervating - at one point I even considered DNF-ing it, as it just wasn't really going ANYWHERE! Since it was so short, I trudged along, but I wanted more of the liveliness and sense of fun and humour that is abundant in the film, but sorely lacking in the book itself. It's odd that even though it basically tells the same story, there are very few scenes from the book that make it intact into the movie itself.
September 2, 2016
The story was okay, but the writing style and formatting were annoying, and the main character was unlikable. I usually enjoy historical fiction, but this one was a dud.
December 20, 2016
I didn't like it at first. After I got farther into it, I started disliking it even more. I will say, I LOVED the ending. I had predicted that she had liked this guy, and I was right!
June 2, 2008
Cushman's Newbery Honor-winning book is wonderfully evocative, with its remarkably realized, feisty heroine determined to have a say in her own destiny, despite the strictures of her medieval society. Hilarious, endearing, and determined, Birdy's trenchant observations of the life around her are told with a refreshingly earthy honesty so real and direct that you put down the book sadly, feeling like you're being parted from a dear friend. Cushman manages to create her historical period in such intimate detail that it lives and breathes. This often-challenged book is highly recommended for girls 12 and up who will see themselves in Birdy and be moved and inspired by her story. A must read."
CIP: "The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventure beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off."
SLJ: "Grade 6-9. This unusual book provides an insider's look at the life of Birdy, 14, the daughter of a minor English nobleman. The year is 1290 and the vehicle for storytelling is the girl's witty, irreverent diary. She looks with a clear and critical eye upon the world around her, telling of the people she knows and of the daily events in her small manor house... The book is rich with information about the food, dress, religious beliefs, manners, health, medical practices, and sanitary habits (or lack thereof) of the people of her day... A feminist far ahead of her time, she is both believable and lovable... Superb historical fiction."
Kirkus: "Unwillingly keeping a journal... Birdy (daughter of a 13th-century knight) makes a terse first entry--``I am bit by fleas and plagued by family. That is all there is to say''--but is soon confiding her pranks and troubles in fascinating detail... The period has rarely been presented for young people with such authenticity; the exotic details will intrigue readers while they relate more closely to Birdy's yen for independence and her sensibilities toward the downtrodden. Her tenacity and ebullient naivete are extraordinary; at once comic and thought-provoking, this first novel is a delight. 12+"
CIP: "The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventure beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off."
SLJ: "Grade 6-9. This unusual book provides an insider's look at the life of Birdy, 14, the daughter of a minor English nobleman. The year is 1290 and the vehicle for storytelling is the girl's witty, irreverent diary. She looks with a clear and critical eye upon the world around her, telling of the people she knows and of the daily events in her small manor house... The book is rich with information about the food, dress, religious beliefs, manners, health, medical practices, and sanitary habits (or lack thereof) of the people of her day... A feminist far ahead of her time, she is both believable and lovable... Superb historical fiction."
Kirkus: "Unwillingly keeping a journal... Birdy (daughter of a 13th-century knight) makes a terse first entry--``I am bit by fleas and plagued by family. That is all there is to say''--but is soon confiding her pranks and troubles in fascinating detail... The period has rarely been presented for young people with such authenticity; the exotic details will intrigue readers while they relate more closely to Birdy's yen for independence and her sensibilities toward the downtrodden. Her tenacity and ebullient naivete are extraordinary; at once comic and thought-provoking, this first novel is a delight. 12+"
December 20, 2009
I'm foregoing a real review, except to say that I highly recommend this provocative and personal glimpse into the middle ages. Karen Cushman has done her research and put together a marvelous novel which should be an exciting find for young readers. Catherine is an exciting, witty and empathetic character whose 'journal' makes the work concrete and vibrant.
The problem, as I've noted with other great books such as 'Tuck Everlasting' and 'Dragonwings,' is that the joy of finding a good book that truly fits you and inspires you has been robbed by 'Catherine, Called Birdy' being required reading, in this case for a seventh grader with whom I have been working.
I don't think I'm reading too much into these types of requirements by assuming this they are assignments that have been recycled over many, many years. I know I've read this particular standard multiple, multiple times because kids with whom I work have to. They are assignments accompanied by 'guides' where wiley kids quickly surmise expected answers, while others miss them, but where answers are expected, and thus, right or wrong, and highly predictable. No real thinking is necessary.
Is anyone energized by this kind of reading? Teachers or students? Not too often. It's a shame, especially when it's such a wonderful book that might open up new horizons if it could be discovered, instead of assigned.
The problem, as I've noted with other great books such as 'Tuck Everlasting' and 'Dragonwings,' is that the joy of finding a good book that truly fits you and inspires you has been robbed by 'Catherine, Called Birdy' being required reading, in this case for a seventh grader with whom I have been working.
I don't think I'm reading too much into these types of requirements by assuming this they are assignments that have been recycled over many, many years. I know I've read this particular standard multiple, multiple times because kids with whom I work have to. They are assignments accompanied by 'guides' where wiley kids quickly surmise expected answers, while others miss them, but where answers are expected, and thus, right or wrong, and highly predictable. No real thinking is necessary.
Is anyone energized by this kind of reading? Teachers or students? Not too often. It's a shame, especially when it's such a wonderful book that might open up new horizons if it could be discovered, instead of assigned.
April 6, 2023
5.0⭐️
I love Birdy. I love this book. That is all. A new forever favourite that I wish I could have experienced as a young reader. Completely delightful, heartfelt and funny and so full of life.
Lines I underlined:
“I am fourteen and have never yet seen a hanging. My life is barren.”
“I cannot be a monk not a crusader nor a tumbler. I must stay here and hem sheets until I die. My humors are greatly out of balance. I prescribe for myself wormwood in spiced wine and some of the custard left from supper. And I will let all of the dogs sleep in my bed.”
“First day of Lent. We are but dust and to dust shall return. I tried to be thoughtful and morbid on this day but spoiled it by skipping in the yard after dinner from pure joy. I am not dust yet!”
“God’s thumbs! Is there no end to this procession of unsuitable suitors?”
I love Birdy. I love this book. That is all. A new forever favourite that I wish I could have experienced as a young reader. Completely delightful, heartfelt and funny and so full of life.
Lines I underlined:
“I am fourteen and have never yet seen a hanging. My life is barren.”
“I cannot be a monk not a crusader nor a tumbler. I must stay here and hem sheets until I die. My humors are greatly out of balance. I prescribe for myself wormwood in spiced wine and some of the custard left from supper. And I will let all of the dogs sleep in my bed.”
“First day of Lent. We are but dust and to dust shall return. I tried to be thoughtful and morbid on this day but spoiled it by skipping in the yard after dinner from pure joy. I am not dust yet!”
“God’s thumbs! Is there no end to this procession of unsuitable suitors?”
May 23, 2016
Sassy and charming and full of wit, I had completely forgotten how hilarious Catherine and this novel were! Or maybe I didn’t get some of the humor at the time..? Either way, I’m thrilled I decided to pick this one up again after so many years and I know it’s one I’ll be revisiting time and time again.
For the full review and more, head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
For the full review and more, head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
November 30, 2020
2020
Re-reading this for 2021 Battle of the Books...which will be sometime in April? Maybe? God's Spleen! Who the heck knows, what with things being like they are out there... Anyway, it's been YEARS since I read this, on recommendation of a friend, and am rediscovering how awesome it is.
p.s.
2009
Corpus bones! This book was hilarious!
Growing up in medieval England, Catherine would rather master the fine art of wind-breaking than the more gentle skills of weaving or spinning. In hopes of helping Catherine overcome her overly willful and tomboyish nature and grow into a proper Lady, Catherine's brother, Edward, gives her the task of keeping a daily journal. What follows is a hilarious account of English manor life seen through the eyes of the book's spunky, stubborn heroine as she invents cuss words, takes near daily joy in pinching Perkin the goat boy, pens songs, and artfully foils her father's plans to marry her off (a.k.a. "sell her like cheese") to unsuitable suitors.
A very worthwile read!
Re-reading this for 2021 Battle of the Books...which will be sometime in April? Maybe? God's Spleen! Who the heck knows, what with things being like they are out there... Anyway, it's been YEARS since I read this, on recommendation of a friend, and am rediscovering how awesome it is.
p.s.
2009
Corpus bones! This book was hilarious!
Growing up in medieval England, Catherine would rather master the fine art of wind-breaking than the more gentle skills of weaving or spinning. In hopes of helping Catherine overcome her overly willful and tomboyish nature and grow into a proper Lady, Catherine's brother, Edward, gives her the task of keeping a daily journal. What follows is a hilarious account of English manor life seen through the eyes of the book's spunky, stubborn heroine as she invents cuss words, takes near daily joy in pinching Perkin the goat boy, pens songs, and artfully foils her father's plans to marry her off (a.k.a. "sell her like cheese") to unsuitable suitors.
A very worthwile read!
August 26, 2016
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman was not one of my favorite books.
Catherine had many of the characteristics of Ella from Ella Enchanted, such as determination, wit, and assertiveness, but without the vivacity which came through in the characterization of Ella. I found myself not really caring what happened to Catherine.
The format of the novel was interesting. Over the years, I’ve realized that writing in first person without becoming repetitive, pedantic and downright boring is difficult. I like novels in the form of diaries, but this one just didn’t capture my attention. This book, if the information is accurate, would be an appropriate option for extra reading in a history or social studies course. Some if the information and customs written about through Catherine I did find interesting.
The one redeeming part of this novel was the lesson which Catherine got from the Jewish woman. “I am who I am wherever I am,” comments Birdy toward the end of the novel. The lesson was good, and very appropriate for the young adult audience.
Catherine had many of the characteristics of Ella from Ella Enchanted, such as determination, wit, and assertiveness, but without the vivacity which came through in the characterization of Ella. I found myself not really caring what happened to Catherine.
The format of the novel was interesting. Over the years, I’ve realized that writing in first person without becoming repetitive, pedantic and downright boring is difficult. I like novels in the form of diaries, but this one just didn’t capture my attention. This book, if the information is accurate, would be an appropriate option for extra reading in a history or social studies course. Some if the information and customs written about through Catherine I did find interesting.
The one redeeming part of this novel was the lesson which Catherine got from the Jewish woman. “I am who I am wherever I am,” comments Birdy toward the end of the novel. The lesson was good, and very appropriate for the young adult audience.
March 5, 2021
Considering it is a young adult book, it is OK. Not bad but also nothing extraordinary.
It is nicely written, I can see how it could interest a young reader. At the same time, I felt that Catherine was portrayed not as a girl of a her time, but a girl closer to our time. Not her rebellious character (I do believe that such women existed) but the way she writes. It felt out of date, more twentieth century adolescent that a young woman in 1290.
It is nicely written, I can see how it could interest a young reader. At the same time, I felt that Catherine was portrayed not as a girl of a her time, but a girl closer to our time. Not her rebellious character (I do believe that such women existed) but the way she writes. It felt out of date, more twentieth century adolescent that a young woman in 1290.
January 6, 2025
ok so I hated reading this book because I was told to read it lol I used to hate when people told me what to read but I think if I read it again I would love it. It was sooo funny! it looks not so great from the cover but its and amazing book.
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