Murdock,
Catherine Gilbert. Wisdom’s Kiss. Houghton Mifflin/Clarion/Graphia/Kingfisher,
2011.
284p. $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-56687-0 ms/hs Fantasy VG-BN
Wisdom’s (Dizzy) impending
marriage to the Duke of Farina provides the springboard to a hilarious and
engaging supernatural tale, complete with a love triangle, tales of intrigue,
and hints of various fairy tales. A
feisty clairvoyant barmaid, a soldier who is not what he seems to be, a
princess longing for adventure, and evil conniving duchess, and an uncanny
feline all fall together in an unlikely mix in this enchanting fantasy. And Princess Ben is back as a still-resourceful
queen mother. The story is told through
diaries, memoirs, encyclopedia entries, letters, biographies, and a stage
play. Murdock’s strong female characters
and sense of humor, coupled with double entendres and pieces of -- and
allusions to -- classic fairy tales, all make for a delightful romp. Older readers will get the double entendres, and
younger readers will enjoy the adventure.
All in all, this sort-of sequel to Princess
Ben has all the makings of a wonderful yarn for a multigenerational
audience.
Subject: Supernatural
Tale
Pat Naismith
