Book Review: "The Star of Kazaan" by Eva Ibbotson

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Annika is an orphan girl who loves her life in Vienna with her adopted family. But she still daydreams of her mother showing up and claiming her one day. But when this happens she gets a life she didn't expect. And a mystery that needs to be solved.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Annika is the main character. She has grown up in Vienna with three professors, and their two maids. She loves her city, animals and cooking. She is kind, a little naive, and grateful for her life.

Zed is the stableboy who works at Annika's new home. He loves Rocco, the one horse he takes care of. He is also an orphan, and unsure about his place in the word. He is descended from gypsies.

Hermann is Frau Edeltraut's son. He dreams of going to a military academy and spends every day going through his routines, like he would if he attended the school.

Pauline & Stefan are Annika's friends in Vienna. Although they are not in much of the book, they both play crucial roles.

Frau Edeltraut is Annika's mother, who takes her back to Germany with her. She is strict with Annika about not acting like a servant (no cooking or cleaning) but does seem to care about her.

Ellie & Sigrid are the two woman who work for the professors. They found Annika abandoned as a baby and brought her to their home and place of work: the professors' home.

Professor Emil, Gertrude, & Julius are the professors that adopted Annika.

La Rondine is the neighbor girls great-aunt. Annika gets paid to look after her and the two become fast friends. She reveals her past by telling Annika stories.

PACING

The pacing is slower, but the story is not an action story, more of a mystery. Ibbotson takes her time, showing us how Annika was found in a church, and then revealing Vienna to us. She paints a beautiful picture, then introduces Annika's friends. And although it is not until chapter five that a crucial part of the story starts, it didn't bother me that it took four chapters to get there. And it's not until chapter ten that we get to meet her mother.

CHARACTER ROLES

Most every character had a role to play that was crucial to the plot. It made the story feel like a well put together puzzle.

Pauline, a side character barely in the story, goes to investigate and gets crucial information about Annika's mother. I was surprised to find myself rooting for her when I learned about her fears. I barely knew her at all, and yet I really wanted her to succeed.

Gudrun, who seems superfluous, tells the professors where Annika has been taken, when no one else will.

Stefan, who is probably in the story the least, makes a crucial decesion when helping to free Annika.

Ellie the maid, is the one who urges everyone to find Annika when they want to give up.

Loremarie, the spoiled neighbor girl, reveals to Annika that her great-aunt's trunk has been stolen.

Hector the dog finds an item that pushes Annika to learn more about that trunk.

Professore Gertrude's special instrument is crucial to freeing Annika.

Annika's new uncle reveals information about La Rondine.

Zed retrieves and reveals crucial information.

CHARACTER LIKABILITY

Annika is definitely one of the most favorite heroines that I have read. She is selfless and loving, but not perfect. Her naivete is probably her biggest flaw. It really hinders her investigation about the trunk, and eventually her mother. But she does sometimes have selfish thoughts, like when she wants to hit Loremarie but thinks about the fuss everyone would make. She is perhaps too practical in that way and not yet morally developed.

Zed is perhaps the opposite of Annika in his personality. He has seen a lot more of the world than she has. He had a father he remembers, but lost him. Then had a father figure, then lost him. And has had to deal with the decline of the barn he works for as well as witness the abuse of animals, such as the horse Rocco, and the aftermath of Hector, the dog.

Not only are both of these main characters likable, they compliment each other as well.

IBBTOSON'S CHARM & WIT

Just like in “Journey to the River Sea”, Ibbotson weaves her charm into each character she makes. Somehow, she manages to reflect things we have all witnessed in life. The greedy relatives; The spoiled child; The forgotten, elderly relative; The abused animal.

When it comes to Ibbotson, she chooses the location of the story and immerses the reader in it. I found myself wishing I could see the Lipizzaner horses myself. And even her minor characters prove to be amusing.

THE VILLAINS

I found it interesting that even though we eventually learn who the villains are, they never come across as really hateful people. There was never a scene, even after they were discovered, where they shed their masks, so to speak. They just seemed like selfish people who were unaware of those they were hurting.

THE FATE OF ROCCO-SPOILERS

There is a scene where Annika rediscovers a letter she forgot about and rushes to Zed's aid. It seems as though Rocco is going to be taken from him. But Annika has evidence that could save the horse. But it turns out that they were not trying to take the horse anyway.

The whole scene felt a little odd to me. I wanted Annika to be able to save Rocco, so when it turns our she didn't, I felt deflated. Like, oh? Why did this scene happen then? I think it was supposed to be twist that Rocco wasn't being taken away, but I felt like the letter with its contents unknown until then, would have been twist enough.

CONCLUSION

Ibbotson's story is full of charming and amusing characters as well as a beautiful backdrop of Vienna. It's a mystery that takes its time to enfold, but where every part is savored. Every character has a role, even the minor ones. The villains are not over the top, but quite believable and the ending is rewarding. I give “The Star of Kazaan” four stars.