Rate this book

Magic Flutes (1982)

by Eva Ibbotson(Favorite Author)

3.88 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0330462636 (ISBN13: 9780330462631)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Young Picador

review 1: I've read only one other book by Eva Ibbotson, A Countess Below Stairs, which I enjoyed greatly. I told a friend I was going to read this one and she said it was the same book. I didn't believe her then; I do now. The heroine was the same, not only personality wise but in looks as well. The hero is a bit different, but the great conflict between them is almost exactly the same (a narcissistic fiance coupled with several misunderstandings centering around social station). The moments of conflict between them are almost identically spaced and the side characters, while slightly different, are the same sort of eccentric people you can't help but love. In other words, it truly was the same story with a bare minimum of details altered as to be slightly different. Apparen... moretly you can plagiarize your own work. That said, I still greatly enjoyed the book. The interplay of interesting characters, social commentary, and vivid setting make everything fun and exciting. I actually liked it better than A Countess Below Stairs if only because of the dynamic male hero who is unarguable brilliant.
review 2: Set in Austria in the 1920's, this story follows two narratives, Tessa and Guy. Tessa is a princess with nothing to her name, but she's ok with that. She is able to focus on her love of the performing arts. Guy is of a higher class and meets Tessa while attending the opera. At first the two seem like an impossible pair, but the reader follows along as the two wrestle with their own thoughts and feelings. This is not a bad book, it's just not my "cup of tea." It has a lot of fluff and less content, following a typical plot pattern. Excerpt:To his surprise, Guy was sorry when the car drew up in front of the house where she lived. As she got out and turned to thank him, her hood fell back and instinctively she reached up to pull it back over her savaged hair."No!" Guy's hand came down over hers, pulling it away. He turned her head so as to catch the lamplight and stood for a moment, studying the narrow, fine-boned little face. Then he nodded. "You've nothing to worry about. It will be a triumph when it's cut, you'll see." less

Download links for: Magic Flutes

Advertising