The Star of Kazan

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La Rondine is the Loremarie's great-aunt. Annika used to read to her because Loremarie was disgusted by her. La Rondine told Annika about her life and how she used to be a great actress. She had a chest of jewels she thought to be fake, and as she died without knowing that they were real, she bequeathed them to Annika in her will. I don't know how Ibbotson does it, but her storytelling can only be described as LOVELY and DELIGHTFUL.

THE STAR OF KAZAN | Kirkus Reviews THE STAR OF KAZAN | Kirkus Reviews

I loved the subtle humor in this. It got me from the first chapter, when Ellie (a middle-aged cook) is hiking up a mountain with her friend Sigrid, and stops in a church to, as she tells it, pray for her dearly departed mother that she dreamed about last night. Sigrid rolls her eyes and says "I told you not to wear those new boots on the hike." The professors are all siblings and have lived in the same house all their lives. None of them are married and are unlikely to be any time soon. The story is about a girl named Annika, who as a baby, is found abandoned in a church by 2 maids. The maids raise her, and despite how happy she is with them, and her life in Vienna, she still dreams of the day that her mother will come to get her. Her mother does come to get her one day, and takes her to her mansion in Germany, but things are not as they seem. In fact, they are much much worse. A splendid orphan story --- and a good one for reinforcing the idea that we can make our own families. I loved the turn-of-the-century Vienna setting, and there were just the right amount of fairy/folk tale touches. Excellent for 10-13 year old girls, but also for adults who like old-fashioned stories.A simple story…a predictable mystery and a plot oft-repeated. But what makes Star of Kazan so engrossing is the absolute love and affection with which Eva Ibbotson describes the splendour and grandiose of a vintage Vienna : the ancient but much-loved Emperor Franz Joseph with his ‘mutton-chop whiskers and bald head’...the extravagant waltzes streaming out of the cafes...the decadent opera houses...the sinfully rich confectioneries bursting with aroma and taste...and of course the pride of Vienna : The dancing Lipizzaner Stallions. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2021-04-29 14:00:50 Boxid IA40098023 Camera Sony Alpha-A6300 (Control) Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier Another interesting point was even though the book is meant for children, it does touch on some interesting themes. One in particular was the attitude towards servants and the expected patterns of behaviour which I haven't seen covered in that way in any other novel. Ovo je ljubić za devojčice od 10 do 12 godina, jedan kroz jedan - lepo i dobro nahoče, humane kuvarice šašavih profesora, otmene plemkinje sa mračnim tajnama, seksi zagonetni čergarski dečak na konju! Plus carski Beč, valceri, torte, dragulji itd. itd. Vrlo zabavno i potpuno zadovoljavajuće na tom avantura&romantika nivou. This is, if I may put it thus, a sensual novel. One feels the chill in Spittal and the warmth of the Viennese kitchen; the frugality of the meals in the north contrasts with the richness of the recipes, the dishes and desserts described in the household Annika grows up in; one senses the false emotions and pretended affections Annika gets in some quarters with the genuine feelings she receives in her adopted family. Above all Ibbotson shows due respect for all her characters, even many of the more despicable -- all get their appropriate deserts, even those who we might feel deserved somewhat more just deserts after all their knavery.

The Star of Kazan - Eva Ibbotson - Google Books The Star of Kazan - Eva Ibbotson - Google Books

Some of the main characters are: Professor Emil, Professor Gertrude, Professor Julius, Zed, Stefan, Pauline, Gudrun, Loremarie, Hermann, Rocco, Edeltraut von Tannenberg, and of course Annika. Ibottson began writing with the television drama 'Linda Came Today', in 1965. Ten years later, she published her first novel, The Great Ghost Rescue. Ibbotson has written numerous books including The Secret of Platform 13, Journey to the River Sea, Which Witch?, Island of the Aunts, and Dial-a-Ghost. She won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for Journey to the River Sea, and has been a runner up for many of major awards for British children's literature. Fitting into a new scenario is always tough, but for Annika who has been used to a warm and friendly Vienna, her new home throws up many nasty surprises. Unfriendly relatives…lies and secrets…dreary food...dank climate...things are not as Annika imagined her new life to be. Fourteen-year-old Opal's family falls on hard times when her accountant father foolishly forges a cheque to support his family. In 1896, in a pilgrim church in the Alps, an abandoned baby girl is found by a cook and a housemaid. They take her home, and Annika grows up in the servants' quarters of a house belonging to three eccentric Viennese professors. She is happy there, but dreams of the day when her real mother will come to find her.Frau Edeltraut von Tannenberg comes forward as Annika's mother. Edeltraut has one sister, whose husband helps Edeltraut steal Annika's jewels. Edeltraut’s husband gambles away all their money and flees to America, leaving Edeltraut to take care of their son, Hermann, and the family estate until Hermann comes of age. Sigrid works for the professors as a housemaid. She works well, but can be a little 'snappy' at times. Sigrid is very good friends with Ellie and is a hardworking role model for Annika. Reading the title of the book, I imagined it to be a Fantasy book given its title as well as the cover image which invokes a sense of magic and mystery. The book in fact a historical fiction/ mystery novel which is set in early 20th Century in Vienna which was a part of the Austro Hungarian and German empire at the time. However given the evocative description of the neighbourhoods in Vienna, the Spanish Riding school, brooding castles in the German countryside and food delicacies, it could very well pass for a fantasy novel as well! The novel is also set in a historical context and makes references to historical figures and famous locations in Vienna and is written in a very evocative way. It's clear from the writing that the author is drawing on her own childhood exepriences growing up in Vienna which gives it a very authentic feeling to it. The book is also very interesting in that even though its written in 1999, it has the feel of a 'classic' novel and one can easily mistake the book as having been written much earlier. Loremarie is a snobby little girl whose father is very rich. She never really cared for her great aunt, known in the theater as La Rondine.