Egg and Spoon

Gregory Maguire's whimsical deconstruction of Russian folklore is a mostly entertaining romp that feels a bit uneven at times with some really magnificent high points offset by drastic shifts in tone that you may or may not find to your liking. The first quarter of the book manages to setup the heroine of the tale quite beautifully in a very grounded setting that plays up hallmarks of Russian lit at it's juiciest - the hardscrabble misery of a peasant's existence set beneath the whims and opulence of the Tsarist elite. After this "Part One" is established the story continues forward with 4 additional parts that gradually raises the level of the fantastical so by the fifth section in terms of realism, the story is basically a straight up Fairy Tale.

While the first 2/3's of the book is wonderfully told and filled with a sense of grandeur and loving reference to a variety of elements of Russian folklore the tale loses it's momentum in the final portions and could've been trimmed down to maintain the great pace that the earlier portions established. Still, fans of Maguire and his genre bending ways of mixing together the old with the new will find much to like and enjoy with this one.

While definitely not my favorite Gregory Maguire book I thought this was a cute story of a romp through the Russian countryside.

While the story seems to start slow once the story gets going I couldn't put it down. There are some confusing parts as the plot picks up and a few things get rushed through but as usual there are some nods to folklore and important lessons about humanity. I actually found the references to climate change to be well done, a clever tie in that doesn't feel forced or seem to be hitting you over the head with an overly environmental lesson. I think the pace moved along like the characters in a wild and memorable story that brings together modern storytelling and old stories.

Gregory Maguire is an extreme author for me. I either really, really LOVE him or I can't even finish a book. But I keep coming back to him because when it is love, the love is good.

As such, I selected "Egg and Spoon" which takes place in the world of Russian folklore and history which isn't as familiar to me as Maguire's other works but I felt I knew enough to follow along.

The story begins as many folktales do: A dying mother with a young child. Elena, the child, has her world changed Ekaterina comes into her fading village. Cat is going to meet the czar's godson and with her is a priceless Faberge egg. In a merging of tales, Elena and Cat switch places as they both have eggs in their possession and a adventures on the paths they set on.

As each girl goes along her journey, they meet with various events that challenge them and the reader. At times, it seemed cluttered to me and that Maguire overreaches but overall, I liked the story and its magic.

On the tailwind of reading many heavy historical books and philosophy, I began this book, checked out of my public library digital books. The story had vague beginnings, as if the book could be depressing and dark, but when it picked up, what a whirlwind of snips of Russian folklore and mythology knitted together in a rich, complex tapestry of multi-layered tales, characters, dialogue and humor! The major role of Baba Yaga brought to life was superb; her language, her appearance, her cat, her house. The interplay of the Firebird, the Tsar, the indulgences of court contrasted with the bleakness of the peasants added reality to an otherwise fantasy world of multidimensional talking animals, magic feathers, and magic eggs. The role of the dragon and melting ice, while wrapped in magic, is ironic given the climate threats of our current planet. Having a knowledge of Russian folklore would make this story more meaningful to any reader but it is a book which is a fresh dragon breath in a world of mundane books.

Egg and Spoon is another winner from Gregory Maguire. It's told in the form of a story narrated by an old monk who is captured and locked in a tower and is now telling how he ended up there. He begins by telling the story of Elena and her very very poor village in Russia. One day a train comes down the old track and gets stuck near the village. Through a series of crazy events, Elena and a young girl her age switch places, with Elena heading off on the train and Ekaterina being stuck in Elena's village.

The old monk spins some wild tales, but they both end up in St. Petersburg at a party for the Tsar. The rest of the journey is one you'll certainly want to read for yourself. This fairy tale for adults (or older teens) is a fun tale for all.

Full review can be found at: http://oneguysguidetogoodreads.blogspot.com/2014/10/egg-spoon-by-gregory-maguire-review.html

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My Thoughts:

I have been so caught up in the blogging world that some of my favorite authors have been falling under the radar and I haven’t had much time for my “personal” reading list. A few months ago, Mr. Gregory Maguire posted via Facebook that he would have ARCs of his newest novel, Egg & Spoon, at BEA earlier this year. Being in Southwestern Missouri, I had NO way to get to NYC, but was fortunate enough to have friends going. Try as they did, they were unable to grab an ARC for me, however one awesome friend took a picture of the line and Mr. Maguire signing books and sent it to me, It was awesome! This was the first time that I had even heard Maguire had a new book in the works. Gregory Maguire is, and always will be, an insta-buy author for me. He has never steered me wrong.

After reading the synopsis for Egg & Spoon, I was blown away. For a number of reasons. One, Gregory Maguire spins fairy tales better than anyone I have ever met and I can never resist a good retelling/spin-off. Two, I am OBSESSED with Russian history and culture. I have taken Russian languages and culture courses while enrolled in college and learned all about Russia’s amazingly unique fairy tales, I was really excited to hear that my favorite author was taking a stab at this one. Third, and final reason: BABA YAGA. Yes. YES. YYYEEESSSSSS. Even before my study of Russian culture, I was well aware of the exploits of Baba Yaga and her chicken-legged house. I knew this book was going to be amazing, but I had no idea it would be as amazing as it was.

I am a guy and I still have no problem making the following statement: I teared up after finishing Egg & Spoon. Not because it was a sad ending, but simply because it was over. I was overcome with the feels after finishing such an amazing piece of literature. The words in this review do nothing to describe how amazing this novel is, but I will try my hardest.

As my readers will tell you, I oftentimes try to pick out some of my favorite quotes from the novels I review and incorporate them into my reviews. I just do that with Egg & Spoon, why? Probably because I have 44 highlighted passages. 44!! Even in a book with nearly 400 digital pages, that is A LOT of quotes, but I will try to throw some in here and there. While on the topic of length, this is NOT an easy read. Nor is it a short read. I would imagine the printed copy is well over 500 pages. I believe this is a children’s novel, but honestly I cannot see many young children being able to comprehend the language of this novel. Any fans of Maguire’s other works will agree that, while beautifully written, Maguire’s writing voice takes time to adjust to. You really have to absorb each and every word to get the full effect of his stories. On another hand, I think this is THE PERFECT novel for parents to read with their children to discuss the parallels between Russian life/culture and our own! Russia has a bad rep here in America and it’s really a sad deal. Russia has a beautiful cultural heritage and a history that puts ours here in America to shame, they have a truly interesting story! (Note that I just graduated with a degree in American History, what does that tell you?)

I’ve already kind of gone over the setting for the story on the large scale: Russia. But it’s so much more than that. Our story is an adventure from a humble village, to the Tsar’s Palace of St. Petersburg, all the way into the Siberian tundras of the north. Maguire does an amazing job taking his readers on an adventure to see ALL of Russia, not just the big cities and famous landmarks that most know of Russia! I have to go ahead and say that my favorite setting wasn’t a place, well kind of. It was a house, a mode of transportation, and one of my absolute favorite characters: Dumb Doma. Dumb Doma is Baba Yaga’s Izba (house) that sits atop a pair of chicken legs. The house walks, communicates, and remodels itself with hilarious results. Some of my biggest laughs came from Dumb Doma in this novel. It was great.

That brings me to another point I want to make about Egg & Spoon, just HOW funny it was. I really was not expecting to laugh as many times as I did, like ‘out-loud’ laughing at parts. Those parts? Basically any time Baba Yaga opened her mouth. Here’s a few of my favorite examples:

“Don’t take my comment as criticism. Starving peasants can be attractive and well behaved. I believe they also sing nicely from time to time.”

The kitten turned to the girl. “What is she was your governess?” “I take every second Saturday off and a week in the summer, and I REFUSE to sing stupid songs to make you behave!” shouted the witch.

"How cheap. I'm much prettier than that. And I've taken better care of my hair. I give this a two out of three. Thanks for the tchotchke."

"I am life," Baba Yaga corrected her. "You've stepped nearer, for good or for ill, for inspiration or for indigestion, I don't know yet. We'll see how you get on."

Like I mentioned earlier, I had SO MANY highlights in this book that I couldn't even begin to write about each important note I made. Especially concerning the humor in this one. I laughed so much. Honestly, not so much at the puns and funny lines, but also at the multiple nods to other works of literature references. One of the things I love about Gregory Maguire is his ability to throw in Easter eggs to reference his other works. This novel was FULL of them. There were a few Confessions nods and then a WHOLE bunch of Oz nods. Every time I came across one of them, I did a mental "woohoo!". One of my favorite nods to his Wicked Years series came in the form of a quote that wasn't even Out of Oz specific, but rather a quote from a 190 year old song by John Howard Payne, "'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, be it ever so humble, there's no place like home." How cool is that? Also, this book features an "American tornado touring the Russian provinces", Oz reference? I seriously don't think I could have loved this novel any more if I tried.

Also, I LOVED all the theatre expressions and allusions. Maguire is known for being a huge advocate of the arts and it showed in his writing. He used many, many metaphors comparing elements of the story to theatre life. It was really awesome to read. Here are a few more great quotes with some of the awesome 'nods' I mentioned:

"Your storybooks and the works of Miss Austen rarely suggest that true love strokes at Candidate Number Four Hundred Seventeen."

"ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING proclaimed each sleeve at the top of its front cover. The titles were things like Annie Get Your Gun, The King and I, Damn Yankees, and something called Cats." (Makes me wonder what OCRs one would find in Mr. Maguire's personal collection. If his collection is anything like mine, this list could go on and on forever.)

Okay we have to move on before this turns into a novel on its' own. So the last big thing I want to touch base on are the characters in Egg & Spoon. This novel has a host of lots of characters so there is no way I could ever hope to cover them all, but I do want to say a few words about the main ones. First off, and important to mention, Egg & Spoon is told in the third person POV by a narrator who has been imprisoned for his role in the story. It was a really interesting take on the story and actually provided the story with a neat little "dark-ish" undertone. The whole situation had this mysterious "who is he?" kind of feel so by the end of the novel when you finally learn the truth about the narrator, you are really excited you go to know how story. His scenes were some of my favorites!You guys have already read all about my love of all things Baba Yaga so it shouldn't come as a shock that she was my favorite character. Our two main characters, however, gave the story it's heart and soul! Elena Rudina and Miss Ekaterina Ivanovna de Robichaux have a story very similar to The Prince and the Pauper where the two girls, who look strikingly similar, trade places and eventually learn that "the grass isn't always greener on the other side". Over the course of their journeys, we see huge character development from these girls and by the end of the novel I loved them both, which really surprised me. There are so many other amazing side characters that really help to make this novel one of Maguire's finest.

In all honesty, I think I could write about this amazing novel until the Ice-Dragon awoke (see what I did there?), but like all good things, this review must come to an end. All-in-all, I don't know that I can say enough great things about this novel. Having read nearly every one of Maguire's published works, I was under the impression it would take a miracle to say that he could outdo himself. Kudos to you, Mr. Maguire, because you did just that! With Egg & Spoon, I was brought back to the same mindset I was in a decade ago when I first fell in love with your works. I am so glad I read this novel and highly recommend it to any and all readers! I know you guys are used to my five star rating system, but I am giving Egg & Spoon a 6 star review! I will be honest and tell you guys that this novel is currently tied for my favorite book of 2014 and I REALLY don't know how that is going to effect my year-end recaps! :)

Seriously everyone, Egg & Spoon was worth every second it took me to read it. I cannot wait to hear everyone else's thoughts on the novel. And Mr. Maguire, if you are reading this: thank you. Thank you for not only changing my life with your words, but for changing the face of literature, theatre, and so much more over the years! This novel has such an amazing theme of cultural relativism, that I believe it to be the perfect novel for both young and old! We can all use a lesson in multiculturalism! Let me know what you thought about Egg & Spoon in the comments!

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Everyone loves a good fairy tale, and Maguire has certainly cemented himself into the halls of such a genre. A re-imagining of several classic tales, Russian child Elena suddenly finds herself switched with Ekaterina on a train to St. Petersburg. It wouldn't be such a big deal if Elena didn't come from poverty while Ekaterina is a daughter of privilege. Along the journey, both girls encounter the fantastical such as witch Baba Yaga and the traditional such as a set of matryoshka dolls. The time period is not surprisingly a juxtaposition of old and new, and the layered lessons of kindness and social class remain true. Reviewscomingatya.blogspot.com

Whimsical and a little surreal, and of course very witty throughout the narrative - it is Gregory Maguire, after all - "Egg and Spoon" is a delight to read. It isn't so much the straight, fairy-tale-ish fantasy I was expecting, nor is it a completely cohesive, one-thing-leads-to-another novel. It's somewhere between a novel and a short story collection. Some of the other reviewers describe it as a collection of closely-related vignettes, and I tend to agree.

The story is meandering, whimsical, and magical. It was a bit slow moving, but there was a lot of depth and it was, most of the time, immersive. I wish it moved a bit faster, and I wish the narrative was more structured and more "together." That said, it was a nice read. If you like this writer or the story appeals to you, you'll enjoy it.

This book was filled with excitement and adventure. Unfortunately, it was also filled with extraneous information that an editor should have removed. We absolutely LOVED parts of the book and had a very hard time getting through other parts. In the end, we were glad we made it to the end.

This being the second book of Maguire I have read, I feel a bit like the emperor in new clothes.

I tried reading Wicked and found that it was nothing short of loquacious fantasy porn. When I found this "YA" book, I thought I might be able to see a different side of the author's artistry outside of jewel encrusted debauchery. Unfortunately, It's the same gold foiled crap without a lot of the sexuality.

Mr. Maguire, do you write books so that you can pretentiously assert your gargantuan vocabulary? It's obvious that you know a lot of words and that's great.

What's not great is you ability to use them skillfully. Your writing style is worse than a Turkish bath. Just because you have a vocabulary that would give the touch of Midas a run for its money, doesn't mean you should turn everything into long, vocabulary dense passages. A diamond shines brighter on black velvet.

But no matter. I slogged my way through this Slavic folklore tar pit hoping to be rewarded for my efforts. I just barely clawed myself out on the otherside. What did I get? Много дерьма...

Why did I keep reading? Because I love Slavic folklore and wanted to experience the brilliance that everyone is convinced that Gregory Maguire has. Nope...

And bless the adolescent who is beguiled by the theatrical cover of this book and FINISHES. By heaven, they have been blessed with stainless steel patience.

Sorry Gregory, the next time you feel inclined to write for youth, consolidate that magic mirror your wall....

This is the first Gregory Maguire book I've read. Set in Russia during the time of the Tsars, Egg & Spoon tells the story of two girls - one rich and one porr - who trade places. It's sort of a Russian version of the Prince and the Pauper. As other reviewers pointed out, Maguire draws on classics and Russian stories in making his story.

The book is definitely for older children but even adults may enjoy it. I found the story strong enough on its own but I'm sure I would have enjoyed it even more if I was more of a Maguire fan or more familiar with the Russian sources whicn are the foundation of his story.

I'm officially throwing in the towel on trying to like Maguire. I feel like the basic story line and ideas of his novels are brilliant. I've read several of them, but each time I find myself in this same tedious fight to slug through the writing to enjoy that plot. I was hoping that his young adult novel would be quicker paced with the vocabulary to match the age group. I was so wrong. I understand that Maguire has a superb vocabulary. It is obviously better than mine, but I know a lot of words and it bothers me that I feel like he is showing off. If I get annoyed with that and actually know the meaning of some of these obscure GRE vocab words, what are my students going to do? I wish I saw what others did, but I just don't feel like he writes for his audiences. I'd rather read the cliff notes.

This book is magical and multi-layered. It seems a story for middle grade but is listed as 12 and up. Yet the language is very complex and only a very good reader could read it. We listened to it in the car and loved every moment. It is my first book by this author and I now can't wait to read more by him. It has been optioned for film but I can't imagine anyone doing it justice in two hours. So good.

I always read Gregory Maquire's books with such hope; I love the ideas and the creativity that the blurb on the back of the book sparks with . . . but they always seem to let me down. There is just this air of general malaise and depression that hangs heavy over all of his tales and this one is no different. I had a hard time getting started on this one and had to really push to finish it as nothing about the story really drew me in. I think fans of Maguire's will enjoy this novel but for first-time readers they might find the writing style a bit heavy handed.

Greg Maguire is always a treat and the reconception of the Baba Yaga tale is right up there. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters, especially the outlandish Baba whose grit and repartee were captivating. Characthers grow, the plot moves along like the little train that could, and lessons are learned. Good reading for any age.

Fantastic read that blends Russian folklore into the lives of three children from three very different backgrounds. Their lives are intertwined when a lightning bolt destroys a train track and a firebird refuses to be born. Will the children save Mother Russia and restore magic in the world? Gregory Maguire is a fantastic storyteller, and he did not disappoint with "Egg and Spoon."

This is an exceptionally well-written book with a vibrant narrative voice and some great characters. Yes, Baba Yaga was funny, but I enjoyed many of the secondary characters, as well as some of the animal characters. (Like the black hen---I smile just remembering her role in the story.) The story is surprisingly sophisticated, with references to historical and literary figures tossed in randomly (usually by the narrator or Baba Yaga), and I thought it moved along at a good pace. I raced through the story, and enjoyed the elements of Russian folklore enormously, as well as the unpredictable plot. The plot, in fact, is so unpredictable towards the end that it approaches the zaniness of Alice in Wonderland. Still, it's a fun read.

The book is labelled for 12 and up, although I think smart children younger than that could handle it (although they would probably miss some of the nuances and references), and there is nothing inappropriate for younger children. The word "d*mn," as an expletive, does appear once, but other than that there is nothing parents might object t

With wonderful wording and excellent tale shaping, Maguire has another classic here. I found the story intriguing and heart-tugging ... until about 2/3 the way in. There was suddenly a seemingly random chain of events that happened rather quickly caused a whirlwind of activity that didn't seem to keep up with the characters and their goals. In a satisfying ending, though, the characters come to find exactly what they "need" as opposed to what they thought they wanted, making the confusion worth muddling through.

This is the best vocabulary book you'll ever read. It's almost 500 pages long, and it includes words like adze and berdache and verst and baksheesh. If you don't know the words, it's like listening to poetry in another language.* If you do know the words, the book is hilarious, because every third sentence is a complicated joke. Every 75 pages or so, the book goes completely off the rails, until you start to think it would make more sense as slapstick. Two-thirds of the way through, the book turns into a musical, which improves it immensely. Baba Yaga, and other fairy tale characters, begin to sing. They sing jazz age hits and old nursery rhymes, and they get nearly every word wrong. The scenes where the book goes off the rails tend to be the funniest and most moving in the whole novel, but almost every scene is funny and moving, especially the scene where a troop of Russian soldiers runs into giant matryoshka dolls. None of it makes a lick of sense,** which means that it explains life perfectly. After a while, you may start to think that all of life--your life, specifically--is contained somewhere in this book. You may also want to learn jazz age songs.

And that's all I have to say about that.

*Some words, like izba and baryn, are in Russian, which is only logical in a book set in Russia.

**I couldn't tell you why the firebird in this book can grant wishes--I've never seen that in any Russian fairy tale--but while I was reading the novel, I believed it was true. I think I'm going to steal it and put it in a story, so that in a generation or two, everyone knows firebirds grant wishes.

In Egg and Spoon, Maguire blends historical fiction and fantasy, using traditional Russian fairy tales and characters such as Baba Yaga in a classic tale of switched identity between a rich girl and a poor girl in the waning days of czarist Russia. Highly recommended.

Reading Western fiction set in Russia, or some version of Russia, is always a little off-putting for me, and at first I didn't know what to make of "Egg and Spoon." It's certainly a Western take on Russia, but it's a gorgeous, multi-layered confection for all that.

It's set sometime shortly before the Revolution, if I'm any guess (there are references to "Another war with Japan," suggesting sometime around 1905), and is full of period detail, fairy tale references, and magic. It's hard to pin down the exact subgenre: fantasy for sure, but with aspects of epic fantasy (the main characters go on a journey to save the world), urban fantasy (magic breaks through the wall between stories and reality, surprising everyone), and historical fantasy (the aforementioned setting in pre-Revolutionary Russia). As with the copious use of Russian motifs (everything from matryoshki to Pushkin) married with a contemporary English full of modern American slang, the effect is both fascinating and disconcerting. Like the Faberge egg that features prominently in the plot, the result is something that constantly draws attention to itself as a work of artifice, but *is* in fact a complex work of art. Not that it's dry or overly intellectual: "Egg and Spoon" bursts with exuberance and sly wit at every turn. A unique, not to say peculiar, work to be sure, but one certainly worth reading, especially for fans of "smart" fantasy or readers who love to pick out every Easter egg and extra-textual allusion.

“No doubt Noah offered his wife that olive branch. Forty days in a boat with those animals to clean up after? A peace offering likely all that stood between their marriage and bloody murder.”

I grew up with Baba Yaga stories and she has always fascinated me. Now Gregory Maguire from Wicked fame has written a story about a peasant girl, a rich girl and their adventures meeting a prince, the Tsar and Baba Yaga.

The three Russian myths about the Firebird, Baba Yaga and the Ice Dragon all play a part in this delightful story. Even the nesting dolls come to life and marry some soldiers made from dragons teeth along the way. It’s a truly wonderful tale of make believe and magic and climate change?

The characters are really what make the story zing along and of course Mr. Maguire’s witty way with words. This is supposed to be a Young Adults book, but I am a senior at 63 and this book completely captivated me.

I highly recommend this tale of Mother Russia and her legends and magic.