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Summary
Summary
Two Women "Elske --" a girl with no future, until her grandmother's sacrifice saves her from certain death "Beriel --" an imperious princess, determined to claim the kingdom that is her birthright Fate brings them together, both exiles, one servant to the other. To Beriel, the mistress, Elske offers steadfast loyalty and courage -- hard to come by in her dangerous quest to regain the throne she has been denied by treachery. To Elske, the handmaiden, Beriel's proud example provides a perhaps even more precious gift -- the strength to find her true self.
Author Notes
Cynthia Voigt was born on February 25, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts. She received a bachelor's degree from Smith College, did graduate work at St. Michael's College, and later received a teacher's certification from Christian Brothers College. After college, she worked for an advertising agency. Before becoming a full-time author, she was a secretary and a high school English teacher. Her first book, Homecoming, was published in 1981.
Her children's books address such issues at child abuse and racism, topics that are not often talked about in books designed for children. She is the author of numerous books including the Bad Girls series, the Tillerman Cycle series, and the Kingdom series. She won the Notable Children's Trade Book in the field of social studies for Homecoming, the Newbery Medal, ALA in 1983 for Dicey's Song, and the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1984 for The Callender Papers. In 1995, she received the MAE Award.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Voigt returns to the Kingdom (eventually) in Elske, a loosely related companion to Jackaroo (Atheneum, 1985), The Wings of a Falcon (Scholastic, 1993), and On Fortune's Wheel (Atheneum, 1990). Raised within the warrior society of the Wolfers, Elske flees her native land to avoid certain death. She finds her destiny as the servant to Beriel, the banished heir apparent of the Kingdom. As the two make their way to confront the uncrowned queen's treacherous brother Guerric, they must rely on Beriel's force of will as well as on Elske's devotion and resourcefulness. Once again, this talented author offers readers a richly dense, compelling tale set in a strange and far-off land. Violence and cruelty loom large, as do trust and honor, loyalty and love. The writing is at times breathtaking in its brusque assumption that young people are ready to contemplate the horrors of battle and the realities of rape and infanticide. Yet Voigt's descriptions of violence done and imagined are never graphic or sensationalized. And there is, of course, much more to the story. The language is stately and evocative, well suited to the complex plot and unusual setting. Characterization is richly detailed, with human flaws and foibles clearly drawn. Readers are plunged quickly into the drama but, overall, the pace is almost leisurely. Familiarity with the earlier novels is not necessary and it seems likely that those encountering the Kingdom for the first time in Elske will seek out the previous titles as well.-Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The fourth and final title in Voigt's Kingdom cycle (begun with Jackaroo) is thrilling, from its dramatic opener to its stunning climax. Newcomers to the Kingdom books can read it with as much pleasure as fans of the entire series (and without ruining for themselves the surprises of those previous works). Set in an imaginary continent that resembles medieval Europe, the story begins in the brutal realm of the Wolfers, a ruthless people among whom 12-year-old Elske has been raised and, horrifyingly, chosen for a sacrificial death. How Elske escapes this fate is the first of many ingeniously plotted turns, reversals that depend on the heroine's intelligence and determination rather than coincidence or authorial sleight-of-hand. There is much to marvel at. Voigt demonstrates a remarkable breadth of imagination in dreaming up the customs of the various lands Elske moves through; e.g., a Scandinavian-type city builds a thriving economy by hosting biannual "courting winters" for young marriageable, wealthy foreigners. The cast also includes a princess wrongfully deprived of a throne (and willing to go to war to claim it) and a man worthy of Elske but chosen for one of the princess's sisters. The characterizations are as sharp and uncompromising as Voigt's readers have come to expect, and the narration never tips the author's hand. This spellbinding work continually challenges readers to keep up with its far-seeing, swift-thinking protagonist. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) FYI: The Vermeer masterpiece that appears on the jacket, Head of a Girl (a painting that also appears this season on the cover of the adult novel Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier), links Elske with the simultaneously reissued paperback of another novel in the Kingdom cycle, On Fortune's Wheel (S&S/ Aladdin, $5.50 -82957-4), the jacket of which features Vermeer's Woman Reading a Letter. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Young Adult) The last book in the ""Kingdom Series"" (which began with Jackaroo [rev. 3/86]), Elske is definitely a novel for sophisticated readers. The situations are ethically thorny; the characterizations are subtle; the style and length are demanding; the plot more complex than either Jackaroo or On Fortune's Wheel (rev. 5/90). Yet, for the right reader, it will be an engrossing experience, for it is an adventure story with a strong and resourceful heroine; it is also a story of an unusual personality with the capacity to grow and change. As the novel opens, Elske has, with the help of her grandmother, escaped her fate as the Death Maiden, chosen to accompany the dead Volkking into the hereafter via horrific rituals practiced by a brutal, male-dominated society. On her subsequent journey, she meets merchants from the more civilized Trastad who bring her to their country, where she becomes a servant and, despite her low status, a trusted member of the community. Because she is literate and versed in several dialects, she is assigned to serve Beriel, the would-be Queen of the Kingdom. As the two begin to know each other, Elske learns that Beriel is pregnant because of a rape plotted by her ambitious brother's minions. How to disguise this fact and how to dispose of the evidence after the baby's birth becomes Elske's problem to solve discreetly and mercifully. It is at this point that the conflict between her former life (where children were disposable) and her growing awareness of the value of life is manifested in an inner debate over the fate of the infant. When the situation is resolved, Elske chooses to follow Beriel in the quest to regain her throne. It is one of the strengths of the author's understanding of her characters that Beriel, although not the central figure, is so unusual a personality-dominating yet vulnerable, demanding yet fair, distant yet emotional. Elske and she are foils for each other, an unbeatable pairing, which enhances both portrayals. This is not just another adventure featuring a warrior maiden; it is challenging and thoughtful. With an epilogue summarizing the subsequent history of the kingdom. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Voigt's fourth adventure set in the alternate reality world of Jackaroo (1985) is a stately-paced study of courage and loyalty shared, mostly, between women. Condemned to a ritual rape and murder by the brutal raiders known as Wolfers, Elske escapes untouched to the mercantile port of Trastad, where she meets prickly, imperious Beriel, an occasional visitor who claims to be a princess from an unknown land. Responding deeply to Beriel's inner fire, Elske becomes her steadfast servant, finding a home for her secretly-borne child, following her on the long, dangerous journey back to her kingdom, and, while she is away battling her treacherous brother for the throne, cleverly driving off an invading company of Wolfers without bloodshed. Aside from one assault, the violence is off stage, and Voigt keeps the focus on her two main characters: she traces Elske's growth from almost amoral innocence to strong-minded, loving maturity, and presents Beriel as a figure made larger-than-life by her anger and surety, demanding utter loyalty from her followers, but able to return it in kind. Fans of thud-and-blunder epics should look elsewhere; for readers who enjoy probing studies of ties that bind, this will illuminate some hidden corners of the human spirit. (Fiction. 12-14)
Booklist Review
Gr. 7^-12. In the fourth and final installment of The Kingdom series, 12-year-old Elske flees her barbaric Volkaric homeland to escape death. In civilized Trastad, despite being a servant and an outsider, her honesty, intelligence and perspective eventually bring respect. Then Elske becomes handmaiden to Beriel, an exiled, vengeful noblewoman determined to reclaim her birthright, the kingdom's throne. Overcoming their differences, the two develop a trusting friendship, leading Elske to accompany Beriel to the kingdom on a dangerous but ultimately rewarding quest. In elegant, appropriately archaic prose, Voigt vividly describes and immerses readers in the people, traditions, and histories of imaginary lands. Elske is a brave, independent character, a notable addition to Voigt's long line of strong female protagonists who overcome odds and stereotypes to effect positive change for themselves and others. Though containing some unsettling incidents of violence, albeit fairly typical of medieval sensibilities, this compelling fantasy effectively stands on its own, all the while providing a satisfying series conclusion. --Shelle Rosenfeld