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However Annika dreams of what her mother really is - and has dreams that one day she will try to find her and take her away to her castle.Reality is less romantic - the snobby girl from the across the square cannot bear to read or listen to her great aunt who has been shoved away to die in the attic she starts paying Annika to read to her instead. Ibbotson writes wonderful tales, full of detail and characterisation. There are some very big leaps of faith in accidental meetings, however, in life we have to recognise that these happenstance events can be very real. Now with no money she is forced to live with her only relative in the attic, dying slowly left mostly to herself. But there is a growing affection between Annika and himself and he realises that there is more to protect in the house.Annika remains unaffected by the grandiose indifference of the Von Tannenburgs but all isn't as it seems. However Annika listens as the old lady talks of her life, as a perforner in Paris Music Hall, and of her happy marriage in Italy, and she shows her the photos.
YOu can smell the cooking in this one - the Christmas carp so loving prepared with just a pinch of Nutmeg, the Kipferl's baking and candles burning on the pine tree. An excellent page turning read, which is about more than just the Star of Kazan which is the feature of the title. This is the story of courage and finding yourself - and in the end, it seems that is exactly what seems to happen - all the characters find out exactly what they are - good, bad, or brave.Annika is a baby when is abandoned at a mountain chapel - and found by two servants who look after a trio of professors. As soon as the old woman servant of the house leaves he has also vowed to leave.
At Spittal she meets the gypsy boy one of two servants left - he is the groom, but has only stayed to care for the horse he brought with him from Hungary. However Annika is not allowed to help or be a servant. What could it be doing floating in a lake in Spittal. A highly recommended read.
A school where they are all known by numbers rather than name and where cruelty seems to be associated with education.Family and friends are not too far away and through extraodinary feats of courage Annika's true fate is realised.A wonderful story where each character has its own real story, not simply a back story to enhance Annika's own. Annika adores the stories she tells of her life and is heartbroken when she dies.Annika's life changes when the old lady dies, first she is left the Old Lady's belongings and secondly her mother finally comes to claim - just as Annika imagined, in a coach. When she asks her mother everything changes, The Gypsy groom is sent away, and Annika herself is sent to a school for Young Ladies. Raised with love and affection in household, Annika is content, cooking with Sigrid, who found her, and playing with the other children in the square.
In fact when she finds a picture floating in the nearby lake that she remembers from the Old Lady's trunk she doesn't understand. There is very little food, and what food there is is very bad. When she fell on hard times she pawned in the beautiful jewels she was given and had paste ones made instead. Her Mother, the wonderfullly named Edeltraut Von Tannenburg from Spittal takes her back to the castle (there has always been a Von Tannenburg at Spittal) is her constant refrain to her son.
But specific to the audio book: the reading was excellent and beautifully modulated, and the writing was well suited to reading aloud. I'll let you read other reviews to learn more. My family - husband, wife, and girls who are 8 and 6 - listened to The Star of Kazan on CD during a long trip to the beach and back. We were all interested in the tale and enjoyed the book.
There she makes friends with a gypsy's son, an odd dog and a crazy horse. These jewels had been willed to Annika by Loremarie's aunt, but she had no idea.Annika and her (fake) mother moved to Norrland. Later Loremarie's Aunt died.A few days later a person who claimed to be her long lost mother appeared.Annika didn't know that this was not her mother, but a person after the jewels.
She's an orphan who was found in a church by Ellie the chef and Sigrid the maid. That's where she learned about the Star of Kazan and many other jewels. THE STAR OF KAZAN is about an 11 year old girl called Annika.
Loremarie's old aunt thought they were all fake, but they were real. Together, they discover the truth.For anyone who loves excitement, sadness, and tragedy in a story, this would be a great book for them. Every night, Annika told herself the same story about her mother looking for her long lost daughter.
One day Annika's rich friend, Loremarie asked her to read a book of health to her old aunt.
It is just full of sweetness, but also real, beadrock life. I want to hug it. I just wish I had a little girl so I could read it to her. I stumbled across this, and I'm so glad I did. I love this book.
My favorite parts are where Anika (the main character) is listening to her neighbors' aunt's stories, especially about how the jewel shop owner gave the old woman "glass" copies of the jewels she had and the time where she makes the Christmas carp by herself. I would be dishonest to say it had any flaws. Eva Ibbotson is a great author anyway, and this is her book "jewel," fitting the story. This is my all-time favorite book. It is one of those books you just can't put down.
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