Wonderful story for all ages; the whole family loved it. Narrator could have been better.

Wonderful story - here there is history, a foreign land and strange new culture - such a blessing in lockdown to travel on the wings of our ears and equality, equity and accessibility. They say the past is another land and should not be judged by the morals of today, yet here it is laid bare through the hearts, feelings and imagined experience of children born a little different and snatched out of a normal existence to become objects of derision at the court of tzar Peter the Great. There is violence and incredible cruelty, but for all ages over 10 in our family loved it. A wonder tale for those born blessed with difference and how wonderful to have a tale set in the past giving these heroes their chance. A great uplifting journey - the kind you are terribly sad when it reaches its end.

The Narrator had a very strong intonation which at times made it difficult to listen. At other times when she over did certain characters, none of us could make out a word & we are native speakers. It is a good thing that we have done away with a role to in English and stretch ourselves to understand everyone. However narration for many hours should not be too much of a chore.
So, on balance the reader could have been more intelligible whatever her country of origin.

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Exciting and fast paced adventure

A heart felt, exciting adventure. Fast paced and fraught with danger for our 3 plucky heroes, and their quest to find home and acceptance. An interesting take on the horrible history of Peter the Great’s Russia, and the treatment of disabled people.

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1 person found this helpful

Too distressing a read for me.

It may be just me but as a disabled person this book feels too much like it is placing the reader in a position of being entertained by the awful suffering and discrimination and cruelty meted out to the main characters. I am sure it is not how it is intended but it is how it feels to me and I can’t force myself to continue as it causes me more discomfort and anxiety and brings up real experiences that upset me and distresses me too much to read on. I felt I should share my thoughts just in case anyone else has a similar mindset to mine. This book could be a problem and cause distress if you have had experiences of ‘othering’ or disability discrimination. You will know if that applies to you. I was misled by the reviews calling it heartwarming. I found it chilling more than anything.

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4 people found this helpful