The Star of Kazan

Thursday, 18 July 2024


CHARMING ROMP THROUGH 1908 CENTRAL EUROPE. Annika, a spirited twelve-year-old orphan, grows up in Vienna under the care of a maid to three elderly eccentric professors—a geologist, an art historian, and a harpist. A natural storyteller, she dreams of being reunited with her long lost mother, whom she imagines is fabulously wealthy, of course. Until, unbelievably, exactly that happens. 


Whisked away to a seemingly perfect manor,  Annika soon discovers that not all that glitters is gold... 


While perceptive readers may anticipate the ending early on, I savoured every page. The small details of European life, where every city is just a train-ride away, thoroughly captivated me. The audio version is well worth it just for the accents. I was also pleased to find that the portrayal of the brother, though spoilt rotten, deftly avoids the bully cliché, adding depth to this minor character.


Reminiscent of Matilda and A Little Princess, with its resourceful children, bad grown ups and darker themes (including a mention of suicide), this book has a lot of heart and will appeal to young readers seeking realness in their happy endings. 


“They must be stopped!” yelled the headmistress from down below. 


Stefan and the harp now blocked the top of the stairs. 


The principal took one more step. 


No one knew exactly what happened next. It seemed as though Stefan was trying to pull the harp backwards on to the safety of the landing. 


But the harp did not obey him. Rather it seemed to move the other way — forward — to the very edge of the flight of stairs. 


Stefan lunged out to save it — and missed. For a terrifying instant the instrument seemed to hesitate as if it was a living creature fearful of the descent. 


Then it toppled . . . and fell.


It fell slowly at first . . . then faster and faster still . . . and as it fell it cried out — a tragic glissando of sound . . . There was a series of explosions as the base of the pillar struck the tread of the marble stair and the sounding board began to break. The wooden frame started to crunch and the strings stretched and sprang free, shrieking their outrage . . . and all the time the harp thundered and rushed and hurtled on . . .  



Cover: Jan Van Beers. When stars set. 1874. Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.

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