As an audio book read by a delightful young actress, Catherine transported me to another time and place. Made for a few interesting conversations with my teenage daughter.

Re-read (listened) when the title came up as a Lena Dunham production for screen. How will this go? ( )

This was a book that was always around when I was young, but I never picked it up. More fool me, because it was an excellent book. I loved the narrative voice; Catherine sounds exactly like I would have at that age. She regularly made me laugh out loud with a well-placed wisecrack or a devastatingly direct statement. I tore through this in a day and really enjoyed it. Would recommend it for those looking for teen historical fiction. ( )

This is a YA novel that I felt was completely interesting and perfectly suitable for this 82 year old reader. ( )

Interesting. It's entirely written in diary entries by Birdy, a 13th-century knight's daughter. She's mostly complaining about her chores and about the fact that her father will be marrying her off for the family's benefit. Still, there's a lot of description of what life was like then embedded in the entries - her chores show some of how things worked, and what events went on as the seasons changed. It's an era I know something about, and the story tells it pretty straightforwardly. It didn't fascinate me - possibly because I do know the era, I wasn't learning much new - but it was definitely worth reading. ( )

I was expecting excellent historical fiction based in the middle ages. I was expecting a "spirited" young woman protagonist. I wasn't expecting this book to be hilarious -- laugh out loud funny. Catherine has a very pragmatic personality, which leads her into all sorts of hijinks. She's a hellion, with an appreciation for fart jokes and a stubborn streak that will not bow nor quit for any reason. Marvelous. ( )