The Farthest-Away Mountain

Apparently I've read this before but I don't remember it. And I don't know why, as it does have enough fun details, including an authentically brave heroine, to be memorable. Perhaps because it's so very fast-paced that I just zoomed through it.

But the fast pace should make it appealing to more readers, including girls who struggle but are often overlooked when we speak of 'reluctant readers.' It should also appeal to youngsters who are more accustomed to movies than books... and in fact it would make a good movie, what with a helpful frog, sad gargoyles, aforementioned independent girl, colored snow, mountain with a soul, a non-binary master villain, peril, humor, and a happy ending.

Highly recommended.

(Just one flaw - peel for peal, show more twice in the same sentence, at least in the edition I read) show less

Dakin is a 14-year-old girl who dreams of meeting a gargoyle, marrying a prince, and visiting the Farthest-Away Mountain, which no one has ever managed to do. One day she thinks she sees the mountain nod to her, so she takes that as a sign and sets out to do All the Things. Adventures ensue.

A middle grade fantasy that feels like a bedtime story a parent makes up as she goes along, in the sense that it seems a little hodgepodge with “and then…and then…” vibes. Which isn’t necessarily all that bad, although the writing could be a little less clunky.

An easy light book that's more myth than novel. It actually reads like a myth or legend. Dakin knows that there's something that she should do, something larger than just marrying one of the local farmers. When she wakes up one morning to a voice calling her to go to the farthest away mountain and to fight evil maybe what she thinks is her goal isn't the truth of the matter.
An interesting allegory on life and love and what matters most.

The Farthest-Away Mountain is a fairytale in reverse. The prince doesn't go riding out in fine array for an adventure; it's the commoner — and a girl at that — who embarks on a quest. Dakin has always lived with her family in the shadow of the Farthest-Away Mountain. She's fifteen, pretty, and intelligent, and all the village boys have asked for her hand. But she has sworn that she will only marry a prince. One day as she is looking at the mountain, it "nods" to her. She realizes she must go there, though she does not know why.

Dakin meets many interesting characters on her way to the Farthest-Away Mountain: a little bronze troll who stole a great treasure, his three brothers who have been turned into gargoyles, a great Giant and show more its horrible bird, old Croak who lives on the bank of the magical Lithy Pool, and an evil Witch who paints the pure-white snow of the mountain in brilliant witchy colors. Later we meet Dakin's prince whose throne she has secured in her quest on the Mountain — and what a sight he is. No spoilers, but it's a good scene.

The Farthest-Away Mountain itself is a wonderful idea, a place you can always see but never quite reach. It's the unattainable beauty whose shadow colors the humble everyday lives of the peasants. When Dakin does reach it, she must outwit the evil Witch to restore the goodness of the Mountain and free its prisoners. For though the Mountain has been 200 years under the Witch's rule, it used to be a place that only called those who were pure in heart to dwell on it. When a good man tried to bring an evil magician's son to the Mountain to teach him goodness there, the Evil Boy used sorcery to enslave the Mountain and bring desolation on its inhabitants. One of the lessons of the story is that it is not enough to merely be good; one must also be wise.

This has long been a favorite fantasy story of mine with its simplicity and well-written prose. I recommend it. show less

I just picked this up for a quick re-read. This was a book from elementary school that I read once and loved so much, the name stuck in my head and I was able to look it up years later. I loved fantasy as a child, and I think this book may be one of the reasons why.

Re-reading it, I can see why I loved it. Dakin is independent and adventurous, and the story has really vivid imagery. And I really like that the ending (view spoiler).

Definitely a keeper to read to my future hypothetical children.

What is a discovery to the reader, is that Dakin not only musters up the courage within herself that she is indeed ready for anything that awaits her, some of it the most petrifying sights her young eyes has ever seen but also some of it forces her to grow up, as she decides which advice is indeed sound to follow. Upon this decision within herself, she realizes she doesn't need other's advice to guide her through life. Dakin pushes onward, finding her own conscience to be more than a sufficient guide. Morally this is a good story because not only does it portray a herorine, instead of a hero in the atypical quest story, but it shows a child that he or she has the ability to trust themself.

I probably would have enjoyed this more as a child. Reading it as an adult only made me notice the stiltedness of the prose and the less-than-original plot. It's a conglomeration of better-written fairy tales, and the heroine is rather dull despite her courage. Why, after experiencing such an exciting adventure, would her desire be to marry a prince? This story could have been a lot better than it is.