On Fortune's Wheel by Cynthia Voigt

Plot: Birle, a soon-to-be-married innkeeper's daughter, spots a figure making away with one of the village boats. In chasing the thief, she ends up in the same boat, floating downriver. When Birle discovers that the stranger is a Lord, she begs to accompany him on his secretive journey throughout the lands. They leave the kingdom, but soon Birle begins to wonder if she'll ever get home...

Comments: this book is best for reading a chapter or two at a time, being a rather long story, is somewhat difficult to read all at once. If you do read it all in an afternoon, I suggest setting a timer so you don't forget to eat (this happens to me all the time, and then I'm all light-headed and my stomach's growling when I turn the last page). This book isn't necessarily light-hearted reading, but it's definitely not dark or heavy reading. I consider it a good life-like tale, with happy bits and sad bits, but it's a relatively easy read and falls into the fiction/fantasy genre.

The plot was well thought-out and interesting, but I think the general idea could have evolved into a better story than it did. I could relate to and easily imagine some of the characters, see their faces and hear their voices, but with others I found it hard to picture them. Not just what they look like: with several characters, I didn't feel like I knew them; I couldn't feel them living through the story, as if they were just a sentence or a frown instead of an entire person. The characters interacted well, but I had a hard time relating to Birle's relationship with the Lord. She's very formal and humble around him, and the Lord is completely aware that she is "inferior" to him, and he acts as if she is his servant - which, in the ways of the Kingdom, she technically is. I don't like the way he treats her, though I understand that's how life works in the Kingdom. It's an interesting perspective, and it makes me appreciate the equality we have in America.

I like the way Cynthia Voigt wrote the dialogue, with the speech being different from modern day English. The storyline is easy to follow, and the plot has twists and turns so you stay interested. All in all, this was a good book, with some unexpected bits that liven up the story and make you wonder.

Rate: I rate this book a six out of ten. Good, but not great.