Synopsis: Coriander Hobie was born in the year 1643. She was the only child of Thomas and Eleanor Hobie and lived by the River Thames in London. When she was young she knew only happiness but that was before she found out the world was full of evil and her fate was to be locked up in a chest and left to die. This is the story of her life.

Review: I, Coriander is a highly original fairytale, told through the eyes of a girl brought up in rich society during the time of the Stuarts and civil unrest. Juliet Stevenson’s excellent reading of this first person narrative brings life to Sally Gardner’s characters. Stevenson is one of the UK’s most esteemed stage actresses and appears in films such as Truly, Madly Deeply, Bend it Like Beckham and Nicholas Nickleby. She is an experienced reader of audio books and carries you along with the action in this lightly abridged version.

Sally Gardner’s research of the Stuarts is evident creating an appealing mix of British history with romantic fantasy. Coriander has been left in the care of her new step-mother and her priest, who make a formidable pair. They take pleasure in tormenting Coriander but she refuses to give in to their malice and escapes to the fairyland world from where her mother had originated. Here she meets new friends, falls in love and comes across a new nemesis - the evil queen. But, Coriander’s quest means she must leave the fairylands to save the life of her new found love and ultimately free her mother’s soul.

This wonderful story is full of emotion, suspense and amazing imagery.

2007-03-19