I found Juniper and Wise Child after letting go of my young adult obsession- The Mists of Avalon, the book that taught young me how to be a feminist. It was the 90's when I first read the Mists. More recently, with a broken heart I searched for a replacement and was led to this series by Furlong. So, I fell in love with Juniper and Wise Child as an adult. How fortunate we are to have these young wise Dorans guide our ways.
I can't say for sure that Juniper and Wise Child would've gripped me as a young reader in the same way The Mists of Avalon did, but certainly it is recommended reading for any young person looking for something different.

What a delightful, nostalgic, comforting read this was. And a perfect antidote to the gross crime novel I recently finished listening to.

It is a gentle and grounded coming-of-age story set in a magical imagined past, where Ninnoc/Juniper, princess of Cornwall is - at first somewhat unwillingly - initiated in the arts of being a Doran - a sort of witch/healer.

Though there are certainly fantastical/magical elements to the story, it is also very grounded in traditional ancient ways of Paganism and herb healing, and both in theme and setting reminds me a lot of Lucy Holland's Sistersong (of course Furlong's books came first, but I read Sistersong first). This is written for a younger audience, though I feel it has wider appeal and I enjoyed it immensely reading it for the first time as an adult. I feel like my 8-year-old self would have been obsessed with this book had I read it around the time of publication.

I read this book as a child, and it’s interesting to go back and reread (in preparation for Colman, the third book of the trilogy and the only one I’ve never read) the whole series. I vaguely remembered that this one came before Wise Child chronologically but was apparently written afterward (pretty sure I read Wise Child first originally), and I’m not sure if one reading order is preferable to the other. It’s a very classic, old-timey children’s fantasy novel, and very feminist in a low-key sort of way. The cover art (by iconic duo Leo and Diane Dillon) is gorgeous, and I hope that this trilogy is never reprinted with new covers (*shakes fist at the Sabriel series*); nothing is going to top the originals.

I loved this book just as much as Wise Child. It makes me want to have a giant loom and take up wool dying, spinning, and weaving. It makes me want to learn more about herbs and be a good, kind person. Monica Furlong writes childhood emotions that ring true. Once again, 10/10 for having everything in a book that Shannon could ask for -- witches, crafts, lessons, a strong guardian/child relationship, empathy, and an understandable antagonist.

Love the overall theme of spiritual training in a vaguely Celtic setting. The ending was a bit rushed, as with Wise Child. From former readings, I remembered most vividly the fact that Juniper's leaving a flaw in her Doran cloak that she thought no one would notice, resulted in her being injured by her enemy - a powerful image that stuck with me.

Dark Ages Cornwall. Herbalism. Witches.

Sequel to Wise Child. Read it to my youngest children (9 and 10), they loved it, I found it a bit boring tbh.

I loved Juniper more than Wise Child when I was little, perhaps because Juniper is a book about a princess and I was a girl who liked princesses. But also, Juniper's petulance is much more understandable than Wise Child's, because it's much harder to be Euny's student. Well, it's difficult to learn from Zen masters (at least Euny never hits Juniper).

Furlong's writing is quite richly allusive, the gestures are effective at suggesting a world beyond the one on the page. I don't quite know why these books aren't as widely read as The Dark is Rising books (is it because they are about girls and because almost nothing happens in them?), or at least, not as widely discussed as those books are. Because I think that a lot of the stuff Cooper gets praised for doing, Furlong is actually better at. The books are very grounded, very embedded in their vision of the characters and what is means to be a person. There are also more characters in this one: Juniper has lots of friends (well, lots of friends for a very short book) even if many of them don't spend much time on the page.

I haven't gone back to check, but I think this differs a little from the growing-up story Juniper tells in Wise Child. Perhaps being kidnapped to Brittany happens later? Such adventure! It's certainly exciting enough as it is. The stakes are probably higher in Juniper - the stakes in Wise Child are very personal, which is important! But here the fate of a (very very small) place is at stake, too.

This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid.

Great read and a nice follow-up/prequel to Wise Child. Glad both are back in print in paperback. Similar coming-of-age theme, with more characters and settings. Good adventure tale.

zo mooi! zo betoverend! <3

These books are really comforting.