• The Goose Girl

  • Book One of the Books of Bayern
  • By: Shannon Hale
  • Narrated by: Cynthia Bishop
  • Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (2,411 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
The Goose Girl  By  cover art

The Goose Girl

By: Shannon Hale
Narrated by: Cynthia Bishop
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $23.36

Buy for $23.36

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Princess Anidori-Kiladra of Kildenree was born with a word on her tongue, and a secret magic. Though she is raised in luxury, she is never quite comfortable with who she is, or what she is to become. Then she is sent on a journey to marry an unknown prince. The trip is difficult, and before it is finished all her expectations are overturned. Alone, friendless, stripped of her crown and her title, Ani must learn to make her own path in the world. Along the way, she just might learn to be a princess.

Bold in concept, stunning in execution, The Goose Girl is one of the most spectacular debut novels of recent years. Now more than four dozen actors bring it to thrilling new life in this unabridged audio edition—a recording that will delight those who already love the book, and enthrall those who have not yet discovered it.

©2003 Shannon Hale (P)2005 Full Cast Audio and AudioGO

Featured Article: The Best Fairy Tale Retelling Audiobooks


Fairy tales, mythology, and folklore have provided an endless fount of inspiration and imagination for writers for centuries. So, it’s no surprise that as sensibilities shift and these tales are revisited with a modern lens, creators feel the pull to reinvent, reimagine, and refocus. Here, we’ve gathered the best fairy and folk tale retellings of all time, from both new and best-selling writers alike. What magic will you discover within?

What listeners say about The Goose Girl

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,814
  • 4 Stars
    448
  • 3 Stars
    106
  • 2 Stars
    26
  • 1 Stars
    17
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,652
  • 4 Stars
    339
  • 3 Stars
    118
  • 2 Stars
    33
  • 1 Stars
    15
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,635
  • 4 Stars
    387
  • 3 Stars
    94
  • 2 Stars
    31
  • 1 Stars
    10

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly Good!

Any additional comments?

I listened to Goose Girl to preview it for our children ages 7-11. I frankly didn't want to listen to it but was cajoled into it by my wife since I have a long commute. It took me a little while to warm to it but it captured my interest and held it all the way to the end. I think that it is age appropriate for my kids but wish that the author had left out or toned down the story of why the women of Bayern travel with their husbands to war which seemed inappropriate. For a children's book she could have also left out the numerous "bed" references especially at the end. Note that there is a some violence and murder but not gratuitous.

The narrative was really well done with different readers for each of the characters and music during the transitions that elevated the audio quality far above the typical single-narrator book. A Classic! Well done!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

54 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable light reading

I frequently listen to books while I am working on construction projects or other tasks, so I was looking for a book that didn't have a thousand characters or an intricate plot. The Goose Girl was a good choice. It had kind of a slow start, but within a few chapters it grabs hold of you.
I liked the main character, which is so important for a book to be enjoyable. The other characters added to the tale.
The target audience category for this book is 11 - 13 year olds, so take the following criticism with a grain of salt. My reason for giving it four stars instead of five was that some of the events near the ending seemed a little far-fetched, so much so that it tended to jar me out of the story.

In summary, I enjoyed the book very much and recommend it to others.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

46 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A fairy tale for the older kids in all of us

The language used in "The Goose Girl" was really lovely, and I'm sure that reading it in print is a great experience, too. But the different voices of this narration really added to the story. Although I'm used to single narrators, I will now look for "full-cast" narrations.

This is not a story for children, in my opinion. As in the original fairy tales, death plays a part, and there are some very frightening scenes.

The magic is difficult to understand, unlike most supernatural stories these days; it's not black and white but very gray.

I highly recommend this audio book to all those who like light fantasy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

41 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Cynthia Is a fairytale narrator Par excellence!

What did you love best about The Goose Girl?

My girls will love this! Good moral character qualities but still exciting.

Any additional comments?

A full five honks! (Or whatever geese do). I am so glad to a found this. Well-crafted, the story does justice to the original fairytale without changing the storyline for a much at all.
Anni the goose girl is a very good character-- truly the character of a humble Princess who has to learn the plight of the common people and seek their help.
There is a lot of action and plot twists-- just the kind of thing to keep my daughters really interested. And the 2005 full cast audio production of it on audible is great!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Great Book to Share with Daughters

Any additional comments?

I plan to share this book with my granddaughters when they are old enough to have an attention span. This is a delightful story about a young girl who overcomes many obstacles, not the least of which is self-doubt. As she faces her challenges she grows into the princess she is meant to be. This is a story of strengh, humility, courage, hope, and true friendship, with enough romance to keep my interest. There were a couple of times I felt the story dragged, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it. I enjoyed the voices of the many characters. I highly recommend this telling of the tale of the goose girl.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fairy Tales

I am a fan of most things fairy tale. I love having them retold or hearing different versions. This full book taken from a fairy tale of only about three pages, was a challenge for Hale. I am glad she took it on and hope she delves into other tales. I have book 2 of this series in my wish list.

I give this four stars instead of five, as it is predictable and obviously for teens or younger. Nothing wrong for books to be for teens or younger, they just should not be obvious and no book should be predictable. The characters are good and the main character is not stunningly beautiful, which makes her a better character. I did feel I was in the woods when she was and in the castle when she was. Hale did put me in the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

good fun

While predictable, this story really had me by the end. I cared for the characters Shannon Hale created, as well as the world they lived in. I prefer one narrator versus a full cast because sometimes the full cast have weak actors voicing the parts but overall the cast did well, especially the narrator and main characters. I will definitely read the next book in the series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amassing!

This book blew me away! It is so fun!!! It is the best book I ever read. I think I will read all of the series

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful story and amazing recording

Shannon Hale's story enthralled me and my teenage daughter. Although darker and traffic than her Princess Academy book, this was just as well written and performed. Ms. Hale has such a way with words, pulling you into the story, and making the characters real and relatable. I cannot wait to hear the rest of her stories.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Extraordinary Production - Superb story!

I'm often disappointed in full cast productions, but in this case, the voices are wonderfully well-cast for their parts, and the entire piece flows together smoothly.

The quality of writing in this book is classic and elegant. Every word, detail, and moment of dialog has the refinement of careful attention to precise expression. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and development of the characters.

I highly recommend The Goose Girl above almost any of the modern Sci-Fi or Fantasy Young Adult genre that are springing up like weeds. After just finishing a YA Sci-Fi novel, the stark contrast between the sloppy, haphazard writing versus the careful editing and wordsmithing of this book was apparent in the first 30 seconds.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful