The Girl with the Golden Scissors

A Novel

By: Julia Drosten, Deborah Langton - translator

Narrated by: Kathleen Gati

Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's Summary

From the bestselling author of The Lioness of Morocco and The Elephant Keeper’s Daughter, the story of an ambitious young woman discovering friendship, love, and her own identity on the eve of World War I.

Christmas 1889. A baby is born in the early hours at Vienna General Hospital, only to be abandoned by her unwed mother and entrusted to a foundling home and its loving caretaker.

Fanny Schindler grows from a precocious girl into a strong-willed young woman. Undeterred by the rules of her station, she’s determined to rise above her humble origins and pursue her dreams at all costs, becoming an apprentice to one of the most glamorous fashion houses in Austria-Hungary. All the while, as Fanny searches for a sense of belonging, her path crosses with those of three people who will change her future. To one, she is a cherished friend. To another, a confidant. And to a handsome career soldier, something more.

When hostilities in Europe burst into flame as a brutal world war, the future of the dual monarchy is at stake, friendships are strained, loyalties are tested, and everything is at risk. And when long-buried secrets about Fanny’s past come to light, she must decide what truly matters - and what is worth fighting for in a new world of infinite possibilities.

©2017 Julia Peczynsky and Horst Drosten (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Translation © 2019 by Deborah Langton

One of the best books I’ve listened to all year

I’m not real familiar with ww1 like I am with ww2 but I learned much about Eastern European ww1 history and as a backdrop of this story it is very interesting . This is also rags to riches story and Fannie earned everything she got. It’s a history lesson love story and fashion history all in one. I so admire several of the characters and truly dislike several. No profanity. No gratuitous sex just a great interesting story. Moral of the story is never give up on your true passion. You will love the main character and her goodness and caring attitude. I want to read more than this author

Learn about the place where World War 1 started

This was a great novel, full of history, but never boring. There was love, and affairs, but never too graphic.

I don’t know much about WW1, so it was good to hear about it, though it is not a big part of the story. And I especially like the last chapter, where they explain what is fact, and where liberties have been taken. Great novel, very enjoyable.

Great story!

I had to speed up the narration to 1.5x, but other than an inordinately slow narrator, this was a great story and I fished it in a day. I do wish for a different ending, but it was a realistic one, rather than a romantic version.

Okay story if you can get past the narration.

Robotic narration with constant pauses where they did not belong. Had to speed up the playback and even then it was frustrating. Tried to broaden my listening by selecting something a little different and I think that's why I hung in there. Possibly, had the narrator been better I would have liked the story more.

Some weird turns but ok

The best part of this historical novel was bouncing the location between Vienna, Budapest and back.

Enjoyable read

Great story overall. Gave a glimpse into life during the early 1900s through great characters. I didn’t love the narrator. I had a hard time distinguishing the dialogue between the characters. There are a lot of words that aren’t translated fully or names/titles that take a bit to get the hang of but I like how it gave a sense of authenticity.

Excellent

I loved this book and all it covered. Rejection of Fanny, saved by the love and kindness of the woman who watched her difficult beginning. Her determination in life not to just settle for her proper “station” in life created a life beyond her dreams. Life was hard for her. The fact she fell in love with someone she couldn’t have was unbearable. Overcoming many obstacles in her life, it finally was what she wanted.

Interesting plot and history

The plot pulls you in and raps the historical events so seamlessly, I felt I was in that genre. Narrator did a wonderful job - loved the inflections, slight change of tones, and she truly pulled me into the story.
Thanks for a great book and some interesting history rarely covered.

Nice historical fiction piece

Very well performed, not over done. Easy to follow, visualize. Characters well described, realist. Good ending!

Inspirational

Although set in a time of war - this story displays enthusiasm for a trade as well as determination to succeed in business. It shows what a young woman can accomplish with a firm set of goals and support from the fashion community.