Summary
Summary of The Princess and Curdie
Key ideas
Key idea 1
Danger wears a respectable face
Curdie, a young miner who lives in the mountains, and Princess Irene face a danger different from the one they knew before. Trouble does not come only from below the ground. It also grows among people whose respectable appearance and sweet words make them seem trustworthy.
Curdie will receive a strange gift and a task whose reasons he cannot fully see. His journey brings honesty, obedience and courage together, asking how someone can act rightly when appearances offer little guidance.
Key idea 2
A mistake awakens Curdie's conscience
Start free to read
Key idea 3
The gift reveals inner character
Start free to read
Key idea 4
Trust means acting without every answer
Start free to read
Key idea 5
The court conceals quiet harm
Start free to read
Key idea 6
Small choices shape the person within
Start free to read
Key idea 7
Seeing character brings a responsibility
Start free to read
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
Read the rest freeWho it’s for
For readers who love fairy tales with a moral heart, magical gifts and courage tested by hidden danger, and those who enjoyed The Princess and the Goblin.
What this book is
The Princess and Curdie is a fantasy novel by George MacDonald, the Scottish writer and minister, published in 1883. It is the sequel to The Princess and the Goblin. It follows Curdie, the young miner who lives in the mountains, and Princess Irene, whom he befriended in the earlier book.
This time the danger does not come only from below the ground. It grows among people who look respectable and speak sweetly. Curdie is given a strange gift and a hard task, and he must learn to trust what he is told even when he cannot see the reason. You get a story of obedience, honesty and courage, told in a plain and warm voice. It begins with a small mistake in the hills, so let us start there.
In this summary
- 1A mistake in the hills sets everything movingFree
- 2A strange gift comes at a painful price
- 3At court, kindness can hide cruelty
- 4What the story means and how it is told
Key point 1 of 4
A mistake in the hills sets everything moving
The story opens with Curdie, the miner's son, who is now a little older and has started to grow careless. He spends his days among the mountains, and he has begun to forget the wonders he once knew. In this mood he wounds a pigeon. The deed troubles him at once, and the sorrow that follows is the first sign that his heart is still sound.
Curdie lives with his parents, Peter and Joan, plain people of the mine who love him and work hard. They matter to the book because they show the honest, humble kind of life that MacDonald values. Home is a place where right and wrong are spoken of simply.
The pigeon leads Curdie to the old princess, Irene's great-great-grandmother, who lives high in the tower. She is the mysterious figure from the first book, a lady of great age and great beauty. Her room is a place of wonder, and her words carry weight. Curdie comes to her ashamed, and she receives him with kindness and with firmness.
That’s 1 of 4 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
- Nothing to pay today · Renews every year
- We email you before you pay
- Cancel online in two clicks
Check yourself
What does Curdie's new gift allow him to sense?
Right. “When he touches another person's hand, he can tell what that person is becoming inside.”Not quite. “When he touches another person's hand, he can tell what that person is becoming inside.”
What has replaced honest service at the court?
Right. “Flattery, greed and ambition replace honest service.”Not quite. “Flattery, greed and ambition replace honest service.”
What makes Curdie brave?
Right. “Curdie is brave because he keeps going when he is afraid and when no one believes him.”Not quite. “Curdie is brave because he keeps going when he is afraid and when no one believes him.”
Who’s who
- Curdie
- Curdie is a young mountain miner, sometimes careless but brave and honest, who befriended Princess Irene.
- Princess Irene
- Princess Irene is the king's kind and loyal daughter, devoted to her father and a friend of Curdie.
- The old princess
- The old princess is Irene's mysterious great-great-grandmother, who lives in a tower and guides and tests Curdie.
- Peter
- Peter is Curdie's father, a steady and honest miner who shares his family's humble mountain life.
- Joan
- Joan is Curdie's loving and practical mother, who keeps the family home and believes in her son.
- The king
- The king is Irene's father, an unwell ruler surrounded by courtiers whose respectable appearances may conceal dishonesty.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 57,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 3 h 45 min
- Listening time6 h 20 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 12 other languages
Questions about The Princess and Curdie
What is The Princess and Curdie about?
It is a fantasy about Curdie, a young miner who receives a magical gift from an old princess and is sent to the capital, where he must face people who hide their true natures behind fine manners.
Do I need to read The Princess and the Goblin first?
It helps, because Curdie, Irene and the old princess are introduced there. Still, the sequel tells its own story and gives enough to follow, though the first book adds warmth to the characters.
Who is the old princess in the tower?
She is Irene's great-great-grandmother, a mysterious and wise woman who lives in a high room. She guides, tests and helps Curdie and Irene, and she stands for goodness and wisdom in the story.
When was The Princess and Curdie written?
George MacDonald published it in 1883. It is a made-up fairy tale and not a true story, though it carries the moral and religious ideas of its Scottish author.
What is the main message of The Princess and Curdie?
The book teaches that people become what they choose to be, that appearances can deceive, and that courage and trust in a wise guide matter more than strength or rank.
