Der geheimnisvolle Ritter Namenlos
(The mysterious knight nameless) Book not yet available in English
Summary:
Like her brothers, Violetta learnt how to be a knight. Violetta Spider-legs, as her brothers called her. But Violetta trained in her own way, and soon she became a better knight than her brothers. For her 16th birthday, her father couldn’t think of anything better than organising a tournament with Violetta as the first prize. But Violetta’s father hadn’t quite planned on her cleverness and strength… [Source: publisher]
Edited by: Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
Comment:
At first glance, as Hella Kemper writes in her review, the fairy tale of Princess Violetta, who defies the plans of her father and older brothers, who acts like a boy, does horse-riding, fencing and fighting, and who roams the countryside known as the knight nameless, seems somewhat old-fashioned. But still, Cornelia Funke, who lives in Hamburg, managed to tell this “age-old fairy tale” in a plausible and humorous way. The result, Kemper states, is a story of education and emancipation with a romantic touch, adding that the story has been illustrated unspectacularly. This, however, is not meant in a negative way. The strength of Meyer’s paintings lies rather in the details, such as the dancing apple blossoms, a fish scale knight’s armour and the almost comic-like painted faces. [Source: Review note on Die Zeit, 04.10.2001]