This is a medium-sized book of around 400 pages. It is bound in an interesting cover which will attract the reader. Eva Ibbotson writes in a very fluent and interesting way with detailed descriptions that instantly give the reader a very clear picture in the minds eye. However, most readers will find it has no major plot and the title does not fit the book very well. The front cover led me to believe it was a fantasy of some kind before I opened it. When you start reading, you’ll find that whatever first impressions you had do matter and you are drawn into the beautiful city of Vienna. I found this book a real page-turner.

The story is set in 1908 Vienna and is about a twelve-year-old girl called Annika. She was abandoned by her mother in a church, but she is fortunately found by two maids by the names of Ellie and Sirgid and brought up in the house of three professors. The book then carries on with the next year or so of her life.

I really enjoyed the novel and would recommend it to anyone looking for good story-telling. I would rate it at 9 out of 10.