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someonetookit's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this anthology of reworked fairytales.
While I could recognise the majority of tales within, each story is unique from the original. Dependant on the story in question, some make subtle nods while others tell the fairytales from a different point of view.
I feel like Happy Dens, Sliding Sideways Through Eternity and The Bridge's Complaint were my favourite but most others were enjoyable as well.
I found the explanations of how each was rewritten at the end of the book to be insightful as i find the whole process rather genius no matter the author. As an added bonus, the foreword is written by Marissa Meyer, a master of the twisted tale herself.
I received an advanced reading copy of this novel from Netgalley and the publisher. All opinions contained within are that of the author and have in no way been influenced by the publisher or its affiliates.
While I could recognise the majority of tales within, each story is unique from the original. Dependant on the story in question, some make subtle nods while others tell the fairytales from a different point of view.
I feel like Happy Dens, Sliding Sideways Through Eternity and The Bridge's Complaint were my favourite but most others were enjoyable as well.
I found the explanations of how each was rewritten at the end of the book to be insightful as i find the whole process rather genius no matter the author. As an added bonus, the foreword is written by Marissa Meyer, a master of the twisted tale herself.
I received an advanced reading copy of this novel from Netgalley and the publisher. All opinions contained within are that of the author and have in no way been influenced by the publisher or its affiliates.
tasharobinson's review against another edition
4.0
Picked this one up expecting some pretty brief, light, occasionally snarky retellings of fairy tales, and that's initially what I got. The take on Snow White where she recognizes her evil stepmother disguised as a witch, and brains her with a frying pan because she's no fool, is enjoyable, but not exactly challenging. Or the version of "Billy Goats Gruff" from the bridge's point of view is a strange idea with a cute execution. But the deeper I got into this book, the more it felt like a radical act of re-creation and re-defining what stories do. Part of it's just the cumulative power of an increasingly creative number of rethinks on classic stories, and part of it's the insight into national identities and how they use folklore (particularly Jewish identity), and part of it's just the simplicity of these stories, The final pages are devoted to small poems that further recast these fairy tales, and they're even simpler, and I love how spare they are in execution, and how much they get at the heart of fairy-tale logic and morality.
mnboyer's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you, NetGalley, for offering me a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
If you enjoy fairy tales, then you know that one of the best thing about them is the way in which they are adapted, edited, and changed over time. Changing and retelling fairy tales keeps them breathing as the world around them changes. Jane Yolen offers a collection of 'fractured' fairy tales that are quite different from the stories you remember. On one hand, you may see a different ending, or a new character, or perhaps a major shift in the POV of a story you have read before. On the other hand, there are several stories here from different countries and cultures that--perhaps--you're encountering for the first time.
This is a pleasant read, as there are many different types of tales in the collection. There is not necessarily a common thread (ie: all of the stories have a dragon) apart from the fact that they have all undergone some changes at Yolen's hand. I find many of the changes particularly interesting, inventive, and believe they give new life to stories that perhaps readers are familiar with. For example, one tale retells events through the bridge's perspective. This is unique because, to my knowledge, this type of personification in fairy tales has not been presented with this particular story.
There are also some darker elements in this story. For example, one of the stories revolves around incest. For some readers, this may be a story whose changes deeply affect you or alter your perception of the tale--that's a good thing, in my opinion. Familiar stories like Cinderella are retold and you'll find that Cinderella is actually portrayed by an elephant.
With a wide variety of stories, there is something here to entertain every reader. For this, I easily rate this book 3-stars.
My only issues with this book revolve around the following two issues, both of which I deducted a star for. First, about half of these short stories have been published previously and are available elsewhere. If you're a fan of Yolen, this means that you likely have seen half of this book elsewhere before picking it up. As someone that believes stories should consist of new material, as readers work hard for the money it costs to purchase books, I find it slightly irritating that half of the book (my approximation) is not new. Of course, if you're new to Yolen's work, this entire collection may indeed be new to you--in which case, this grievance does not apply to you. But it is something that I consider as a reader (have I read the content before? Am I getting new or old material?).
Secondly, at the end of the book Yolen lists descriptions of the original tales and explains some of her changes to the stories. I found this helpful, but feel like at the end of each story this blurb could have been inserted. In fact, it would have been better placed at the end of each story rather than at the very end. A few of the stories I was unfamiliar with, and it would have been nice to have the description/comparisons listed after the story so that I could more easily make sense of things.
Just minor 'issues' that I have from my perspective. Yet, I would still recommend this collection to those interested in fairy tales, adaptations, retellings, and general children's anthologies.
If you enjoy fairy tales, then you know that one of the best thing about them is the way in which they are adapted, edited, and changed over time. Changing and retelling fairy tales keeps them breathing as the world around them changes. Jane Yolen offers a collection of 'fractured' fairy tales that are quite different from the stories you remember. On one hand, you may see a different ending, or a new character, or perhaps a major shift in the POV of a story you have read before. On the other hand, there are several stories here from different countries and cultures that--perhaps--you're encountering for the first time.
This is a pleasant read, as there are many different types of tales in the collection. There is not necessarily a common thread (ie: all of the stories have a dragon) apart from the fact that they have all undergone some changes at Yolen's hand. I find many of the changes particularly interesting, inventive, and believe they give new life to stories that perhaps readers are familiar with. For example, one tale retells events through the bridge's perspective. This is unique because, to my knowledge, this type of personification in fairy tales has not been presented with this particular story.
There are also some darker elements in this story. For example, one of the stories revolves around incest. For some readers, this may be a story whose changes deeply affect you or alter your perception of the tale--that's a good thing, in my opinion. Familiar stories like Cinderella are retold and you'll find that Cinderella is actually portrayed by an elephant.
With a wide variety of stories, there is something here to entertain every reader. For this, I easily rate this book 3-stars.
My only issues with this book revolve around the following two issues, both of which I deducted a star for. First, about half of these short stories have been published previously and are available elsewhere. If you're a fan of Yolen, this means that you likely have seen half of this book elsewhere before picking it up. As someone that believes stories should consist of new material, as readers work hard for the money it costs to purchase books, I find it slightly irritating that half of the book (my approximation) is not new. Of course, if you're new to Yolen's work, this entire collection may indeed be new to you--in which case, this grievance does not apply to you. But it is something that I consider as a reader (have I read the content before? Am I getting new or old material?).
Secondly, at the end of the book Yolen lists descriptions of the original tales and explains some of her changes to the stories. I found this helpful, but feel like at the end of each story this blurb could have been inserted. In fact, it would have been better placed at the end of each story rather than at the very end. A few of the stories I was unfamiliar with, and it would have been nice to have the description/comparisons listed after the story so that I could more easily make sense of things.
Just minor 'issues' that I have from my perspective. Yet, I would still recommend this collection to those interested in fairy tales, adaptations, retellings, and general children's anthologies.
frawst_disasta_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Jane Yolen knocked it put of the park again. ❤️❤️
waywordxwitch's review against another edition
1.0
~ARC provided by NetGalley~
I've said it before I love me a good fairy tale re-telling but........... this was not at all what I expected to be honest. These didn't even feel like fairy tales, some of them sure but the rest not so much. I had a very hard time finishing this book. Meh.
I've said it before I love me a good fairy tale re-telling but........... this was not at all what I expected to be honest. These didn't even feel like fairy tales, some of them sure but the rest not so much. I had a very hard time finishing this book. Meh.
archergal's review against another edition
4.0
Jane Yolen takes on traditional fairy tale tropes and... breaks them in entertaining ways.
Good stuff. Jane Yolen is a treasure.
Good stuff. Jane Yolen is a treasure.
chninamir's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 Stars
ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review
One thing I discovered upon reading this book is that I don't like books made up of short stories.
It's really hard to come up with a review for this book because there are so many stories. Each of them is different, and there are some that I really enjoyed, and some that really rubbed me the wrong way.
I liked that there was a variety of writing styles within the book since if the entire book was written in a fairytale type way I would not have enjoyed it at all. Some of the stories came across as very childish, “Happy Dens or A Day in the Old Wolves’ Home”, in particular, is one that comes to mind.
Also, some of the story's gave off a misogynistic/racist/anti-semitic vibe? I think that Jane Yolen was trying to write it like a Grimm's fairy tale, but I don't think that the product of their time converts well into a product of our time.
One story in particular like this was "The Foxwife”. In this story, a guy forces a woman (or in this case a fox spirit) to marry him. It mentions that she didn't want to, but it ends up glossing over it and leaving it with a "happy ending".
"Sleeping Ugly" was another story that I didn't really understand. The moral of the story is that just because someone is pretty on the outside doesn't mean they're pretty on the inside as well. But I don't know how someone magically making someone else fall in love with them and then using the body of the "ugly" princess as a house decoration is supposed to show how kind they are.
There were also a few stories that didn't make much sense? I don't know if they were supposed to be a parable or something, but the point and plot were definitely lost on me. "The Unicorn and the Pool" is one of these. In this story there is a pool of poisoned water, the unicorn touches its horn to the water and removes the poison from the water so that the other animals can drink, but a few days later the unicorn dies. This story was only two pages, and I'm not quite sure what it was supposed to mean.
I'm also not sure what age group this book is intended for. Some stories are written very simply, as if they are children's stories, while others contain mature content that is definitely for adults. ("Golden Balls", "The Undine").
I really wanted to like this, because I love fairy tale retellings but it just wasn't my cup of tea.
ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review
One thing I discovered upon reading this book is that I don't like books made up of short stories.
It's really hard to come up with a review for this book because there are so many stories. Each of them is different, and there are some that I really enjoyed, and some that really rubbed me the wrong way.
I liked that there was a variety of writing styles within the book since if the entire book was written in a fairytale type way I would not have enjoyed it at all. Some of the stories came across as very childish, “Happy Dens or A Day in the Old Wolves’ Home”, in particular, is one that comes to mind.
Also, some of the story's gave off a misogynistic/racist/anti-semitic vibe? I think that Jane Yolen was trying to write it like a Grimm's fairy tale, but I don't think that the product of their time converts well into a product of our time.
One story in particular like this was "The Foxwife”. In this story, a guy forces a woman (or in this case a fox spirit) to marry him. It mentions that she didn't want to, but it ends up glossing over it and leaving it with a "happy ending".
"Sleeping Ugly" was another story that I didn't really understand. The moral of the story is that just because someone is pretty on the outside doesn't mean they're pretty on the inside as well. But I don't know how someone magically making someone else fall in love with them and then using the body of the "ugly" princess as a house decoration is supposed to show how kind they are.
There were also a few stories that didn't make much sense? I don't know if they were supposed to be a parable or something, but the point and plot were definitely lost on me. "The Unicorn and the Pool" is one of these. In this story there is a pool of poisoned water, the unicorn touches its horn to the water and removes the poison from the water so that the other animals can drink, but a few days later the unicorn dies. This story was only two pages, and I'm not quite sure what it was supposed to mean.
I'm also not sure what age group this book is intended for. Some stories are written very simply, as if they are children's stories, while others contain mature content that is definitely for adults. ("Golden Balls", "The Undine").
I really wanted to like this, because I love fairy tale retellings but it just wasn't my cup of tea.
emmirosereads's review against another edition
2.0
I adore fairytales and fairytale retellings/reimaginings so you can imagine my excitement about seeing this book and being able to get a copy. Unfortunately this was one I had trouble connecting to. Anothologies are always a hit or miss with me. I will say the entire idea behind this book is something I loved and the writing of these tales was absolutely excellent. I really love how Jane Yolen really captured the feel and essence of classics fairytales. They all just felt very authentic. Despite that I just simply wasn't drawn into each tale. Many just felt too short making it hard to really connect to them and the book as a whole. I think another thing is that many of the tales and stories we're based on ones I'm not familiar with. Which definitely isn't a bad thing but simply made it harder to connect with the stories. I also just think many of the stories we're bleak and I didn't care for many of the different fractures of the story as the author puts it.
I definitely would recommend giving this book a try because it's not had by any means. It's simply just wasn't entirely for me.
I definitely would recommend giving this book a try because it's not had by any means. It's simply just wasn't entirely for me.
emrache's review against another edition
4.0
As the title suggests, this book offers alternative versions of traditional fairy tales from various cultures. Many of the stories I already knew, but certainly not all of them.
As with many books of short stories, I absolutely adored many of them and simply tolerated a few. I think my favorite was the tale of Snow White set in Appalachia, with the dwarves as coal miners. The retooling of the Daedalus and Icarus tale so that Icarus did not die was intriguing as well. At the end of the book are backgrounds about each of the fairy tales. I only wish that these backgrounds were included at the end of each story individually. I would have liked to learn more about the tales I didn’t know when they were still fresh in my mind.
I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
As with many books of short stories, I absolutely adored many of them and simply tolerated a few. I think my favorite was the tale of Snow White set in Appalachia, with the dwarves as coal miners. The retooling of the Daedalus and Icarus tale so that Icarus did not die was intriguing as well. At the end of the book are backgrounds about each of the fairy tales. I only wish that these backgrounds were included at the end of each story individually. I would have liked to learn more about the tales I didn’t know when they were still fresh in my mind.
I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
bibliotequeish's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a fresh take on classic fairy tales (three punk pigs), but also included original stories.
The stories were thought provoking and interesting.
The end of the book was really interesting when the Author described the thought behind her "fractures"
While this book was really fun I did recently read a book with the same premise, and I couldn't help but compare the two while I was reading.
While I know that this was not fair to this book, nor its author, it was inevitable and unfortunately this book fell a little short.
I still really enjoyed it, I loved the cover art, and would still recommend this book to friends
The stories were thought provoking and interesting.
The end of the book was really interesting when the Author described the thought behind her "fractures"
While this book was really fun I did recently read a book with the same premise, and I couldn't help but compare the two while I was reading.
While I know that this was not fair to this book, nor its author, it was inevitable and unfortunately this book fell a little short.
I still really enjoyed it, I loved the cover art, and would still recommend this book to friends