Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
Medicine for a mother's soul! LOVED this book. Eloquent and humorous reflections on the often unspoken ups and downs of the surprising adventure of motherhood.
In a fairytale, the only good mother is six feet under. All the others are bad news.
By this part of the blurb alone, it should be pretty obvious what we’re getting here. None of that Disney fairy tales with an Happy Ever Afters. By the last line of the Prologue; ”...why it is, in fairy tales, that the Good Mother is always dead.”, I questioned the timing of my reading this book on motherhood (FYI, am expecting my second baby in about 6 weeks). Yet, I continued reading with some foreboding...
There are 4 stories in this novel which I supposed inspired rather than a retelling of any fairy tales. Each story was preceded by some phrases of a fairy tale on which stories are based. These stories are set in more contemporary times with loose interpretations on fairy tales’ mothers. What is missing from these stories are the magic usually employed in fairy tales, the basic good vs. evil, and the ultimate love prevails overall sort of path. In spite of this, these stories are cleverly realistic and frighteningly Grimm-like.
The black and white of distinction between good and evil is blurred as these stories dug into the human psyche. These mothers are far from perfect and each carry own unique struggles in her role as a woman and a mother. These well-told tales carried the burdens of motherhood throughout the ages into contemporary settings where appearances are just never what they seemed. This was highlighted throughout by black humour; pushing out or aside that darkness within us all can sometimes be overpowering.
My instincts tell me that if I were to read this a decade or so from now, I would’ve appreciated it more. But in consideration of my current situation, my heart ached for the future: the upcoming birth, the joys & pains of small children, and further on, the promised heartbreak when they will eventually leave home. These are, of course, the natural course of life though reading Mothers Grimm made it all so awfully real to me –that these all collided in to one point in time so near rather than throughout the next decade or two. This book is one I’d like to re-read one day in the distant future to hopefully better appreciate.
Thank you, Allen & Unwin in conjunction with The Reading Room for copy of paperback .
By this part of the blurb alone, it should be pretty obvious what we’re getting here. None of that Disney fairy tales with an Happy Ever Afters. By the last line of the Prologue; ”...why it is, in fairy tales, that the Good Mother is always dead.”, I questioned the timing of my reading this book on motherhood (FYI, am expecting my second baby in about 6 weeks). Yet, I continued reading with some foreboding...
There are 4 stories in this novel which I supposed inspired rather than a retelling of any fairy tales. Each story was preceded by some phrases of a fairy tale on which stories are based. These stories are set in more contemporary times with loose interpretations on fairy tales’ mothers. What is missing from these stories are the magic usually employed in fairy tales, the basic good vs. evil, and the ultimate love prevails overall sort of path. In spite of this, these stories are cleverly realistic and frighteningly Grimm-like.
The black and white of distinction between good and evil is blurred as these stories dug into the human psyche. These mothers are far from perfect and each carry own unique struggles in her role as a woman and a mother. These well-told tales carried the burdens of motherhood throughout the ages into contemporary settings where appearances are just never what they seemed. This was highlighted throughout by black humour; pushing out or aside that darkness within us all can sometimes be overpowering.
My instincts tell me that if I were to read this a decade or so from now, I would’ve appreciated it more. But in consideration of my current situation, my heart ached for the future: the upcoming birth, the joys & pains of small children, and further on, the promised heartbreak when they will eventually leave home. These are, of course, the natural course of life though reading Mothers Grimm made it all so awfully real to me –that these all collided in to one point in time so near rather than throughout the next decade or two. This book is one I’d like to re-read one day in the distant future to hopefully better appreciate.
Thank you, Allen & Unwin in conjunction with The Reading Room for copy of paperback .
There’s a lot of babies in my life at the moment. Not mine (fortunately), but I have a lot of pregnant friends and new mothers in my circle of friends. Reading Mothers Grimm, I can’t say that I want to join their ranks too soon!
When we think about mothers in fairy tales…well, there’s not too many of them (but a plethora of wicked stepmothers) and they’re not the nice, selfless types. A baby for leafy greens? Sure. Leaving your child in the woods? No worries. But everyday mothers don’t do that – they are pure and always act in the best interests of their offspring…right? The mothers in this story are modern and they’re also women in their own right. They had lives, careers, friends and a social life before Baby made an entrance. Society expects them to juggle everything with a smile, from the high-powered, high-stress job to having a perfect three course dinner on the table every single night. It’s just not possible and in these tales, Danielle Wood shows that something’s got to give. Nobody can be perfect 100% of the time and society does put unrealistic expectations on mothers and judges them harshly for it.
The stories are based on fairy tales, but the premise is so twisted that you’d be hard-pressed to recognise the origin of the tale. I really liked that part – it meant I had no preconceived ideas of what was to come. Boy, I was in for some eye-opening. Wood tackles the big stuff, from the seemingly perfect mother who changes her mind at the last minute to the accidental pregnancy that ends in accidental tragedy. She reveals that mothers are not serene angels, but women whose phones go flat because they forgot to turn the charger on and die a little inside when they have to leave their child in day care to pay the mortgage. They do bad things too, whether it be poisoning or sneaking in a coffee when pregnant. It’s great. It shows we’re all human and we all have faults. Who is this society to tell us what to do anyway?
The stories are easily read in a sitting or two (I say two because they equalled two train trips for me) and I think women who are mothers may relate more to some of the thoughts expressed in the stories (us others, we just nod and know that our friends have said this a lot). It’s probably not a book you want to give to your idealistic friend who is expecting her first child though! (Wait until she’s had several months of sleepless nights). They’re not always happy, but they reflect life as we know it. Read it and grin at the scenes you recognise!
Thank you to Allen & Unwin and The Reading Room for the ARC of this book.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
When we think about mothers in fairy tales…well, there’s not too many of them (but a plethora of wicked stepmothers) and they’re not the nice, selfless types. A baby for leafy greens? Sure. Leaving your child in the woods? No worries. But everyday mothers don’t do that – they are pure and always act in the best interests of their offspring…right? The mothers in this story are modern and they’re also women in their own right. They had lives, careers, friends and a social life before Baby made an entrance. Society expects them to juggle everything with a smile, from the high-powered, high-stress job to having a perfect three course dinner on the table every single night. It’s just not possible and in these tales, Danielle Wood shows that something’s got to give. Nobody can be perfect 100% of the time and society does put unrealistic expectations on mothers and judges them harshly for it.
The stories are based on fairy tales, but the premise is so twisted that you’d be hard-pressed to recognise the origin of the tale. I really liked that part – it meant I had no preconceived ideas of what was to come. Boy, I was in for some eye-opening. Wood tackles the big stuff, from the seemingly perfect mother who changes her mind at the last minute to the accidental pregnancy that ends in accidental tragedy. She reveals that mothers are not serene angels, but women whose phones go flat because they forgot to turn the charger on and die a little inside when they have to leave their child in day care to pay the mortgage. They do bad things too, whether it be poisoning or sneaking in a coffee when pregnant. It’s great. It shows we’re all human and we all have faults. Who is this society to tell us what to do anyway?
The stories are easily read in a sitting or two (I say two because they equalled two train trips for me) and I think women who are mothers may relate more to some of the thoughts expressed in the stories (us others, we just nod and know that our friends have said this a lot). It’s probably not a book you want to give to your idealistic friend who is expecting her first child though! (Wait until she’s had several months of sleepless nights). They’re not always happy, but they reflect life as we know it. Read it and grin at the scenes you recognise!
Thank you to Allen & Unwin and The Reading Room for the ARC of this book.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
This book was very well written, but I came away disappointed.
The theme seems to be expectations. I expected a dark retold fairytale, full of the humour promised on the cover, with dark angular figures and classic mythology. What I got was 4 separate stories about 4 separate women, each on a journey through motherhood that was not at all what she expected. The tales are short, grim, and full of unfulfilled promises, unfulfilled dreams, and failing relationships.
It seems like these stories are a warning against high expectations, against falling for the prevailing culture and mythology behind what it is to be a woman and a mother in the modern world. How someone can go through life without any expectations is beyond me - if you have a fully functioning brain, you have dreams and hopes, you expect things to be better than they are. If we didn't dream, there'd be no books, and I wouldn't be writing this review.
The theme seems to be expectations. I expected a dark retold fairytale, full of the humour promised on the cover, with dark angular figures and classic mythology. What I got was 4 separate stories about 4 separate women, each on a journey through motherhood that was not at all what she expected. The tales are short, grim, and full of unfulfilled promises, unfulfilled dreams, and failing relationships.
It seems like these stories are a warning against high expectations, against falling for the prevailing culture and mythology behind what it is to be a woman and a mother in the modern world. How someone can go through life without any expectations is beyond me - if you have a fully functioning brain, you have dreams and hopes, you expect things to be better than they are. If we didn't dream, there'd be no books, and I wouldn't be writing this review.
This is a quick, easy book to read that offers a new, modern twist on Brothers Grimm fairytales.
The stories focus around the idea of the 'Good Mother'. Each individual story has its own take on motherhood and what some people are willing to do for peace and quiet or a good sleep.
It was an enjoyable book, but not memorable.
The stories focus around the idea of the 'Good Mother'. Each individual story has its own take on motherhood and what some people are willing to do for peace and quiet or a good sleep.
It was an enjoyable book, but not memorable.