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flamesocks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Death of parent
sevenlefts's review against another edition
3.0
My favorite intro to to one of these tales: "In the days when wishing still helped..."
Really glad I read this, but also really kind of exhausted. I thought that reading many brief tales would go by quickly. I was really surprised at what a slog this became. Some of these tales are confusing. Some are repetitive in a way that was probably a delight when these were passed down orally, but are unbearable to read. And some are downright acid-trips.
As others have mentioned, some of these original stories are quite horrific. It's interesting that some of those "evil stepmothers" were originally just "mothers." Violence abounds -- and often for no good reason. A prevalent theme throughout these tales is that of poor but daring individuals doing the impossible to get what they desire despite the usually fatal consequences of failure. People behave badly, and get their comeuppance -- usually. But not always. This world is dark and wild.
Things to be learned from these stories:
The cut illustrations are really beautiful and spooky.
A friend of mine's 4-year-old received this as a Christmas gift. Parents might want to screen these stories before reading them aloud. And then be ready for a LOT of questions...
(Side note: I saw "Into the Woods" while reading this. I was surprised at some of the details from the show/movie that were pulled directly from the original tales -- details that I didn't remember at all from childhood.)
Really glad I read this, but also really kind of exhausted. I thought that reading many brief tales would go by quickly. I was really surprised at what a slog this became. Some of these tales are confusing. Some are repetitive in a way that was probably a delight when these were passed down orally, but are unbearable to read. And some are downright acid-trips.
As others have mentioned, some of these original stories are quite horrific. It's interesting that some of those "evil stepmothers" were originally just "mothers." Violence abounds -- and often for no good reason. A prevalent theme throughout these tales is that of poor but daring individuals doing the impossible to get what they desire despite the usually fatal consequences of failure. People behave badly, and get their comeuppance -- usually. But not always. This world is dark and wild.
Things to be learned from these stories:
- Children usually come in twos, threes, or dozens. Usually of the same gender, but if not, the youngest one is the only boy/girl. And the youngest one usually wins the day.
- Parents seem to delight in pitting their children against each other.
- Removing curses and spells usually involves the slaughter of animals.
- Talking animals have a weird habit of asking you to eat them. Generally, you should.
The cut illustrations are really beautiful and spooky.
A friend of mine's 4-year-old received this as a Christmas gift. Parents might want to screen these stories before reading them aloud. And then be ready for a LOT of questions...
(Side note: I saw "Into the Woods" while reading this. I was surprised at some of the details from the show/movie that were pulled directly from the original tales -- details that I didn't remember at all from childhood.)
vecttor42's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent compilation of classic German folk tales. Many of the fairy tales we hear today are softened adaptations of these original, more intense stories.
darcywjpg's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
While I enjoyed some of the fairy tales, after a while you realise how similar the stories are. A lot of the fairy tales have the same storyline apart from a few minor differences. You could really read the first half of this collection and you've read the whole thing.
After a while, I really got annoyed that every stepmother was evil and every 'ugly' person was evil and every beautiful person was good and pure and the best thing ever, which makes me think that I would have enjoyed the book if I had studied it, and was able to analyse these prominent messages within the Grimm fairy tales.
While I enjoyed some of the fairy tales, after a while you realise how similar the stories are. A lot of the fairy tales have the same storyline apart from a few minor differences. You could really read the first half of this collection and you've read the whole thing.
After a while, I really got annoyed that every stepmother was evil and every 'ugly' person was evil and every beautiful person was good and pure and the best thing ever, which makes me think that I would have enjoyed the book if I had studied it, and was able to analyse these prominent messages within the Grimm fairy tales.
pep_ci's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alex007sirois's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
carriedoodledoo's review against another edition
4.0
Bloody, gory, and definitely not Disney. I would read these aloud to my siblings. "Make it a bloody one!" my little brother would say.