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leaflibrary's review
5.0
This tiny collection (just three short stories!) somehow manages to contain my two very favorite fairy tales of all time.
The first, The Light Princess, begins with a familiar plot, but quickly progresses into something so unusual it almost seems modern. MacDonald's witty dialogue and clever narration are often laugh out loud funny, and his characters feel realistically (rather than tragically) flawed. The self-possessed princess reminds me of the heroine in The Paper Bag Princess, and the plot reminds me a little bit of Holes.
The middle story is mostly forgettable, although it still manages to subvert a fairy tale trope or two. The search for a child-eating giant's heart feels like a strange mix of English folklore and Norse mythology.
Finally, The Golden Key is a magical allegory dressed up as child's fantasy. Where The Light Princess was a tongue-in-cheek upending of the traditional fairy tale, The Golden Key is a reverent elevation of all one can be. The writing is lush and the allegory is rich. I only wish I understood more of it!
I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone who loves fairy tales - especially adults!
The first, The Light Princess, begins with a familiar plot, but quickly progresses into something so unusual it almost seems modern. MacDonald's witty dialogue and clever narration are often laugh out loud funny, and his characters feel realistically (rather than tragically) flawed. The self-possessed princess reminds me of the heroine in The Paper Bag Princess, and the plot reminds me a little bit of Holes.
The middle story is mostly forgettable, although it still manages to subvert a fairy tale trope or two. The search for a child-eating giant's heart feels like a strange mix of English folklore and Norse mythology.
Finally, The Golden Key is a magical allegory dressed up as child's fantasy. Where The Light Princess was a tongue-in-cheek upending of the traditional fairy tale, The Golden Key is a reverent elevation of all one can be. The writing is lush and the allegory is rich. I only wish I understood more of it!
I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone who loves fairy tales - especially adults!
somechelsea's review
2.0
I technically cheated, and only read one of the stories in this book - but it's the title one, so it mostly kind of counts.
Kind of charming and a little quirky. I completely get the comparisons to [b:The Ordinary Princess|674749|The Ordinary Princess|M.M. Kaye|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347430925s/674749.jpg|1114147], but I like Kaye's take much, much better. The Light Princess herself (did she have a name? have I forgotten it already?) was a bit of a... bitch? caricature? very boring and unlikeable main character?
The story was cute, I guess. Other reviewers seem to like some of the other stories better, so maybe I'll check those out next.
Kind of charming and a little quirky. I completely get the comparisons to [b:The Ordinary Princess|674749|The Ordinary Princess|M.M. Kaye|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347430925s/674749.jpg|1114147], but I like Kaye's take much, much better. The Light Princess herself (did she have a name? have I forgotten it already?) was a bit of a... bitch? caricature? very boring and unlikeable main character?
The story was cute, I guess. Other reviewers seem to like some of the other stories better, so maybe I'll check those out next.
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