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brandifox's review against another edition
I’m “done” at 75%
It is interesting but not designed for the straight through reading I was trying to do. Like a television show who got renewed past the point of caring…. Maybe I will circle back to it …. Someday.
It is interesting but not designed for the straight through reading I was trying to do. Like a television show who got renewed past the point of caring…. Maybe I will circle back to it …. Someday.
susyhendrix's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
cubanpete's review against another edition
When she handed it to me, I lifted the cup to my lips, but instead of drinking, poured it hastily into the folds of my garments.
The Thousand And One Nights had been my long-standing favourite, maybe because I hadn't re-read it for some years. A correction is needed! Perhaps I was so in love with its exotic setting and crazy magical stuff that I somehow missed out on the rest. This time I found out that most characters are veritable morons, who make incomprehensibly bad decisions, and gender relations are at an all-time low. What a disappointment. At least I still enjoyed my favourite story where a wall opens up, a woman comes out and has a conversation with fish that are frying in the frying pan . When it comes to other characters in these tales, they deserve everything they got.
donnaadouglas's review against another edition
4.0
A friend of mine, who claims to be a feminist, criticised this book as being anti-feminist and offensive to modern women. When I asked her to explain why, she told me that it shows women to be the reason for the downfall of men.
Having now read this book myself, I can say that I completely disagree with my friend. In fact, I would even go as far as saying that this book is pro-feminism. At it's heart is the story of a woman who wins a man's heart through her wit and intelligence - not through flaunting her body. Having said this, there are women in several of the stories who do lure men into compromising situations. However, these women are not shown in a positive light (nor should they be!), and at the same time the men are seen to be shallow, besotted fools; victims of their own bad judgement. Also, for every woman protrayed as a harlot in this book, there's a man portrayed as an evil sorceror or a jealous vizier. Men could be seen to be equally as 'villanous' as women in this book.
To me, the moral of these stories warns of avarice and envy. The villains of the stories were all victims of these, whilst the heroes were all rewarded for being content with their lot in life, but without forsaking ambition. A valid message to a contemporary audience? I'd certainly say so.
Having now read this book myself, I can say that I completely disagree with my friend. In fact, I would even go as far as saying that this book is pro-feminism. At it's heart is the story of a woman who wins a man's heart through her wit and intelligence - not through flaunting her body. Having said this, there are women in several of the stories who do lure men into compromising situations. However, these women are not shown in a positive light (nor should they be!), and at the same time the men are seen to be shallow, besotted fools; victims of their own bad judgement. Also, for every woman protrayed as a harlot in this book, there's a man portrayed as an evil sorceror or a jealous vizier. Men could be seen to be equally as 'villanous' as women in this book.
To me, the moral of these stories warns of avarice and envy. The villains of the stories were all victims of these, whilst the heroes were all rewarded for being content with their lot in life, but without forsaking ambition. A valid message to a contemporary audience? I'd certainly say so.
elen_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
moodymuse19's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
annepw's review against another edition
4.0
I read a children's illustrated abridgment. Very entertaining stories that differed in some surprising ways from the ones I knew, in the few cases I had prior exposure to the story. As for this edition, I can't speak to the quality of the abridgment, never having read the unabridged, but the color plates were beautiful.
minimalmike's review against another edition
4.0
4.35 overall
4.53 for the writing
4.2 for the story(s)
My personal rating based on how much I enjoyed the book: 3.7-4.0
4.53 for the writing
4.2 for the story(s)
My personal rating based on how much I enjoyed the book: 3.7-4.0
marianne_brough's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0