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mydreamsaresilent's review against another edition
5.0
How can one fairly criticize a bevy of stories with such collective origin, with such cultural momentum, with such moral force? I think you can only really examine the translation and your own reaction in such a case. There were stories that horrified me, bored me, surprised me, were engrossing, mad, wonderful, and absurd. At times I struggled through repetitive themes and actions of characters, other times I couldn't believe what I was reading. That type of resonating astonishment sparked within the reader can only be the mark of greatness in literature. As for the translation, it was melodic, a beautiful compliment to the extravagance of the tales within this book. I will say though, the illustrations are very, very poorly placed within the text as they often give away the story before you've reached a critical part. Is this an oversight or deliberate carelessness?
itwassomethingabout's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
antij's review
3.0
I enjoyed some of the earlier stories, specifically when we got the stories within stories within stories, and reading the Aladdin story when all I knew of it was the Disney version was pretty buckwild, but most of the rest of the very long book dragged. Too many of the stories meandered about, reaching what should have been the conclusion and then going on for three of four times the amount. Perhaps that sort of narrative makes sense since the narrator is supposed to be trying to delay her husband and possible executioner (spoiler for the introduction to the book), but the stories almost never read like the story a young woman would tell. It reads much more like a collection of stories that have been translated multiple times and added to as it went along.
grinchem's review
adventurous
funny
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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