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sweets_reads's review
2.0
Some interesting takes but just found the style and language difficult to get through.
clairewords's review
4.0
Disruptive Feminist Retellings of Classic Fairy Tales
I picked up Deirdre Sullivan’s two books for a change of genre and due to the intrigue of what her work promised. In 2020 I read [b:Savage Her Reply|53851010|Savage Her Reply|Deirdre Sullivan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1591394654l/53851010._SY75_.jpg|84177647] a retelling of The Children of Lir, a fairy tale I wasn’t familiar with, but thoroughly enjoyed, not just the storytelling but the use of calligrams, poems and the language of Ogham, morsels on the side but subjects that a reader can get quite carried away with, inspiring one’s own creativity, as I found out, collecting small branches, twigs and leaves to adorn the word poems.
Tangleweed and Brine
While Savage Her Reply was a long version of just one tale, in Tangleweed and Brine, we have an entire collection, cleverly separated into seven tangled tales of earth, and six salty tales of water. They can be dipped in and out of and are best read over a period of time, because they demand our attention, require reflection and strip the old tales of their illusory inclinations, suggesting quite frankly what really was going on with Red Riding Hood and her fellow heroines.
It helps to be familiar with the tales before reading, because they aren’t told as they might be to a child. These stories are narrated by the author, often in the second person “you” voice, acknowledging and bearing witness to our heroine, recounting what she experienced back to her and to us, the reader – we who thought we knew, because you know, we read those stories or had them read to us – we now sit back and read in shock, the harsh reality of these women’s lives. Sullivan is paying homage, setting the record straight, we must not turn away. No longer.
So which tales are twisted, those that glorified these heroines lives and made us believe in Prince Charming, bad witches and vicious wolves or these tales that tell of brave and resilient heroines, surviving betrayals, neglect, judgement, cruelty, abandonment and finally have their stories told by the courageous, intuitive teacher, seer, Ms Sullivan.
Part One – Tangleweed
Slippershod (Cinderella)
Cast thoughts aside of which slipper she wears and what she dreams of, Cinderella has a different destiny and the memory of a truer love, she is resourceful and retains her inner self-worth; She is patient and knows when to act.
The Woodcutter’s Bride (Red Riding Hood)
This tale can be told by the title and beautiful illustration by Karen Vaughan. There is one picture for every story and within them often lurk clues. As I read the opening paragraphs and saw the illustration, the reality of who really was the wolf, the colour of that cape, hit me like a punch. The horror of those trophies.
Come Live Here and Be Loved (Rapunzel)
You Shall Not Suffer (Hansel and Gretel)
She lives in a world that discards the weak easily, she prefers to save lives, to nurture, or at least try to save them. She doesn’t fit the mould of what is expected, so she chooses another way, another life, a way to be herself, a house in the woods. When they abandon their litters now, they blame the witch in the woods, yet still they come to her for help, seek her healing powers.
Sister Fair (Fair, Brown and Trembling)
This is an Irish fairy tale of three sisters, that was unknown to me, one of jealousy, betrayal and redemption.
Ash Pale (Snow White)
This story turns the classic tale on its head and Snow White uses skills Her mother taught her to ensure she isn’t dispossessed of her place, when her father remarries.
Part Two – Brine
Consume Or Be Consumed (A Little Mermaid)
This was actually the first tale I read, especially after finishing Jan Carson’s [b:The Fire Starters|40718354|The Fire Starters|Jan Carson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549357172l/40718354._SY75_.jpg|63334639] in which we are led to believe that one of the protagonists is seduced by a siren. Here the mermaid spends time among humans and sees what it is to be a woman, the sacrifice.
Doing Well (The Frog Prince)
A terrible tale of a princess born into bondage, to a frog, she has no choice, no say, no rights. She belongs to this slimy amphibian and must do his bidding, worse than a slave.
The Tender Weight (Bluebeard)
Originally a French folktale, this story is given a different twist, though the inevitability of its outcome remains. A story of repetitions, of a curse, of an attempt to break it, of an unfounded reputation, a desire to break free.
Riverbed (Donkeyskin)
Another French fairytale originally from 1695, in which a daughter has to resort to extremes to protect herself from her father’s indecorous intentions. In this retelling,rather than hide and wait for him to come to his senses and she retain her good virtue, the young woman is uncompromising, will time her strike, will be as effective and more virtuous in her rule. And pay homage to the innocnet hard-working, long-suffering donkey.
The Little Gift (The Goose Girl)
Another from the Brothers Grimm collection, originally this story tells the tale of a maid servant who turns on her princess when they are travelling and forces her to swap places, making an oath never to tell. The princess becomes the maid who cares for the geese, until the prince learns of what took place and tricks the false princess into choosing her punishment. In the retelling, we learn whose idea it was to change places, the reneging on a promise, betrayal. What some will do for love, the selfishness of the entitled.
Beauty and the Board (Beauty and the Beast)
The death of the mother leaves Beauty vulnerable, but there is a presence she can contact through the board, invite in for her protection, to deal with the ever present danger. She becomes they.
As the book closes, Deirdre Sullivan touchingly makes her acknowledgements and give thanks, placing names under an array of colours and what they symbolise:
Candle-magic: bright lights that made me braver
*******
I picked up Deirdre Sullivan’s two books for a change of genre and due to the intrigue of what her work promised. In 2020 I read [b:Savage Her Reply|53851010|Savage Her Reply|Deirdre Sullivan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1591394654l/53851010._SY75_.jpg|84177647] a retelling of The Children of Lir, a fairy tale I wasn’t familiar with, but thoroughly enjoyed, not just the storytelling but the use of calligrams, poems and the language of Ogham, morsels on the side but subjects that a reader can get quite carried away with, inspiring one’s own creativity, as I found out, collecting small branches, twigs and leaves to adorn the word poems.
Tangleweed and Brine
While Savage Her Reply was a long version of just one tale, in Tangleweed and Brine, we have an entire collection, cleverly separated into seven tangled tales of earth, and six salty tales of water. They can be dipped in and out of and are best read over a period of time, because they demand our attention, require reflection and strip the old tales of their illusory inclinations, suggesting quite frankly what really was going on with Red Riding Hood and her fellow heroines.
It helps to be familiar with the tales before reading, because they aren’t told as they might be to a child. These stories are narrated by the author, often in the second person “you” voice, acknowledging and bearing witness to our heroine, recounting what she experienced back to her and to us, the reader – we who thought we knew, because you know, we read those stories or had them read to us – we now sit back and read in shock, the harsh reality of these women’s lives. Sullivan is paying homage, setting the record straight, we must not turn away. No longer.
So which tales are twisted, those that glorified these heroines lives and made us believe in Prince Charming, bad witches and vicious wolves or these tales that tell of brave and resilient heroines, surviving betrayals, neglect, judgement, cruelty, abandonment and finally have their stories told by the courageous, intuitive teacher, seer, Ms Sullivan.
Part One – Tangleweed
Slippershod (Cinderella)
Cast thoughts aside of which slipper she wears and what she dreams of, Cinderella has a different destiny and the memory of a truer love, she is resourceful and retains her inner self-worth; She is patient and knows when to act.
“Stretching on the bed, with soft bread in your mouth, the taste of butter, you wonder what they are doing at the ball. Who the prince will dance with. The love he’ll choose, the girls he will discard. There’s nothing gentle in that kind of power. You close your eyes. There is a different world. Where people do things, make things. Carve them out. You breathe the thick, soft air. It smells of hops. You smile and square your shoulders. Sometimes love is something more like rage. It makes you fight. You feel the future, wide and bright around you, kicking in your gut as though a child. The night spread wide and you have flown, you’ve flown.”
The Woodcutter’s Bride (Red Riding Hood)
This tale can be told by the title and beautiful illustration by Karen Vaughan. There is one picture for every story and within them often lurk clues. As I read the opening paragraphs and saw the illustration, the reality of who really was the wolf, the colour of that cape, hit me like a punch. The horror of those trophies.
“When I was a small girl something happened to me in the forest. I can’t recall exactly what it was. It’s hard to trust tales from the lips of grandmothers; they come out wrong, too dirty or too clean. Since then I have not felt the same about the forest, I liked it once I think or I think I think. It’s beautiful but on its inky edges something stirs to fidget with my gut. It’s getting dark; my husband will be home soon. I bite down on my lips to make them red."
Come Live Here and Be Loved (Rapunzel)
“Your husband’s face afraid when you inform him. A happy sort of fear. To grow a person is no little thing. It isn’t like a turnip or a spud. It’s not so simple, weaving vein and bone. Your sense of smell wolf-sharp and, oh, the hunger. You ache with it. It gnaws at you, untrammelled through your gut. The pang of it so sharp, like teeth, like fury. A starving ache that cannot be suppressed.”
You Shall Not Suffer (Hansel and Gretel)
She lives in a world that discards the weak easily, she prefers to save lives, to nurture, or at least try to save them. She doesn’t fit the mould of what is expected, so she chooses another way, another life, a way to be herself, a house in the woods. When they abandon their litters now, they blame the witch in the woods, yet still they come to her for help, seek her healing powers.
“You grew up soft, but still you learned to hide it. Piece by piece. The world’s not built for soft and sturdy things. It likes its soft thing small and white, defenceless. Princesses in castles. Maidens waiting for the perfect sword. You grew up soft, and piece by wounded piece you built a carapace around your body. Humans are peculiar little things.
Sister Fair (Fair, Brown and Trembling)
This is an Irish fairy tale of three sisters, that was unknown to me, one of jealousy, betrayal and redemption.
“It’s not about being sensible, or strong. It’s not about being kind. It’s not about the soft touch and the kind heart. Beauty and a womb. That’s all you are.”
Ash Pale (Snow White)
This story turns the classic tale on its head and Snow White uses skills Her mother taught her to ensure she isn’t dispossessed of her place, when her father remarries.
“You look at her the same way you always did. Perhaps a little kinder. Now that she’s disappearing. Not a threat. You can see her folding into herself like crumpled parchment. Changing who she is to please him.”
Part Two – Brine
Consume Or Be Consumed (A Little Mermaid)
This was actually the first tale I read, especially after finishing Jan Carson’s [b:The Fire Starters|40718354|The Fire Starters|Jan Carson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549357172l/40718354._SY75_.jpg|63334639] in which we are led to believe that one of the protagonists is seduced by a siren. Here the mermaid spends time among humans and sees what it is to be a woman, the sacrifice.
“These things with half of you on pairs of legs. They don’t look right. There’s something off about it. You often stare. Sometimes you close your eyes. So many of them. So much of this world.
On land, a woman doesn’t matter much. You miss it. Or you used to. Your skin is slightly tinged with subtle blue. They think that makes you lady-like. The colour of a person matters here. Who were you once, and what was done to you. They speculate. A quiet thing is often seen as docile. They say their secrets, spew out all their bile as you sit silently beside the window. Staring at the waters, lapping out. Everything is still here, always, always. And it should move. You long for it to move.”
Doing Well (The Frog Prince)
A terrible tale of a princess born into bondage, to a frog, she has no choice, no say, no rights. She belongs to this slimy amphibian and must do his bidding, worse than a slave.
“You have been marked from birth for just this purpose. Cloistered with the others. Secret spaces deep within this space where girls are trained. But there are passageways to keep you safe.”
The Tender Weight (Bluebeard)
Originally a French folktale, this story is given a different twist, though the inevitability of its outcome remains. A story of repetitions, of a curse, of an attempt to break it, of an unfounded reputation, a desire to break free.
“You do not have to ask him what he did. You know that it was nothing. There doesn’t have to be a reason here The world will steal what little crumbs you grasp. The loves you have can die and be reborn.The memory of pain will cling. Will cling. And you will never let yourself forget. That this has happened.”
Riverbed (Donkeyskin)
Another French fairytale originally from 1695, in which a daughter has to resort to extremes to protect herself from her father’s indecorous intentions. In this retelling,rather than hide and wait for him to come to his senses and she retain her good virtue, the young woman is uncompromising, will time her strike, will be as effective and more virtuous in her rule. And pay homage to the innocnet hard-working, long-suffering donkey.
“There is a soft rebellion to a donkey. It is a working thing. But it resents. I am fond of this. When I am cold or lonely in the castle. When I’m afraid, I often find myself around the stables, stroking them as long as they permit. Which is a goodly time. They trust me now. I earned it. Growing up, and being gentle, kind.”
The Little Gift (The Goose Girl)
Another from the Brothers Grimm collection, originally this story tells the tale of a maid servant who turns on her princess when they are travelling and forces her to swap places, making an oath never to tell. The princess becomes the maid who cares for the geese, until the prince learns of what took place and tricks the false princess into choosing her punishment. In the retelling, we learn whose idea it was to change places, the reneging on a promise, betrayal. What some will do for love, the selfishness of the entitled.
A goose can try its best to be a swan. Conceal the ruddy beak, the grating honk. But swans as geese? The air cries out to them. It’s not enough. They want clean sheets and gold. The softer life. And when I visit and stroke her face, I see her clear blue eyes upon my jewels. She does not see their weight, only their lustre. She knows they should be hers. She wants them back.”
Beauty and the Board (Beauty and the Beast)
The death of the mother leaves Beauty vulnerable, but there is a presence she can contact through the board, invite in for her protection, to deal with the ever present danger. She becomes they.
“You are a thing. A beast without a home. I know that, how it feels. And I would have you share a place in me.”
As the book closes, Deirdre Sullivan touchingly makes her acknowledgements and give thanks, placing names under an array of colours and what they symbolise:
Candle-magic: bright lights that made me braver
“Writing a book is scary, if you mean it. These people made the earth solid and the water gentle. I light candles for you all. I thank you.” Deirdre Sullivan
*******
Tangleweed and Brine is a book about women within fairy-tales. And their internal lives, as they realise their place in the world. How trapped they are. Some of them rebel, and some retreat. I wanted to write about different sorts of women, quiet ones and strong ones, women with different shaped bodies, different shaped brains. I wanted to take the stories of my childhood, and put the things we learn early on into a world where marrying a stranger is seen as a happy ending, and pride is something women shouldn’t feel.What Will Build and Break a Girl: Tangleweed and Brine by Deirdre Sullivan
actualspinster's review
3.0
i think im kind of just over fairy tale retellings at this point?? and these were mostly all quite underwhelming. rly disliked the repetitive style & i feel like most of the stories in second person / speaking to someone were basically pointless/lazy. like i dont think they added much to the tales by telling them that way. i did enjoy some more than others but.. yh. also theres only one queer one which is disappointing [also its tragic lol] and also one of the stories & drawings combined was i think low key antisemitic, although i do think they illustrations are generally nice. anyway !!
lilgf's review
4.0
4 1/2 Stars.
Fairytale retellings are a genre that I love and treasure. I have read Angela Carters [b:The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories|49011|The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories|Angela Carter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388633104s/49011.jpg|47950] and fell in love with Marissa Meyers The Lunar Chronicles series. But Deirdre Sullivans poetic and enchanting anthology of retellings is a special novel that stands out from others.
Unlike the feminist retellings of Angela Carter or the loose retellings of classics in The Lunar Chronicles, Tangleweed and Brine show alternate paths or expansions of stories such as Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood. These stories show us the underlying strength of the women and girls seen in fairytales, and the poetic style of the writings is bewitching and just so beautiful to read.
Deirdre Sullivan's novel of hope and loss and love and pain is a collection that every fairytale enthusiast needs to read, and it has re-introduced me to stories I know and love, and to classic Irish tales that I have never read.
Fairytale retellings are a genre that I love and treasure. I have read Angela Carters [b:The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories|49011|The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories|Angela Carter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388633104s/49011.jpg|47950] and fell in love with Marissa Meyers The Lunar Chronicles series. But Deirdre Sullivans poetic and enchanting anthology of retellings is a special novel that stands out from others.
Unlike the feminist retellings of Angela Carter or the loose retellings of classics in The Lunar Chronicles, Tangleweed and Brine show alternate paths or expansions of stories such as Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood. These stories show us the underlying strength of the women and girls seen in fairytales, and the poetic style of the writings is bewitching and just so beautiful to read.
Deirdre Sullivan's novel of hope and loss and love and pain is a collection that every fairytale enthusiast needs to read, and it has re-introduced me to stories I know and love, and to classic Irish tales that I have never read.
gjj274's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoy short story collections and I enjoy fairytales so this book seemed right up my street. What's not to love about fairytale retellings however, although there were some stories in here that I did enjoy the writing style wasn't really for me.
This whole collection is full of reimagined fairytales. All of them centred around a female and with several stories having a bit of a feminist twist which was nice. Lots of these stories were also quite dark and a little twisted which also appealed to me. The thing that didn't quite work for me was the writing. It was very poetic and, don't get me wrong, I'm sure many people will think the writing was beautiful but it was just too poetic for me. All of the stories were also written using lots of short sentences and this made the writing feel a bit disjointed. It was such a shame because there were a couple of stories I really enjoyed and I wanted to love the whole collection.
Here are the stories I enjoyed the most.
Ash Pale
This one was a retelling of Snow White. I was able to follow this one without too many problems and I enjoyed the way Snow White was depicted. It was a bit of a spin on the evil step mother vs princess trope and it had quite a dark ending which I liked.
Doing Well
This one was a retelling of The Frog Prince which I'm familiar with but I don't think I've ever read the original. This had quite a tragic ending and I think it did a great job of depicting the way woman can be treated and the hardships they can sometimes face.
Beauty and the Board
This one was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and it was a bit of a strange one. In the beginning I was wondering what was going on but halfway through I picked up the plot and I thought it was a really interesting and sightly disturbing twist on the idea of the 'Beast' in this fairytale.
Overall I really enjoyed a few stories in this collection and liked a couple others but I just couldn't gel with the writing style, which was a shame as I thought I was going to love this one.
This whole collection is full of reimagined fairytales. All of them centred around a female and with several stories having a bit of a feminist twist which was nice. Lots of these stories were also quite dark and a little twisted which also appealed to me. The thing that didn't quite work for me was the writing. It was very poetic and, don't get me wrong, I'm sure many people will think the writing was beautiful but it was just too poetic for me. All of the stories were also written using lots of short sentences and this made the writing feel a bit disjointed. It was such a shame because there were a couple of stories I really enjoyed and I wanted to love the whole collection.
Here are the stories I enjoyed the most.
Ash Pale
This one was a retelling of Snow White. I was able to follow this one without too many problems and I enjoyed the way Snow White was depicted. It was a bit of a spin on the evil step mother vs princess trope and it had quite a dark ending which I liked.
Doing Well
This one was a retelling of The Frog Prince which I'm familiar with but I don't think I've ever read the original. This had quite a tragic ending and I think it did a great job of depicting the way woman can be treated and the hardships they can sometimes face.
Beauty and the Board
This one was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and it was a bit of a strange one. In the beginning I was wondering what was going on but halfway through I picked up the plot and I thought it was a really interesting and sightly disturbing twist on the idea of the 'Beast' in this fairytale.
Overall I really enjoyed a few stories in this collection and liked a couple others but I just couldn't gel with the writing style, which was a shame as I thought I was going to love this one.
booksandflowers's review
2.0
It took me ages, but I finally finished Tangleweed and Brine by Deirdre Sullivan. I did not like this book that much. I find bits of it pretentious and forced. I think the idea behind it was great, but the outcome is mediocre hence why it took me ages to finish this book.
thealienamongus's review
Listened to iirc 4 stories. Didn’t like the prose, the use of second person narrator, or most of ‘twists’ on the fairytales
circlesofflame's review against another edition
3.0
Dark, feminist fairytale retellings? Sounds like a perfect recipe to me. So, why didn't I love this? The women in these tales aren't as empowered as I would have imagined. They were focused on the negative opinions of others and took these on, resulting in them feeling pretty rubbish about themselves... and this is never challenged. The whole collection feels negative, rather than overly dark. The writing is wonderfully lyrical, if just a little abrupt in tone, littered with short, clipped sentences.
Although I didn't enjoy these tales as much as I hoped, I would like to see how Sullivan's lyrical writing style would translate to longer works.
Although I didn't enjoy these tales as much as I hoped, I would like to see how Sullivan's lyrical writing style would translate to longer works.
janecuthbert's review
4.0
My favourite thing would have to be the writing style; it was poetic and succeeded in making me uncomfortable as hell. I expected this to be dark but I wasn't prepared for how dark and real some of the themes were. There's a lot of allusions to rape and domestic abuse, and some more explicit examples. It's not a nice world to be a woman in.
There were quite a few fairytales which I had never heard the originals to, I thought that would be a problem, but some of them ended up being my favourites. All the stories are intense and harrowing and well worth reading but I think reading them in such quick succession was a mistake on my part as certain aspects started to feel a little repetitive. There's only so many ways I can read about women feeling like possessions waiting to be violated.
(I can point to 2 very specific reasons why I didn't round this up to a 4 star:
(1)I'm very picky with Beauty and the Beast and that story - which happened to be the final one - didn't do it for me.
(2)The Frog Prince. Implication of being raped by a frog? I could have cried, that was horrible. The writing was too good for its own good in that chapter. )
This was a very unique reading experience and I'll definitely be reading more of Deirdre Sullivan's work in the future.
EDIT: pushing up the rating because it's been months and i'm still questioning if 3 stars was too harsh. i think that means it was.
There were quite a few fairytales which I had never heard the originals to, I thought that would be a problem, but some of them ended up being my favourites. All the stories are intense and harrowing and well worth reading but I think reading them in such quick succession was a mistake on my part as certain aspects started to feel a little repetitive. There's only so many ways I can read about women feeling like possessions waiting to be violated.
(I can point to 2 very specific reasons why I didn't round this up to a 4 star:
(1)
(2)
This was a very unique reading experience and I'll definitely be reading more of Deirdre Sullivan's work in the future.
EDIT: pushing up the rating because it's been months and i'm still questioning if 3 stars was too harsh. i think that means it was.
ladytyke's review
4.0
The way it's written won't be for everyone but I really like it. Classic fairytales rewritten in a powerful punch of a short story which relevant messages. Beautiful illustrations!