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girlreading's review
3.0
I’m so sad that I didn’t love this as much as I’d hoped I would. There were a few stories I liked above the others, The Tender Weight being my stand out favourite but overall, this collection wasn’t for me unfortunately.
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
4.0
Sullivan's prose is so precise, rich and complex that these short stories could be described as prose poems. Each story retells a familiar fairytale, exploring the trauma and emotional reality of women who have been forced into situations outside of their control. Each story is told in luminous language, often full of not only precisely chosen images, but also assonance and internal rhythms. Sometimes they are almost in iambic pentameter. These stories beg to be read aloud. The beautiful language means it pays to read these slowly, only one or two an evening, though they are so compelling that it's hard not to swallow them all in one sitting. My only caveats are that sometimes the heroines don't feel distinct enough from one another, and that I feel the final story, added to the paperback version of the collection, doesn't add enough to really earn its place. Otherwise, I am so impressed by these, and recommend them highly.
1mpossiblealice's review
Read three stories, the writing was reasonably good but the tone/, style just not for me, I found it tedious after three stories the same and nothing really amazing or new in the storytelling.
readsbyross's review
5.0
I just got a chill at the last line. This book is such a unique, marvellous, dark and twisted piece of art.
swordsmith's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I was so excited to read my first Deirdre Sullivan but honestly this really disappointed. This is a collection of short stories, retellings of classic European fairytales, and while there are a few good ideas in there the execution mostly fell flat for me. The writing reads like it thinks its really profound but only like, one in five lines actually resonated with me. I quite enjoyed the respective retellings of Rapunzel, Hansel & Gretal and Bluebeard, but three stories out of thirteen are not good odds. Ultimately I was glad they were short stories because I don't think I could have read a novel in this style. Beautiful illustrations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Incest, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Infertility, Body shaming, Ableism, Sexual harassment, and Eating disorder
hal8752's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
dorkphoenixrising's review against another edition
1.0
Chosen by a book group member for our club read... thankfully it was a short read as I really struggled with it. I found the pacing off and couldn't understand what was going on in some places. A collection of short fairytale retellings, this has been labelled as feminist by some, but it falls short for me, featuring rape and misogyny. It's the first book club choice I've come close to putting down; my least favourite so far!