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madamewritelyso's review
4.0
I was introduced to Sabrina Orah Mark’s writing in a generative prose poetry class in fall of 2021. I was fascinated with how Mark was able to capture surrealism and use it to write relatable stories and poems. When I heard about her new book coming out, I was ecstatic and I still feel that way after reading the book. This memoir-in-essays of Mark’s life, specifically discussing relationships, motherhood, and family, is stunning and heartbreaking. The weaving of fairy tales and memoir is fascinating and gorgeous. I enjoyed the little deep dives into the various fairy tales that were discussed in each chapter and how they connected to certain life events and people in Mark’s life. I can’t wait to buy a physical copy of this. This is definitely going on the bookshelf.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
micheherz's review
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
The first few chapters made me pretty excited to read this book but by the end it was less exciting. I enjoyed the fairy tale connection to real life but it wasn’t as good as I thought at first
emholl's review
4.0
i am so glad i read this, but i have such a complicated relationship with it.
i really admired the tone of the writing, and the ideas it brought up. some of the intertwining of fairy tale elements and the author's personal life are fantastic (others fell short for me, but still were interesting to consider), and i really appreciate a concept like this. it was a memoir that could pass for a collection of short stories, all strung together by common themes (a structure that i really enjoy). some stuff in here I'm really not sure about. she writes many times how she shouldn't be writing down what she is, how she hurts people with her writing, how her stepdaughter asked why she writes about her. that whole side of it is messy to me, i don't know the true right or wrong, there probably isn't anything but a blurry grey area. some lines about blended families i understood immediately, some made me a little uncomfortable, but they're all valid in this author's experience.
but despite how much i agree or disagree with certain parts of this book, i did value and enjoy reading it.
i really admired the tone of the writing, and the ideas it brought up. some of the intertwining of fairy tale elements and the author's personal life are fantastic (others fell short for me, but still were interesting to consider), and i really appreciate a concept like this. it was a memoir that could pass for a collection of short stories, all strung together by common themes (a structure that i really enjoy). some stuff in here I'm really not sure about. she writes many times how she shouldn't be writing down what she is, how she hurts people with her writing, how her stepdaughter asked why she writes about her. that whole side of it is messy to me, i don't know the true right or wrong, there probably isn't anything but a blurry grey area. some lines about blended families i understood immediately, some made me a little uncomfortable, but they're all valid in this author's experience.
but despite how much i agree or disagree with certain parts of this book, i did value and enjoy reading it.
kajh23's review
4.0
A wonderfully intuitive collection of essays that grapple with the woes of modern life by delving into the lessons of fairytales.
schroerjaf's review against another edition
I was hoping for a thought-provoking book about the relevance of fairy tales to modern life, but ended up feeling depressed. In the first two essays, the fairy tales seemed tangential. The focus was on explaining death to children after the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue and the sad life of an artist whose paintings were displayed at a Holocaust museum. When the author's grandmother died within the first few lines of the third essay, it was time for me to tap out.