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saritaroth's review against another edition
4.0
This book is an innovative retelling of the old fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. Becca Berlin and her sisters, Sylvia and Shana, grew up listening to their grandmother, Gemma, tell the riveting story of Briar Rose. Then, as Gemma is on her deathbed, Becca finds out something extraordinary: Gemma claims to be Briar Rose. Her claims send Becca on a quest to Poland to find out how her grandmother's story began. The book then launches into a heartwrenching story of the Holocaust and the concentration camps that were located there. In her quest, she and her translator, Magda, meet an old man named Josef who knew Becca's grandmother and is able to fill in some of the holes in her mysterious back story.
The book was really a delight to read; I especially appreciated that it was a rather short book. I sometimes feel that authors tend to ramble on for far too long and, before you know it, you're trapped in a 700-page book from which you cannot escape. Every once in a while, it's nice to read a short book. The only criticism that I would have about this book is that the author takes too long to reveal why Josef's story is so important. The first half of the book is definitely about Gemma and Becca's search for her legacy. But, all of a sudden, it becomes Josef's story, and as a reader, you're wondering why you're being bombarded by so many details of this man's life. I do not mean to belittle the horrendous trials and tribulations that Jews, homosexuals, and basically anyone not fitting into the very narrow mold that Hitler was constructing were forced to go through. But, up until that point, I didn't feel that it was his story; it was supposed to be Gemma's. I'll admit it was quite jarring. But, at the end of his story, it kind of makes sense as to why we would even care. Yet I still don't know if we needed to hear so much of his story.
The book was really a delight to read; I especially appreciated that it was a rather short book. I sometimes feel that authors tend to ramble on for far too long and, before you know it, you're trapped in a 700-page book from which you cannot escape. Every once in a while, it's nice to read a short book. The only criticism that I would have about this book is that the author takes too long to reveal why Josef's story is so important. The first half of the book is definitely about Gemma and Becca's search for her legacy. But, all of a sudden, it becomes Josef's story, and as a reader, you're wondering why you're being bombarded by so many details of this man's life. I do not mean to belittle the horrendous trials and tribulations that Jews, homosexuals, and basically anyone not fitting into the very narrow mold that Hitler was constructing were forced to go through. But, up until that point, I didn't feel that it was his story; it was supposed to be Gemma's. I'll admit it was quite jarring. But, at the end of his story, it kind of makes sense as to why we would even care. Yet I still don't know if we needed to hear so much of his story.
thehatfam's review against another edition
3.0
Even though this says it's a fairy tell retelling-it's not. The Grandma only uses a fairy tale to tell her grandkids about her life. It's really about holocaust. After I got over the initial shock, I really liked it. There was just one thing that I could see why they had it in the book (because it gave a different perspective on the holocaust) but I wished they didn't go into that much detail. It wasn't bad, just more than I wanted to know. If you are interested about Holocaust stories (even if you're not), this is a good one.
justkharp's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This beautiful and heartwrentching book is gorgeously written with overlay of fairy tales and stories and how they can save people from the horrors of life. I couldn't put it down. A story of multiple holocaust survivors, and their decendants looking to learn more about their past, and just so amazingly written.
iceangel32's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. I was pleasantly surprised that it took place not to far from me in MA. It was not as much fairy tale as I expected...but the mystery and the story that took place was great. Becca took off on a journey to learn a past that was told to her by her grandmother. She did not get all the answers that she set out for but enough to move on and know some of her family's past. It was a great tale of sorrow and love and life. Snow white and the Holocaust...I would have never put them together but they fit so well...this book has inspired me to read more of these rewritten not so happy ending fairy tale stories and when a book inspires it moved from 3 to 4 stars.
sallyavena's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know if I would call this a modern fairy tale. Yolen takes the tale of Sleeping Beauty and puts elements into a story of a Holocaust survivor. While the story telling is well done, it's not much of a fairy tale in the Disney sense. This is definitely a older YA book.
frawst_disasta_reads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
What if an author took the story of The Sleeping Beauty of the Woods and interchanged the book with the horrors of the Holocaust?
What if a grandmother tasked her youngest granddaughter with finding out her history? What if it turned out even your mother didn’t know her history and it brought you to a Concentration Camp?
What if a grandmother tasked her youngest granddaughter with finding out her history? What if it turned out even your mother didn’t know her history and it brought you to a Concentration Camp?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide and Suicide
Moderate: Homophobia, War, and Torture
xeyra1's review against another edition
5.0
An absolutely heart - and gut - wrenching novel, which seamlessly and beautifully connects the Sleeping Beauty fairytale with the Holocaust and its history of strife, horror and death. I really liked this story of a woman in search of her grandmother's story, a promise she makes on a deathbed, and how she finds what she was looking for in her grandmother's homeland of Poland, in a story that is so saddening and frightening because most of the events portrayed are historical facts. A different and touching rendering of a beloved fairytale in a dark, despairing context, but which makes for a great - if sad - read.
ladytiara's review against another edition
4.0
Briar Rose is a unique and inspired retelling of the story of Sleeping Beauty. It is part of the Fairy Tale series organized by Terri Windling, which features a number of classic tales retold by well-known fantasy authors.
In this version of the fairy tale, a young woman named Rebecca is very close to her grandmother Gemma. As children, Rebecca and her two older sisters loved to hear their grandmother tell them the story of Briar Rose. The older sisters outgrew their interest in the fairy tale, but even as an adult, Rebecca still likes to hear her grandmother tell it. On her deathbed, Gemma insists to Rebecca, “I am Briar Rose.” The rest of the family thinks she’s confused the fairy tale with reality, but Rebecca is determined to investigate her grandmother’s past. When she starts asking questions, she realizes the family knows almost nothing about Gemma. When she came to the United States, where she came from, and even her real name are mysteries.
Rebecca’s journey into her grandmother’s past takes her deep into the horrors of the Holocaust. But amidst the violence and brutality, she finds humanity and hope. Yolen’s prose is simple and lyrical, and the story moved me greatly. My only complaint is a subplot involving a potential romance for Rebecca. It felt tacked on, and it didn’t really add anything to the story. This minor issue aside, I highly recommend this book.
One note of caution: although the book is classified as young adult, the violence and sexual themes in the book may not be appropriate for very young readers. It should be fine for teenagers.
In this version of the fairy tale, a young woman named Rebecca is very close to her grandmother Gemma. As children, Rebecca and her two older sisters loved to hear their grandmother tell them the story of Briar Rose. The older sisters outgrew their interest in the fairy tale, but even as an adult, Rebecca still likes to hear her grandmother tell it. On her deathbed, Gemma insists to Rebecca, “I am Briar Rose.” The rest of the family thinks she’s confused the fairy tale with reality, but Rebecca is determined to investigate her grandmother’s past. When she starts asking questions, she realizes the family knows almost nothing about Gemma. When she came to the United States, where she came from, and even her real name are mysteries.
Rebecca’s journey into her grandmother’s past takes her deep into the horrors of the Holocaust. But amidst the violence and brutality, she finds humanity and hope. Yolen’s prose is simple and lyrical, and the story moved me greatly. My only complaint is a subplot involving a potential romance for Rebecca. It felt tacked on, and it didn’t really add anything to the story. This minor issue aside, I highly recommend this book.
One note of caution: although the book is classified as young adult, the violence and sexual themes in the book may not be appropriate for very young readers. It should be fine for teenagers.
lsparrow's review against another edition
4.0
Young Adult read - part retelling of the sleeping beauty tale, part discovery of a family holocaust survivor story. Loved the flow of the book and the way the story developed and took shape.
emerygirl's review against another edition
2.0
There are some books that are hard to review. This is one such book. The premise was so good, a modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty that takes place during the Holocaust. And because it is a Holocaust book, there is the underlying current that makes any book about this area hard to review. It was so tragic, so pointless, and therefore hard to say “that wasn’t very good” when dealing with that subject. But....I didn’t think it was very good. I found it hard to follow, slow at times, and kind of a let down at the end. I would give it 2.5 stars.