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tsundokued's review against another edition
5.0
Read it read it read it. I wish I could give it 6 stars.
justlily's review against another edition
4.0
I mean, how do you review something like this? What do you say? Heartwrenching. Beautiful. Incredibly sad. Much more than a simple retelling of a fairy tale.
kira20's review against another edition
2.0
This book felt so long. It reminded me of eating oatmeal. I like the first bit but then it feels drawn out and dry. It was satisfying and will stick with me but eating/reading it was a chore.
cheesygiraffe's review against another edition
5.0
Jane Yolen is a wonderful re-teller of fairy tales. This one is set during World War 2. Becca finally hears the story behind her Gemma's Briar Rose.
mhollenb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
mellabella's review against another edition
2.0
I like the plot. My interest in where Gemma came from kept me reading. The ending was a let down. The fairy tale retelling was initially a turnoff for me. But, it made it a little better.
Becca was very close to her grandmother (called Gemma). She's the youngest of three girls. Her sisters Shana and Sylvie are spoiled when they are younger. Bitchy when they get older.
Gemma always told them the story of Briar Rose. Over and over.
When Gemma dies, Becca finds a few articles and items that make her want to learn more about Gemma. The quest takes her to Poland. Her siblings think she's crazy. But these are the same siblings who didn't want to visit their grandmother in the nursing home when she was alive. Sooo...
Becca's interactions with her guide Magda when she gets to Poland are sometimes cringe worthy. She corrects Magda's English constantly and, is rude. I've never read a book about the Holocaust (fiction or non) that was told from the point of view of someone gay. You read about how there were different types of people rounded up: gay, what they called gypsies, disabled, mentally ill, etc. As well as Jewish people. So, Josef's part was interesting.
Other than that, bland characters and a story I awaited, only to be disappointed by.
Becca was very close to her grandmother (called Gemma). She's the youngest of three girls. Her sisters Shana and Sylvie are spoiled when they are younger. Bitchy when they get older.
Gemma always told them the story of Briar Rose. Over and over.
When Gemma dies, Becca finds a few articles and items that make her want to learn more about Gemma. The quest takes her to Poland. Her siblings think she's crazy. But these are the same siblings who didn't want to visit their grandmother in the nursing home when she was alive. Sooo...
Becca's interactions with her guide Magda when she gets to Poland are sometimes cringe worthy. She corrects Magda's English constantly and, is rude. I've never read a book about the Holocaust (fiction or non) that was told from the point of view of someone gay. You read about how there were different types of people rounded up: gay, what they called gypsies, disabled, mentally ill, etc. As well as Jewish people. So, Josef's part was interesting.
Other than that, bland characters and a story I awaited, only to be disappointed by.
lurdesabruscato's review against another edition
4.0
A re-telling of the classic Sleeping Beauty, something along the lines of Wicked, is what I had expected when I picked this one up. Wrong. Instead, it was a poignant and powerful book, richly weaving the Holocaust, a family history and the fairy tale together. Beware, like most 'real' fairy tales, parts of this story are not for the faint of heart ... but it will stay with you forever.
ineffablebooks's review against another edition
4.0
4 1/2 stars - I set out not expecting to like this very much, mostly because it was our English novel study, but I have to admit that it was a good read. I expected it to be depressing from the start but the story is interesting and easy to read. I do suggest reading with tissues however, towards the end :)
The only thing I didnt really like, was (*SPOILER*) how becca acts so... Unmoved at the end of josef's story, when it can quite clearly move everyone reading it.
The only thing I didnt really like, was (*SPOILER*) how becca acts so... Unmoved at the end of josef's story, when it can quite clearly move everyone reading it.
jcousins's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. I didn't realize until I got home from the library with it that it was retold as a Holocaust story. I actaully put off reading it, but I am so glad I finally picked it up. I enjoyed the characters and the way the story was retold. Jane Yolen is an excellent writer.
saroz162's review against another edition
3.0
The idea is undeniably intriguing: a modern-day story about a young woman searching for her grandmother's past, with only the tiniest of clues and a fairy tale to guide her. As a pitch, I buy it. Even in the first few chapters of the novel, as it becomes rapidly clear that this will be a Holocaust story, I'm willing to follow Becca on her journey to dig deeper and deeper into a past she doesn't really understand. Once she gets to Poland, however, things become a lot less appealing - not because of the content but because the author's writing style is so limiting. Yolen may have intended this as an adult or adolescent novel, but her writing style keeps the reader from ever buying into it completely. Most of the time I felt like I was reading a book for twelve-year-olds, with brief references to "soft core movies" and "lesbian relationships" to (supposedly) make it feel adult. It's awkward, but as long as Becca stays in America, it's okay. Once she reaches Poland, though, Yolen's style goes into overkill: she seems to feel a relentless need to explain everything that happens in Poland, from names to terms to the truly irritating meta-device of Becca constantly correcting her host's broken English. (It doesn't do anything for your sympathy toward the protagonist, either.) The story of her grandmother's past - once she finds it - is certainly interesting, but it reads like a giant plot online: despite being "told" to the protagonist, the flashback is written in third person, with primarily reported dialogue. That really doesn't do anything to maintain my interest, so while I started the book very intrigued, I limped toward the finish - all the while wishing a more skilled writer had taken on the same story.