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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
A Wild Swan is a collection of familiar fairy tales, their edges slightly tweaked or sharpened, maybe modernized a bit or told from an unusual perspective, but still mostly recognizable.
For me, the best of the bunch were "Crazy Old Lady" (Hansel and Gretel), "A Monkey's Paw" (that one's easy to figure out), "Little Man" (Rumplestiltskin), and "Steadfast; Tin" (guess!) -- and I loved "Ever/After" as a sweet capper to the collection. Beautiful illustrations, too.
Not drop-dead amazing but very good.
(three-and-a-half stars)
For me, the best of the bunch were "Crazy Old Lady" (Hansel and Gretel), "A Monkey's Paw" (that one's easy to figure out), "Little Man" (Rumplestiltskin), and "Steadfast; Tin" (guess!) -- and I loved "Ever/After" as a sweet capper to the collection. Beautiful illustrations, too.
Not drop-dead amazing but very good.
(three-and-a-half stars)
Poignant. Thoughtful. Sad, depressing, ironic. No. Just, nope. Usually a fan of re-tellings, re-imaginings, but this just did not strike me the right way. Excellent writing.
I had nothing to do in Auckland after my plans were cancelled one day, so I went to the library and read this collection of contemporary fractured fairy tales. Loved the stories and the illustrations (wish there were more!).
Didn't love the book, but didn't hate it either. Very "meh". Some were better then others, I liked the one about Beauty and the Beast the best.
3.5 stars. With any anthology book there are always going to be a mix of stories with there being ones I like and ones I don't. Some stories I'd rate 5 stars (A Wild Swan, Little Man, and Ever/After) whilst the others would be mixed in lower ratings.
I was definitely expecting more of a fairytale vibe from these sets of stories but I did enjoy the modern twists on a few of them. Overall it was a quick and fun read plus the art was stunning.
I was definitely expecting more of a fairytale vibe from these sets of stories but I did enjoy the modern twists on a few of them. Overall it was a quick and fun read plus the art was stunning.
In the style of Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber, Michael Cunningham has taken a handful of fairy tales from days gone by and tried to re-write them to fit our times, more or less.
He did a decent job. There's humor, and tragedy, so that's something.
He did a decent job. There's humor, and tragedy, so that's something.
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
A collection of re-worked fairy tales with flawed though familiar characters and a contemporary spin, but retaining the fairy-tale magic. For instance ...
"This was not a smart boy we're talking about .... Jack is the boy who says 'Wow, dude, magic beans, really!' "
The tales are a little wicked, some a little bawdy, but also quite humorous. One's I liked are:
Crazy Old Lady (Hansel and Gretel)
Jacked (Jack and the Beanstalk)
Little Man. (Rumplestiltskin)
Her Hair (Rapunzul)
And The Monkey's Paw
4 stars overall (I'd give some of the tales 5 stars)
"This was not a smart boy we're talking about .... Jack is the boy who says 'Wow, dude, magic beans, really!' "
The tales are a little wicked, some a little bawdy, but also quite humorous. One's I liked are:
Crazy Old Lady (Hansel and Gretel)
Jacked (Jack and the Beanstalk)
Little Man. (Rumplestiltskin)
Her Hair (Rapunzul)
And The Monkey's Paw
4 stars overall (I'd give some of the tales 5 stars)
A book of fractured fairy tales but for literary adults, and I'm not mad about it. These stories went down very easy. They are all based on extremely popular and well-known fairy tales--no deep cuts, which only disappointed me a little bit. Ideal for reading before bed.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes