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librarystax's review against another edition
5.0
Like am I just giving five stars to every book I read? Maybe. Maybe it’s just because I like reading so much and get to do it so little. But this one is super fun retellings of the groom fairy tales by Phillip Pullman who is one of the best authors for YA classics in my opinion. Fun stories and fun little thoughts about them by the author. I enjoyed reading them out loud as bedtime stories for the adults in my family. Ha!
cseibs's review against another edition
4.0
Such strange stories. I appreciated the little editorial notes at the end of each story.
beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this Mr. Pullman’s “New English Version” of the famed classic Fairy Tales from the Brother’s Grimm. There were actually quite a few stories that I had not heard read before. So this was a nice surprise. What I liked about this collection was that Mr. Pullman tried to stay as true and accurate to the original telling of the stories from the Brothers Grimm. What I found the most intriguing were the references at the end of each tale as to the origin and what the tale represented.
It is amazing to see the adaptation that other writers have taken with the fairy tales like Walt Disney. I know that changes are made for the movies as the movies have to be exciting and grand but to see the differences from the original to the ones that readers remember today as the “classic” is as I said before interesting. I thought that some of the tales were darker then what they have been portrayed. Also, the stories that the Brothers Grimm wrote actually carry more meaning then just coming off as silly fairy tales with happy endings. Readers will have an enjoyable time reading these tales from Brother’s Grimm and Mr. Pullman.
It is amazing to see the adaptation that other writers have taken with the fairy tales like Walt Disney. I know that changes are made for the movies as the movies have to be exciting and grand but to see the differences from the original to the ones that readers remember today as the “classic” is as I said before interesting. I thought that some of the tales were darker then what they have been portrayed. Also, the stories that the Brothers Grimm wrote actually carry more meaning then just coming off as silly fairy tales with happy endings. Readers will have an enjoyable time reading these tales from Brother’s Grimm and Mr. Pullman.
leafblade17's review against another edition
5.0
A very detailed selection of Grimm's tales with insightful notes by Philip Pullman. I sped through the book enjoying each tale. Worth keeping in your library. My only drawback is aesthetic, that is, the ink of the hardback began dissolving with my hands in the summer heat causing the front and back cover to fade.
jemimaannie's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
audreychamaine's review against another edition
4.0
I grew up loving fairy tales, especially those by the Brothers Grimm. I had them narrated on records, and I’d sit or lay on the carpet and just listen and let my imagination take me away. I took the stories at face value, and never questioned how odd they are, or why things happen in them the way they do. It was just how it was.
Now, as an adult, it’s wonderful to be able to get reacquainted with the stories, and to read some I’d never heard of before. In this new translation and version, Philip Pullman has selected 50 of the stories and presents them once again. He doesn’t embellish much, but tries to find the best version of each tale from the many editions the Grimm brothers published. At the end of each story, Pullman gives bibliographical references for similar stories that appear in sources like Mother Goose, Italo Calvino, and the Arabian Nights, among others. When available, Pullman also tells us where the brothers first heard the tale, and from whom. It’s a fantastic starting point for those looking for references to related sources.
As straightforward as the stories are, Pullman still gives us his own thoughts about them at the end, and choices he would make if he were to change them. For example, in his version of Rapunzel he has Rapunzel complain of her clothes being too tight, revealing to the witch that she is pregnant, rather than the alternative of Rapunzel stupidly asking the witch why she is heavier to pull up than the prince. Pullman argues that his way keeps Rapunzel completely innocent and worthy of her eventual redemption. Pullman also wrote a fantastic introduction to the volume, giving intelligent analysis of why and how fairy tales work.
This is a beautiful book of well-loved stories, and Pullman’s own writing makes it worthwhile to anyone who is interested in folklore, storytelling, and the sources of our common narrative standards.
Now, as an adult, it’s wonderful to be able to get reacquainted with the stories, and to read some I’d never heard of before. In this new translation and version, Philip Pullman has selected 50 of the stories and presents them once again. He doesn’t embellish much, but tries to find the best version of each tale from the many editions the Grimm brothers published. At the end of each story, Pullman gives bibliographical references for similar stories that appear in sources like Mother Goose, Italo Calvino, and the Arabian Nights, among others. When available, Pullman also tells us where the brothers first heard the tale, and from whom. It’s a fantastic starting point for those looking for references to related sources.
As straightforward as the stories are, Pullman still gives us his own thoughts about them at the end, and choices he would make if he were to change them. For example, in his version of Rapunzel he has Rapunzel complain of her clothes being too tight, revealing to the witch that she is pregnant, rather than the alternative of Rapunzel stupidly asking the witch why she is heavier to pull up than the prince. Pullman argues that his way keeps Rapunzel completely innocent and worthy of her eventual redemption. Pullman also wrote a fantastic introduction to the volume, giving intelligent analysis of why and how fairy tales work.
This is a beautiful book of well-loved stories, and Pullman’s own writing makes it worthwhile to anyone who is interested in folklore, storytelling, and the sources of our common narrative standards.
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
4.0
Philip Pullman has taken some of the most familiar tales, such as Cinderella and Red Riding Hood, some of the not-so-familiar, like The Goose Girl and The Bremen Town Musicians and several of the least known stories, like Faithful Johannes and Hans-My-Hedgehog and retold them. This isn't a reworking or a collection of imaginative stories based on Grimm's fairy tales, but a faithful retelling. At the end of each story Pullman adds notes about the origins of the story and how he chose to tell it.
It was enjoyable to revisit those old tales and Pullman's writing does justice to them. The stories I had never encountered before were, for me, the most interesting, but the real meat of the book is in Pullman's brief notes about each tale. I read several of these with my ten year old son and he was astonished by the sheer bloodthirstiness of several of the stories. Grimm's fairy tales are very different than the carefully inoffensive Disney versions, often containing a strong religious influence, but also reflecting the harshness and capriciousness of the world in which they were told.
It was enjoyable to revisit those old tales and Pullman's writing does justice to them. The stories I had never encountered before were, for me, the most interesting, but the real meat of the book is in Pullman's brief notes about each tale. I read several of these with my ten year old son and he was astonished by the sheer bloodthirstiness of several of the stories. Grimm's fairy tales are very different than the carefully inoffensive Disney versions, often containing a strong religious influence, but also reflecting the harshness and capriciousness of the world in which they were told.