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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
A okay retelling of the sleeping beauty story but a little clunky and slow. I found myself impatient at parts. It was still enjoyable though.
A very interesting and engaging retelling of Sleeping Beauty.
The pacing between the sections seemed a little off sometimes, but overall I really liked it.
The pacing between the sections seemed a little off sometimes, but overall I really liked it.
The surprising thing about this book is that about 75% of it involves the 20 years of ordinary life the princess spends in hiding. While the fear of what is pending looms, the story is mostly about her mundane life, and yet McKinley easily makes this most interesting with fantastic descriptive talents that never focus on anything that does not directly relate to that which is happening at the moment. Transitions from the past and the present are smooth and compelling, although I found the end to be a bit rushed - even a cop out. Overall, though a brilliant interpretation of the Sleeping Beauty tale.
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
A retelling of Sleeping Beauty set in a land steeped in magic, where a young princess is raised in secret by two fairies in a far-off village, and no one, not even the girl herself, suspects her true identity. It’s a bit slow-paced, but it’s a lovely twist on the tale and the world-building is superb!
Beautiful and different take on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.
This is a fairytale retelling done right. The sumptuous world building brims with magic and imagination, and the author has a masterful command of the symbols and meanings of fairytales. She weaves together classic imagery and themes with exciting new twists, rejecting the most obvious choices in favor of deeply satisfying subversions of the reader's expectations. Every character feels solid and human and complex, and the relationships between the characters are given the space to develop and grow beautifully.
I only have one small quibble with this book, really, and that's the aggressive heteronormativity of the ending. I'm sorry, but Rosie and Peony are connected by a love so strong that it can sustain a magic powerful enough to deceive Pernicia--Rosie and Peony say "I love you" to each other--and then Rosie literally kisses Peony on the lips to wake her from a spell--and I'm supposed to read that as just a really, really, really close friendship? What?? Straight people, man. I'm not always sure how their minds work. Also, there's a strong creep factor in Rosie marrying a man who knew her when he was an adult and she was a baby, and I can't get past that, as much as I love the characters and the way their personalities mesh. I'm sorry, but that will always be a sticking point for me.
Yeah. But anyway, aside from that baffling aspect of the ending, I fell in love with this book. If you're looking for a beautiful fairytale to get lost in, one that will leave you with a feeling of deep satisfaction and near-perfect contentment, this is what you need to read next.
I only have one small quibble with this book, really, and that's
Yeah. But anyway, aside from that baffling aspect of the ending, I fell in love with this book. If you're looking for a beautiful fairytale to get lost in, one that will leave you with a feeling of deep satisfaction and near-perfect contentment, this is what you need to read next.
Dull and slow. And dull. I'm pretty disappointed, as I've enjoyed many of McKinley's other books, and this one just didn't catch me. I could barely finish it (and indeed did quite a bit of skimming toward the back third).
"Spindle's End", the third in the Folktales series is perhaps the most original retelling in McKinley's fairytale repertoire, because it strays the most from it's classic origin. However, it's originality does not take away from the magic atmosphere, intricate style, beautiful imagination and poetic, stylized language I've come to identify with McKinley's writings. It is far more expertly "woven" - in my opinion, McKinley writes as if weaving a gorgeous tapestry - than "Rose Daughter", and it's ingenious take on the classic Sleeping Beauty story makes it stand out among the three Folktales books; even considering how wonderful a tale McKinley spun in "Beauty".
The characters, as with all of the author's works I've read so far, are instantly likeable, complex and gorgeously flawed. "Spindle's End" added bonus is the animal-familiar aspect, which as a motif in literature is a personal favorite of mine. What also distinguishes "Spindle's End" from the other Folktales books is the magic. Wereas in previous retellings, the rules of magic were more obscure and the odd, supernatural occurrences simply happened, in "Spindle's End" McKinley builds an entire philosophy around the magic, thus creating a world that is not only interesting and complex, but therefore also seems more real, more... inhabited. There is a eerie, enticing, dare I say "magical" quality about the world's McKinley creates - for me, it invokes some of the vivid, imaginative world-building of Ursula K. Le Guin or Diana Wynne-Jones. On the other hand, McKinley's ability to subvert tropes, broaden classic interpretations, and enhance the stories with subtle, yet strong feminism, greatly reminds me of the works of Angela Carter.
Suffice to say, "Spindle's End" is a must-read for anyone who enjoys expertly written prose, be it fantasy or otherwise. Fans of retellings (fairytale or other), and dare I say 80's fantasy movies (in my mind, a screen adaption of McKinley's work would look somewhat like "Ladyhawke" or "Labyrinth"), should definitely strive to read as much of McKinley's books as possible. You won't be sorry.
The characters, as with all of the author's works I've read so far, are instantly likeable, complex and gorgeously flawed. "Spindle's End" added bonus is the animal-familiar aspect, which as a motif in literature is a personal favorite of mine. What also distinguishes "Spindle's End" from the other Folktales books is the magic. Wereas in previous retellings, the rules of magic were more obscure and the odd, supernatural occurrences simply happened, in "Spindle's End" McKinley builds an entire philosophy around the magic, thus creating a world that is not only interesting and complex, but therefore also seems more real, more... inhabited. There is a eerie, enticing, dare I say "magical" quality about the world's McKinley creates - for me, it invokes some of the vivid, imaginative world-building of Ursula K. Le Guin or Diana Wynne-Jones. On the other hand, McKinley's ability to subvert tropes, broaden classic interpretations, and enhance the stories with subtle, yet strong feminism, greatly reminds me of the works of Angela Carter.
Suffice to say, "Spindle's End" is a must-read for anyone who enjoys expertly written prose, be it fantasy or otherwise. Fans of retellings (fairytale or other), and dare I say 80's fantasy movies (in my mind, a screen adaption of McKinley's work would look somewhat like "Ladyhawke" or "Labyrinth"), should definitely strive to read as much of McKinley's books as possible. You won't be sorry.
adventurous
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Serviceable, but not particularly memorable. The setting is the best part, and the plot and characters fail to live up to it.