Reviews

Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen

msewidan's review against another edition

4.0

من الممكن يكون هانز اندرسون هو اكتر شخص أثر فى طفولة الأجيال اللي أتت بعده.
أغلب قصص طفولتنا هي من تأليفه هو.

osbirci311's review against another edition

1.0

The most boring book written since the old testament. I almost died from boredom while reading this book. There isn't a single coherent page in the entire book. The whole thing reads like random mumbling of a mentally challenged guy who took a bunch of drugs. It's really really bad. Not a single sentence in this book makes any sense at all.

Imagine sitting next to someone who took LSD and listening to them running their mouth on and on for 12 straight hours. Congrats, you just finished reading Andersen's fairy tales.

ciaraisabookworm's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

4.0

kaz_brekkerrr's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Violence

readingoverbreathing's review against another edition

3.0

"I have something of the poet in me, but not enough."

Hans Christian Andersen was a complicated character, and his stories have had a complicated history in the Western canon. I was eager to really dive into them, but I honestly ended up being rather disappointed. I found them creative, sure, but for some reason I just could not get into the style of writing here.

These have obviously been translated, so I don't know if I can really fault Andersen himself, or if this was just a poor translation. But they read so stiffly and so aridly that even the most atmospheric stories, 'The Ice Maiden', for example, seemed to be missing something. I can't believe Penguin would choose an inept translator, so I guess it could be I don't agree with Andersen's own style, but it really is impossible to say for sure.

Again, there was a lot of creativity here; it's hard to believe so many now iconic fairytales came out of one man's imagination. It's also incredible to believe that many of these stories, which have become so ingrained in Western culture, have only been around for less than two hundred years, as they all seem so much older to me. While maybe the stories themselves didn't necessarily agree with me, I'd love to dig into more of Andersen's life, as from the bits and pieces I've read of Penguin's commentary here, he truly was an extraordinary character with a lot of unexpected contemporary connections.

aquariussun's review against another edition

It’s a short stories book, so I’ll come back to it eventually but for now I need to be realistic with my goals and read shorter books… except for Anna K🫡.

carina_shephard's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars // finished November 2021

A unique blend of childlike awe with melancholy, with elements bizarre enough to rival Wonderland. One heart-rending story focuses on a mother trying to wrest her child out of the clutches of Death, while the next talks about a collar flirting with a pair of scissors.

My favorite story was the Clerk’s encounter with the “Shoes of Fortune.” (The parrot’s infatuation with the phrase “Come, let us be men!” made me laugh.

katos's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

2.5

andreastopit's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

oranges448's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75