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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
I read this in part of a day--couldn't stop once I'd started. Part of a series in which the different authors are invited to retell a fairy tale in their own ways. Yolen combines the story of Sleeping Beauty with a fictional Holocaust story.
Mistakenly shelved as a Young Adult novel in our library, it is an adult novel with adult themes.
Highly recommend!
Mistakenly shelved as a Young Adult novel in our library, it is an adult novel with adult themes.
Highly recommend!
This an awesome book. The fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty is blended with a holocaust story and they fit beautifully. It is a moving and mesmerising book as you wait to find out what really happened to Gemma. I definitely recommend this one.
His voice had a wonderful flow to it, and even the awful things he had to say were beautifully said." This book in a nutshell.
It blew me away. You cannot "enjoy" a book about the Holocaust; that's not the right word, not least because even though the characters are fictional, the horror of their stories is not. However, the juxtaposition of those stories with the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty creates a heart-rending, gut-punching, thought-provoking, powerfully meaningful and relatable MASTERPIECE. I often had to put the book down, breathe, and work through what I just read. I had to walk away between scenes in the last half of the book because it was so difficult, so intense to experience. The way Jane Yolen uses the tale of Sleeping Beauty as a way for Gemma to reconcile her past, the role the tale plays in the characters' lives, how different characters hear and interpret it differently, how their expectations for it differ and what those reactions mean in relation to Gemma's past...wow. Just wow. This book is truly in a league of its own.
It blew me away. You cannot "enjoy" a book about the Holocaust; that's not the right word, not least because even though the characters are fictional, the horror of their stories is not. However, the juxtaposition of those stories with the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty creates a heart-rending, gut-punching, thought-provoking, powerfully meaningful and relatable MASTERPIECE. I often had to put the book down, breathe, and work through what I just read. I had to walk away between scenes in the last half of the book because it was so difficult, so intense to experience. The way Jane Yolen uses the tale of Sleeping Beauty as a way for Gemma to reconcile her past, the role the tale plays in the characters' lives, how different characters hear and interpret it differently, how their expectations for it differ and what those reactions mean in relation to Gemma's past...wow. Just wow. This book is truly in a league of its own.
I really wanted to like this book since I love the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty and I also love WW2 historical fiction. Disappointed with the writing, with Becca's character, and with the questionable content. I was also hoping for a more realistic story of Gemma's holocaust survival.
This is the tale of a young woman serching for her past. When Becca's grandmother died, she realized that not only did she know nothing about her own grandmother, but no one else in the family knew anything either. So, Becca goes on a quest to learn more, and as her investigation goes on, she finds out many surprising things about her family's past.
Overall an interesting story filled with historical references. There were a few problems here and there. For example, it's obvious that the author is not a German speaker based on the phrases used in the book. In an case, I still recommend it for those who want a harrowing journey with a happy ending.
Overall an interesting story filled with historical references. There were a few problems here and there. For example, it's obvious that the author is not a German speaker based on the phrases used in the book. In an case, I still recommend it for those who want a harrowing journey with a happy ending.
I finished this book in one sitting. It was a heartbreaking, heartwarming, eye opening, hauntingly romantic read. I highly recommend it.
I've always loved Jane Yolen's books, and this one is no exception. I've looked for it for a long time. Now to finally own a copy makes me extremely happy,
Recently, author Jane Yolen posted a link on facebook, for a Catholic readers' blog, where an anonymous person had posted a limerick response to her book Briar Rose. The limerick went as follows:
Jane's book left me so dismayed,
She's certainly drunk the Kool-Aid.
The bias is clear,
The agenda is dear,
To the heart of a liberal Crusade.
The rating attached to Yolen's book is "DaVinci Pile", which the web site defines as follows:
"DaVinci Pile: The fun read is not worth the damage done.
These do not pass my muster due to: adult themes, occult themes, excessively bad language, sexual content or innuendo, blatant bias, slanted historical references, or other failures as noted by reviewer (me)."
Just to paint a clearer picture of this particular blog, http://booksnblather.blogspot.com/, it bills its content as "Reviews to help Catholic parents find good books and safe navigation on the ocean of pop literature." They also feature the following quote: "Never read books you aren't sure about . . . even supposing that these bad books are very well written from a literary point of view. Let me ask you this: Would you drink something you knew was poisoned just because it was offered to you in a golden cup?"
Needless to say, I felt compelled to a limerick in response to the one above, and a review of Briar Rose, which I attempted to post to the web site last week. To date, my review and accompanying limerick have not been added to the blog. So, I am putting it up right here on Goodreads, without fear of bigotry or censorship! Here it is:
Oh how fun, a "review" in limerick form! Except, this particular limerick doesn't make any effort to show or prove any particular point. What Kool-Aid is being referred to? Which bias, and toward what view point? How is this book representative of a liberal crusade? Let me offer my own take.
First off, a limerick:
In the mood for a book that's well-written?
Not concerned with how politics fit in?
Try Yolen's Briar Rose,
And see how it goes,
With her fine-honed prose you'll be smitten.
Now, an actual review:
I read this book for the first time a few months ago, and was struck by the clear prose, and the binary storyline which revealed itself inch by inch, as part of an unwinding double tapestry of pain intermingled with hope. That is to say, Yolen follows two storylines simultaneously, at an un-rushed pace.
One is that of a young woman reporter who is trying to track down her grandmother's history; the second is that of the grandmother as a young woman. The grandmother happens to be a survivor of the holocaust, with its attendant horrors and failings of humanity. However, sparks of real human goodness and love (in both women's lives) are revealed and nurtured into flames.
I was grateful for Yolen's steady pace; when dealing with this kind of subject matter, it is hard to take too much at a time, and one needs the balm of human empathy (even in literary form) to balance the horror of what people are willing to perpetrate against others. There is, among some writers, a temptation to pour forth the horror in a fast red gush, but I don't feel our understanding is enhanced by being hurriedly and luridly brutalized.
I could add more, but I don't want to add "spoiler" content for those who haven't had the chance to read this excellent book. For those with a mere prurient interest in violence and gore, Briar Rose will prove unsatisfying. I highly recommend it, and feel that it is appropriate for teen readers, and those who want to learn more about the holocaust from both a historical and humanistic viewpoint.
Jane's book left me so dismayed,
She's certainly drunk the Kool-Aid.
The bias is clear,
The agenda is dear,
To the heart of a liberal Crusade.
The rating attached to Yolen's book is "DaVinci Pile", which the web site defines as follows:
"DaVinci Pile: The fun read is not worth the damage done.
These do not pass my muster due to: adult themes, occult themes, excessively bad language, sexual content or innuendo, blatant bias, slanted historical references, or other failures as noted by reviewer (me)."
Just to paint a clearer picture of this particular blog, http://booksnblather.blogspot.com/, it bills its content as "Reviews to help Catholic parents find good books and safe navigation on the ocean of pop literature." They also feature the following quote: "Never read books you aren't sure about . . . even supposing that these bad books are very well written from a literary point of view. Let me ask you this: Would you drink something you knew was poisoned just because it was offered to you in a golden cup?"
Needless to say, I felt compelled to a limerick in response to the one above, and a review of Briar Rose, which I attempted to post to the web site last week. To date, my review and accompanying limerick have not been added to the blog. So, I am putting it up right here on Goodreads, without fear of bigotry or censorship! Here it is:
Oh how fun, a "review" in limerick form! Except, this particular limerick doesn't make any effort to show or prove any particular point. What Kool-Aid is being referred to? Which bias, and toward what view point? How is this book representative of a liberal crusade? Let me offer my own take.
First off, a limerick:
In the mood for a book that's well-written?
Not concerned with how politics fit in?
Try Yolen's Briar Rose,
And see how it goes,
With her fine-honed prose you'll be smitten.
Now, an actual review:
I read this book for the first time a few months ago, and was struck by the clear prose, and the binary storyline which revealed itself inch by inch, as part of an unwinding double tapestry of pain intermingled with hope. That is to say, Yolen follows two storylines simultaneously, at an un-rushed pace.
One is that of a young woman reporter who is trying to track down her grandmother's history; the second is that of the grandmother as a young woman. The grandmother happens to be a survivor of the holocaust, with its attendant horrors and failings of humanity. However, sparks of real human goodness and love (in both women's lives) are revealed and nurtured into flames.
I was grateful for Yolen's steady pace; when dealing with this kind of subject matter, it is hard to take too much at a time, and one needs the balm of human empathy (even in literary form) to balance the horror of what people are willing to perpetrate against others. There is, among some writers, a temptation to pour forth the horror in a fast red gush, but I don't feel our understanding is enhanced by being hurriedly and luridly brutalized.
I could add more, but I don't want to add "spoiler" content for those who haven't had the chance to read this excellent book. For those with a mere prurient interest in violence and gore, Briar Rose will prove unsatisfying. I highly recommend it, and feel that it is appropriate for teen readers, and those who want to learn more about the holocaust from both a historical and humanistic viewpoint.