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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
I think this is an absolutely important book for everyone to read. The story tropes are important for appreciation of other later works in all forms of entertainment.
So why did I give it three stars?
Because so many of the stories in here are not ones that you have heard before, and for good reason, they are either boring, a copy of an earlier story in the same work (there about seven stories of Clever So-and-So that all follow nearly the same story path), or don’t really teach anything. Also, have you ever noticed that about half of these stories involve some sort of cannibalism? I don’t remember that particularly as a child, but then I was normally reading flowered up abridged versions. I’m starting to wonder if this is where my neurotic fear of zombies was originally born.
If you want to gift this book to a child, then more power to you, but depending on their age I might go with simply and more energetic translations. As an adult, I wouldn’t plan to sit down and read this in one go, but a few stories here and there is a good way to enjoy this work.
So why did I give it three stars?
Because so many of the stories in here are not ones that you have heard before, and for good reason, they are either boring, a copy of an earlier story in the same work (there about seven stories of Clever So-and-So that all follow nearly the same story path), or don’t really teach anything. Also, have you ever noticed that about half of these stories involve some sort of cannibalism? I don’t remember that particularly as a child, but then I was normally reading flowered up abridged versions. I’m starting to wonder if this is where my neurotic fear of zombies was originally born.
If you want to gift this book to a child, then more power to you, but depending on their age I might go with simply and more energetic translations. As an adult, I wouldn’t plan to sit down and read this in one go, but a few stories here and there is a good way to enjoy this work.
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s hard to rate this for a few reasons.
(1) I DNF’ed it. It’s a 760page book— I sat and read the first half but it all started to blend together so I needed to Marie Kondo it and put it down. I never DNF so it was wild.
(2) there are so many tales. It’s crazy because while I liked reading the most famous ones (aka the ones that turned into modern movies and shows— see HBO’s Happy Ever After: fairytales for every child for reference), most of them are actually religious parables that focused on two key redeeming qualities of humans: beauty and piousness. The morals of these stories is highly questionable and while it makes sense in historical context, it is not great today.
(3) most of the stories seem to propagate problematic things e.g. racism, anti-semitism (very Shakespearean with the stories of Jewish thieves etc.), sexism…
(4) this edition is quite good… in the sense that the illustrations are fun and the translation is quite readable. Also it has a lot of bonus stories for the original 210…. 210!! And that’s not including the bonus stories.
Basically this book has inspired me to only read books that bring me joy…guess I’m adding that to my 2024 reading goals.
It’s also a fun reminder that I no longer have to read things to completion like I did at university. I’m sure there are lots of fun academic analyses of the historical relevance of these tales but I think I’ll stick with my Disney movies instead.
(1) I DNF’ed it. It’s a 760page book— I sat and read the first half but it all started to blend together so I needed to Marie Kondo it and put it down. I never DNF so it was wild.
(2) there are so many tales. It’s crazy because while I liked reading the most famous ones (aka the ones that turned into modern movies and shows— see HBO’s Happy Ever After: fairytales for every child for reference), most of them are actually religious parables that focused on two key redeeming qualities of humans: beauty and piousness. The morals of these stories is highly questionable and while it makes sense in historical context, it is not great today.
(3) most of the stories seem to propagate problematic things e.g. racism, anti-semitism (very Shakespearean with the stories of Jewish thieves etc.), sexism…
(4) this edition is quite good… in the sense that the illustrations are fun and the translation is quite readable. Also it has a lot of bonus stories for the original 210…. 210!! And that’s not including the bonus stories.
Basically this book has inspired me to only read books that bring me joy…guess I’m adding that to my 2024 reading goals.
It’s also a fun reminder that I no longer have to read things to completion like I did at university. I’m sure there are lots of fun academic analyses of the historical relevance of these tales but I think I’ll stick with my Disney movies instead.
It was a good read. I can see why it's timeless. Despite the settings, the morals are relatable to this age and more.
I like some of the stories and how witty most characters can be.
I like some of the stories and how witty most characters can be.
This book features some of our all time favorite classics, including “Hansel and Gretel,” “Cinderella,” “The Frog Prince,” “Rapunzel,” “Snow White,” “Rumpelstiltskin,” and dozens more.
It was a really nice experience reading this collection. As it was expected I liked some stories more than others but overall it is a an enjoyable reading.
It was a really nice experience reading this collection. As it was expected I liked some stories more than others but overall it is a an enjoyable reading.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was way too dark for children’s fairytales. Not a huge fan of short stories that don’t get you anywhere and attempt to teach you a lesson, but don’t actually.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Fatphobia, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence
Always a classic choice for reading before bedtime. I definitely like the Grimm endings better than the Disney because there is a lesson to be learned in most of the stories. I remember reading somewhere that the Grimm version of fairytales were a bit gorier but I personally don't find them horrifying at all. Although it could be that I have been exposed to many different story lines that are by far worse, thank you Game of Thrones! I do find a couple of stories similar in the plot but the collection in general is and always will be enjoyable to read.
funny