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ariereads's review
4.0
Some of these stories are a bit... meh, but the good ones more than make up for it and the essays are fascinating.
mayastone's review
3.0
I went into this expecting a Brothers Grimm type situation, a collection of feminist-type fairy tales, perhaps a few illustrations. Approximately half of the book was exactly that and it was great, but the remaining half was so off-putting that I found myself skimming through it. It's not the books fault, published in 1986, I'm reading it several decades too late.
With all that said I absolutely loved the fairy tales, if I had children of my own these would be the types of fairy tales I'd want them to read. The selection features stories that are suitable for younger readers (e.g.:[b:The Donkey Prince|1684943|The Donkey Prince|Angela Carter|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|1681558], [b:Petronella|1447198|Petronella|Jay Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1183695534l/1447198._SX50_.jpg|1437900], [b:Malagan and the Lady of Rascas|42869669|Malagan and the Lady of Rascas|Michael de Larrabeiti|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|66657480] and [b:The Princess Who Stood on Her Own Two Feet|24987198|The Princess Who Stood on Her Own Two Feet|Jeanne Desy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1424536840l/24987198._SY75_.jpg|44654725]). These stories were mostly free of overt violence and had a clear moral story in the end.
Some stories seemed better suited for a more young adult audience. Two stories struck out to me as especially better for an older reader. [b:Wolfland|42730468|Wolfland|Tanith Lee|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|66445048] by Tanith Lee dealt with domestic violence, marital rape/sodomy, even murder. [b:Bluebeard's Egg|50536|Bluebeard's Egg|Margaret Atwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386922020l/50536._SY75_.jpg|487639] by Margaret Atwood deals with adult problems that might not really register in younger audiences, it was the only story that truly hurt my heart once it was finished.
I enjoyed the retelling of the classics such as Brair Rose which is Sleeping beauty, [b:Russalka or The Seacoast of Bohemia|42264865|Russalka or The Seacoast of Bohemia|Joanna Russ|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|65881436] which is a rather harsh retelling of the little mermaid. Cinderella got a poem although [b:The Moon Ribbon and Other Tales|1121209|The Moon Ribbon and Other Tales|Jane Yolen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1202757231l/1121209._SX50_.jpg|1415561] can also qualify as a similar tale. Even Snow white was restructured with the mirror being asked to identify the happiest in the land and Snow being a friend of the dwarves in the mines from the beginning.
They were other stories I have not mentioned but overall, I enjoyed them all and had my initial thought been true this would be great. As for the cons, there is only one rather big con. Right off the bat the book opens with a long preface and an even longer introduction. I was tempted to stop reading half-way through the introduction, I chose instead to skim through most of it.
After the stories I was hit again with a lecture-like wall of text. This time it was the "Feminist literary criticism" and these begin on page 182 of a 270 page book. I only came for the fairy tales, I simply don't care enough about the analyzing aspect of this, so I skimmed again and was bored stiff. A book this short would easily take me a day to finish, those last pages were grueling but I persevered and hated every moment of it.
I feel like the author should have written two separate books, this one with it's catchy title should have simply been a collection of feminist fairy tales with a brief introduction on the concept and then a follow-up book with the in-depth analysis on feminist literature and it's effect on children, preferably with a more somber title.
This book is both a 4 star book and a 2 star book, so I'll round it to 3 - loved the fairy tales, all of them were new to me. Hated the lecture.
With all that said I absolutely loved the fairy tales, if I had children of my own these would be the types of fairy tales I'd want them to read. The selection features stories that are suitable for younger readers (e.g.:[b:The Donkey Prince|1684943|The Donkey Prince|Angela Carter|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|1681558], [b:Petronella|1447198|Petronella|Jay Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1183695534l/1447198._SX50_.jpg|1437900], [b:Malagan and the Lady of Rascas|42869669|Malagan and the Lady of Rascas|Michael de Larrabeiti|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|66657480] and [b:The Princess Who Stood on Her Own Two Feet|24987198|The Princess Who Stood on Her Own Two Feet|Jeanne Desy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1424536840l/24987198._SY75_.jpg|44654725]). These stories were mostly free of overt violence and had a clear moral story in the end.
Some stories seemed better suited for a more young adult audience. Two stories struck out to me as especially better for an older reader. [b:Wolfland|42730468|Wolfland|Tanith Lee|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|66445048] by Tanith Lee dealt with domestic violence, marital rape/sodomy, even murder. [b:Bluebeard's Egg|50536|Bluebeard's Egg|Margaret Atwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386922020l/50536._SY75_.jpg|487639] by Margaret Atwood deals with adult problems that might not really register in younger audiences, it was the only story that truly hurt my heart once it was finished.
I enjoyed the retelling of the classics such as Brair Rose which is Sleeping beauty, [b:Russalka or The Seacoast of Bohemia|42264865|Russalka or The Seacoast of Bohemia|Joanna Russ|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|65881436] which is a rather harsh retelling of the little mermaid. Cinderella got a poem although [b:The Moon Ribbon and Other Tales|1121209|The Moon Ribbon and Other Tales|Jane Yolen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1202757231l/1121209._SX50_.jpg|1415561] can also qualify as a similar tale. Even Snow white was restructured with the mirror being asked to identify the happiest in the land and Snow being a friend of the dwarves in the mines from the beginning.
They were other stories I have not mentioned but overall, I enjoyed them all and had my initial thought been true this would be great. As for the cons, there is only one rather big con. Right off the bat the book opens with a long preface and an even longer introduction. I was tempted to stop reading half-way through the introduction, I chose instead to skim through most of it.
After the stories I was hit again with a lecture-like wall of text. This time it was the "Feminist literary criticism" and these begin on page 182 of a 270 page book. I only came for the fairy tales, I simply don't care enough about the analyzing aspect of this, so I skimmed again and was bored stiff. A book this short would easily take me a day to finish, those last pages were grueling but I persevered and hated every moment of it.
I feel like the author should have written two separate books, this one with it's catchy title should have simply been a collection of feminist fairy tales with a brief introduction on the concept and then a follow-up book with the in-depth analysis on feminist literature and it's effect on children, preferably with a more somber title.
This book is both a 4 star book and a 2 star book, so I'll round it to 3 - loved the fairy tales, all of them were new to me. Hated the lecture.
liriel27's review
5.0
A good anthology of modern retellings that seek to overcome the traditional patterns, including stories appropriate for a variety of audiences (you might want to preview the stories before reading them to children - there are at least 2 which might scar them for life. Unless your kid is Wednesday Addams, in which case - carry on. Keep an eye on your edged weaponry.)
The introduction and literary criticism essays included in the book are unabashedly academic (sentence chosen at randonm: "Bearing Eisenstein's analysis of feminist thought in mind, I want to suggest that one of the major contributions of the feminist critique still pertains to the power relations of domination in capitalistic societies and their reinforcement by a sepcific arrangement within child-rearing and the family and the sexual division of labor."). This works for me, but if you're looking just for a collection of stories, you may be disappointed by the roughly 100 pages of intro/criticism.
I would have liked a more specific textual focus in one or two of the essays - fairy tale titles were thrown about with abandon, and if you aren't already familiar with the stories, it can be easy to lose the author's point. I think it would have been interesting (and helpful for some readers) to have a section of the book presenting the original tales (as was done with Maria Tatar's Secrets Beyond the Door). Then readers could compare and contrast, as well as connect to the criticism, more easily.
The bibliography lists tons of resources for extending the topic, including other collections of feminist retellings. All in all, a very good book on the topic.
The introduction and literary criticism essays included in the book are unabashedly academic (sentence chosen at randonm: "Bearing Eisenstein's analysis of feminist thought in mind, I want to suggest that one of the major contributions of the feminist critique still pertains to the power relations of domination in capitalistic societies and their reinforcement by a sepcific arrangement within child-rearing and the family and the sexual division of labor."). This works for me, but if you're looking just for a collection of stories, you may be disappointed by the roughly 100 pages of intro/criticism.
I would have liked a more specific textual focus in one or two of the essays - fairy tale titles were thrown about with abandon, and if you aren't already familiar with the stories, it can be easy to lose the author's point. I think it would have been interesting (and helpful for some readers) to have a section of the book presenting the original tales (as was done with Maria Tatar's Secrets Beyond the Door). Then readers could compare and contrast, as well as connect to the criticism, more easily.
The bibliography lists tons of resources for extending the topic, including other collections of feminist retellings. All in all, a very good book on the topic.
mattie's review
3.0
Pretty charming collection of fairy tales with a feminist twist, bookended by a critical theory introduction and academic essays on the subject. The stories are in two sections, really basic fairy tales for younger readers, with simple twists like a questing princess instead of a prince, and more adult, complex ones -- which I wish I'd realized, since I was a little disappointed at first thinking there were only the simple stories. This was published in the 80s, so the criticism feels a tad dated, but it was still fun.
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