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katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Dark! Now the text has always been dark, but the graphic-style illustrations that complement Gaiman's version of the text here really do remind us of the grim (no pun intended!) origins of these stories; hardly the saccharine and bright stories they can be today.
Here every picture is black and white, mostly black. The characters are only seen as shadows, we don't see their features. The gingerbread house? Black! The woods are black, it's all very dark and sinister. And it really suits the tale.
This has always been one of my favourite fairy tales, and not just for the sweeties. Gaiman doesn't in fact embellish the fairy tale we know, but does make small adjustments from versions we may be familiar with. The stepmother is their mother, Gretel is short for Margaret/Greta, the children find rich belongings from past victims and take them home. It was never a long story, or one that would be changed hugely. Gaiman doesn't make it funny, or contemporary, or snide. It's the fairy tale retold with some very sinister illustrations.
Only about 25 pages of text, so would probably do for an older child's bedtime (aged 6-9), it's not one I'll be reading to my four year old! We like the colourful gingerbread house versions, of course.
But for an adult as well as an older child, it's a nice take on the fairy tale, with a good double page spread at the end talking about the story's origins, interpretations and various versions over the centuries.
It's one I would borrow from the library unless you're keen on the artwork, but it is very beautiful as art.
Here every picture is black and white, mostly black. The characters are only seen as shadows, we don't see their features. The gingerbread house? Black! The woods are black, it's all very dark and sinister. And it really suits the tale.
This has always been one of my favourite fairy tales, and not just for the sweeties. Gaiman doesn't in fact embellish the fairy tale we know, but does make small adjustments from versions we may be familiar with. The stepmother is their mother, Gretel is short for Margaret/Greta, the children find rich belongings from past victims and take them home. It was never a long story, or one that would be changed hugely. Gaiman doesn't make it funny, or contemporary, or snide. It's the fairy tale retold with some very sinister illustrations.
Only about 25 pages of text, so would probably do for an older child's bedtime (aged 6-9), it's not one I'll be reading to my four year old! We like the colourful gingerbread house versions, of course.
But for an adult as well as an older child, it's a nice take on the fairy tale, with a good double page spread at the end talking about the story's origins, interpretations and various versions over the centuries.
It's one I would borrow from the library unless you're keen on the artwork, but it is very beautiful as art.
lbarsk's review
3.0
I love the way Neil Gaiman tells stories, and I actually heard him read this aloud before it became a book, but I had forgotten that women are the agents of all evil here. I don't love that, hence the 3 stars. However, Lorenzo Mattotti's ink drawings are really otherworldly, and I like that Gaiman based his story off the drawings and not the other way around.
amethystarchild's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for the advance digital copy of this storybook!
Neil Gaiman has written an engaging retelling of the Hansel and Gretel story, the mystery of dark woodlands paired with a country gripped in famine, creates a haunting setting for the story. There was a blend of magic and realism to the story that comes from Gaiman's simple style. Lorenzo Mattotti’s ink illustrations also create a great atmosphere of shadows and mystery that draw you into the tale. This is a good version of the story to share with your children if you'd like to avoid cutesy versions of fairytales.
Neil Gaiman has written an engaging retelling of the Hansel and Gretel story, the mystery of dark woodlands paired with a country gripped in famine, creates a haunting setting for the story. There was a blend of magic and realism to the story that comes from Gaiman's simple style. Lorenzo Mattotti’s ink illustrations also create a great atmosphere of shadows and mystery that draw you into the tale. This is a good version of the story to share with your children if you'd like to avoid cutesy versions of fairytales.
mehsi's review
5.0
I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.
When I saw this one on Netgalley I clicked so fast on request you don’t know. I have had my eyes on this for a while and was excited to see it up on Netgalley. Neil Gaiman? Making a retelling of a fantastic and, depending on which version, gruesome fairy tale? Sign me up! Add to that some fantastic dark art? WHOOP!
In this one we get the gruesome tale of Hansel and Gretel! There were a lot of things that were the same. But there were also things that were different. For instance, the woodcutter’s wife never dies and thus it isn’t the evil stepmother deciding to get rid of the kids to save food and such, oh no, it is worse. It is their own mom. Yep. That for me changed it a lot. Because while the act of the stepmother is evil, it is even more evil when it is your own mom who wants to get rid of you.
And so it begins. First trip goes fine, stones after all work pretty nice to leave a trail… but then the next is bread. And we all know how that one ended. Because you are in a forest and if I was a bird and saw some fine bread lying around? Give it! From there on we see Gretel and Hansel try to find their way home and eventually stumbling on a kind granny in her yummy house of food (to be honest, I would have also bitten that house even if I wasn’t hungry, I am sorry but a whole house of yummy gingerbread and candy? SIGN ME UP). And that is when the horror starts, well, OK, the war + famine + betrayal by mom was terrible but the witch is even worse. The tale follows from there, we all know what happens next.
I did think it was kinda funny that they were so lost in the beginning yet found their way home so easily. I mean, how? I guess they both just grew up, but it still stood out to me.
The ending? Unexpected given how most of the retellings and such go with this one. Plus, I am a bit, well, OK, a lot sus about that last sentence.
The illustrations are fantastic, dark, haunting, and very befitting for this fairy tale!
Oh, and I loved the Artist and Author notes letting us know a bit more about how they came to this retelling~
All in all, I would recommend this retelling of an old fairy tale. It is dark. Spooky. Haunting. Neil Gaiman definitely did a fantastic job retelling this tale. Plus, again, fantastic dark art!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
When I saw this one on Netgalley I clicked so fast on request you don’t know. I have had my eyes on this for a while and was excited to see it up on Netgalley. Neil Gaiman? Making a retelling of a fantastic and, depending on which version, gruesome fairy tale? Sign me up! Add to that some fantastic dark art? WHOOP!
In this one we get the gruesome tale of Hansel and Gretel! There were a lot of things that were the same. But there were also things that were different. For instance, the woodcutter’s wife never dies and thus it isn’t the evil stepmother deciding to get rid of the kids to save food and such, oh no, it is worse. It is their own mom. Yep. That for me changed it a lot. Because while the act of the stepmother is evil, it is even more evil when it is your own mom who wants to get rid of you.
And so it begins. First trip goes fine, stones after all work pretty nice to leave a trail… but then the next is bread. And we all know how that one ended. Because you are in a forest and if I was a bird and saw some fine bread lying around? Give it! From there on we see Gretel and Hansel try to find their way home and eventually stumbling on a kind granny in her yummy house of food (to be honest, I would have also bitten that house even if I wasn’t hungry, I am sorry but a whole house of yummy gingerbread and candy? SIGN ME UP). And that is when the horror starts, well, OK, the war + famine + betrayal by mom was terrible but the witch is even worse. The tale follows from there, we all know what happens next.
I did think it was kinda funny that they were so lost in the beginning yet found their way home so easily. I mean, how? I guess they both just grew up, but it still stood out to me.
The ending? Unexpected given how most of the retellings and such go with this one. Plus, I am a bit, well, OK, a lot sus about that last sentence.
The illustrations are fantastic, dark, haunting, and very befitting for this fairy tale!
Oh, and I loved the Artist and Author notes letting us know a bit more about how they came to this retelling~
All in all, I would recommend this retelling of an old fairy tale. It is dark. Spooky. Haunting. Neil Gaiman definitely did a fantastic job retelling this tale. Plus, again, fantastic dark art!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
ninjamuse's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
labunnywtf's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully done. The illustrations are dark, making the eye seek out the detail. The story is simple, he doesn't try to do a fresh spin on a classic. But it still feels extremely Gaiman-esque. It helps that, having listened to so many of his audiobooks, I can hear the story in his voice.
And I love that he stuck with the "original" (as it were), and didn't turn the mother into the stepmother.
Wonderful.
And I love that he stuck with the "original" (as it were), and didn't turn the mother into the stepmother.
Wonderful.
papelgren's review against another edition
3.0
A simple rendering of a decidedly creepy fairy tale. Women are evil as usual, but I suppose you have to stay true to the original. The artwork is the real reason to get this book.
debz57a52's review against another edition
2.0
This is a fun version of the story, but nothing truly special. There's a slight creep factor - with the mom really being the bad person here - and the illustrations are very dark. But I don't know that it needed to be on my TBR for 9 years like it was.