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bjordan315's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
annettewolf's review
4.0
This was a new experience for me, listening to a book that is *only* available in audiobook format. It’s the length of a longer novella, or thereabouts.
I love fairy tale retellings, and gave my thesis presentation in grad school on them. East of the Sun, West of the Moon is one of my favorites, precursor as it is to Beauty and the Beast. This take on the classic tale was surprising, and lovely.
Instead of hearing about the girl who has to travel after her lover-turned-into-a-bear, we get the perspective of the troll queen’s daughter. I really enjoyed Hulde as a character. She was mostly a cinnamon bun for the first half of the story or so, but she’s got spine underneath it all and it eventually shows.
The most compelling part of the story for me was the brothers, by far. They were intriguing and lovely and I wanted to see how things ended up. I also appreciated all the little ways that Marillier subverted the fairy tale trope, or wove in a narrative tactic that made the story come alive. For example, Hulde starts the story with everything. Opposite to someone like Cinderella, who starts with nothing and works her way to winning the prince, Hulde has a castle and treasure and an impending marriage to a handsome prince at the start of this story. And the reason we love her is because she turns it all down, and is determined to make her own story.
As to the narrative tactics, a good example of that is the way that Hulde describes the world around her. She loves books, and the storybooks she used to learn how to read had pictures of the stories, tableaus that were very emotionally expressive. And Hulde is always thinking about what such-and-such event would be pictured like in a storybook. It’s a beautiful way to put us inside Hulde’s head and heart, and to help the reader really visualize exactly what’s going on. Masterful storytelling.
I’d recommend this audiobook to anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings, anyone looking for an unconventional magical adventure story, or really anyone at all who likes Marillier’s type of unique storytelling. I have to wonder if this book is only available in audiobook format because Marillier has such respect for the Celts and their oral tradition.
This and other reviews by me can be found at www.annaimber.com
I love fairy tale retellings, and gave my thesis presentation in grad school on them. East of the Sun, West of the Moon is one of my favorites, precursor as it is to Beauty and the Beast. This take on the classic tale was surprising, and lovely.
Instead of hearing about the girl who has to travel after her lover-turned-into-a-bear, we get the perspective of the troll queen’s daughter. I really enjoyed Hulde as a character. She was mostly a cinnamon bun for the first half of the story or so, but she’s got spine underneath it all and it eventually shows.
The most compelling part of the story for me was the brothers, by far. They were intriguing and lovely and I wanted to see how things ended up. I also appreciated all the little ways that Marillier subverted the fairy tale trope, or wove in a narrative tactic that made the story come alive. For example, Hulde starts the story with everything. Opposite to someone like Cinderella, who starts with nothing and works her way to winning the prince, Hulde has a castle and treasure and an impending marriage to a handsome prince at the start of this story. And the reason we love her is because she turns it all down, and is determined to make her own story.
As to the narrative tactics, a good example of that is the way that Hulde describes the world around her. She loves books, and the storybooks she used to learn how to read had pictures of the stories, tableaus that were very emotionally expressive. And Hulde is always thinking about what such-and-such event would be pictured like in a storybook. It’s a beautiful way to put us inside Hulde’s head and heart, and to help the reader really visualize exactly what’s going on. Masterful storytelling.
I’d recommend this audiobook to anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings, anyone looking for an unconventional magical adventure story, or really anyone at all who likes Marillier’s type of unique storytelling. I have to wonder if this book is only available in audiobook format because Marillier has such respect for the Celts and their oral tradition.
This and other reviews by me can be found at www.annaimber.com
vailynst's review against another edition
4.0
Mini-Review:
4 Stars for Narration by Gemma Dawson
4 Stars for Hulde
3 Stars for Plot Progression
I loved the first segment of the story. It was a fresh take of a well known tale. I adore the three pets she is given and the parts they played. The weakest part of the story was the journey Hulde takes to create a story of her own. It was not as well structured and lost some of the fairy tale glow. Overall, cute story and heartwarming. I wanted more development & awareness from Hulde but that could be me being greedy.
4 Stars for Narration by Gemma Dawson
4 Stars for Hulde
3 Stars for Plot Progression
I loved the first segment of the story. It was a fresh take of a well known tale. I adore the three pets she is given and the parts they played. The weakest part of the story was the journey Hulde takes to create a story of her own. It was not as well structured and lost some of the fairy tale glow. Overall, cute story and heartwarming. I wanted more development & awareness from Hulde but that could be me being greedy.
morningtide's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
casimiera's review against another edition
3.0
Read for Monthly Motif 2020: Sub-Genre Sound off in March
I enjoyed Part One and Part Three of this book. I have always enjoyed books that tell fairy tales from a different point of view, and that was lovely. However, I wish she had named her two male leads differently. I kept getting them confused. I don’t even remember which is which because they were so similar. Maybe if i could read it instead of listen? Uncertain.
I enjoyed Part One and Part Three of this book. I have always enjoyed books that tell fairy tales from a different point of view, and that was lovely. However, I wish she had named her two male leads differently. I kept getting them confused. I don’t even remember which is which because they were so similar. Maybe if i could read it instead of listen? Uncertain.
jaironside's review against another edition
5.0
This was supposed to see me through several more car journeys and workouts this week. Instead, I listened to an hour on the way home yesterday and then gorged myself on the rest of it today. (So I guess I'll be listening to something else now.)
Marillier has been an automatic 'buy straightaway' author for me for over twenty years. I love her blend of folklore and history, and I've always enjoyed her fairytale retellings. East of the Sun, West of the Moon has been a favourite fairytale of mine for a long time and I was excited to see what Marillier would make of it.
Beautiful is not a direct retelling. It starts when the original tale begins to draw to a close, and instead of following the girl who struggles through so much hardship to win back her bear-prince, this is told from the POV of Hulde, the troll princess who was going to marry the kidnapped prince. With the original story forming a sort of prologue, Marillier then takes us on a journey with Hulde as she strives to find out who she is and how to be a good queen, rather than becoming her mother. It's a great plot that follows a lot of the classic quest and hero tropes, but unlike the bog standard 'boy is handed a sword and a destiny' storyline, here we have a princess who has always been undervalued and oppressed but is striving to become better. The journey is as much internal as external, and all the more satisfying for it.
What Marillier always delivers on, is a strong understanding of human (or in this case, troll) nature. To be kind, someone needs to have shown you kindness, for example. It's a rare person who comes to it naturally with no example. The story also takes a grim look at mother-daughter abuse patterns, at childhood conditioning affecting how you view your place in the world and how you can break out of the pattern and make the story your own. As a added bonus, a burgeoning poly-amorous relationship is depicted in the story too. At it's heart Beautiful is a book about learning to value yourself and the transformative and lifesaving power of storytelling.
At present this is only available via audio book as an Audible original. The narrator was brilliant however, so if you like audio books at all, give it a try. If you really can't get into audio books, I think this is being released in ebook and paperback later in the year.
This completely made up for the disappointing mess that was Echo North. Highly recommend.
Marillier has been an automatic 'buy straightaway' author for me for over twenty years. I love her blend of folklore and history, and I've always enjoyed her fairytale retellings. East of the Sun, West of the Moon has been a favourite fairytale of mine for a long time and I was excited to see what Marillier would make of it.
Beautiful is not a direct retelling. It starts when the original tale begins to draw to a close, and instead of following the girl who struggles through so much hardship to win back her bear-prince, this is told from the POV of Hulde, the troll princess who was going to marry the kidnapped prince. With the original story forming a sort of prologue, Marillier then takes us on a journey with Hulde as she strives to find out who she is and how to be a good queen, rather than becoming her mother. It's a great plot that follows a lot of the classic quest and hero tropes, but unlike the bog standard 'boy is handed a sword and a destiny' storyline, here we have a princess who has always been undervalued and oppressed but is striving to become better. The journey is as much internal as external, and all the more satisfying for it.
What Marillier always delivers on, is a strong understanding of human (or in this case, troll) nature. To be kind, someone needs to have shown you kindness, for example. It's a rare person who comes to it naturally with no example. The story also takes a grim look at mother-daughter abuse patterns, at childhood conditioning affecting how you view your place in the world and how you can break out of the pattern and make the story your own. As a added bonus, a burgeoning poly-amorous relationship is depicted in the story too. At it's heart Beautiful is a book about learning to value yourself and the transformative and lifesaving power of storytelling.
At present this is only available via audio book as an Audible original. The narrator was brilliant however, so if you like audio books at all, give it a try. If you really can't get into audio books, I think this is being released in ebook and paperback later in the year.
This completely made up for the disappointing mess that was Echo North. Highly recommend.
rainydaywriter217b2's review against another edition
4.0
This was a new experience for me, listening to a book that is *only* available in audiobook format. It’s the length of a longer novella, or thereabouts.
I love fairy tale retellings, and gave my thesis presentation in grad school on them. East of the Sun, West of the Moon is one of my favorites, precursor as it is to Beauty and the Beast. This take on the classic tale was surprising, and lovely.
Instead of hearing about the girl who has to travel after her lover-turned-into-a-bear, we get the perspective of the troll queen’s daughter. I really enjoyed Hulde as a character. She was mostly a cinnamon bun for the first half of the story or so, but she’s got spine underneath it all and it eventually shows.
The most compelling part of the story for me was the brothers, by far. They were intriguing and lovely and I wanted to see how things ended up. I also appreciated all the little ways that Marillier subverted the fairy tale trope, or wove in a narrative tactic that made the story come alive. For example, Hulde starts the story with everything. Opposite to someone like Cinderella, who starts with nothing and works her way to winning the prince, Hulde has a castle and treasure and an impending marriage to a handsome prince at the start of this story. And the reason we love her is because she turns it all down, and is determined to make her own story.
As to the narrative tactics, a good example of that is the way that Hulde describes the world around her. She loves books, and the storybooks she used to learn how to read had pictures of the stories, tableaus that were very emotionally expressive. And Hulde is always thinking about what such-and-such event would be pictured like in a storybook. It’s a beautiful way to put us inside Hulde’s head and heart, and to help the reader really visualize exactly what’s going on. Masterful storytelling.
I’d recommend this audiobook to anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings, anyone looking for an unconventional magical adventure story, or really anyone at all who likes Marillier’s type of unique storytelling. I have to wonder if this book is only available in audiobook format because Marillier has such respect for the Celts and their oral tradition.
This and other reviews by me can be found at www.annaimber.com
I love fairy tale retellings, and gave my thesis presentation in grad school on them. East of the Sun, West of the Moon is one of my favorites, precursor as it is to Beauty and the Beast. This take on the classic tale was surprising, and lovely.
Instead of hearing about the girl who has to travel after her lover-turned-into-a-bear, we get the perspective of the troll queen’s daughter. I really enjoyed Hulde as a character. She was mostly a cinnamon bun for the first half of the story or so, but she’s got spine underneath it all and it eventually shows.
The most compelling part of the story for me was the brothers, by far. They were intriguing and lovely and I wanted to see how things ended up. I also appreciated all the little ways that Marillier subverted the fairy tale trope, or wove in a narrative tactic that made the story come alive. For example, Hulde starts the story with everything. Opposite to someone like Cinderella, who starts with nothing and works her way to winning the prince, Hulde has a castle and treasure and an impending marriage to a handsome prince at the start of this story. And the reason we love her is because she turns it all down, and is determined to make her own story.
As to the narrative tactics, a good example of that is the way that Hulde describes the world around her. She loves books, and the storybooks she used to learn how to read had pictures of the stories, tableaus that were very emotionally expressive. And Hulde is always thinking about what such-and-such event would be pictured like in a storybook. It’s a beautiful way to put us inside Hulde’s head and heart, and to help the reader really visualize exactly what’s going on. Masterful storytelling.
I’d recommend this audiobook to anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings, anyone looking for an unconventional magical adventure story, or really anyone at all who likes Marillier’s type of unique storytelling. I have to wonder if this book is only available in audiobook format because Marillier has such respect for the Celts and their oral tradition.
This and other reviews by me can be found at www.annaimber.com