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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Okay, I actually couldn't finish this because the writing was deeply awful (which is a shame, because I thought the plot was very interesting), but I have to post a review just so I can include the line that had me and my husband laughing ourselves silly. Real line, really included in this book, really not removed by her editor:
"Her eyebrows worked independently of one another, which gave her the look of a slightly demented dove." (Followed by: "Becca decided she liked that.")
So many questions raised here . . . how do eyebrows work independently? Why, exactly, would that make anyone look like a dove? And good heavens, why a "slightly demented dove?" If I ever meet Jane Yolen, these will be the questions I ask.
"Her eyebrows worked independently of one another, which gave her the look of a slightly demented dove." (Followed by: "Becca decided she liked that.")
So many questions raised here . . . how do eyebrows work independently? Why, exactly, would that make anyone look like a dove? And good heavens, why a "slightly demented dove?" If I ever meet Jane Yolen, these will be the questions I ask.
slow-paced
This book was fantastic. It's short, but it packs a punch. The marriage of something as enduring as a fairy tale with the history of something as huge and tragic as the Holocaust worked much better than I thought it would. I read the description, but the book is much better than what I pictured it would be from that. Like fairy tales, there's one happy ending, but like Holocaust history, there's also an unhappy ending. Both are appropriate, and I'm glad the author chose to write it that way.
Don't skip the author's note at the end.
Don't skip the author's note at the end.
It is hard to know how to describe a book that successfully combines the story of sleeping beauty and the holocaust. I am not sure how I missed this when it was first published in 1992, when I was reading much more fantasy, including other Fairy Tale books in the series created by Terri Windling, but I probably appreciated it more now. The novel contains three inter-related narratives: a version of Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty) told by Becca's grandmother, Becca's search for the truth behind that story, and then the (probably) real version of events told by an old Polish man. And so the novel is also about the relationship between memory and story and reality.
I found the whole novel moving and remarkably deep. I had picked it up to add to my class library; I think I will add it, but I am not sure that my 7th graders will really be ready for it.
I found the whole novel moving and remarkably deep. I had picked it up to add to my class library; I think I will add it, but I am not sure that my 7th graders will really be ready for it.
Jane Yolen takes a perfectly good fairy tale and makes it depressing and unsatisfying. I think this book should never have been a YA novel. The characters are too old, the concept too mature, and the book just needed more pages to develop fully. This should have been Jane Yolen's first book for adults. Instead it's a sad example of what happens when editors stop caring about quality and only care about the name on the cover. Too bad.
I read this book a few years ago because I thought it would be a modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty. While it is true that it has underlying elements of the fairytale underneath, this is predominantly a Holocaust book. While I don't mind reading books in different genres, I prefer not to read books with sad endings if I can help it. Although this was not as depressing as it could have been, being a Holocaust book already made it difficult for me to read. The writing was fluid and lovely, the descriptions captivating, but I did not enjoy this book as much because of the subject matter. If you do enjoy this genre, then I recommend this book as it is an interesting take on the subject.
The story of Sleeping Beauty told together with the Holocaust. It's an odd and creative combination that works.
It's odd because there were several things of the book I didn't like ... I didn't particularly enjoy the pattern of current story, a chapter of flashback, current story, flashback, current story, flashback ... and in the beginning I thought about just putting the book away and moving on ... but what the hey, I wanted to see how this played out.
I didn't particularly like Becca who didn't have much personality other than believing in her grandmother. Her constant English corrections of Magda got annoying as well.
But something worked. It is a Young Adult book so don't expect anything earth-shattering or mind-blowing. It's a pleasantly different kind of book with an unpleasant story.
My video review of Briar Rose is now up on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kwXfu_iDL3I
The written review is coming soon.
The written review is coming soon.
Intriguing, chilling (altho' a tad less than "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" by John Boyne). Anybody who thought that fairy tales were meant for the kids should check out the symbolism and thrill of this one.
I loved it! Fans of Nazi history, go for it!
I loved it! Fans of Nazi history, go for it!
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No