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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism
This could have been so much better. Ultimately, it's a story that pushes aside the unique and interesting idea of Sleeping Beauty as a Holocaust allegory and instead mainly focuses on characters that were never fully developed. It reminds me of another book I read this year that did a similar thing with not focusing on the aspect that were actually interesting or unexplored. Don't get me wrong: I don't think Jane Yolen's intention was such; the book simply wasn't executed the way I wanted it to be.
The writing was also not all the way there. From unrealistic dialogue (apparently contractions don't exist in the English language anymore) to boring prose, it became more and more distracting the less I was invested in the story.
Furthermore, none of the characters are that interesting. The two sisters are obnoxious as both children and adults. While I understand that some people are annoying and rude, especially to younger siblings, they're unpleasant to read about and spoiled at lot of scenes I thought would have been more enjoyable without them.
Becca is a nothing human being. I didn't care for her as the main character, and I especially hated her romance with Stan. There's no point to it. The way it's resolved is so flat and uninteresting I was shocked they even included it. It adds nothing to the story. I don't get it.
Also, those goddamn flashbacks. If the sisters weren't in them, they would have been the best parts of this book. Aside from that, why are they in italics? It's a writing convention that's present in a lot of books, and I hate it so much. I feel like I'm being talked down to, like if they weren't in italics I wouldn't understand they're supposed to be flashbacks.
Furthermore, there's a big flashback/tale told about two-thirds of the way through that felt more like an exposition dump than a smoothly inserted story. Maybe if it had been broken up throughout the course of the novel like the Sleeping Beauty story, it would have felt less dense. Hell, the novel should have been just that portion, with a few more perspectives cut through with a flashforward to Gemma telling the story in present day. Not only does it take care of the unnecessary present-day storyline, it's just a more interesting story to begin with. Going back to what we actually got in the novel, at the beginning of each chapter of the story, there would be a (he said) thrown into the first sentence, as if the reader couldn't tell that Josef was telling this story. That, even more than the italics, got on my nerves.
The good thing I can say is that it's readable, despite some problems I had with the language. I also didn't hate the beginning, despite my thinking it should be removed. It leads you into the story nicely, although again, it's not the story I think should have been told. Again, I liked the Sleeping Beauty allegory aspect. I just don't think this book was executed in a way that did that idea justice.
2/5 stars
The writing was also not all the way there. From unrealistic dialogue (apparently contractions don't exist in the English language anymore) to boring prose, it became more and more distracting the less I was invested in the story.
Furthermore, none of the characters are that interesting. The two sisters are obnoxious as both children and adults. While I understand that some people are annoying and rude, especially to younger siblings, they're unpleasant to read about and spoiled at lot of scenes I thought would have been more enjoyable without them.
Becca is a nothing human being. I didn't care for her as the main character, and I especially hated her romance with Stan. There's no point to it. The way it's resolved is so flat and uninteresting I was shocked they even included it. It adds nothing to the story. I don't get it.
Also, those goddamn flashbacks. If the sisters weren't in them, they would have been the best parts of this book. Aside from that, why are they in italics? It's a writing convention that's present in a lot of books, and I hate it so much. I feel like I'm being talked down to, like if they weren't in italics I wouldn't understand they're supposed to be flashbacks.
Furthermore, there's a big flashback/tale told about two-thirds of the way through that felt more like an exposition dump than a smoothly inserted story. Maybe if it had been broken up throughout the course of the novel like the Sleeping Beauty story, it would have felt less dense. Hell, the novel should have been just that portion, with a few more perspectives cut through with a flashforward to Gemma telling the story in present day. Not only does it take care of the unnecessary present-day storyline, it's just a more interesting story to begin with. Going back to what we actually got in the novel, at the beginning of each chapter of the story, there would be a (he said) thrown into the first sentence, as if the reader couldn't tell that Josef was telling this story. That, even more than the italics, got on my nerves.
The good thing I can say is that it's readable, despite some problems I had with the language. I also didn't hate the beginning, despite my thinking it should be removed. It leads you into the story nicely, although again, it's not the story I think should have been told. Again, I liked the Sleeping Beauty allegory aspect. I just don't think this book was executed in a way that did that idea justice.
2/5 stars
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Just quickly.
- One of the best, but also one of the most horrific, fictionalised accounts I've read on the Holocaust.
- Much "worse" than The Diary of Anne Frank and had a much harsher emotional impact on me (despite being 21).
- I would seriously debate giving this to a teenaged reader who didn't request it specifically.
- One of the best, but also one of the most horrific, fictionalised accounts I've read on the Holocaust.
- Much "worse" than The Diary of Anne Frank and had a much harsher emotional impact on me (despite being 21).
- I would seriously debate giving this to a teenaged reader who didn't request it specifically.
2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: "A book set in two different time periods."
This was the first experience I had with re-tellings. I love the way Yolen interwove the Holocaust into a well-beloved classic, and maintained the horror of the Holocaust. If you've never read any fairy tales re-told, I recommend starting with one like this, which wraps itself around a subject everyone is familiar with, like the Holocaust, and turns the classic on it's head and brings you to tears.
I don't quite have the words for this right now. I did like this book, as I love historical fiction (especially about WWII and the Holocaust). The fairy tale part of the story was a little odd, but it was okay. I really loved the second half when we finally learn all the details, even though they are devastating. All in all, this was a good book.
Fairy tale retellings may be all the rage right now, but once upon a time - way back in the 80s (wink, wink) - editor Terry Windling conceived of and commissioned a series of retellings for Tor. Each installment in the series was penned by a different author, renowned and admired in the fantasy genre.
Earlier this year, Tor Teen rereleased one of those titles: Jane Yolen's Briar Rose.
Becca grew up with her grandmother's stories but one always stood out amongst the rest - that of Briar Rose, or Sleeping Beauty. The tale isn't quite like that of movie fame. In fact, it seems to have twists to it that are unique to Gemma herself. But just how unique isn't clear until after her death.
See, in her final moments Gemma insists that she is Briar Rose - a princess who lived in a castle and was the only one to survive a terrible sleeping curse. In the moments before her death, she makes Becca promise she will find the castle and the legacy that is now hers. And it's a promise Becca intends to keep, even when it takes her back to one of the worst atrocities in all of history.
The new edition includes a foreword by Windling herself and an introduction by Yolen, both of which make it clear exactly how this twist on the classic was conceived. And it's an interesting twist indeed - here, Sleeping Beauty is set not in medieval times but in Poland, during WWII. The castle is real - a schloss that Yolen had read about and fortuitously came across mention of again in the aftermath of Windling's approach about a book. An extermination camp called Chelmno, that apparently only four people survived.
This version of Briar Rose is an awful tale because of the truth in it. But it's also a wonderful retelling, too. And one that makes complete and utter sense in it's conception and execution.
Becca's journey into her own family's history illustrates just how complex a family history can be. They know little about her grandmother's history except when she came to the United States. Of course they're all certain that her insistence she's a real Sleeping Beauty is just a figment of an aging mind. And yet...
Yolen does a wonderful job with a subject that is both emotionally difficult and sensitive. Definitely recommended!!!
Rating: 5/5
It's my understanding that quite a few of the series titles have been rereleased in years since, though sadly at least one appears to be out of print. Here's the full list if you're interested in tracking them down:
The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars by Steven Brust
The Nightingale by Kara Dalkey
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia C. Wrede
Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
Jack of Kinrowan by Charles de Lint
White as Snow by Tanith Lee
Fitcher's Brides by Gregory Frost
Earlier this year, Tor Teen rereleased one of those titles: Jane Yolen's Briar Rose.
Becca grew up with her grandmother's stories but one always stood out amongst the rest - that of Briar Rose, or Sleeping Beauty. The tale isn't quite like that of movie fame. In fact, it seems to have twists to it that are unique to Gemma herself. But just how unique isn't clear until after her death.
See, in her final moments Gemma insists that she is Briar Rose - a princess who lived in a castle and was the only one to survive a terrible sleeping curse. In the moments before her death, she makes Becca promise she will find the castle and the legacy that is now hers. And it's a promise Becca intends to keep, even when it takes her back to one of the worst atrocities in all of history.
The new edition includes a foreword by Windling herself and an introduction by Yolen, both of which make it clear exactly how this twist on the classic was conceived. And it's an interesting twist indeed - here, Sleeping Beauty is set not in medieval times but in Poland, during WWII. The castle is real - a schloss that Yolen had read about and fortuitously came across mention of again in the aftermath of Windling's approach about a book. An extermination camp called Chelmno, that apparently only four people survived.
This version of Briar Rose is an awful tale because of the truth in it. But it's also a wonderful retelling, too. And one that makes complete and utter sense in it's conception and execution.
Becca's journey into her own family's history illustrates just how complex a family history can be. They know little about her grandmother's history except when she came to the United States. Of course they're all certain that her insistence she's a real Sleeping Beauty is just a figment of an aging mind. And yet...
Yolen does a wonderful job with a subject that is both emotionally difficult and sensitive. Definitely recommended!!!
Rating: 5/5
It's my understanding that quite a few of the series titles have been rereleased in years since, though sadly at least one appears to be out of print. Here's the full list if you're interested in tracking them down:
The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars by Steven Brust
The Nightingale by Kara Dalkey
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia C. Wrede
Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
Jack of Kinrowan by Charles de Lint
White as Snow by Tanith Lee
Fitcher's Brides by Gregory Frost
Megrázó, felrázó, csodálatos könyv a Csipkerózsa. Megérte rá várni és el kellett olvasni. S természetesen utánanéztem mindannak, amit említenek a könyvben és még most is összeszorul a szívem és attól tartok, hogy nem tudom átadni, mit jelentett a könyv nekem. Azt kell mondanom, hogy nem túlzott eddig egyetlen, a regényről olvasott méltatás se. Tündérmesét és egy szörnyűséget összehozni úgy, hogy olvasmányos, izgalmas és mégis kellően lírai történet kerekedjen belőle, csak hihetetlen biztos kézzel lehet emlékezetes élménnyé tenni. Jane Yolen véghez vitte ezt a Csipkerózsában és bebizonyította, hogy a fantasy nem csak egy könnyű műfaj, hanem igenis a mesékkel komoly dolgokat is el lehet érni.
Részletek: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2010/06/12/jane_yolen_csipkerozsa/
Részletek: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2010/06/12/jane_yolen_csipkerozsa/