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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Ugh....I wished I would have liked this more, but I didn't. A "fairytale retelling" that interwove "Sleeping Beauty" with a modern-day arc that was about a young American woman discovering how her grandmother survived the absolute awfulness of Chelmo extermination camp. For one thing the sleeping beauty tie-in did not really work for me--it just seemed somewhat forced. I understand it was supposed to be the way in which the grandmother dealt with the horrors, but even so. I also did not really care for the in my opinion overly clichéd depictions of the main character's "ugly"sisters (all right we get it -- they're awful people...), which I suppose was meant to highlight Beth's better character. I didn't like the romantic tie in and was completely confused as to how Grandma had come back to life at the end to tell the story to her great grandchildren, after she had died and been buried many chapters ago. Was it supposed to be a miraculous fairy tale-like resurrection that was never mentioned? Or did I miss something along the way? sorry people, this might really be case of "it's not you it's me"...persinckety and perhaps overly snobbish (in terms of my literary tastes) reader that I am...if anyone out there has read this and liked it, please tell me why...
Becca's grandmother, called Gemma for the way her oldest granddaughter pronounced "grandma", has spent all the years Becca's known her telling the story of Sleeping Beauty, in a beautiful, peculiar, haunting way that Becca loves and rememembers word for word. But when Gemma dies, leaving behind a box of clippings, photographs, and trinkets, Becca realizes that no one really knew Gemma--they know she's Jewish, think she's Polish, but not even Gemma's daughter knowns where she lived, how she came to the United States, or even her real name. And Gemma insisted that she was Briar Rose, that she was the princess--on her deathbed, but even before then, before age took away her sense.
Becca's quest to uncover her grandmothers past takes her first to upstate New York, to a camp for European refugees during World War II, and then to Poland, where Becca finds the answers, and the fairy tale.
I picked up this book because of one sentence from one review, which wasn't even a review for this book and which wasn't even referencing this book. It was "Because I always knew Hansel and Gretel was a holocaust story", written as the subject line for a review of Kindergarten by Peter Rushforth. But that review did mention Briar Rose as one of two books about the holocaust that had stayed in the head of the reviewer (the other being The Diary of Anne Frank), and I thought...I can see Hansel and Gretel as a holocaust story, absolutely. But Sleeping Beauty? And that I had to read.
And it was amazing. Haunting and horrible and beautiful, just like I wanted it to be, but better because it was so very unexpected. I expected fairies in my fairy tale (and ha ha, Jane Yolen, I guess there were a few), some magic. This was better for lacking it.
Becca's quest to uncover her grandmothers past takes her first to upstate New York, to a camp for European refugees during World War II, and then to Poland, where Becca finds the answers, and the fairy tale.
I picked up this book because of one sentence from one review, which wasn't even a review for this book and which wasn't even referencing this book. It was "Because I always knew Hansel and Gretel was a holocaust story", written as the subject line for a review of Kindergarten by Peter Rushforth. But that review did mention Briar Rose as one of two books about the holocaust that had stayed in the head of the reviewer (the other being The Diary of Anne Frank), and I thought...I can see Hansel and Gretel as a holocaust story, absolutely. But Sleeping Beauty? And that I had to read.
And it was amazing. Haunting and horrible and beautiful, just like I wanted it to be, but better because it was so very unexpected. I expected fairies in my fairy tale (and ha ha, Jane Yolen, I guess there were a few), some magic. This was better for lacking it.
When you write about the Holocaust, you should either do it well or don't touch it with a five-meter-stick. Otherwise you end up insulting everyone. (Just FYI? The concentration camps weren't Polish. They weren't German either. They were Nazi. End of story, it's pretty simple. And it's not denial but a simple historical fact.)
When you decide to use oh-so-many words in a foreign language, you might want to double-check them. Or employ an editor who knows said language. Otherwise, they might all be spelled wrong. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Like the one word you repeat only 10000000 times, Księźniczka? It's actually Księżniczka. And yes, yes, it makes a difference.
While we are at it, when you want to introduce foreign terms, you should make your decisions and stick to it - put all or none in italics, use foregin symbols in all or in none. Otherwise, it's messy and irritating. And please, don't use Americanised words for Polish food. Especially not when your characters visit Poland.
(I mean, wtf is galumpkis?! Like if I say it out loud three times in a row, really fast, then it vaguely sounds like gołąbki, but wtf... Also, it's already plural, no need to put "s" at the end)
Also, unless you are American-born-to-Polish-immigrants, female surnames end in A. Not I. At least in the case of "Magda Bronski."
The last 50 pages saved this book, otherwise it would have been one star.
I'm so upset with this book. It was so promising. I love the idea of the Sleeping Beauty retelling that's based on WWII history and I really liked all the parallels - the princes, the castle, the prince. It's just that everything else about this book was horrible. Let's look at the main character - she called herself a feminist but she LOVED her boss being sexist about her and had some serious female-on-female hate issues. Also, it's not YA. The main character is 23, works in a newspaper, and has this weird sexual chemistry with her boss.
As you have probably figured out by now, I don't recommend it. There are plenty better Holocaust/WWII fiction books out there.
Read for #aroundtheworldin100days challenge - Poland (it even takes place in my hometown! it's the first book I've ever read that takes place there)
When you decide to use oh-so-many words in a foreign language, you might want to double-check them. Or employ an editor who knows said language. Otherwise, they might all be spelled wrong. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Like the one word you repeat only 10000000 times, Księźniczka? It's actually Księżniczka. And yes, yes, it makes a difference.
While we are at it, when you want to introduce foreign terms, you should make your decisions and stick to it - put all or none in italics, use foregin symbols in all or in none. Otherwise, it's messy and irritating. And please, don't use Americanised words for Polish food. Especially not when your characters visit Poland.
(I mean, wtf is galumpkis?! Like if I say it out loud three times in a row, really fast, then it vaguely sounds like gołąbki, but wtf... Also, it's already plural, no need to put "s" at the end)
Also, unless you are American-born-to-Polish-immigrants, female surnames end in A. Not I. At least in the case of "Magda Bronski."
The last 50 pages saved this book, otherwise it would have been one star.
I'm so upset with this book. It was so promising. I love the idea of the Sleeping Beauty retelling that's based on WWII history and I really liked all the parallels - the princes, the castle, the prince. It's just that everything else about this book was horrible. Let's look at the main character - she called herself a feminist but she LOVED her boss being sexist about her and had some serious female-on-female hate issues. Also, it's not YA. The main character is 23, works in a newspaper, and has this weird sexual chemistry with her boss.
As you have probably figured out by now, I don't recommend it. There are plenty better Holocaust/WWII fiction books out there.
Read for #aroundtheworldin100days challenge - Poland (it even takes place in my hometown! it's the first book I've ever read that takes place there)
I picked this book up for the road trip thinking "Escape this tin can on the road with mystical animals and sleeping beauty and fairy tales."
NO.
Instead I felt:
and after reading I was like:
Don't get me wrong. It wasn't that the book was horrible or excruciatingly boring; it's just that when you open a book prepared for happiness and sunshine and all you get is death... death and even more death it kind of dampens your mood.
When I learnt about the holocaust in history class I sad but then I only absorbed all the facts in order to pass your tests, however, when I read about it in during recreational time and I reading it from another person's perspective it makes me AWFULLY miserable. All those lives lost because of a guy with a mustache.
I wouldn't call this book a retelling but it is kind of related to Sleeping Beauty in a metaphoric way. Briar rose's plot is not riveting but it does have some special quality to it.
NO.
Instead I felt:
and after reading I was like:
Don't get me wrong. It wasn't that the book was horrible or excruciatingly boring; it's just that when you open a book prepared for happiness and sunshine and all you get is death... death and even more death it kind of dampens your mood.
When I learnt about the holocaust in history class I sad but then I only absorbed all the facts in order to pass your tests, however, when I read about it in during recreational time and I reading it from another person's perspective it makes me AWFULLY miserable. All those lives lost because of a guy with a mustache.
I wouldn't call this book a retelling but it is kind of related to Sleeping Beauty in a metaphoric way. Briar rose's plot is not riveting but it does have some special quality to it.
This was a very strange mix of Sleeping Beauty retelling and a Holocaust survival story. Becca has always been fascinated about the fairytale story of Briar Rose her grandmother tells. When her grandmother is dying, Becca promises to follow her story home and this journey takes her to Poland to uncover a story of brutality, horror, hope and redemption.
I was interested by this story for the most part, but at times it failed to catch my interest. I liked Becca as a protagonist and how she went through the clues Gemma left for her in the chest. The story of Briar Rose was haunting and enchanting, but the reality was much more grim.
As soon as Becca made it to Poland I was fascinated. I am roughly 50% Polish from my mother's side and I'd love to go to Poland one day. I loved the descriptions and experiences of Magda taking Becca to different places. It gave me some serious wanderlust.
The ending to this was a bit more grim than I was expecting, but it made a haunting kind of sense. I wish there had been some more fantasy/fairytale elements to it at the end, but I also understand how the story of Briar Rose came to be. Overall, interesting.
I was interested by this story for the most part, but at times it failed to catch my interest. I liked Becca as a protagonist and how she went through the clues Gemma left for her in the chest. The story of Briar Rose was haunting and enchanting, but the reality was much more grim.
As soon as Becca made it to Poland I was fascinated. I am roughly 50% Polish from my mother's side and I'd love to go to Poland one day. I loved the descriptions and experiences of Magda taking Becca to different places. It gave me some serious wanderlust.
The ending to this was a bit more grim than I was expecting, but it made a haunting kind of sense. I wish there had been some more fantasy/fairytale elements to it at the end, but I also understand how the story of Briar Rose came to be. Overall, interesting.
Wow this was a great book. It is a mix between the story of Sleeping Beauty and WWII concentration camp survivor story. It would be a great book for people interested in World War II history. The story is about a granddaughter looking for information about her grandmother right after she has died. The grandmother would always tell the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty and after looking the granddaughter finds out her grandmother was a real sleeping beauty rescued by a prince.
This book is a reread for me and I'd rate this 4.5 stars. I really really like this book! It's the first book that has ever made me cry. I enjoyed how the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty was used in the telling of the story. It's a very haunting and dark story that I did not expect when I first picked it up.
My favorite quote in this book is:
“Stories," he'd said, his voice low and almost husky, "we are made up of stories. And even the one's that seem the most like lies can be our deepest hidden truths.”
Such a good book! There is content in this book that people who are more conservative will object to and not like.
My favorite quote in this book is:
“Stories," he'd said, his voice low and almost husky, "we are made up of stories. And even the one's that seem the most like lies can be our deepest hidden truths.”
Such a good book! There is content in this book that people who are more conservative will object to and not like.
I don't remember much about this book but I do recommend the writing of Jane Yolen. I like how she has done so much with ancient myths and fairy tales.
My socks have been knocked off. I did not expect to be this into this book, but I was sorely mistaken. This punched me right in the feelings and then carried me away. I read it in one day, because I couldn’t not know what the real story was.
This is well-written, enchanting, and haunting. Descriptive enough to get the point across without crossing into gore or gratuitousness.
This is well-written, enchanting, and haunting. Descriptive enough to get the point across without crossing into gore or gratuitousness.
This adaption of the classic fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty" was done creatively and wonderfully. Using the Second World War as a backdrop Jane Yolen wove the fairy tale in so well that, even though it is a work of fiction, I would see the striking similarities. This book captured my attention easily and was not a book that I could have guessed the ending to.