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A review by paperstainedink
Gretel and the Dark by Eliza Granville
3.0
Review taken from my blog: https://lilypadblogs.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/review-gretel-and-the-dark-eliza-granville/
I bought this after watching Jen Campbell’s recommendation in her Fairytales video. It seemed right up my street: dark, gritty, and of course full of the fairytales that I so love. (And can we mention the cover? So lovely. So beautiful.)
And to an extent, I wasn’t disappointed. Granville’s writing is atmospheric and lovely. The characterisations of her characters – particularly little Krysta – are full and rich, with dialogue woven with hope and humour. And the ‘present’ setting in a psychiatric hospital was something that I particularly enjoyed, as well as Josef’s interaction with his ‘strange case’ patient, who claims to not even have a name, much less be of human origin.
However, I felt that a lot of the storytelling became muddled, and not a lot was made clear to me. Though the style was atmospheric, it was not as gripping as I’d hoped, and I found myself having to push on and read it at times, as if it was a chore. It really didn’t grasp me, and I finished the book feeling somewhat cheated of what could have been a brilliant fairytale adaptation.
If you enjoy fairytale retellings and fairytales set in more modern times, you might enjoy this. But it’s entirely up to your own tastes. Try it, and see what you think.
I bought this after watching Jen Campbell’s recommendation in her Fairytales video. It seemed right up my street: dark, gritty, and of course full of the fairytales that I so love. (And can we mention the cover? So lovely. So beautiful.)
And to an extent, I wasn’t disappointed. Granville’s writing is atmospheric and lovely. The characterisations of her characters – particularly little Krysta – are full and rich, with dialogue woven with hope and humour. And the ‘present’ setting in a psychiatric hospital was something that I particularly enjoyed, as well as Josef’s interaction with his ‘strange case’ patient, who claims to not even have a name, much less be of human origin.
However, I felt that a lot of the storytelling became muddled, and not a lot was made clear to me. Though the style was atmospheric, it was not as gripping as I’d hoped, and I found myself having to push on and read it at times, as if it was a chore. It really didn’t grasp me, and I finished the book feeling somewhat cheated of what could have been a brilliant fairytale adaptation.
If you enjoy fairytale retellings and fairytales set in more modern times, you might enjoy this. But it’s entirely up to your own tastes. Try it, and see what you think.