Helpful Score: 3
Nice collection of revisionist fairytales, set in and around modern LA, written in Block's recognizable sentimental-punk style. If you like Angela Carter's "The Bloody Chamber" or the fairytale collections edited by Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow, you'll find much to like here.
Helpful Score: 2
Children hooked on Disney will not like or understand these stories, and more, the sex and drugs in them are not for the little ones. It's not graphic, just not for children. These are not feel-good, happily-ever-after tales.
Helpful Score: 2
The Rose and The Beast: Fairy Tales Retold is just that...fairy tales retold.
In this collection are nine short stories that are classic fairy tales with a modern day twist. These tales include Snow (Snow White), Tiny (Thumbelina), Glass (Cinderella), Charm (Sleeping Beauty), Wolf (Little Red Riding Hood), Rose (Snow-White and Rose-Red), Bones (Bluebeard), Beast (Beauty and the Beast) and, finally, Ice (The Snow Queen).
Like all collections for me, there were tales that I truly enjoyed (Wolf, The Snow Queen) and those that I could live without (Glass, Thumbelina). These, for the most part, are not your typical Disney retelling, light and fluffy. They are dark and gritty, not unlike the originals. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Sex, drugs, molestation, domestic abuse, etc.
These are written in the classic stream of consciousness style so it can sometimes be a little difficult to follow. However, her choice of words and arrangement are incredibly beautiful and quite visual.
Overall, I'm glad that I picked this book up from the bargain bin. It's very much in Block's usual writing, so fans should be for the most part pleased. It was a quick read and I ended up rating it at 3.5 stars.
In this collection are nine short stories that are classic fairy tales with a modern day twist. These tales include Snow (Snow White), Tiny (Thumbelina), Glass (Cinderella), Charm (Sleeping Beauty), Wolf (Little Red Riding Hood), Rose (Snow-White and Rose-Red), Bones (Bluebeard), Beast (Beauty and the Beast) and, finally, Ice (The Snow Queen).
Like all collections for me, there were tales that I truly enjoyed (Wolf, The Snow Queen) and those that I could live without (Glass, Thumbelina). These, for the most part, are not your typical Disney retelling, light and fluffy. They are dark and gritty, not unlike the originals. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Sex, drugs, molestation, domestic abuse, etc.
These are written in the classic stream of consciousness style so it can sometimes be a little difficult to follow. However, her choice of words and arrangement are incredibly beautiful and quite visual.
Overall, I'm glad that I picked this book up from the bargain bin. It's very much in Block's usual writing, so fans should be for the most part pleased. It was a quick read and I ended up rating it at 3.5 stars.
Ashley B. (daredevilgirl013) reviewed The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold on + 746 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
An ok book. The book is written in a verse like almost. Not poetry but in a strange way. Not used to it. But I didn't like how the stories were retold. It was like here's the beginning..and oh look here's the end. It lacked a middle. They were all very very short and almost like the original versions had been torn apart and left to bare bones. I liked the original versions better. So like I said, an ok book if you want to read it just to see what the writing style is like, but not if you want to really enjoy the fairy tales. (especially if you really have a favorite one that you don't like people messing with..because trust me..she really messes with them)
Helpful Score: 1
I love fairy tale retellings, and this collection had been recommended.
It was a very quick read - large print, wide spacing, and wide margins - but the retellings are gonna linger with me for a while.
Very dark, overt exploration of the subtext (Beauty's father inappropriately lusted after her; Sleeping Beauty was a heroine addict; Snow White & the dwarfs, well . . .)
The voice was confident, and yet lazy--retelling in broad sentences and languid language much like a half-remembered dream. It worked, anything more overt would've been more shocking, deliberately disturbing.
I'm curious to see what else this author has done.
It was a very quick read - large print, wide spacing, and wide margins - but the retellings are gonna linger with me for a while.
Very dark, overt exploration of the subtext (Beauty's father inappropriately lusted after her; Sleeping Beauty was a heroine addict; Snow White & the dwarfs, well . . .)
The voice was confident, and yet lazy--retelling in broad sentences and languid language much like a half-remembered dream. It worked, anything more overt would've been more shocking, deliberately disturbing.
I'm curious to see what else this author has done.
I normally love fairy tales that are retold, but not in this case. I don't mind that these tales for the most part are full of angst and not very happily ever after.
The first story or two seemed fairly creative. After that the writing style just became to drag on me and was too tedious. Some of the fairy tale connections are also barely there.
The first story or two seemed fairly creative. After that the writing style just became to drag on me and was too tedious. Some of the fairy tale connections are also barely there.
Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold on + 2527 more book reviews
I originally bought this book to go towards the Fairy Tales Retold Challenge I was participating in this year. I have read a few of Lia Blocks books, they are always intriguing. Lia Block has a very different writing style that is beautiful and a bit ambiguous. Shes an author I enjoy reading occasionally but not all the time.
This was a dark, yet strangely beautiful, collection of fairy tales told in Blocks typical ambiguous writing style. Really they read more as poetry than story.
My favorites were Charm which was a disturbing but beautiful retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I also really enjoyed Beast, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Ice was a well done retelling of the Snow Queen.
You can see the stories included in this anthology along with a rating and brief synopsis below.
Overall this was a quick and beautiful read of some fairy tale retellings. If you enjoy Lia Blocks writing style and like reading fairy tale retellings I would definitely recommend.
Snow (3 stars):
A retelling of Snow White where the Prince is the girls father and the love of the dwarves is more important than the love of a prince.
Tiny (3 stars)
A pretty basic retelling of Thumbalina set in the modern day.
Glass (4 star)
Retelling of Cinderella, where Cinderella actually enjoys the work she does serving her sisters and is prodded on to greater things by her fairy god mother.
Charm (5 stars)
A very disturbing and yet beautiful retelling of Sleeping Beauty. The main girl is drugged into what sounds like sex trafficking, but saved by a beautiful woman from her past who shared in some of her pain. Very beautifully written with excellent imagery.
Wolf (4 stars)
Retelling of Red Riding Hood set in modern day where a girl flees her sexually abusive father by running into the desert to meet her grandma. Has the harshest prose and most swearing of the bunch, but I enjoyed the ending.
Rose (4 stars)
A retelling of Snow White and Rose Red. A sweet story about two sisters who have a wonderful relationship until love tears them apart.
Bones (3 stars)
A retelling Bluebeard set in modern times, in which the girl has to save herself
Beast (4 stars):
Retelling of Beauty in the Beast in which Beauty would rather be like the Beast than have her prince.
Ice (4 stars):
A retelling of the Snow Queen. A young man immersed and overwhelmed falls in love with a girl but his heart is filled with ice when he meets a beautiful woman who has him dancing on her strings. Beautifully told and full of hope and love.
This was a dark, yet strangely beautiful, collection of fairy tales told in Blocks typical ambiguous writing style. Really they read more as poetry than story.
My favorites were Charm which was a disturbing but beautiful retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I also really enjoyed Beast, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Ice was a well done retelling of the Snow Queen.
You can see the stories included in this anthology along with a rating and brief synopsis below.
Overall this was a quick and beautiful read of some fairy tale retellings. If you enjoy Lia Blocks writing style and like reading fairy tale retellings I would definitely recommend.
Snow (3 stars):
A retelling of Snow White where the Prince is the girls father and the love of the dwarves is more important than the love of a prince.
Tiny (3 stars)
A pretty basic retelling of Thumbalina set in the modern day.
Glass (4 star)
Retelling of Cinderella, where Cinderella actually enjoys the work she does serving her sisters and is prodded on to greater things by her fairy god mother.
Charm (5 stars)
A very disturbing and yet beautiful retelling of Sleeping Beauty. The main girl is drugged into what sounds like sex trafficking, but saved by a beautiful woman from her past who shared in some of her pain. Very beautifully written with excellent imagery.
Wolf (4 stars)
Retelling of Red Riding Hood set in modern day where a girl flees her sexually abusive father by running into the desert to meet her grandma. Has the harshest prose and most swearing of the bunch, but I enjoyed the ending.
Rose (4 stars)
A retelling of Snow White and Rose Red. A sweet story about two sisters who have a wonderful relationship until love tears them apart.
Bones (3 stars)
A retelling Bluebeard set in modern times, in which the girl has to save herself
Beast (4 stars):
Retelling of Beauty in the Beast in which Beauty would rather be like the Beast than have her prince.
Ice (4 stars):
A retelling of the Snow Queen. A young man immersed and overwhelmed falls in love with a girl but his heart is filled with ice when he meets a beautiful woman who has him dancing on her strings. Beautifully told and full of hope and love.
A collection of short stories based on fairy tales, written in the whimsical and creative manner that Block makes her trademark
Another book that I didn't mean to read in one sitting, but ended up doing just that... This re-telling of fairy tales wasn't particularly magical, or particularly enjoyable - it was more of a modernization than anything else. It was interesting, I suppose, but it read more like poetry than prose in parts, which negatively affected my enjoyment.
The Rose and The Beast: Fairy Tales Retold is just that...fairy tales retold.
In this collection are nine short stories that are classic fairy tales with a modern day twist. These tales include Snow (Snow White), Tiny (Thumbelina), Glass (Cinderella), Charm (Sleeping Beauty), Wolf (Little Red Riding Hood), Rose (Snow-White and Rose-Red), Bones (Bluebeard), Beast (Beauty and the Beast) and, finally, Ice (The Snow Queen).
Like all collections for me, there were tales that I truly enjoyed (Wolf, The Snow Queen) and those that I could live without (Glass, Thumbelina). These, for the most part, are not your typical Disney retelling, light and fluffy. They are dark and gritty, not unlike the originals. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Sex, drugs, molestation, domestic abuse, etc.
These are written in the classic stream of consciousness style so it can sometimes be a little difficult to follow. However, her choice of words and arrangement are incredibly beautiful and quite visual.
Overall, I'm glad that I picked this book up from the bargain bin. It's very much in Block's usual writing, so fans should be for the most part pleased. It was a quick read and I ended up rating it at 3.5 stars.
In this collection are nine short stories that are classic fairy tales with a modern day twist. These tales include Snow (Snow White), Tiny (Thumbelina), Glass (Cinderella), Charm (Sleeping Beauty), Wolf (Little Red Riding Hood), Rose (Snow-White and Rose-Red), Bones (Bluebeard), Beast (Beauty and the Beast) and, finally, Ice (The Snow Queen).
Like all collections for me, there were tales that I truly enjoyed (Wolf, The Snow Queen) and those that I could live without (Glass, Thumbelina). These, for the most part, are not your typical Disney retelling, light and fluffy. They are dark and gritty, not unlike the originals. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Sex, drugs, molestation, domestic abuse, etc.
These are written in the classic stream of consciousness style so it can sometimes be a little difficult to follow. However, her choice of words and arrangement are incredibly beautiful and quite visual.
Overall, I'm glad that I picked this book up from the bargain bin. It's very much in Block's usual writing, so fans should be for the most part pleased. It was a quick read and I ended up rating it at 3.5 stars.
A fabulous collection of Fairy Tale retellings, Francesca Lia Block style!
Kirsten S. (joiefilled) reviewed The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold on + 7 more book reviews
I thought Francesca Lia Block's twist on fairy tales was absolutely delightful.
The Rose and The Beast: Fairy Tales Retold is just that...fairy tales retold.
In this collection are nine short stories that are classic fairy tales with a modern day twist. These tales include Snow (Snow White), Tiny (Thumbelina), Glass (Cinderella), Charm (Sleeping Beauty), Wolf (Little Red Riding Hood), Rose (Snow-White and Rose-Red), Bones (Bluebeard), Beast (Beauty and the Beast) and, finally, Ice (The Snow Queen).
Like all collections for me, there were tales that I truly enjoyed (Wolf, The Snow Queen) and those that I could live without (Glass, Thumbelina). These, for the most part, are not your typical Disney retelling, light and fluffy. They are dark and gritty, not unlike the originals. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Sex, drugs, molestation, domestic abuse, etc.
These are written in the classic stream of consciousness style so it can sometimes be a little difficult to follow. However, her choice of words and arrangement are incredibly beautiful and quite visual.
Overall, I'm glad that I picked this book up from the bargain bin. It's very much in Block's usual writing, so fans should be for the most part pleased. It was a quick read and I ended up rating it at 3.5 stars.
In this collection are nine short stories that are classic fairy tales with a modern day twist. These tales include Snow (Snow White), Tiny (Thumbelina), Glass (Cinderella), Charm (Sleeping Beauty), Wolf (Little Red Riding Hood), Rose (Snow-White and Rose-Red), Bones (Bluebeard), Beast (Beauty and the Beast) and, finally, Ice (The Snow Queen).
Like all collections for me, there were tales that I truly enjoyed (Wolf, The Snow Queen) and those that I could live without (Glass, Thumbelina). These, for the most part, are not your typical Disney retelling, light and fluffy. They are dark and gritty, not unlike the originals. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Sex, drugs, molestation, domestic abuse, etc.
These are written in the classic stream of consciousness style so it can sometimes be a little difficult to follow. However, her choice of words and arrangement are incredibly beautiful and quite visual.
Overall, I'm glad that I picked this book up from the bargain bin. It's very much in Block's usual writing, so fans should be for the most part pleased. It was a quick read and I ended up rating it at 3.5 stars.
