Customer Reviews

Briar Rose (Digest Edition) (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(57)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I tend to disagree with the reviewers who say this book is unsuitable for readers under 14. I was 9 or 10 when I first read it 15 years ago and though I may not have grasped everything in it with quite the same degree of understanding that I bring to it nowadays, it certainly wasn't unsuitable. Children are far more capable of handling dark subject matter than most adults will admit. As for the 'homosexual themes' I've seen some reviewers mention... The Nazis persecuted homosexuals nearly as zealously as they persecuted the Jews. This is historical fact, and one that tends to be overlooked. Kudos to Jane Yolen for addressing it. I wouldn't necessarily hand this book to a child under 10, but it's definitely appropriate for 6th graders and up.

As for the book itself, Yolen does a lovely job of interweaving past and present, fairy tale and reality. "Gemma's" version of Briar Rose has long been one of my favorite modern retellings. There are some issues with the book--the shallowness of the minor characters, the inordinate convenience of Josef Potocki's appearance in the story--but these are easily brushed aside due to the cruel beauty of the fairy tale, which is indisputably the highlight of the novel. The only major problem is this:

Granted, the characters believed Gemma came to the US before the war. But. Are we truly to believe that a Jewish family descended from an Eastern European immigrant never made the connection between the details in Gemma's unique telling of Briar Rose and the Nazis? Big black boots, shiny silver eagles, deadly "mist", and no one but the heroine lives happily ever after, yet none of them picked up on the Nazi references? I can't say it bothered me when I first read this book--I was a child, after all--but in subsequent readings it has jolted me out of the story. It was necessary for the plot to develop in the manner Yolen desired, but I can't help feeling that there are other ways she might have handled it so that this unrealistic device didn't intrude on the story.

This was my first book by Yolen. I had heard great things about her, especially about this book and given my recent fascination with fairy tales I thought I would give it a try. It was a quick read, easily because it was fascinating and very hard to put down. Ultimately, it left me feeling very, very sad, bordering on devastation yet...hopeful somehow. Another book I must buy.

Briar Rose takes the classic fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty and links it to the Holocaust. Rebecca, the youngest of her grandmother Gemma's granddaughters, has grown up listening to Gemma's rendition of Sleeping Beauty. Upon Gemma's death, Rebecca realizes that the story is one of the few clues to Gemma's past, a past that Gemma makes her swear on her deathbed to discover. Her search carries her to Poland and into the heart of the horrors of the Holocaust.

I was introduced to Jane Yolen by her short story in After the King: A Tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien (another great read...highly recommended!). On a recent trip to the library I looked for a book by her on a whim. Briar Rose caught my eye. Last summer I took a trip to Poland, and during my stay visited Auschwitz. Since then I have been very interested in Holocaust stories. Briar Rose, though not a true account, is still a very moving story. It is very well-written and the pace is good, but make sure you have tissues nearby! (Unless I'm just the overly-sensitive type, which I doubt.) I've had to order a copy for my personal library, and I plan to read it again as soon as UPS delivers it.

Jane Yolen's Briar Rose is an intriguing story of a woman who lived through a traumatic event during the Holocaust. When I first started reading this book, I was somewhat confused with the way the story bounced back and forth from the present, to a time in the past where as the grandmother (Gemma) was telling her own version of the fairy tale: "Sleeping Beauty." Gemma seemed infatuated with her version of "Sleeping Beauty" as it was the only story she told her grandchildren.
Every odd numbered chapter in this book was devoted to portions of Gemma telling her story, while the even numbered chapters reflected the present day lives of the family that surrounded Gemma. When Gemma died, the family realized that no one knew her real name or her history. As a deathbed promise to Gemma, Becca (one of the granddaughters), set out to find the story behind the mysterious grandmother.
In her search for the truth Becca found herself in Poland. She found an older (homosexual) gentleman whom knew her grandmother and told Becca about the holocaust and the part Gemma played in it. In reality Gemmas version of "Sleeping Beauty" was her own version of being put to sleep by the Nazis and re-awakened by a kiss (mouth to mouth resuscitation).
Jane Yolen splendidly intertwined fact, fiction, and fairy tale in this story. I did not read the back cover of this book until I had completed it. This story was so well written and descriptive, that one could almost visualize the events. Had I not read the back cover, I wouldn't have realized it was a fiction, but instead a traumatic experience uncovered. I would love to see this story as a movie!
I highly recommend this book to young and older adults!

I read this book back in seventh grade. I am now a freshman in college and i must say that to this day- it is my all time favorite book. The way that Jane Yolen is able to take the story of the holocaust and intertwine it with the fairy tale of briar rose is stunning! The book leaves you on the edge of your seat and the ending leaves you breathless! I highly reccomend this book to young and old alike! Happy reading!

I grew up LOVING Sleeping Beauty. I mean, I would watch the movie absolutely, non-stop. This novel is perfect for anyone who loved the story when they where younger, but written in a more mature and solemn tone. The characters are good, strong, and believable, the plot keeps the reader at the edge of their seats. Not because it's suspenseful, but you can't help but wonder what Becca's going to find out next. I read this book in 2½ hours-- and enjoyed every minute in it.

I know that many people consider this a fantasy. I, however, believe it is simply someone taking these two stories, one harrowing and terrifying, the other beautiful and peaceful, and creating a wonderful tale of a family and a past. Definitely worth reading!

Briar Rose is not about a fairy tale, or the horrid event of the holocaust, but is a wonderful story in which Jane Yolen has woven the rose and barbed wire together to make a touching, heartwarming story. I love this book, and everyone should read it!

The time our teacher told us about this book I was curious about it. How could Sleeping Beauty (Briar Rose) can somehow connect to a holocaust story? A fairy tale and a tragedy? When I started reading it, I thought the first few chapters were boring, but when it got to the part where the main character, Becca, have gotten to the place her grandmother's track seem to lay, the book became a page turner. The part where Joseph Potocki tells about the past was the best part. It's amazing how the author blended a tale and a horrible story together. It somehow made the story less horrible than it really is. And it gave it's reader a tale to remember...

I have been a fan of Jane Yolen for many, many years. This book is the perfect example why. She tells the story of the deep love between a young girl and her Polish grandmother Gitl, of whom very little is known. After her grandmother's death, our heroine (whose name I can't remember)becomes obsessed with uncovering the mystery of her grandmother's life. The only clues she has are a paltry collection of odds and ends that belonged to her grandmother, and her version of the fairy tale "Briar Rose" that she used to tell. The grandaughter travels to Poland and slowly begins to unravel the threads of her grandmother's past, and comes to a deeper understanding of herself, and of her place in her (mostly unsympathetic) family. My synopsis does not do justice to the lyrical beauty of Ms. Yolen's prose, or to the skillful way in which she weaves together the main plot and her retelling of the fairy tale "Briar Rose". Her handling of the Holocaust and the role it played in shaping Gitl is understated, but deeply moving all the same. I had tears in my eyes at the end of the book. A must read