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Product Details
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Viking; First Edition edition (November 8, 2012)
There is always a possibility that by reworking an old favourite there may be a tendency to dilute the fabric of the story to such an extent that it becomes unrecognisable from the original. Philip Pullman has taken the Grimm fairy tales which were written two hundred years ago by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, and has succeeded in opening up the stories for another, and altogether, savvier generation.
For the Grimm purists this book may be a step too far, but I believe that this wonderful collection of short stories will stand the test of time and regardless of how many times they are reworked, there is a still an element of magic and a kind of innocent wonder to be found in stories where good against evil, weak against strong, natural against supernatural, justice against injustice, all fight for the right to be heard.
Pullman has done a creditable job in maintaining the atmosphere of the stories, and overall his simplified text works well. I found particularly useful his inclusion of explanatory snippets which are found at the end of each tale. I was, however, just a little disappointed, the stories cry out for glorious illustrations and I feel that the lack of something visually stunning lets the book down.
Having now read Pullman's version of the Grimm fairy stories, I am still inclined to err on the side of the original version; however, there is still something quite magical about reading fairy tales to a sleepy child and Pullman's stories are more than up to the task.
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47 of 51 people found the following review helpful
This anthology consists of 50 fairy tales handpicked by Pullman from a larger collection of stories that Brothers Grimm collected. I must shamefully admit that I liked Pullman's retellings even more than the original. He did not edit out strange and odd parts of the stories but his versions are much easier to read, without archaic language constructs. Also, one thing that I most appreciated, he shortened out sometimes boring repetitious parts. At the end of each story we have notes where Pullman explains what changes he made to the original story. He even treats us with a little bit of historical background: when it was first published and a list of similar stories and adaptations. These notes were very interesting to me, but if you don't like them you can always skip them with no harm done.
This book has something to offer to everybody. It can be savored a tale a day or devoured in one afternoon. You can read it to your kids before bedtime or you can read it alone. Whatever pace you set or audience you choose, if you are a lover of classic fairy tales you will definitely enjoy this book.
I recommend this book to: young and old fans of classic fairy tales.
Disclaimer: I was given a free ebook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This review is also posted on Goodreads and my blog.
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
I am a fairytale geek. I am crazy about them and have been since I was a wee child. I keep various anthologies on my shelf, including the complete Grimm, some Russian tales, and Jack Zipes' fantastic French fairy tale translations. When I heard Philip Pullman was coming out with a collection, I knew I needed it.
FAIRY TALES FROM THE BROTHERS GRIMM: A New English Version lives up to my expectations. The selected tales cover both the extremely popular ("Cinderella") and the obscure ("The Stolen Pennies"). Thus reading the anthology straight through is a mix of rediscovering old favorites and being surprised by stories you don't really remember (or have never read before). I will admit to skipping around rather than following Pullman's order, but I think FAIRY TALES FROM THE BROTHERS GRIMM works either way. And I was definitely keeping track of which stories would be best to read aloud to the niece and nephew.
Pullman doesn't pull back from the stories' gorier moments and doesn't cut earthier references, but he doesn't play them up either. People might be thrown in barrels full of nails and rolled into the sea, but there's no visceral descriptions of violence. The sexual references tend to be symbolic and nothing that will cause any kiddies to ask strange questions about the birds and the bees. Basically, I think these retellings will work for kids and adults, which is fitting for fairytales.
I loved the brief notes at the end of each story. He includes the attribution of the stories and rightfully adds to the Grimm brothers' praise of the talented Dorothea Viehmann. It's nice to see her contribution extensively praised in a major collection.Read more ›
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I'm loving these stories. I have a different edition of the complete Grimms and found it dull. I've also had a prejudice (not necessarily well-grounded) against the Grimms as being too dark. But these stories are compelling, fun, and make it understandable why the Grimms are so popular. The story about the man who wanted to experience the "shivers" is delightful. I was surprised that I couldn't put this book down.
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This item: Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version
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