Customer Reviews

Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears" is the third book in a series of short story volumes edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, all inspired by classic fairy tales. The genre of fairy tales tends to be seen as literature for children, but Datlow and Windling point out that this is a modern view - the early versions of the tales were often dark, adult and brutal, and they have invited authors to reinvent the tales with an eye on their origins.

The resulting stories cover a variety of styles and genres, from the humour of Roberta Lannes' "Roach in Loafers", to the disturbing horror of Anne Bishop's "Match Girl". This is very much an edition for adults, not to be mistaken for children's stories, and Match Girl (based on Hans Christian Andersen's "Little Match Girl") may be too much for some to stomach. Nevertheless, as the author points out, the instruments of torture described have all been invented and used by humankind.

Some of my favourite stories in this volume are Joyce Carol Oates' haunting and moving "The Crossing"; Neil Gaiman's poem "The White Road" - "Mr. Fox" with a twist; and Tanith Lee's "The Beast", an unusual and erotic version of "Beauty and the Beast" with more than a touch of "Bluebeard". But the book is full of gems, some fantastical, some darkly disturbing. Lovers of fantasy should lap it up, and anyone who has enjoyed the previous volumes of the series will find more delights in store for them here.

I love the whole Windling/Datlow edited series of fairy tale short stories. This particular book is by far the best one I have read (and I've read them all, to date, Jan 2004). Ellen Steiber's "The Fox Wife" is the best short story I've read in awhile - well worth repeated readings, and even led me to seek out more oriental "fox" tales. Joyce Carol Oates, Neil Gaiman, and Jane Yolen are here, and the editors, for this one collection, have abandoned their informal trademark touch of including that one truly odious story. ALL the stories are of high quality, and if you are a devotee of this genre, you MUST read this one. It's really the best of the bunch! Five stars!

I didn't like this as much as _Black Thorn, White Rose_ or _Black Heart, Ivory Bones_, but it wasn't bad. Add a couple of stars for the stunning novella "The Fox Wife", set in Japan, and for the lush and horrible "The Beast," the dark tale of a beautiful man who is not what he seems. Subtract a few for a pair of stories I heartily disliked--"The Match Girl" which seemed an endless litany of pain and torture, and "The Masterpiece", which is well-written but will forever haunt me. I can't believe the heroine could have made the choice she did at the end of this take on "Rumplestiltskin." Yes, that's probably the point, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

All of the books in the Datlow-Windling "adult fairy tales" series are gorgeous but this is my favorite of them all, containing such splendid works as "The Crossing" by Joyce Carol Oates, which is an unusual, evocative recasting of Sleeping Beauty; Delia Sherman's "The Printer's Daughter," which is a highly inventive version of the Russian fairy tale The Snow Child; Neil Gaiman's "The White Road," which is a poetric version of the English Reynardine/Mr. Fox tales; and especially Ellen Steiber's "The Fox Wife," my favorite piece in the book and possibly in the whole anthology series, which is a powerful, beautifully penned version of this classic Japanese folk tale. Unlike the Kirkus reviewer above, I buy these books as much for the informative introductions as for the stories. (My guess is he's objecting to Datlow & Windling's feminist leanings regarding fairy tale history.) For anyone who loves the fairy tale writing of Angela Carter, A.S. Byatta, Emma Donoghue, etc., these anthologies are a MUST.

I read two of the series before I read this one and it lives up to the standards of the others. As in the other books, the stories range from dark to humorous. Many modern authors give their own unique and wonderful spin on classic fairy tales. There were a few that stood out in my mind for different reasons. There was "Roach in Loafers," which was a play on "Puss in Boots," that struck me as a wonderful, funny, and modern spin on an old classic. "Billy Fearless" added a humorous southern twist to "A Tale About a Boy Who Went Forth To Learn What Fear Was." "The Fox Wife" while long (over seventy pages) was still interesting. And lastly, Anne Bishop's "Match Girl" was a dark, disturbing tale involving different instruments of torture. On a side note, if you liked "Match Girl" then you most likely will love Bishop's trilogy "The Black Jewels." These stories are definitely adult, and if you like Tanith Lee, Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates and others, you should pick up any of the Datlow and Windling anthologies.

As with any collection of short stories, every author has a different style. And you're not going to nessecarily like every style, but that comes with the territory. Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears is the perfect example. Some of the stories are brilliantly written and some are just your average 'oh look, we're making fairy tales for grownups!' type. But as always there are always those that come out on top. Now in my opinion, some were overtly long and tiring ( The Fox Wife ), some were a look into something beyond (The Beast), and some were just... some. By far the stories that stand out the most are : 1. The Beast by Tanith Lee, who has always had an amazing way with her words. Just read one story and you'll be amazed at how well this woman conveys emotion. 2. The Crossing by Joyce Carol Oates, by now you've heard everyone talk about this one, but it's truly one of the best ones in here. Believe me! 3. Roach in Loafers by Roberta Lannes, this story was one of the only ones that actually conveyed a little humor. You need a lighter story in such a collection as this! 4. Lastly Match Girl by Anne Bishop. Although at some points ( actually the whole story ) this story is pretty hard to handle, it is a really good story about human pain. Although most of the stories are good, be warned you're going to get a few weeds among these roses.

This is the third volume in editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling's series of classic fairy tales that are re-interpreted by some of our best authors. They bring these tales back to their original, unadulterated themes of love, heroism, horror and longing. While all are excellent, some standouts include "Roach in Loafers" by Roberta Lannes, "The Printer's Daughter" by Delia Sherman, and "The White Road" by Neil Gaiman. These tales have many unviersal themes, but in the hands of these very talented writers, they never fail to astonish, delight or awe the reader. If you haven't already saught out the first two volumes of this series (Snow White, Blood, Red and Black Thorn, White Rose) check them out. These are some of the best fantasy fiction colelctions on the market.

...but I found this book overall to be good. I particularly liked 'The Match Girl' (and have since found all of Anne Bishops books to be great!), but I disliked a few of the contemporary stories. Grab it if you enjoyed any of the other anthologies, but no, you're not going to like all of the stories!

This is the third book released from these editors. I truly adored the first one, particuarly the story from Neil Gaiman (who wasn't very popular at the time). I thought that the second book was weak, but this book definitly makes up for what the last one lacks. If you loved fairytales as a child, you should try the fairy tales that are for a more mature level.

I had read the book Black Thorn White rose before picking up this anthology and had a lot of hopes for this book. I love the retelling of fairy tales even with a dark twist to them. However, some of the stories in this book are absolutely horrific. The Match Girl, in my opinion, does not belong in a collection of fantasy but instead perhaps in one of horror. Its been a week since I read this book and I still have a bad taste left from it!