Customer Reviews

Snow White and Rose Red

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found myself absorbed in Wrede's book from the first page. Snow White and Rose Red is full of mystery, romance, intrigue, magic, and wit. The setting was perfect for the retelling of the fairy tale and Wrede was successful in capturing the language and events of that England period. Wrede was very effective in creatively developing the original fairy tale without losing the original story in the process. I highly recommend Snow White and Rose Red to anyone who enjoys fairy tales or fantasy novels. :-)

I admit that I know Patricia C. Wrede from her Enchanted Forest Chronicles and "Book of Enchantments," which are for young adults and usually supposed to be humorous, neither of which applies to "Snow White and Rose Red." But I have glimpsed her ability to be a serious writer in such short stories as "Earthwitch" and "Stronger Than Time" (in "BoE"), and this is not Wrede at her best.

Granted, the book is involving. I read far later into the night than I had planned. The plot is engaging and understandable, and the characters likable enough (well, the ones who were supposed to be likable, anyway). Wrede also does a good job of adapting the fairy tale and giving characters motivation.

The problems arose after I had finished the book. I felt that the character we got to know best was John, the older Faerie prince, and not Blanche or Rosamund, the supposed main characters. In fact, I felt that the sisters, despite their supposedly different personalities, were indistinguishable; Wrede never really gave either one their own point of view. And why did they look like they were 30 on the cover, when in the book they are 16 and 18? I also wish I knew more about the Widow Arden -- Wrede could have expanded on her background just a little bit more and given us a much more complete understanding of her character. Why did she fear being accused of witchcraft so much? (Yes, yes, she didn't want to be hanged. But her dread was so deep-seated. Had she seen someone hanged when she was young? Had her mother instilled it in her?) Who was her husband? What was his downfall? Why had it left them in ruins? The rules of magic were also hard to follow. Faerie magic was clarified well (in some ways it was the most intriguing part of the story), but not "mortal magic." Why did incantations work? Why were herbs sometimes magic and sometimes not? How did their potions work? The structure of the book was confusing at the beginning. We are barraged with five different viewpoints in the first chapter! The world and characters aren't familiar enough yet for that. Later on they are handled better. Finally, the Elizabethan English, while correct, was still distracting. Yes, it put me in the world of the characters; but then Wrede's modern English narration yanked me back out again. When the reader is constantly reminded of the words s/he's reading instead of the story, it's not very smooth.

For a better example of handling two cultures, multiple viewpoints, and a new twist on an old fairy tale, read Orson Scott Card's "Enchantment."

Three things I really love are blended together in this well-crafted fantasy: the fairy tale "Snow White and Rose Red," alternate fantasy worlds, and the Elizabethan era. Wrede does an excellent job of rounding out the rather uneven original fairy tale with likeable characters and a plausible plot. The depiction of Faerie court and magic is also crafted intricately and well. The use of Elizabethan English is convincing and rings true, although some readers may be irked by the copious usage of "thee," "thou" and "dost." All in all, extremely well told and convincing. Definitely one of my all-time favorite books. For more good alternate Elizabethan fantasy, try Stevermer's The Serpent's Egg.

I was curious about this book, since I loved the Enchanted Forest Chronicles so much, and also because I had read Jane Yolen's Briar Rose, another book from the Fairy Tale series. Finally, after frantic searching online to buy it (where the cheapest copy of this book I could find was an expensive poor copy of the book, and I don't really like spending lots of money on paperbacks), I found this book in my local library, and read it. It wasn't as good as Dealing with Dragons or the other books that I have read by Patricia C. Wrede, but it was still good. I had never heard the fairy tale of Snow White AND Rose Red, so I was a little confused (I was thinking that it would be like the Disney movie of Snow White). Wrede summarized the true fairy tale bit by bit before each chapter. It wasn't really a modern-day telling of the fairy tale, like Briar Rose was, but just a retelling. Wrede tried to use archaic language (lots of thee's and thou's), and that slowed down the story. That is my only complaint about the book. I am hoping that eventually this book will be rereleased so I can add it to my collection of the Fairy Tale Series, or maybe that I'll find a copy of it used for cheap, but I'm glad I read it. It wasn't as good as I hoped, but it was still okay. If you want a better Wrede book, read the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, or try reading Briar Rose by Jane Yolen.

This is my absolute favorite fairy tale retelling, and has been a cherished treasure in my library for many years. For a long time this book has been out of print, much to my dismay. Now it has finally been reissued. This novel tells the story of Snow White and Rose Red, in this tale called Blanche and Rosamund. They find themselves involved in a plot concerning the two princes of faerie and some interesting characters who are trying to get rid of the younger prince, because he is half human. But something goes wrong-the older prince is affected by their spell instead. Now it is up to the younger prince to go into the world of men and seek out a cure. He meets Rosamund and Blanche, who will help him on his quest. Woven into this story are the colorful characters of John Dee (Queen Elizabeth's astrologer) and his apprentice Ned Kelly, who are looking for answers to solve the occult questions they study. All of these characters make for a fascinating story filled with magic, romance, adventure and intrigue. A must have for any fairy tale lover.

I had this book when I was a kid, and I loved it. I enjoyed the spin that this story put on the original fairy tale. I seem to remember another book that was a collection of fairy tale stories with the same type of concept. I recommend this book and, if you can find it, the collection to anyone with a child and to anyone who just wants to relive their favorite fairy tales with a twist.

I love Patricia C Wrede's work. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles were awesome, Sorcery & Cecelia was great, and I love the original Brother's Grimm story of Snow White and Rose Red, so I had to read this.

Oddly enough, the book focuses very much on John, a character who in the original story is mentioned only as "the prince's brother" and is kind of thrown in to make a happier happy ending. If I had to name a second main character, it would be the mother. Not Blanche, not Rosamund.... and certainly not Hugh, the bear prince. I found that kind of sad... All I learned about the sisters is that Blanche was older and more quiet and thoughtful, Rosamund was younger and kind of a pain in the a$$. Otherwise, they didn't stand out at all.

The girls' father is mentioned as being deceased and having brought the family to ruin... but its never explained how, why, or when. The mother is extremely afraid of being caught in the practice of sorcery, not surprising, but WHY is she so afraid of it specifically?

There are many more villains in this story than heros. Drs Dee and Kelly, Madini the fairy, Bochad-Bec and Furgen the lesser fey, Joan something or other, Rodgers the witch hunter, even the Fairy Queen is kind of a jerk. Perhaps the biggest villain of all is the language. Narrated in plain English, yet all dialog is in Elizabethan English which is extremely confusing and hard to get used to. The word 'an' means 'if', and 'belike' means 'maybe', but it takes you a while to figure that out. I compare it to a book like Catherine Called Birdie, a book taking place in Medieval times that has some accurate terms and phrases mixed with a very understandable pattern of speech and vernacular most of us are comfortable with. SW & RR wasn't as bad as Beowulf or pure Shakespeare, but it was still kind of difficult.

I didn't like that it was set in Elizabethan times anyway, because most fairy tales seem to take place in a place between Medieval and Elizabethan times, and i found it disconcerting. I understand it was probably sue to the witch hunts, but it bothered me still.

All that aside, it WAS very interesting, but it left too many questions unanswered, and it ended abruptly and unsatisfactorily.

I absolutely love fairy tale adaptations. I was excited to get this one. But I almost put it down when I began reading it because of the language. Patricia chose to make her language old-style. I understand why she did it but I think it is a distraction rather than a help to the book.

Other than that, the story is a great take on the traditional tale -- better really. There's no grumpy dwarf. He's replaced by a sinister human (kind of). The brothers are great characters.

Once I got past the language I enjoyed it.

I found this book early this summer. I was immediately intrigued because Snow White and Rose Red was one of my favorite fairy tales growing up. The cover was pretty, it actually had a write-up on the back cover instead of a list of one line reviews, but I almost put it down when I started reading the first few pages. I loved that the author took pains to write the story in Elizabethan English, it gives the story charm and enhances the setting (Elizabethan England). The problem, for me, was that the first page and a good deal of the second was all description! To me, it came across as stuffy and literary, which I suppose makes it true to Elizabethan style.

I got the book anyway, and I'm glad I did. Like I said, it is written in Elizabethan English, but don't let that scare you, it is not over done. She starts every chapter with a quote from the original story, even when her story differs from the original, which I love! Just a good book, nice story, I only wish she would have given the characters a little more time to breathe after the resolution so you could revel in the happy ending just a little longer before it's over. I liked feeling like I was reading an older book, I love classics and Dickens/Austen type language and that is what it felt like, just a little more easily readable.

It was great as a faerie book with a little romance but the language got distracting. This is a good book for those who love a good retelling of a fairy tale.