Customer Reviews

Truly Grim Tales (Laurel-Leaf Books)

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

 

 

Ms. Galloway is able to put an interesting and very entertaining spin on the retelling of classic tales, we've all heard as children. Her unique writing style is both humerous and captivating. I found her Truly Grim Tales to be an imaginative and unique collection. I would highly recommend it to any young adult who enjoys, mystery, science fiction, horror or folklore.

I read this anthology in hopes of discovering new depths and interpretations of familiar fairy tales. Dark interpretations are usually quite insightful and I thought that this would be an entire collection of chilling and clever retellings.

Nope.

Truly Grim Tales are simply not a lot of fun to read, though (or perhaps because) they certainly live up to the title. The emphasis seems to be purely on making the tales grim, rather than adding new perspectives. I found the resulting stories to be leaden and often revolting, rather than fascinating. Unless you enjoy grimness for the sake of grimness, I would advise skipping these tales in favor of Patricia C. Wrede's remarkably clever and creepy retelling of an old ballad, "Cruel Sisters" (in The Book of Enchantments) or Vivian Vande Velde's equally clever Rapunzel retelling, "Straw into Gold" (in Tales from the Brothers Grimm and Sisters Weird). For dark novel length retellings, Donna Jo Napoli's Zel (Rapunzel) and The Magic Circle (Hansel and Gretel) are a must.

I've always relied on the likes of Angela Carter, Datlow & Windling, and Tanith Lee (among a myriad of others) to feed me my daily dose of fairy tale interpretations, but Priscilla Galloway has prepared such a sumptuous offering of delightful shorts that I've added her to my collection of favorites. You have to applaud the gorgeous Rapunzel tale told from the birth-mother's point of view and set among the Bedouin peoples. If not, try the Cinderella story told by a heartbroken Prince with an undeniable foot fetish, or a Jack and the Beanstalk story in which giants must grind 'pygmy' bones for their bread to curb the effects of a fatal genetic bone disorder. My favorite of them all, though, is the retelling of Hansel and Gretel from the witch's/stepmother's point of view...delightful, dark, and desperate. The writing flows well, perfect for an early teen to adult audience without being either condescending or insultingly simple. Give it a chance, and you won't be disappointed.

This book was rather hard to track down. I had read it when I was younger, LOVED IT, lost it, and then spent a long time searching for it. I am very happy that I have found it. I give this book 5 starts because it truly is amazing! 10 or so years after reading this book, I still remember it and actively searched to find it, it is that good!

Truly Grim Tales is a less classical "Happily ever after" fairy tale, but is more realistic(from a fantasy perspective) and true to the original darkness of the Grimm Fairy tales. I would suggest this book to all those who like to think outside of the box and be amazed at how different something common from our childhoods can be and still hold our interest and show us something new about the original tales that we might not have thought of before.

"The Name" is a dark take on Rumpelstiltskin. Telling the story from the viewpoint of a heartbroken man, the author really changes things up and gives you a new view on this old story. I enjoyed it a lot.

"Blood and Bone" is an odd twist on Jack and the Beanstock about a devastating disease and the disturbing ingredient needed to prolong the lifespan of the afflicted. It's another grim tale, to be sure, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first. The choices made by the lead protagonist weren't well thought out . . .

"A Bed of Peas" isn't the fairy tale you may think it might be. This one wasn't my favorite because I felt a disconnect and disinterest to the characters and storyline. It also wasn't grim enough for me ;)

"The Good Mother" more than makes up for the lack of grimness in the previous tale and is a truly imaginative take on a classic fairy tale. Sad, desperate and a great little read.

"The Voice of Love" is about a doomed prince and a mermaid. It just didn't grab me.

The rest of these tales are variants of the same. Classic fairy tales told from a very different perspective and all were fascinating to me.

I read this book years and years ago, when I was in middle school, and it completely intrigued me. These story are very creative, complex, complicated, and way more realistic (if 'fairy tales' could ever be realistic) that the simplistic fairy tales you know could ever be.

I suspect Madame d'Aulnoy, the original 'founder' of fairy-tales who wrote chilling and dark tales far from being suitable for children (which were then re-written by men), would be very proud of Calloway!

Ever since I was a kid, Fairy Tales have always left me wanting more. This lead to me looking more and more for the most complete versions I could find.

This book ads new spins and perspectives that keep you interested in a way that Disney never could.

This book is imaginative, eerie, and absolutely delightful! The author manages to completely warp our classic tales into totally different stories, and somehow they feel like Fairy Tales are supposed to feel! It's like the other side of the story that just didn't quite make it into the original.