The Frog Prince: A Fairy Tale for Consenting Adults (Hardcover)

by Stephen Mitchell (Author) "There are two kinds of women: those who marry princes and those who marry frogs..." (more)
Key Phrases: golden ball, Condensed Version, Unusual Phenomena

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The prolific author of popular adaptations of world classics (Tao Te Ching), translator (Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet) and commentator on religious texts (The Gospel According to Jesus), Mitchell here puts his talents to a slighter test with a modern retelling of the fairy tale "The Frog Prince." The story is familiar: a princess drops her golden ball down a well, a besotted frog rescues it and, in return, the princess promises to love the frog and let him eat from her plate, drink from her cup and sleep in her bed. Though the princess comes to regret her promise, the frog persists, and after a series of trials, he turns into a handsome prince. Mitchell's adaptation drapes this skeleton tale (which he calls the "Condensed Version") in philosophical asides and spiritual insights. Setting the story in an alternate 16th century plagued with Unusual Phenomena ("Magic was afoot everywhere. Things were getting out of hand"), in a castle on the river Loire, the author conjures up some inspired fantastic scenarios, particularly when he writes about magic as if it were historical reality. But his frequent digressions sometimes seem intended to stretch the narrative ("What makes a woman fall in love with a frog? Many women, since time immemorial, staring up at the bedroom ceiling in the dead middle of the night, have asked themselves the same question"), and references to the Tao Te Ching and the tenets of Eastern religions are incongruous. Insubstantial though it may be, however, the tale is gracefully told, and sympathetic readers will find it an appealing tribute to the original. 5-city author tour. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Famed for his fine translations of the Hebrew scriptures and the German poet Rilke, Mitchell has lately turned to a unique combination of fiction and commentary. His second work, after Meetings with the Archangel (1998), in this mode retells a familiar fairy tale to emphasize its parablistic qualities. In a small French kingdom near the end of the Renaissance, one of the dreaded and by then infrequent "Unusual Phenomena" --the bases of the stories of talking animals that pepper the period's literature--occurs. A princess drops a gold ball in a well, from which a male frog emerges to address her in perfect French. They strike a bargain: should the frog retrieve the ball, the princess will love and befriend him and allow him to eat from her plate, drink from her cup, and sleep in her bed--in effect, marry him. She agrees because she has already begun to love him and feels certain he is an enchanted prince. He retrieves the ball, and things develop toward the happy ending of the "Condensed Version," as Mitchell refers to the common, six-minute bedtime story redaction of what he expands into a psychological and philosophical novella. Replete with amusing metaphysical explanations, such as the solemn assertion that a "hairline crack . . . in reality" was responsible for Unusual Phenomena, and droll historical ones, such as saying that only the frog could recover the ball because no person in Europe knew how to dive at that time, this is thoroughly delightful entertainment as well as a serious examination of how love can and does transform frogs and princesses alike. Ray Olson

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Harmony; 1st edition (October 12, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609605453
• ISBN-13: 978-0609605455
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #293,723 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Grimm retelling for the 21st Century, November 17, 1999

By	Jeanne M. Beaumont (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

While staying respectfully close to the traditional story outlines, Mitchell has embroidered within that tale a marvelous meditation on difference, desire, trust, and transformation. The section on what it means to "promise" alone is worth the price of the book. By changing perspectives, the author allows us to examine the many facets of the Frog Prince in a way that satisfies our modern interest in multi-perspective tellings while calling us back to our most profound needs and desires. A beautiful achievement.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The power of transformation, explained, December 1, 1999

By	Dale A. Johnson (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This book can be transformative, all by itself. It is elegant, pithy, humorous, and most of all, thought-provoking. Through parable metaphor, it explains the mechanics of compassion (as a mode of love) vs. pity (a mode of contempt). It drives home the fact that most women marry princes that turn into frogs, but in some cases, there are frogs that become princes through transformation. Beautiful and inspirational, the book itself can instil that process, and it's an easy and delightful read, besides.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The truest love story, April 19, 2001

By	Vira Kovalova (Mobile, AL United States) - See all my reviews

Seems that there has not been enough romance in our busy lives lately... so Mr. Mitchell decided to give you something to fall in love with. This story is a pure delight from the first page to the last. I'm sure you'd enjoy playful historical insights and delicate language (the story takes place in France - the motherland of true romance). But this is all the shell - the pearl is the love story itself. We all know the actual tale, Stephen Mitchell, however, makes it unfold along with two strong and complex characters. Both lonely and proud princess and ugly frog have to overcome their fears to finally fall in love with each other. It's not easy for a frog to become human, it's never easy for a princess to find her prince. Stephen Mitchell describes the romance not as the love is born, but as it makes its way through to change them both. - No matter where you are in your relationship with somebody, this book is sure to make you kinder to that somebody.