clockworkp's review against another edition
4.0
No es esta edición pero de pequeña tenía al menos 3 libros diferentes de cuentos de los 3 grandes, así que lo cuento como leído.
bellaroobookworm's review against another edition
5.0
This book means so much to me; and not just because it is a wonderful, beautifully written collection of fairy tales, but because it has such a deep personal meaning. It will forever hold a special place in my heart.
shira3's review against another edition
favorites!
1. snowman
2. darning needle
3. emperor’s clothes
4. steadfast tin soldier
5. butterfly
1. snowman
2. darning needle
3. emperor’s clothes
4. steadfast tin soldier
5. butterfly
kellsig's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
annaroosvw's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful selection (47 stories) of Andersens great work. Definitely not a children’s only vibe with some pretty gruesome stuff going on. Some story’s are short and very focused on personifications of items which I didn’t really like. But the longer ones are full of fantasy and have a lovely métaphore in the end. A classic to read.
shaffe71's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars.
The first 1/4-1/3 of this was fine, but then it went downhill. The stories didn't have any point to them, or were super religious, or just plain boring. The last story was an uncomfortable note to end on because of all the talk of savages.
The first 1/4-1/3 of this was fine, but then it went downhill. The stories didn't have any point to them, or were super religious, or just plain boring. The last story was an uncomfortable note to end on because of all the talk of savages.
kaylana's review against another edition
5.0
Read a lot of new stories. Finally read The Little Match Girl....OMG! Tear-jerker. It was fun reading aloud with my son. He was quite a storyteller.
arachne_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Andersen's body of work is one I feel complicatedly about. Andersen responded to his critics in many of his tales, which seems to my present American sensibilities like so much playground taunting.
His female characters can only seem to participate in "goodness" and "purity" through self-sacrifice and rejection of adulthood; the resulting tales leave our heroines from "The Bog King's Daughter" to the well known "Little Mermaid" to suffer for the sin of being female, and for their lives to end as a result. The Bog King's daughter is punished (rewarded?) for her desire to be close to the Christian divine by having her newly won life swept away by currents of time for "peeping" on heaven, then is allowed to go back to heaven. Our mermaid is given a chance to earn a soul after a life of suffering by watching children perform good deeds among the Daughters of the Air. Even Gerda, to remain pure, must be a sexless child at heart after rescuing Kay. It's infuriating. And yet, Andersen touches on some deep imagery that pushes and pulls at the reader.
I was sometimes frustrated with his tendency to describe how dear and sweet all the flowers were, and his pie-in-the-sky-when-you-die Christianity. It allows him to draw morals about how blessed the poor really are— an infuriating attitude. And yet, he writes with great empathy for the downtrodden, the humble, and the unloved.
There are times when his wry humor tugged at the corners of my mouth: "Auntie Toothache." There were times when I wanted to throw the book across the room for his almost Panglossian- "it's all God's will, the world is perfect and clearly the best of all possible" type of notions.
I found his faith in the advancement and increasing empathy of humankind fascinating. His work is rife with the refutation of the notion that "the good old days" were so very perfect, pointing out the barbarism of the past.
It was a slow and maddening and delightful read. I am very glad I slogged through it, for all the troublesome notions Andersen presented me with.
His female characters can only seem to participate in "goodness" and "purity" through self-sacrifice and rejection of adulthood; the resulting tales leave our heroines from "The Bog King's Daughter" to the well known "Little Mermaid" to suffer for the sin of being female, and for their lives to end as a result. The Bog King's daughter is punished (rewarded?) for her desire to be close to the Christian divine by having her newly won life swept away by currents of time for "peeping" on heaven, then is allowed to go back to heaven. Our mermaid is given a chance to earn a soul after a life of suffering by watching children perform good deeds among the Daughters of the Air. Even Gerda, to remain pure, must be a sexless child at heart after rescuing Kay. It's infuriating. And yet, Andersen touches on some deep imagery that pushes and pulls at the reader.
I was sometimes frustrated with his tendency to describe how dear and sweet all the flowers were, and his pie-in-the-sky-when-you-die Christianity. It allows him to draw morals about how blessed the poor really are— an infuriating attitude. And yet, he writes with great empathy for the downtrodden, the humble, and the unloved.
There are times when his wry humor tugged at the corners of my mouth: "Auntie Toothache." There were times when I wanted to throw the book across the room for his almost Panglossian- "it's all God's will, the world is perfect and clearly the best of all possible" type of notions.
I found his faith in the advancement and increasing empathy of humankind fascinating. His work is rife with the refutation of the notion that "the good old days" were so very perfect, pointing out the barbarism of the past.
It was a slow and maddening and delightful read. I am very glad I slogged through it, for all the troublesome notions Andersen presented me with.
grace_ezri's review against another edition
5.0
Reading fairy tales and fairy tale adaptations as a child was how I first started loving to read. I loved all of these stories and every time I read them I got lost in them. Anyone who grew up loving fairy tales should absolutely read this. How can you not enjoy hearing the original stories of classics such as the little mermaid, the ugly duckling, the emperor's new clothes, the princess and the pea, Thumbelina, and the snow queen. I want to continue to read these and other original fairy tales for the rest of my life. So glad I finally picked this up!