mothmans_library's review against another edition
4.0
I love all the fairy tales in the collection, even if some are gruesome. It's Grimm after all.
annieb123's review against another edition
5.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales is a stunning collection based on the 1897 Margaret Hunt translation of the original tales alongside the gorgeous illustrations by Arthur Rackham from the 1909 Constable edition. This reformat and re-release contains 211 stories (The Three Sluggards and The Twelve Idle Servants are split into two stories in this collection as in the Hunt translation). Due out 4th August 2020 from Quarry on their Rock Point imprint, it's 752 pages and will be available in hardcover format (other editions available in other formats).
This is a -stunning- collection full of margin art, chapter headings, beautiful reproductions of Rackham's creepy-but-beautiful illustrations, and so many wonderful absolutely archetypal stories which resonate on an almost prehistoric consciousness. They're so much a part of our shared history that most people can't recall where they first heard them. The included support materials in this edition provide useful background context and history in the form of an erudite introduction by Dr. Lori M. Campbell, along with historical notes and a timeline, alphabetical index for finding stories quickly, and an abbreviated bibliography/further reading.
It's worth noting that these are the non-Bowdlerized versions of these stories. For people who grew up on Mother Goose, there is a lot more appendage cutting, murder, mayhem, dishonesty, and darkness here than people might remember. I had, back in my childhood, been gifted my grandmother's copy of these stories and remember being absolutely terrified by them. This is a classic historically important work, but I don't recommend them for bedtime reading for small children (unless you want them to probably grow up to be like me - a grisly fate).
This collection deserves all the stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales is a stunning collection based on the 1897 Margaret Hunt translation of the original tales alongside the gorgeous illustrations by Arthur Rackham from the 1909 Constable edition. This reformat and re-release contains 211 stories (The Three Sluggards and The Twelve Idle Servants are split into two stories in this collection as in the Hunt translation). Due out 4th August 2020 from Quarry on their Rock Point imprint, it's 752 pages and will be available in hardcover format (other editions available in other formats).
This is a -stunning- collection full of margin art, chapter headings, beautiful reproductions of Rackham's creepy-but-beautiful illustrations, and so many wonderful absolutely archetypal stories which resonate on an almost prehistoric consciousness. They're so much a part of our shared history that most people can't recall where they first heard them. The included support materials in this edition provide useful background context and history in the form of an erudite introduction by Dr. Lori M. Campbell, along with historical notes and a timeline, alphabetical index for finding stories quickly, and an abbreviated bibliography/further reading.
It's worth noting that these are the non-Bowdlerized versions of these stories. For people who grew up on Mother Goose, there is a lot more appendage cutting, murder, mayhem, dishonesty, and darkness here than people might remember. I had, back in my childhood, been gifted my grandmother's copy of these stories and remember being absolutely terrified by them. This is a classic historically important work, but I don't recommend them for bedtime reading for small children (unless you want them to probably grow up to be like me - a grisly fate).
This collection deserves all the stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
4lberj's review against another edition
5.0
Hacía años que no leía los Cuentos de los Hermanos Grimm y ha sido toda una delicia volver a adentrarse en un mundo tan maravilloso como el que se puede encontrar en todos y cada uno de ellos.
ktxx22's review against another edition
4.0
My guess is that the box was a time loop
Merged review:
I liked this short quite a lot. Good moral undertones
Merged review:
I liked this short quite a lot. Good moral undertones
followeroftheredthread's review against another edition
It’s long, and i have so many other books to read that i’ve to put this one on hold until i’ve read the ones that are most important for me first :)
rheaalley's review against another edition
4.0
Disney: wow, these stories are incredibly dark. let’s make kids movies out of them!
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
5.0
Philip Pullman is one of my favorite authors. If you haven't read His Dark Materials trilogy you better correct that mistake soon. The first book [b:The Golden Compass|119322|The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1)|Philip Pullman|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333617993s/119322.jpg|1536771] has also a movie based on it. (You can check out the trailer here.)
I was very excited when I saw that Pullman did a retelling of Brothers Grimm fairy tales, I knew that he would do them justice.
This anthology consists of 50 fairy tales handpicked by Pullman from a larger collection of stories that Brothers Grimm collected. Currently, there is one free story from this book on Penguin's website, "The Fisherman and his wife": you can read it here.
I must shamefully admit that I liked Pullman's retellings even more than the original. He did not edit out strange and odd parts of the stories but his versions are much easier to read, without archaic language constructs. Also, one thing that I most appreciated, he shortened out sometimes boring repetitious parts.
At the end of each story we have notes where Pullman explains what changes he made to the original story. He even treats us with a little bit of historical background: when it was first published and a list of similar stories and adaptations. These notes were very interesting to me, but if you don't like them you can always skip them with no harm done.
This book has something to offer to everybody. It can be savored a tale a day or devoured in one afternoon. You can read it to your kids before bedtime or you can read it alone.
Whatever pace you set or audience you choose, if you are a lover of classic fairy tales you will definitely enjoy this book.
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on Amazon and my blog (here you can find the longer version with some of my rambling not related to the book).
I was very excited when I saw that Pullman did a retelling of Brothers Grimm fairy tales, I knew that he would do them justice.
This anthology consists of 50 fairy tales handpicked by Pullman from a larger collection of stories that Brothers Grimm collected. Currently, there is one free story from this book on Penguin's website, "The Fisherman and his wife": you can read it here.
I must shamefully admit that I liked Pullman's retellings even more than the original. He did not edit out strange and odd parts of the stories but his versions are much easier to read, without archaic language constructs. Also, one thing that I most appreciated, he shortened out sometimes boring repetitious parts.
At the end of each story we have notes where Pullman explains what changes he made to the original story. He even treats us with a little bit of historical background: when it was first published and a list of similar stories and adaptations. These notes were very interesting to me, but if you don't like them you can always skip them with no harm done.
This book has something to offer to everybody. It can be savored a tale a day or devoured in one afternoon. You can read it to your kids before bedtime or you can read it alone.
Whatever pace you set or audience you choose, if you are a lover of classic fairy tales you will definitely enjoy this book.
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on Amazon and my blog (here you can find the longer version with some of my rambling not related to the book).
curatoriasol's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5