okcryptid's review against another edition
5.0
Really great resource-driven read with excellent annotations and further readings. The formatting is easy on the eyes, and I loved the artwork inclusions too. I'm so lucky to have found this book secondhand for research purposes. My volume is all flagged and marked up, and I have no doubt I'm going to wear the spine ragged. It took me more than half a year, but I did it! It's done.
fatima_kazi's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mrsbond's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic resource. 37 tales, 9 additional for "adults." Bonuses: Grimms biography, illustration bibliography, additional reading suggestions, preface to 1st and 2nd editions of Grimm's tales.
According to the Preface: tales are from Grimm's 7th ed, published 1857. Selection includes tales that involve "magic" in some way. Also includes some background on the collection of tales and the revisions made over time (including those by the Grimm brothers).
Individual tales: full text accompanied by annotations that shed light on cultural norms of the day, revisions or alternate texts, symbolism and meanings. Illustrations reproduced from classic collections.
According to the Preface: tales are from Grimm's 7th ed, published 1857. Selection includes tales that involve "magic" in some way. Also includes some background on the collection of tales and the revisions made over time (including those by the Grimm brothers).
Individual tales: full text accompanied by annotations that shed light on cultural norms of the day, revisions or alternate texts, symbolism and meanings. Illustrations reproduced from classic collections.
titanic's review against another edition
2.0
This is not what I was expected. All my life I’ve been told that the Grimm’s fairy tales are filled with horror and blood, and are so much more interesting than the sensitised version, but that was not what this book showed me.
I was bored in most places, and I think I enjoyed only one story of the forty six in here. The rest were either recycled Cinderella storylines or the same tales of the sister character rescuing her brothers from the curse that has turned them into some sort of bird. I think that tale was in here three times, which just made the whole thing boring.
Plus when it came to the ‘Tales for adults’ section, there was a story called ‘The J*w in the Brambles’ and it was just anti semitic comments throughout. They portrayed the j*w as a thief and money hungry, and being angry for wanting the main character arrested because he made the j*w dance until he handed over his money. It just made me uncomfortable with the whole thing, and was blatant stereotyping and I would not recommend this book to anyone, especially kids.
Also, I think the Grimm’s themselves held antisemite views which really made me want to distance myself from this book as much as possible. Really don’t recommend.
I was bored in most places, and I think I enjoyed only one story of the forty six in here. The rest were either recycled Cinderella storylines or the same tales of the sister character rescuing her brothers from the curse that has turned them into some sort of bird. I think that tale was in here three times, which just made the whole thing boring.
Plus when it came to the ‘Tales for adults’ section, there was a story called ‘The J*w in the Brambles’ and it was just anti semitic comments throughout. They portrayed the j*w as a thief and money hungry, and being angry for wanting the main character arrested because he made the j*w dance until he handed over his money. It just made me uncomfortable with the whole thing, and was blatant stereotyping and I would not recommend this book to anyone, especially kids.
Also, I think the Grimm’s themselves held antisemite views which really made me want to distance myself from this book as much as possible. Really don’t recommend.
all_things_book's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I'm going to be honest I just flipped around to the stories I wanted to read from here and said I'd read the entire thing...
jramm's review against another edition
4.0
These annotated classics are staples at our house. We have read most of them. These "Annotated Books" contain introductory essays, plenty of explanatory footnotes, and illustrations and stills from both older book versions and productions. The hardcover editions look great on the shelf and are robust enough for our daily readings.
Our most recent read is The Annotated Brothers Grimm. These are mostly short tales. We read maybe three at a time. It was interesting to see the morals of these stories. These were definitely not written for 2017. And we have spent a lot of time trying to understand how these messages would relate to the people at the time. We also focused on why these tales were important. And sometimes, we'd just laugh at the absurdity without an expedition for meaning.
It seems that most tales require the protagonist to suffer for a reward, often without an explanation. Long suffering and hard work are staples. Valuable objects are sought and stolen. Most tales of love are based on tricks and misunderstandings. The wicked convert the innocent into animals, who then head out on quests to break the charm. There are plenty of disguises. The world is never as it seems. And we submit to forces we cannot control.
When our family reads classics, I don't really care if my kids enjoy them. They get enough song and dance from tv and radio and school. In my crotchety-old-man-opinion, we come to the classics, the classics do not come to us. I like that we exercise patience to uncover something great. And like most difficult things, it takes us a while to get accustomed to the the language and the sensibility of the book. I think that process of coming around is an invaluable life lesson. I always, always love that moment around 50 pages into a book where something clicks, you understand the characters and their culture, you see their ambitions and their values. All of the sudden, you can feel the created world of the author. Without some dedication to understand things outside of our culture, we are forever trapped, ethnocentric animals, living in an artificial, fragile bubble.
Whew, what a rant!
Our most recent read is The Annotated Brothers Grimm. These are mostly short tales. We read maybe three at a time. It was interesting to see the morals of these stories. These were definitely not written for 2017. And we have spent a lot of time trying to understand how these messages would relate to the people at the time. We also focused on why these tales were important. And sometimes, we'd just laugh at the absurdity without an expedition for meaning.
It seems that most tales require the protagonist to suffer for a reward, often without an explanation. Long suffering and hard work are staples. Valuable objects are sought and stolen. Most tales of love are based on tricks and misunderstandings. The wicked convert the innocent into animals, who then head out on quests to break the charm. There are plenty of disguises. The world is never as it seems. And we submit to forces we cannot control.
When our family reads classics, I don't really care if my kids enjoy them. They get enough song and dance from tv and radio and school. In my crotchety-old-man-opinion, we come to the classics, the classics do not come to us. I like that we exercise patience to uncover something great. And like most difficult things, it takes us a while to get accustomed to the the language and the sensibility of the book. I think that process of coming around is an invaluable life lesson. I always, always love that moment around 50 pages into a book where something clicks, you understand the characters and their culture, you see their ambitions and their values. All of the sudden, you can feel the created world of the author. Without some dedication to understand things outside of our culture, we are forever trapped, ethnocentric animals, living in an artificial, fragile bubble.
Whew, what a rant!
teaxmillions's review against another edition
5.0
I actually was really impressed with this book. I haven't read a collection of the Grimm's fairytales like this before, and I'm glad I did. The annotations and alternate endings are interesting, and I adored the pictures pulled from all different source. Most of the stories I've heard before, though there were ones where they were new to me (the more bloodthirsty ones especially) and the whole book was a lot of fun. The author also added original prefaces of the Grimm brothers, an essay about their lives, and quotes on fairytales from other authors.
I recommend this book to anyone wanting to revisit their childhood fairytales :)
I recommend this book to anyone wanting to revisit their childhood fairytales :)
crowyhead's review against another edition
5.0
Another high-quality annotated volume. This collection is a good mix of very familiar Grimm fairytales, along with less frequently anthologized gems. Tatar once again shows herself to be erudite and entertaining in her annotations, and the volume includes many illustrations from various editions of the Grimm's stories. An enlightening short biography of of the Grimm brothers is included.
jmmeyer's review against another edition
4.0
More a 4.5. I just wish the annotations were more in depth.
jar7709's review against another edition
5.0
If you haven't read fairy tales to a couple of cynical teenagers, you haven't lived.