ejlibrary's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mutia's review against another edition
4.0
Folktales are always amusingly stupid and stupidly amusing, excited to read others from outside my homeland to compare which part of the world has the most fucked up lore. Also, the main reason I read this is because Kay Nielsen's illustration, he has one of my favorite style, I can see his influence on my own stuff.
iforgotilivedhere's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
5.0
joanna_ashleigh's review against another edition
5.0
The illustrations are divine. In the vein of Erte's work.
mituna's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. Nice idea but there's way too much repetition and (possibly??) antisemitism.
lesgles's review against another edition
4.0
Classic fairy tale with the right amount of wildness and weirdness, and very Norwegian: a polar bear, trolls, and a distant land that can only be reached by cajoling the grumpy North Wind to carry you there.
rryep's review against another edition
3.0
**Fairytale - Anthology
>Lower Middle Grade Reader
+Nonfiction
+Culture: Norwegian
+Stories Read: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
>Lower Middle Grade Reader
+Nonfiction
+Culture: Norwegian
+Stories Read: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
drewanabri's review against another edition
5.0
Weird ass fairy tales and absolutely incredible illustrations. What more could you want from a collection of folklore?
tahlia_reads_and_knits's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
libertyreads789's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Actual rating: 1.43 stars averaged.
I think we have to call it here, folks. Fairytales just aren’t for me. This is my second, possibly my third, set of fairytales I’ve read as an adult and I don’t like them. I think I rated this collection very slightly lower than the collection of Grimm’s Fairytales I read about a year and a half ago. But given the sheer volume of Grimm’s Fairytales I’m not surprised. This was only 15 stories that were published in 1845. Or at least that’s the earliest date I can find for them. I had heard someone say that the East of the Sun, West of the Moon fairytale was inspiration for the original Beauty and the Beast at someone point which I don't think is right. Feel free to correct me. From what I’ve seen, the East of the Sun, West of the Moon story came out in 1845 while the original Beauty and the Beast Story came out in 1740. But that’s all GoodReads and Wikipedia research so let me know if you know differently. All that to say that me hearing that comment is what led to me reading these stories. I like Beauty and the Beast and I found a gorgeous Minalima edition at the New York Public Library so why not read the story and then Beauty and the Beast?
I think we have to call it here, folks. Fairytales just aren’t for me. This is my second, possibly my third, set of fairytales I’ve read as an adult and I don’t like them. I think I rated this collection very slightly lower than the collection of Grimm’s Fairytales I read about a year and a half ago. But given the sheer volume of Grimm’s Fairytales I’m not surprised. This was only 15 stories that were published in 1845. Or at least that’s the earliest date I can find for them. I had heard someone say that the East of the Sun, West of the Moon fairytale was inspiration for the original Beauty and the Beast at someone point which I don't think is right. Feel free to correct me. From what I’ve seen, the East of the Sun, West of the Moon story came out in 1845 while the original Beauty and the Beast Story came out in 1740. But that’s all GoodReads and Wikipedia research so let me know if you know differently. All that to say that me hearing that comment is what led to me reading these stories. I like Beauty and the Beast and I found a gorgeous Minalima edition at the New York Public Library so why not read the story and then Beauty and the Beast?
Turns out, this is why. I found the stories were either way too short or way too long. I struggled to get through the longer ones. The shorter ones felt like a waste of time. My favorite story was in fact East of the Sun, West of the Moon which I rated 3 stars. My most popular (and lowest rating) was 1 star. I’m excited to read the Minalima edition of Beauty and the Beast, but otherwise I’m staying far away from anything that could possibly be called a fairytale.