redeyedandhungry's review against another edition
1.0
I don't know what he's done but Robert Coover should be arrested for whatever he did that inspired him to write this.
sarainfantasyland's review against another edition
3.0
A rather unsettling re imagining of Sleep Beauty. No idea what was "real" or what was a dream with an open ending that left me rather unsatisfied.
The point got itself across though; sitting around dreaming and waiting for the "one" to rescue you doesn't do much good at all.
The point got itself across though; sitting around dreaming and waiting for the "one" to rescue you doesn't do much good at all.
thebookaneer's review against another edition
2.0
This is a very odd story. It isn't even really a story. It is more of a post modernist exploration of the quest for a sleeping beauty.
There are three characters: the Prince, the Beauty, and the Old Crone. The action: the Prince is struggling through the briars, his confidence waining as the thorns thicken, and he obsessively turns over and over his mission, his destiny, the possible outcomes, and the reasons why, eventually drowning in his thoughts.
The Beauty sleeps and dreams of "princes" waking her with odd and disturbing sexual acts - her father, dead princes, a gang of drunken peasants etc. She believes they are all trying to remove the thorn from her, which pricks her in a hidden place. She is comforted by her frequent trips to the safety of the kitchen/ nursery/ her parents room (in the dream state it can be all at once), where she speaks with the Old Crone, the fabled fairy responsible for her pricking. The author claims Sleeping Beauty has no memory, but she has memories of remembering, so (I assume) is left with a constant state of deja vu. She knows she is asleep, and is trapped in this dream-thick stasis.
The Crone tells stories of other Sleeping Beauties to the sleeping princess, each story a mixture of actual Sleeping Beauty stories, and other tales of horror. It never ends well for the princess, as she is raped, killed, eaten, and/ or neglected in every story. It is unclear whether the Old Crone is torturing her for fun, corrupting her innocence to spoil her for the waking world, or preparing her for potential disappointment. It is revealed that the Crone is both the Good Fairy and the Bad Fairy, and even she is unclear which gift was kinder: endless sleep, or death as an innocent.
The reader takes the lazy river through each of their stream-of-consciousness. Nothing really changes. The characters each hit a breaking point, but then they give up. You get the impression that they are all trapped here, and the story will constantly cycle back to where we found them at the beginning -- maybe with a new prince, after this one, too, dies in the thorns.
And there are no quotation marks. Post-modernism drives me crazy that way.
All in all, it is an intriguing exploration of archetypes: what it means to be the questing prince, what it means to be the sleeping beauty, what it means to be the old crone. However, if you are looking for a coherent narrative, this is not the book for you. If you want incisive poetry, go forth and enjoy.
There are three characters: the Prince, the Beauty, and the Old Crone. The action: the Prince is struggling through the briars, his confidence waining as the thorns thicken, and he obsessively turns over and over his mission, his destiny, the possible outcomes, and the reasons why, eventually drowning in his thoughts.
The Beauty sleeps and dreams of "princes" waking her with odd and disturbing sexual acts - her father, dead princes, a gang of drunken peasants etc. She believes they are all trying to remove the thorn from her, which pricks her in a hidden place. She is comforted by her frequent trips to the safety of the kitchen/ nursery/ her parents room (in the dream state it can be all at once), where she speaks with the Old Crone, the fabled fairy responsible for her pricking. The author claims Sleeping Beauty has no memory, but she has memories of remembering, so (I assume) is left with a constant state of deja vu. She knows she is asleep, and is trapped in this dream-thick stasis.
The Crone tells stories of other Sleeping Beauties to the sleeping princess, each story a mixture of actual Sleeping Beauty stories, and other tales of horror. It never ends well for the princess, as she is raped, killed, eaten, and/ or neglected in every story. It is unclear whether the Old Crone is torturing her for fun, corrupting her innocence to spoil her for the waking world, or preparing her for potential disappointment. It is revealed that the Crone is both the Good Fairy and the Bad Fairy, and even she is unclear which gift was kinder: endless sleep, or death as an innocent.
The reader takes the lazy river through each of their stream-of-consciousness. Nothing really changes. The characters each hit a breaking point, but then they give up. You get the impression that they are all trapped here, and the story will constantly cycle back to where we found them at the beginning -- maybe with a new prince, after this one, too, dies in the thorns.
And there are no quotation marks. Post-modernism drives me crazy that way.
All in all, it is an intriguing exploration of archetypes: what it means to be the questing prince, what it means to be the sleeping beauty, what it means to be the old crone. However, if you are looking for a coherent narrative, this is not the book for you. If you want incisive poetry, go forth and enjoy.
narcon_27's review against another edition
1.0
I don't know what he's done but Robert Coover should be arrested for whatever he did that inspired him to write this.
readcover2cover's review against another edition
2.0
This is a postmodern retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but I couldn't get into it. It was short, but I didn't finish it, so I'm not sure if I should count it. I read almost half and then skimmed the rest (very, very quickly), so I'm going to count it. :)
kesterbird's review against another edition
5.0
written like a dream; the language is evocative, abstract, solid, and utterly gorgeous.
lnprad's review
3.0
And Coover lived happily ever after making quilts from the fabric of fairy tales.
mlytylr's review
2.0
I think some of the reviewers skipped the summary / reviews on the back of this book, in which the word "postmodernist" was featured at least four times. And to those who are saying, I didn't enjoy this at all -- you weren't meant to. A postmodernist fairy tale challenges not only the structure and metaphors inherent in the fairy tale, but the audience's expectations and enjoyment of it.
However, in my opinion -- this book is more concept than execution. It's heavy-handed. Once you "get" what the author is trying to say, there really is no point to reading beyond the first 10 pages. The concept is not expanded upon, it's simply repeated.
However, in my opinion -- this book is more concept than execution. It's heavy-handed. Once you "get" what the author is trying to say, there really is no point to reading beyond the first 10 pages. The concept is not expanded upon, it's simply repeated.
More...