Reviews

The Snow Queen, by Hans Christian Andersen, Amy Ehrlich, Susan Jeffers

joaco1010's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

mariana1297's review against another edition

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4.0

Puntuación 4/5

Una historia cautivadora que ha sido una inspiración para un montón de historias.

Este cuento narra la aventura a la que se lanza Margarita para ir en busca de su amigo Carlitos. El cual se alejó de su hogar por seguir a una reina de las nieves luego de que un fragmento de un espejo que distorsionaba la perspectiva propia del mundo, entrara en su ojo.

Las situaciones dentro de lo fantasioso, de ver cómo la protagonista Margarita interactúa tanto con animales como con flores, muestra una serie de historias que tienen un trasfondo de crecimiento para la protagonista.

Lo más impactante para mí es el recorrido que hizo está niña en lo de seguir a su compañero de juegos, ya que añoraba su compañía, mientras que este niño era influenciado por un cristal externo a sí mismo, lo cual no permitía que tuviera una visión personal de lo que lo rodeaba debido a la distorsión.

Esta metáfora del espejo me deja clara una cosa, que en cierta forma es una situación que hay en la realidad, ya que ha permanecido durante décadas y hasta puede ser una característica humana. En dónde las virtudes, la generosidad, la inocencia y otros aspectos positivos son tachados como un mal y atacados por ello. Mientras las perversidades, lo vil y las cosas que no suman más que una "felicidad" temporal son tachadas como lo contrario, lo bueno y deseado.

Y bueno me gusta que está clase de historias siempre demuestra que un camino difícil y duro, puede lograrse y superarse con el esfuerzo, la voluntad y las buenas intenciones.

macthebrazen's review against another edition

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2.0

Bizarre

livie's review against another edition

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medium-paced

2.5

brinastewart's review against another edition

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3.0

it was a cute story

lagobond's review against another edition

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1.0

Why, oh why did illustrator Giorgio Baroni feel the need to turn The Snow Queen into a horror thing? Or, perhaps more to the point: why did the publisher feel the need to choose an illustrator who was clearly the wrong choice for this endeavor?

Honestly, I didn't even read this book. I just flipped through and honestly recoiled at the awful illustrations. The Snow Queen is a powerful, moving story of friendship and of being there for somebody against overwhelming odds. It's an adventure story. It's a coming-of-age story. It's a fairytale, a mythical story. It is NOT a dystopian horror book. While it is at times scary, dark, and wistful, it is never depressing. These awfully dreary and depressing illustrations do not do Andersen justice.

Oh, also: the boy's name is Kai, not Kay. It's okay for English speakers to be exposed to a foreign name every now and then.

lagobond's review against another edition

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4.0

It honestly hurts me to give this book 4 stars, because the illustrations are just out of this world and deserve all the stars on Goodreads. The picture of Kai and Gerda by the window on a wintry night so perfectly captures the ethereal light that is created by a blanket of snow, and how cozy and protected a child feels in a warm living room with grandma and her best friend. It is so beautiful that I wish I could buy a print of just this picture for my wall. And the glint of gold in the dark, cold, snowy forest during the robbery! The majestic Northern Lights shining in the Arctic night above the Lapp woman's house! I gasped when I reached this page, astonished to find that it is actually possible to capture the essence of the Northern Lights in a painting.

And yet, something is painfully missing... the language felt bland and utilitarian. The storytelling was true to the original, and yet the words didn't pull me in. Whatever it is that makes Andersen's story and Ibatoulline's illustrations magical... MacDonald's retelling just doesn't have it. This edition of the Snow Queen is ever so close to perfection, but it's made for looking, not for reading out loud. Which is a crying shame, because the compact, colorful format otherwise lends itself so well to reading the book to kids.

brisbane724's review against another edition

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adventurous sad medium-paced

4.0

octobertune's review against another edition

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2.0

I knew going into this that it was nothing at all like Frozen because I knew they had very loosely based the movie on this story, but I was still kind of disappointed.

lorem1992's review against another edition

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adventurous

3.0