embo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
jayfr's review against another edition
5.0
heaven in book form. beautifully written, a must have book
flavio_fly's review against another edition
2.0
So di avere un'opinione impopolare... per essere gentile posso dire che semplicemente credo che questo libro sia invecchiato molto male! Mi rendo conto della sua importanza storica e mi rendo conto del perché le storie più famose siano diventate famose, ma per il resto non mi ha lasciato assolutamente nulla, anzi la metà delle storie non mi sono piaciute per niente, e la maggior parte dei personaggi mi sono sembrati semplicemente stupidi specialmente quando vengono presentati come "saggi". Le ultime 30/40 fiabe le ho odiate profondamente! L'ho terminato solo per completezza, ma non vedevo l'ora di finirlo perché mi stavano colando le sinapsi!
Sorry not sorry
Sorry not sorry
emays7's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this selection of stories and found several aspects particularly interesting: the mention of God, the rules of the worlds created, and noticing repeated themes. These stories were gruesome in parts, but not as gory as I was expecting.
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I was surprised by the way the lines are blurred between the sacred and other supernatural elements. I had expected there to be fairies and magic etc. but had thought this would be kept separate from mention of the Christian God. However, Hansel, in 'Hansel and Grethel', assures his sister that "God will not forsake us" and he prays for help, saying "Dear good God, help us now!". There is also mention of "the Evil One" (e.g. in 'Catherine and Frederick' and 'Bearskin'), however this seems to be more of a dubious character and not necessarily the devil as understood biblically.
I found the explanations of the natural and moral rules of the constructed worlds interesting and entertaining how they were so matter-of-factly stated. Here are some favourites:
Natural:
• "Witches have red eyes, and cannot see very far; but they have a fine sense of smelling, like wild beasts, so that they know when children approach them." (Hansel & Grethel)
• "No," they replied; "for we can only lay aside our swan's feathers for a quarter of an hour each evening, and for that time we regain our human form, but afterwards we resume our changed appearance." (The Six Swans)
• "heavy shower of golden rain" (Mother Holle)
• "but the youngest was so exceedingly beautiful that the Sun himself, although he saw her very, very often, was delighted every time she came out into the sunshine." (The Frog Prince)
• "When his master was changed into a frog, trusty Henry had grieved so much that he had bound three iron bands around his heart, for fear it should break with grief and sorrow." (The Frog Prince)
Moral:
• "Go your way; you will be wiser when you have suffered for your foolishness." (The Golden Goose)
• "As you have a kind heart, and have been willing to share everything with me I will bring good to you." (The Golden Goose)
Random quotes which amused me:
• "Then all their sorrows were ended, and they lived together in great happiness. My tale is done. There runs a mouse; whoever catches her may make a great, great cap out of her fur." (Hansel & Grethel)
• "But one day, as the queen was walking by the side of the river, a little fish lifted its head out of the water, and said," Your wish shall be fulfilled, and you shall soon have a daughter."" (Briar Rose)
Recurrent themes & motifs:
Good vs. evil
Beauty vs. ugliness
Good work ethic vs. laziness
Parents longing for children
Evil stepmothers
Jealously
Victims of cruelty
Sharing food
Rewards & punishments
Wishes granted
Deception
Weddings
Questions:
• Did the negative stigma around stepmothers in fairy-tales originate with the tales by the brothers Grimm? Or was it an existing theme developed by them?
• Why is parents' wish for children such a strong theme?
• How do the stories of Thumbling and Tom Thumb compare? And why are they two separate stories?
• Was the King's trickery in 'The Three Men in the Wood' inspired by the story of Nathan and David in the Bible?
------------
I was surprised by the way the lines are blurred between the sacred and other supernatural elements. I had expected there to be fairies and magic etc. but had thought this would be kept separate from mention of the Christian God. However, Hansel, in 'Hansel and Grethel', assures his sister that "God will not forsake us" and he prays for help, saying "Dear good God, help us now!". There is also mention of "the Evil One" (e.g. in 'Catherine and Frederick' and 'Bearskin'), however this seems to be more of a dubious character and not necessarily the devil as understood biblically.
I found the explanations of the natural and moral rules of the constructed worlds interesting and entertaining how they were so matter-of-factly stated. Here are some favourites:
Natural:
• "Witches have red eyes, and cannot see very far; but they have a fine sense of smelling, like wild beasts, so that they know when children approach them." (Hansel & Grethel)
• "No," they replied; "for we can only lay aside our swan's feathers for a quarter of an hour each evening, and for that time we regain our human form, but afterwards we resume our changed appearance." (The Six Swans)
• "heavy shower of golden rain" (Mother Holle)
• "but the youngest was so exceedingly beautiful that the Sun himself, although he saw her very, very often, was delighted every time she came out into the sunshine." (The Frog Prince)
• "When his master was changed into a frog, trusty Henry had grieved so much that he had bound three iron bands around his heart, for fear it should break with grief and sorrow." (The Frog Prince)
Moral:
• "Go your way; you will be wiser when you have suffered for your foolishness." (The Golden Goose)
• "As you have a kind heart, and have been willing to share everything with me I will bring good to you." (The Golden Goose)
Random quotes which amused me:
• "Then all their sorrows were ended, and they lived together in great happiness. My tale is done. There runs a mouse; whoever catches her may make a great, great cap out of her fur." (Hansel & Grethel)
• "But one day, as the queen was walking by the side of the river, a little fish lifted its head out of the water, and said," Your wish shall be fulfilled, and you shall soon have a daughter."" (Briar Rose)
Recurrent themes & motifs:
Good vs. evil
Beauty vs. ugliness
Good work ethic vs. laziness
Parents longing for children
Evil stepmothers
Jealously
Victims of cruelty
Sharing food
Rewards & punishments
Wishes granted
Deception
Weddings
Questions:
• Did the negative stigma around stepmothers in fairy-tales originate with the tales by the brothers Grimm? Or was it an existing theme developed by them?
• Why is parents' wish for children such a strong theme?
• How do the stories of Thumbling and Tom Thumb compare? And why are they two separate stories?
• Was the King's trickery in 'The Three Men in the Wood' inspired by the story of Nathan and David in the Bible?
macknz_p's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
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
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