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bmurray153's review against another edition
2.0
I'll admit that I have not read Afanasyev's collection in its entirety, but more than enough to get the gist of the work. It's a collection. Some stories will be good. Other's will be bad. Some of my favorites were ones that echoed traditional western fairy tales like Cinderella and Snow White as well as ones that were distinctly Russian. It's not something I would ever read for enjoyment. Most of these stories feel quick, bland, and unmemorable. It is a great document as a representation of Russian culture. But besides academic interests, it's not really worth the time to go through the entire thing. I believe there to be far more interesting and memorable collections out there.
dhrutigopaluni's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely a bit dark, but that's to be expected from the original versions of any fairy tales. I did enjoy reading these, but much like Grimms' stories and the like, there are not too many types and they get repetitive.
airmedw's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
kasiasosnowski's review against another edition
4.0
There were a lot of familiar stories in here that I didn't realize had Russian or Slavic origins. The illustrations are so beautiful - it was slightly repetitive so I only read the stories that caught my interest.
aconfundityofcrows's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
ejderwood's review against another edition
5.0
Here's a good list of things that will happen in a Russian fairy tale:
- Ivan is an idiot and will probably end up dying because of it. If he doesn't die, his two older brothers will.
- someone's limbs will be ripped off. probably multiple someones.
- Baba Yaga loves to chase people and have them do chores for her and then let them go
- there are multiple Baba Yagas
- at the end of any given story the teller will remind you pointedly that he hasn't had anything to drink
- the people who die are just like, welp! guess i'm dead! unless they're coming back to life and getting revenge.
- random foreign princes will not be able to enter russia. instead of an explanation the story will just say "for some reason he could not enter russia"
- ICONIC.
- 80% of them are re-telling another story you already read but with an added twist; i.e., this time it's Baba Yaga as the antagonist instead of Kochchei the Deathless (or once, a vampire).
- I would die for Kochchei the Deathless. Just out here trying to save these women from their terrible fiance/husbands and what does he get for it? His heart eaten. Absolutely NO gratitude.
- Ivan is an idiot and will probably end up dying because of it. If he doesn't die, his two older brothers will.
- someone's limbs will be ripped off. probably multiple someones.
- Baba Yaga loves to chase people and have them do chores for her and then let them go
- there are multiple Baba Yagas
- at the end of any given story the teller will remind you pointedly that he hasn't had anything to drink
- the people who die are just like, welp! guess i'm dead! unless they're coming back to life and getting revenge.
- random foreign princes will not be able to enter russia. instead of an explanation the story will just say "for some reason he could not enter russia"
- ICONIC.
- 80% of them are re-telling another story you already read but with an added twist; i.e., this time it's Baba Yaga as the antagonist instead of Kochchei the Deathless (or once, a vampire).
- I would die for Kochchei the Deathless. Just out here trying to save these women from their terrible fiance/husbands and what does he get for it? His heart eaten. Absolutely NO gratitude.
redhobbit's review against another edition
4.0
Weird and wonderful. A great collection for lovers of fairy tales.
maliajackson's review against another edition
5.0
Reading this for a Russian folk tales class. I love Baba Yaga forever.