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singalana's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
As this is a complete collection of fairy tales, it's a very mixed bag. Some of them are witty and funny, and others incredibly repetitive and confusing. And often similar tales follow each other, so basically it's the same story twice.
A modern reader can pick up elements that would nowadays be considered problematic: women are treated as prizes, the ugly and overweight are often presented as evil, and there is some antisemitism as well.
About 15 % of these stories are actually good, 35 % fulfil the need for nostalgia for those who grew up listening to these stories. And the rest… Well, frankly I could have done without.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol
apalershadeofwhite's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This collection as a whole was pretty middle-of-the-road. There were some tales I really enjoyed, some I didn't like at all, and some that weren't bad but were pretty forgettable. It was especially a bit difficult to want to read in the middle, where a lot of the tales were pretty repetitive, but it did pick up a little towards the end.
So many of the tales in this collection were basically the same story but wrapped in a different package! There was an insane amount of repetition with the content within the tales and most often had the same ending, just with differently named characters and a different locale. It made the reading process a bit monotonous.
Don't get me wrong, though, there was still some good writing in here! They just felt a bit like finding a pearl in the sea haha. I specifically liked the focus on symbolism and metaphors as I'm a sucker for these in any narrative I read. Although, there were a lot of grim (ha) inclusions in the tales that sometimes were a bit odd. There was, on the other hand, quite a few really funny bits within this collection. I'm unsure if they were all intentional, but they made me laugh either way so it's a plus.
There were, however, massive racist undertones. The tales often talked of women being "black and ugly as sin" but other being "white and beautiful" which was awful to read, to be honest. And I felt like all of the messages to girls in these tales were to just sit and be pretty.
I found that the overarching morals throughout the tales were: honesty versus deceit, selfishness versus compassion, jealously, and equality and equity.
So many of the tales in this collection were basically the same story but wrapped in a different package! There was an insane amount of repetition with the content within the tales and most often had the same ending, just with differently named characters and a different locale. It made the reading process a bit monotonous.
Don't get me wrong, though, there was still some good writing in here! They just felt a bit like finding a pearl in the sea haha. I specifically liked the focus on symbolism and metaphors as I'm a sucker for these in any narrative I read. Although, there were a lot of grim (ha) inclusions in the tales that sometimes were a bit odd. There was, on the other hand, quite a few really funny bits within this collection. I'm unsure if they were all intentional, but they made me laugh either way so it's a plus.
There were, however, massive racist undertones. The tales often talked of women being "black and ugly as sin" but other being "white and beautiful" which was awful to read, to be honest. And I felt like all of the messages to girls in these tales were to just sit and be pretty.
I found that the overarching morals throughout the tales were: honesty versus deceit, selfishness versus compassion, jealously, and equality and equity.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
purplehulk713's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Jacob and Wilhelm certainly loved their tales of horror. I was rather relieved to be done, honestly, because even though I enjoyed it, it felt very repetitive with many similar plots and tropes. But the sinister and at times evil nature of the tales is spooky and tantalizing. Classic and familiar, this was quite enjoyable, but often so in small doses as one might grow tired of similar tales. But it is a cultural staple, and it gives so much more significance to these stories’ successors. It’s something everyone should read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
purplehulk713's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Dark and lovely, like the sinister forests in which so many of these stories take place. These are classic tales, though so many of them in a row felt kind of repetitive. There are a lot of castles, forests, witches, princes, kings, queens, princesses, and a lot of deals with the Devil. Usually though, they come to a more or less peaceful (if not happy) end, though often by grim means. It can’t be reviewed so much because it’s a collection, and the stories were written to be read separately. It’s only repetitive because they’re all compiled. However, some stories deviate entirely from these norms, which is quite refreshing. Prepare yourself for curses, blood, and beautiful wickedness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail