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luthienneslibrary's review against another edition
4.0
The Nutcracker and the Mouse King was part of my childhood. I've seen almost every adaptation and of course Barbie and the Nutcracker was one of my favourite films.
I finally read this fairytale story. Unfortunately, it wasn't always easy to understand the sentences quickly as it was written with old sentence structure. This impaired the flow of reading.
Otherwise, I will definitely look for a newer version and read it again next year.
4/5 ⭐
I finally read this fairytale story. Unfortunately, it wasn't always easy to understand the sentences quickly as it was written with old sentence structure. This impaired the flow of reading.
Otherwise, I will definitely look for a newer version and read it again next year.
4/5 ⭐
novellabella's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
emilia_booklover's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
nithyaez's review against another edition
5.0
Reading this after loving the ballet my whole life is wild. I just found out the mouse king is meant to have SEVEN HEADS. Let me tell you, if they’d given him SEVEN HEADS in the ballet, seven-year-old me would not have stayed in that theatre, never mind paid to see this ever again.
theresalissy's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
marc129's review against another edition
I've already read some short stories by the German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776-1822) and so I knew that there always was a dark side to his writings. And that is also the case here. This starts as a Christmas caroll, situated in what is clearly an early 19th century bourgeois family. But in the course of the story there are real battles, aweful curses are uttered, certain main 'characters' are physically deformed and quite a few of them die. Of course it ends well, but this is not exactly Disney material. Still, one can recognize some typical fairy tale story elements: enchanted princesses and princes, animals and dolls that come to life, curses that are pronounced, and adults who do not take the fantasy of children seriously. Especially the fantasy world that opens up for protagonist Marie at the end of the story rings a bell: there is not only the Swan Lake, but the entrance to that strange world via the wardrobe (yes, C.S. Lewis), and the big candy paradise including little men (yes, Roald Dahl). As said, the whole thing seems very strange and artificial, and is very much marked by its own time (1816): the girls are sweet and empathetic, the boys egocentric and brutal; and the little men in the candy paradise are called ‘niggers’ without scruples (In the first version of Dahl's Chocolate Factory, there were little pygmies). I've heard also the stories by the Grimm Brothers are not as sweet as we get them in the Disney version, and Hoffmann clearly has to be situated in the same vain.
wanderlustlover's review
4.0
Winter 2019;
I said to my best friend "It's funny, I accepted at 148 that I wasn't going to hit 150 books this year. That it doesn't need to kill me that I didn't hit some arbitary number no one is actually staring down their nose and making sure I hit. But, then, I opened and closed [b:The Invasion|776877|The Invasion (Animorphs, #1)|K.A. Applegate|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456853880l/776877._SX50_.jpg|356806] on the plane here. So, hilariously, I'm going to end at 149 instead."
She leaned over to her right and handed me this.
Somehow, even though I've watched uncounted dozens of 'The Nutcracker' ballet versions, I never knew this story was actually a novella (and this version with these swoon worthy illustrations that she'd tracked down). I loved reading the introduction with the illustrator/translator telling the story of 'Hard Nut' and how they hadn't ever known that was a story, and, reader, me, too. I never ever knew and it's like the full middle third of this novella.
I loved it and I want a copy. I spent so much time going through it thinking it would be an amazing story to read to children night-by-night at Christmas time as they were getting into the season.
I said to my best friend "It's funny, I accepted at 148 that I wasn't going to hit 150 books this year. That it doesn't need to kill me that I didn't hit some arbitary number no one is actually staring down their nose and making sure I hit. But, then, I opened and closed [b:The Invasion|776877|The Invasion (Animorphs, #1)|K.A. Applegate|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456853880l/776877._SX50_.jpg|356806] on the plane here. So, hilariously, I'm going to end at 149 instead."
She leaned over to her right and handed me this.
Somehow, even though I've watched uncounted dozens of 'The Nutcracker' ballet versions, I never knew this story was actually a novella (and this version with these swoon worthy illustrations that she'd tracked down). I loved reading the introduction with the illustrator/translator telling the story of 'Hard Nut' and how they hadn't ever known that was a story, and, reader, me, too. I never ever knew and it's like the full middle third of this novella.
I loved it and I want a copy. I spent so much time going through it thinking it would be an amazing story to read to children night-by-night at Christmas time as they were getting into the season.
justagirlwithbooks's review against another edition
3.25
“Silly child, how can you imagine that this wooden doll from Nuremberg is really alive and capable of moving about?"
This reminded me so much of Barbie and the Nutcracker... and it was really nice. It's just that the second half was basically the same story but by Alexandre Dumas. This is a classic wintery tale and there isn't much more to say other than that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence