tahlia_reads_and_knits's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
yfky's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
4.5
derigibleplums's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I think if I'd had this read to me I would have enjoyed it, or if I hadn't have read it so fast, story after story. I guess it feels more honest as a written account of oral storytelling but in the reading, it feels like a rambling tumble of ideas in each story. Some really lovely moments and illustrations though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, and War
sydneysparr's review
3.0
I decided to read this tale because of a reference of the girl and the Prince to another favorite couple of mine. It was okay. I just wish it was longer
galsgotmoxie's review
4.0
A wonderful selection of Scandinavian fairy tales with gorgeous illustrations -- both black-and-white drawings and full-color illustration plates -- by Kay Nielsen. Your mileage will vary based on how much you enjoy fairy tales in general, but I really enjoyed these simple magical stories and was previously unfamiliar with the majority of them. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.
katiemoten's review
2.0
Rating: 2/5
Asbjornsen and Moe's collection, illustrated by Kay Nielsen, is full of trolls, cunning heroes, and epic journeys, but also a lot of repetition. The most original stories are the shortest, such as "The Three Billy-Goats Gruff" and "The White Cat of Doverfell", and the title story is the most original of the longer stories. The title story is also the only story that features a woman as the protagonist, while the other stories feature young men, often lazy young men, as protagonists.
Of the repetitions, there are epic journeys to save princesses, or a prince in the case of the title story; trolls with numerous heads; cunning-but-lazy heroes; animal helpers; and rightful bridegrooms who return just in the nick of time. There's something ethereal about the journey stories in this collection, something that Nielsen's illustrations brings out: it's just a pity it feels like the same story told over and over again. Certainly, fairy tale collections often retell the same story in different ways, but with only fifteen stories in this collection, and several of those stories sounding like three or four other stories in the same collection, the repetition is too much. There are interesting echoes of Cinderella, Donkey Skin, and other tales here, but the repetitiveness is unfortunate.
For anyone thinking of buying a copy of this book with Nielsen's illustrations, I'd advise staying away from the Benediction Classics edition. Though it includes illustrations, they're all in black and white, which I didn't know beforehand: this means the beauty of the illustrations is largely lost. The edition is quite poorly laid out as well: not enough care was taken with it. I certainly wouldn't buy a book from this publisher again.
Asbjornsen and Moe's collection, illustrated by Kay Nielsen, is full of trolls, cunning heroes, and epic journeys, but also a lot of repetition. The most original stories are the shortest, such as "The Three Billy-Goats Gruff" and "The White Cat of Doverfell", and the title story is the most original of the longer stories. The title story is also the only story that features a woman as the protagonist, while the other stories feature young men, often lazy young men, as protagonists.
Of the repetitions, there are epic journeys to save princesses, or a prince in the case of the title story; trolls with numerous heads; cunning-but-lazy heroes; animal helpers; and rightful bridegrooms who return just in the nick of time. There's something ethereal about the journey stories in this collection, something that Nielsen's illustrations brings out: it's just a pity it feels like the same story told over and over again. Certainly, fairy tale collections often retell the same story in different ways, but with only fifteen stories in this collection, and several of those stories sounding like three or four other stories in the same collection, the repetition is too much. There are interesting echoes of Cinderella, Donkey Skin, and other tales here, but the repetitiveness is unfortunate.
For anyone thinking of buying a copy of this book with Nielsen's illustrations, I'd advise staying away from the Benediction Classics edition. Though it includes illustrations, they're all in black and white, which I didn't know beforehand: this means the beauty of the illustrations is largely lost. The edition is quite poorly laid out as well: not enough care was taken with it. I certainly wouldn't buy a book from this publisher again.
brucefarrar's review
4.0
This collection of fifteen fairy tales is elegantly illustrated by Danish illustrator Kay Nielsen. His strikingly posed elongated human figures inhabit fantastic and detailed color illustrations. The preface describes, “…the exquisite bizarrerie of his drawings… ,” which I find an odd way of describing them.
Many fairy tale motifs are repeated in the tales. It gives the impression that princesses in Scandinavia always come in sets of three, and are rescued by heroes who invariably find them in a kitchen at the spinning wheel while the troll or monster that has captured them in not at home at the time of the hero’s visit. There’s also a good bit of chopping off of heads and limbs in the stories. Nevertheless, the collection contains the ever popular “Three Billy Goats Gruff,” “Soria Moria Castle” and the title tale.
All but two of the tales come from George Webbe Dasent’s nineteenth-century English translations of Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe collection Norske Folke-Eventyr, with the English title Popular Tales from the Norse. Two additional tales, “The three princesses in the blue mountain” is from Fairy Tales from the Far North by Asbjørnsen translated from the Norwegian by H. L. Braekstad. The preface says “…Prince Lindworm is newly translated for this volume,” however. the source, Danish, Swedish, or Norwegian, and the translator are unnamed.
Many fairy tale motifs are repeated in the tales. It gives the impression that princesses in Scandinavia always come in sets of three, and are rescued by heroes who invariably find them in a kitchen at the spinning wheel while the troll or monster that has captured them in not at home at the time of the hero’s visit. There’s also a good bit of chopping off of heads and limbs in the stories. Nevertheless, the collection contains the ever popular “Three Billy Goats Gruff,” “Soria Moria Castle” and the title tale.
All but two of the tales come from George Webbe Dasent’s nineteenth-century English translations of Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe collection Norske Folke-Eventyr, with the English title Popular Tales from the Norse. Two additional tales, “The three princesses in the blue mountain” is from Fairy Tales from the Far North by Asbjørnsen translated from the Norwegian by H. L. Braekstad. The preface says “…Prince Lindworm is newly translated for this volume,” however. the source, Danish, Swedish, or Norwegian, and the translator are unnamed.