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A review by mnboyer
How to Fracture a Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen, Jane Yolen
3.0
Thank you, NetGalley, for offering me a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
If you enjoy fairy tales, then you know that one of the best thing about them is the way in which they are adapted, edited, and changed over time. Changing and retelling fairy tales keeps them breathing as the world around them changes. Jane Yolen offers a collection of 'fractured' fairy tales that are quite different from the stories you remember. On one hand, you may see a different ending, or a new character, or perhaps a major shift in the POV of a story you have read before. On the other hand, there are several stories here from different countries and cultures that--perhaps--you're encountering for the first time.
This is a pleasant read, as there are many different types of tales in the collection. There is not necessarily a common thread (ie: all of the stories have a dragon) apart from the fact that they have all undergone some changes at Yolen's hand. I find many of the changes particularly interesting, inventive, and believe they give new life to stories that perhaps readers are familiar with. For example, one tale retells events through the bridge's perspective. This is unique because, to my knowledge, this type of personification in fairy tales has not been presented with this particular story.
There are also some darker elements in this story. For example, one of the stories revolves around incest. For some readers, this may be a story whose changes deeply affect you or alter your perception of the tale--that's a good thing, in my opinion. Familiar stories like Cinderella are retold and you'll find that Cinderella is actually portrayed by an elephant.
With a wide variety of stories, there is something here to entertain every reader. For this, I easily rate this book 3-stars.
My only issues with this book revolve around the following two issues, both of which I deducted a star for. First, about half of these short stories have been published previously and are available elsewhere. If you're a fan of Yolen, this means that you likely have seen half of this book elsewhere before picking it up. As someone that believes stories should consist of new material, as readers work hard for the money it costs to purchase books, I find it slightly irritating that half of the book (my approximation) is not new. Of course, if you're new to Yolen's work, this entire collection may indeed be new to you--in which case, this grievance does not apply to you. But it is something that I consider as a reader (have I read the content before? Am I getting new or old material?).
Secondly, at the end of the book Yolen lists descriptions of the original tales and explains some of her changes to the stories. I found this helpful, but feel like at the end of each story this blurb could have been inserted. In fact, it would have been better placed at the end of each story rather than at the very end. A few of the stories I was unfamiliar with, and it would have been nice to have the description/comparisons listed after the story so that I could more easily make sense of things.
Just minor 'issues' that I have from my perspective. Yet, I would still recommend this collection to those interested in fairy tales, adaptations, retellings, and general children's anthologies.
If you enjoy fairy tales, then you know that one of the best thing about them is the way in which they are adapted, edited, and changed over time. Changing and retelling fairy tales keeps them breathing as the world around them changes. Jane Yolen offers a collection of 'fractured' fairy tales that are quite different from the stories you remember. On one hand, you may see a different ending, or a new character, or perhaps a major shift in the POV of a story you have read before. On the other hand, there are several stories here from different countries and cultures that--perhaps--you're encountering for the first time.
This is a pleasant read, as there are many different types of tales in the collection. There is not necessarily a common thread (ie: all of the stories have a dragon) apart from the fact that they have all undergone some changes at Yolen's hand. I find many of the changes particularly interesting, inventive, and believe they give new life to stories that perhaps readers are familiar with. For example, one tale retells events through the bridge's perspective. This is unique because, to my knowledge, this type of personification in fairy tales has not been presented with this particular story.
There are also some darker elements in this story. For example, one of the stories revolves around incest. For some readers, this may be a story whose changes deeply affect you or alter your perception of the tale--that's a good thing, in my opinion. Familiar stories like Cinderella are retold and you'll find that Cinderella is actually portrayed by an elephant.
With a wide variety of stories, there is something here to entertain every reader. For this, I easily rate this book 3-stars.
My only issues with this book revolve around the following two issues, both of which I deducted a star for. First, about half of these short stories have been published previously and are available elsewhere. If you're a fan of Yolen, this means that you likely have seen half of this book elsewhere before picking it up. As someone that believes stories should consist of new material, as readers work hard for the money it costs to purchase books, I find it slightly irritating that half of the book (my approximation) is not new. Of course, if you're new to Yolen's work, this entire collection may indeed be new to you--in which case, this grievance does not apply to you. But it is something that I consider as a reader (have I read the content before? Am I getting new or old material?).
Secondly, at the end of the book Yolen lists descriptions of the original tales and explains some of her changes to the stories. I found this helpful, but feel like at the end of each story this blurb could have been inserted. In fact, it would have been better placed at the end of each story rather than at the very end. A few of the stories I was unfamiliar with, and it would have been nice to have the description/comparisons listed after the story so that I could more easily make sense of things.
Just minor 'issues' that I have from my perspective. Yet, I would still recommend this collection to those interested in fairy tales, adaptations, retellings, and general children's anthologies.