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A review by libertyreads789
East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North by Peter Christen Abjørnsen
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Actual rating: 1.43 stars averaged.
I think we have to call it here, folks. Fairytales just aren’t for me. This is my second, possibly my third, set of fairytales I’ve read as an adult and I don’t like them. I think I rated this collection very slightly lower than the collection of Grimm’s Fairytales I read about a year and a half ago. But given the sheer volume of Grimm’s Fairytales I’m not surprised. This was only 15 stories that were published in 1845. Or at least that’s the earliest date I can find for them. I had heard someone say that the East of the Sun, West of the Moon fairytale was inspiration for the original Beauty and the Beast at someone point which I don't think is right. Feel free to correct me. From what I’ve seen, the East of the Sun, West of the Moon story came out in 1845 while the original Beauty and the Beast Story came out in 1740. But that’s all GoodReads and Wikipedia research so let me know if you know differently. All that to say that me hearing that comment is what led to me reading these stories. I like Beauty and the Beast and I found a gorgeous Minalima edition at the New York Public Library so why not read the story and then Beauty and the Beast?
I think we have to call it here, folks. Fairytales just aren’t for me. This is my second, possibly my third, set of fairytales I’ve read as an adult and I don’t like them. I think I rated this collection very slightly lower than the collection of Grimm’s Fairytales I read about a year and a half ago. But given the sheer volume of Grimm’s Fairytales I’m not surprised. This was only 15 stories that were published in 1845. Or at least that’s the earliest date I can find for them. I had heard someone say that the East of the Sun, West of the Moon fairytale was inspiration for the original Beauty and the Beast at someone point which I don't think is right. Feel free to correct me. From what I’ve seen, the East of the Sun, West of the Moon story came out in 1845 while the original Beauty and the Beast Story came out in 1740. But that’s all GoodReads and Wikipedia research so let me know if you know differently. All that to say that me hearing that comment is what led to me reading these stories. I like Beauty and the Beast and I found a gorgeous Minalima edition at the New York Public Library so why not read the story and then Beauty and the Beast?
Turns out, this is why. I found the stories were either way too short or way too long. I struggled to get through the longer ones. The shorter ones felt like a waste of time. My favorite story was in fact East of the Sun, West of the Moon which I rated 3 stars. My most popular (and lowest rating) was 1 star. I’m excited to read the Minalima edition of Beauty and the Beast, but otherwise I’m staying far away from anything that could possibly be called a fairytale.