Fairy Tales Re-imagined

One of my favorite fantasy reads in fairy written again with a new spin to the tales that I read when I was younger.  I remember pouring over a large volume of classic fairy tales that I had gotten from my parents.  The love of tales such as these has carried over into my adult reading choices.  It's interesting to see what take a different author takes on a tale, sometimes even writing from the perspective of a character who might not have been a sympathetic or prominent character in the original.  Here are a few books that have taken a new spin on some classic tales that you might recognize from your youth.

All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella's Stepmother - Danielle Teller

We all know the story of Cinderella... or do we? Her stepmother, Agnes, has privately recorded the true story. A peasant born into serfdom, forced into servitude as a laundress's apprentice when she is only ten years old, Agnes was seduced by an older man while a teenager and became pregnant. She had no choice but to return to servitude at the manor she thought she had left behind, where her new position is nursemaid to Ella. The story of their relationship reveals that nothing is what it seems, that beauty is not always desirable, and that love can take on many guises.


Spinning Silver - Naomi Novik
"A fresh and imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale...Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father is not a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has left his family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem intercedes. Hardening her heart, she sets out to retrieve what is owed, and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. But when an ill-advised boast brings her to the attention of the cold creatures who haunt the wood, nothing will be the same again. For words have power, and the fate of a kingdom will be forever altered by the challenge she is issued. Channeling the heart of the classic fairy tale, Novik deftly interweaves six distinct narrative voices--each learning valuable lessons about sacrifice, power and love--into a rich, multilayered fantasy that readers will want to return to again and again."

The Bear and the Nightingale: A Novel - Katherine Arden 

A beautiful re-imaging of a Russian fairy tale.  "In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift - a precious jewel on a delicate chain, intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning, Pytor hides the gift away and Vasya grows up a wild, willful girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that, armed only with the necklace, she may be the only one who can keep the darkness at bay"




The Marry Spinster: Tale of Everyday Horrors - Mallory Ortberg

A collection of darkly playful stories based on classic folk and fairy tales (but with a feminist spin) that find the sinister in the familiar and the familiar in the alien.

After BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Try...

Disney's live action remake of Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the title characters, won the box office this weekend. Did you go see it? Here are some similar movies to watch either before or after you check out Disney's latest hit:

La Belle et la Bête (1946): Jean Cocteau's classic take on the "tale as old as time" might be different from what you remember, but its magical production design is not to be missed!

King Kong (1933): "It was beauty killed the beast." A very different imagining of the story, but also a classic! And hey, there's also a new King Kong movie in theaters now.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001): While this new Beauty and the Beast is a more traditional retelling of the fairy tale, this Spielberg film is a wildly new take on Pinocchio. 

Big Fish (2003): Seamlessly blending wild fantasy with our everyday world, Big Fish has a big heart and a lot of imagination.

Fairy Tales Redux

Originally, adults were the intended audience for fairy tales. In modern times, fairy tales were altered so they could be read to children. Happy endings were added to the bleak stories as not to frighten children. Fairy tales were meant to make us think, and even with happy endings they make us question our codes of conduct and re-examine our choices. Today's retold tales do so by looking at old stories in new ways. So, roll up your sleeves, check out a good book, and prepare to do some thinking while you are entertained.


Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Gregory Maguire
Set in an Oz where a gloomy Wizard battles suicidal thoughts, the story of the green-skinned Elphaba, otherwise known as the Wicked Witch of the West, profiles her as an animal rights activist determined to avenge her dear sister's death. A magical retelling of the Land of Oz before and up to the arrival of Dorothy and crew. If you enjoyed the Hobbit you will like Wicked. (Award winner: YALSA- Outstanding Books for the College Bound 2009)

White as Snow
Tanith Lee
In a dark fantasy based on the fairy tale "Snow White," Arpazia and her unwanted daughter, Coira, are lured into the woods by the elder gods, who are seeking to restore their worship in a land where a new religion threatens to change life for everyone. A new take on an old tale will engage fans of dark fantasy.

Snow Child
Eowyn Ivey
Childless couples working a farm in the brutal landscape of 1920 Alaska discovers a little girl living in the wilderness, with a red fox as a companion. They begin to love the strange, almost-supernatural child as their own. A wonderful retelling of the Russian fairy tale about a girl, made from snow by a childless couple, who come to life.

Briar Rose
Jane Yolen
Becca's grandmother tells her that she is a princess, and after her death, Becca investigates her grandmother's mementos and discovers her disturbing teenage years, including survival of the horrors of the Holocaust. Winter Rose Two sisters, one fragile and levelheaded, one rough-hewn and sensual, fall in love with an aristocrat who returns to claim his family's abandoned estate, only to fall victim to the curse of his celebrated grandfather. (Award Winner: YASLA Outstanding Books for the College Bound 1999, YASLA 100 Best Books (1950-2000)

Once upon a summer day
Dennis L. McKiernan
Borel, Prince of the Winterwood, embarks on a terrifying journey through the land of Faery toward a conflict with the dark forces of evil, drawn by his all-too-real dreams of a beautiful young woman in horrible danger.

When Beauty Tamed the Beast
Eloisa James
Linnet Berry Thynne thinks that she will easily be able to make her fiancée, Piers Yelverton, the Earl of Marchant, who is rumored to be impervious to the womanly charms, fall in love with her, but she loses her heart to him instead. James skillfully fashions a fairy-tale-perfect-romance. Readers will be clambering for more. (Award Winner: Library Journal Best Romance Books 2011)

Jack, the Giant-Killer
Charles De LintJack goes searching for giants to kill and it is impossible for him to fail, especially with the help of The Cloak of Darkness, The Cap of Wisdom, The Shoes of Speed, and The Sword of Sharpness. A contemporary retelling of “Jack and the Bean Stalk” set in Ottawa. (Award Winner: Prix Aurora Award: Best English Long Form 1988)


The Snow Queen’s Shadow
Jim C. Hines
When Snow White's enchanted mirror is shattered by a spell gone wrong, unleashing a demon that shows people only ugliness and hate, Snow White becomes the first person to fall under the demon's power. Hines expertly mixes action and adventure with romance, which should satisfy fans of Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault.