Re-telling the fairy stories without happily ever after. (Black Pearls: A Faerie Strand - Louise Hawes)

Member Name: okei

Product:	Black Pearls: A Faerie Strand - Louise Hawes
Date:	13/05/09 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Entertaining. Nice touches. Light. Tragic. Holds your attention.

Disadvantages: Lacks some of the poetry of the originals.

This is a retelling of six well known fairy tales and one legend, but from a different point of view to the original stories, telling the author's imaginings of what really happened in each case, and in doing so eschewing the formula of "happily ever after". Full of magic, sadness and intrigue, though not really "dark" as the sleeve notes would have you believe, unless you really are a child and choose this for your bedtime reading, not really knowing what you've let yourself in for.

There's the story of Rapunzel, she of the long hair locked up in a tower by her mother who's a witch. But the story is told from the point of view of her mother who had reason to fear and only wanted to keep her safe.

The second story is that of the Pied Piper leading away the children, told from the point of view of the boy on crutches who has trouble keeping up.

The third tale is Hansel and Gretel and their encounter with the witch in the gingerbread cottage, as told by Gretel who is guided by visions of the ghost of her mother.

The fourth is Cinderella and her vengeful nature, as told by the prince who would marry her.

The fifth is Jack and the Beanstalk, unflattering on Jack, and sympathetic of the poor giant, as told by the magic harp that Jack stole, which was actually a kneeling girl with a harp who had been transformed into gold by a witch and cursed to play whatever tune was asked of her.

The sixth is Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, as told by one of the dwarves who is head over heels in love with Snow White.

And last of all, the book finishes with a retelling of the legend of Godiva from the point of view of Godiva, but the reason for the infamous naked ride on horseback through the streets of Coventry is nothing to do with taxes, but a not-very-believable consequence of an infidelity by her husband. He instructs her not to take anything of his as a gift to the mother giving birth to his baby, so to spite him she foregoes all her clothes as belonging to him and carries some jewellery inside her... her mouth, where else were you thinking? Oh, there too! This was the least impressive of all the tales in my opinion and the only one with any nudity for those on the look-out for such things (though there are mild sexual themes in one or two of the other tales). However, though being an odd-one out, it was also different from the rest in a good way in that it has a happy ending, a triumph of love to end the book on an up-note.

Finally, a note on the book itself, a very smart hardcover, with pages that look like they've been cut with a paper-knife to give it that antique look, though I should note that of course they weren't and none are stuck together. And throughout the text, there are several full-page illustrations. It couldn't be a book of fairy tales without those!

Summary: Magic, sadness & intrigue. Nothing special, but good fun for short story lovers.