Fairy Tales with a creative twist

-
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter, Helen Simpson 
Paperback, Vintage Classic Twins: Vintage Fear, 176 pages
Published 2007 by Vintage Books (first published 1979)

There is a quote on the back of the book by Ian McEwan which sums this book up brilliantly, as a 'Magnificent set pieces of fastidious sensuality'. I can find no words that expand on just how extraordinary Carter's words are. 
She takes traditional fairy tales and gives them new focus. Her re-imaging is clever and takes the tales in directions. This is a short collection but the writing is dense and exquisite.
I really loved this book and was just swept away into the world of fairy tales.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Been some time

-
Image
Well being ill did not stop the reading but did stop all the posting. I managed to keep my goodreads reviews going but could barely find the energy to update here.  A list of what I made my way through is here . I did finish 72 books and my favourite was Helen Garner's 'Everywhere I look'. I did think 'The Girl on the Train' was a bit over hyped and I am not sure why it received so much attention.  So this year I am planning on making my way through 60 books. I am aiming to be more adventurous and look to read authors from outside my comfort zone.  There is a second hand book store near my parents and they certainly sell some stuff cheap. I managed to pick up some classic Australian reads for $1 and 'All the light we cannot see' by Anthony Doerr for $4 and the first book I have read for 2017.  This book really surprised me, really surprised me. I had put reading this book off for some time as to be honest I was really not ready for another World W...
Read more

Piles of Reading

-
Image
Been a tough couple of months and while the reading has continued the blogging has not. So this will be a massive catch up. For 2017 I read 60 books and for 2018 I am aiming for 55. City of Crows - Chris Womersley Set in France in 1673, the plague is sweeping across the populace. Charlotte has suffered the loss of her husband and three children. She is determined to protect her Nicolas and they seek sanctuary in Lyon. on their journey they are attacked, with Charlotte left to die and her son taken by slavers. She summons a man to assist recover her son and they travel to Paris. There is witchcraft involved and plain old self-serving individuals who make things difficult. I have to admit that it is difficult to find the words to convey my thoughts on this book. I enjoyed the rich details, the layers of French society and culture that is revealed. The characters are well crafted and carry their own emotional baggage. I was really immersed in the pages. Yet the ending left me beref...
Read more

Garner opens up her soul

-
Image
The Feel Of Steel by Helen Garner Paperback, 223 pages Published April 1st 2008 by Picador (first published November 10th 2007) I have to admit I really struggle to review Helen Garner's works. I find myself being quickly swept into the words on the page and I do not stop reading. I do not take notes, I just keep reading and soaking it all in.  In the Feel of Steel, Garner has given us an insight into some of the curly moments of her life, from the doubts one faces after a divorce, placing your mother in a nursing home and struggling to write words on the page. These insights are quite extraordinary with her honesty and vulnerabilities laid down. There is also some wonderful moments of observation that are really poignant and revealing.  I lost myself in the words, the scenes and the descriptions.  This is a wonderful book, just read it.   I could not find a website for Helen Garner but you view more of Helen Garner's works at Text Publishing . De...
Read more