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

A world without Marie Curie is it possible?

-
Image
  Half Life by Jillian Cantor  Paperback, 416 pages Published March 23rd 2021 by Harper Perennial What would have happened if Marya Sklodowska (Maria Curie) had not travelled to Paris in 1891 but remained in Poland? This is the question in Jillian Cantor’s ‘Half Life’. What could easily become a mess as you cross between two different stories with the same central character is deftly handled by Cantor. By giving Curie a sliding doors moment in time allows Cantor to explore the woman and the scientist in this fictionalised account of her life. Curie in both her guises is well realised on the page and has slightly different characteristics. That makes the switch easier and engaging. As the woman who remains in Poland and marries mathematician, Kazimierz Zorawski, Marie is still there but as Marya her ability to learn and follow her scientific pursuits is severely curtailed. You can feel her frustration ooze off the page that she knows as a woman she is there to support her husband achiev
Read more

Family perfection awry

-
Image
  The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding Paperback, 352 pages Expected publication: August 10th 2021 by Gallery Books In Harding's The Perfect Family, the Adler Family are trying to fit into a world where social and monetary status is all important and being judged is quick and ruthless. The Perfect Family is working hard to show everyone they have the perfect marriage, perfect jobs and perfect teenagers with glittering careers ahead of them. Someone wants to expose the Adler Family and it starts with a simple egging, the intimidation increases and everyone is talking about what is happening. The Adler Family of parents Viv and Thomas and teenage children Eli and Tarryn, hold onto the charade of perfection but the family is at breaking point with each carrying a dark secret.  Each chapter switches point of view (POV) between the four family members. You are able to walk in their shoes and see the pressures each one is facing. Harding makes the switch between each of the characters sea
Read more

The truth is false or is it?

-
Image
Catch Us The Foxes by Nicola West Paperback, 320 pages, Expected publication: July 7th 2021 by Simon & Schuster Australia In the seaside township of Kiama the locals are a close knit group who happily encourage the tourist dollar. When one of their own is murdered, the popular Lily Williams, suspicion immediately falls onto the travelling carnival group. Marlowe ‘Lo’ Robertson, local journalist and Lily’s best friend knows things are amiss. Having discovered the mutilated body of Lily and with no-one investigating the symbols carved onto her body, Lo suspects that members of the town are hiding the truth. With a take no hostage attitude Lo rattles the town establishment to find out what really happened. Is this a murder of passion, a young woman’s descent into mental illness or a conspiracy that involves the upper echelons of the town? The reading of the Catch us the Foxes relies on the relationship you form with the narrator Lo. Her whip smart, gung-ho attitude shows a woman fully
Read more