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Mar 16, 2009

Aerin rated it:

This is a beautifully written collection. Hawes retells six familiar stories and a nursery rhyme. Rather than the idyllic heroes and princesses, these are stories of human desire, frailty, cruelty, and loyalty. Reacquaint yourself with Jack the Giant-killer, Hansel and Gretel, the Pied Piper of Hamlin and Lady Godiva. Meet Rapunzel’s mother, as well as the seventh of the seven dwarves, and the emasculated prince who married Cinderella.

Kirkus Reviews writes that these seven tales More...

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Nov 10, 2009

Brandon rated it:

I thought this was a really clever book along the same lines as Gregory McGuire. New perspectives on older classic tales. Each of the Chapters is a short story so it is an easy one to read while at work. (Way to go Heidster-I want a job like that) I read them just before bed to unwind and am happy to report that no nightmares were had. Take note those of you with small children.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 27, 2008

Kara rated it:

A collection of the traditional fairy tales retold in a dark and twisted manner.

Dame Nigran’s Tower – This retelling of Rapunzel starts out strong, with a great back story for the “witch” character, but after building and building there is no dramatic resolution or any sort of climax.

Pipe Dreams – One of the best in the collection. The Pied Piper story climbs and climbs in tension to the heart breaking conclusion that even though I knew was coming I couldn’t stop myself f More...

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Apr 05, 2010

Hydra M. rated it:

A few weekends ago I saw an interview with authoress Louise Hawes on one of my favorite locally produced public television programs, North Carolina Book Watch. Always consisting of guest authors who either reside in or are from North Carolina the show is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to genre and subject matter. By and large I’m not usually so engaged by what the guest has to say about their latest work as I am in what they have to say about their writing process and publishing experiences. More...

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Sep 28, 2010

Mena rated it:

I have such a soft spot for "darkly" reimagined fairy tales. I put off reading this book for the longest time, but after finally breaking down and reading the first few pages, I had to give it a go.

Dame Nigran's Tower (Rapunzel) - This is hands down my favorite story from the book. You never really get to read much about the infamous witch, and this story gives her such a lovely and yet heartbreaking life. The ending literally brought me to tears. Needless to say, I'll neve More...

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Feb 01, 2012

BookChic rated it:

Hawes paints a wonderful, but more mature picture with each of these seven updated fairy tales told from varying points of view, shifting with each story. The endings are not happily-ever-afters at all, but some do provide this sense of hope after all the horrible events that have occurred. Along with each story comes a drawing from Rebecca Guay depicting a particular scene from that story, and they are absolutely lovely and add another layer to this amazing collection. I think my favorite story More...

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Nov 22, 2008

Stephanie rated it:

Normally, I don't like writing reviews cuz it takes away precious time that I could be reading another book but this one is definitely worth it. These are indeed the same stories that we've all read or heard when we were little but the depth and pure humanity of these retellings completely outshines the originals. Each of the seven stories is told from a secondary speaker on the black-and-white, easy to catagorize list of characters, but the wisdom they bring- and a lot of times the heartache- i More...

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Nov 09, 2010

Camilla rated it:

If the original Grimm Brother's fairy tales make you queasy, I'd steer clear. As for me, I found the short stories simultaneously compelling and repelling.... Dark, but truthful and still beautiful. These seemed...real.

I...I liked it. It gave that necessary glimpse into the dark side of human character, but it didn't stifle or condemn like many other full-length novels tend to, because you're only entrenched in each story for a small portion of time.

Unique (Crazy, more like More...

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Aug 06, 2010

Danikquia rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Apr 20, 2010

Ashley rated it:

I love the names of the stories, and the illustrations were beautifully disturbing. With regards to the writing, the book just got better and better. It started out a little slow, and in the beginning, I wasn't overly impressed. The first story was the tale of Rapunzel, told by the witch. You got to know and understand the witch a little better, but overall I felt it was rather lackluster.

Next was the Pied Piper, and while it was better, it didn't feel overly new or original. The be More...

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Apr 29, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

Reviewed by The Compulsive Reader for TeensReadToo.com

In this mesmerizing book, seven classic fairy tales have been retold; presented in a mature, yet still very magical, way.

Learn the truth behind Rapunzel's imprisonment, and what really happened to Hansel and Gretal in the candied house in the woods. You'll discover what happened to the children the Pied Piper stole away, and how Cinderella and her prince lived after "Happily Ever After." Find out why the har More...

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Aug 23, 2009

Phair rated it:

Interesting but I was not blown away by this collection. Each story was from an unusual pov- Rapunzel through the "witch's" eyes, Pied Piper - the crippled boy left behind, Cinderella from the prince's pov, etc. Quite a bit of earthy sexuality but nothing too graphic or titillating. Most of the stories had a more realistic twist than magical. The endings would make for interesting group discussion.

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Apr 06, 2010

TaleSpinners added it

Traditional fairy tales take a dark, sophisticated turn. Louise Hawes plays with the concept of "whose story is this?" in many of these tales, by changing the narrative point of view. The switch from the omniscient storyteller to an often-surprising choice of viewpoint character skews these stories in fascinating and unexpected ways.

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Aug 29, 2009

Trisha rated it:

This is a collection of fairy tales. To the authors credit she takes unique view in each story. However each story had a horrible ending. The first story would probably rate a 3 the rest all rated negative. She also got sluttier in her wrting thoughout the book. She had the talent to be a great writer but this book sucked.

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Mar 22, 2009

Eileen rated it:

A definite twist on the fairy tales we know and love, Rapunzel- was the "witch" really mean or just an overprotective mother. What kind of feelings the the dwarves REALLY have about Snow White? (That's a story you'll have to read twice). Cinderella- revenge is best served cold. Overall an excellent read!

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Jan 19, 2009

Kate rated it:

A great collection of the darker side of fairy tales. I really loved the versions of Cinderella and the tale of Godiva. Told from interesting perspectives and incorporating aspects of human nature not usually seen in the common run-of-the-mill-happily-ever-after tales we all know.

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Jun 02, 2010

Lauren rated it:

Dark -- downright twisted, in fact -- and all the better for it. Highly creative and thought provoking. Only the last story (Godiva remix) disappointed me; it didn't seem up to the high quality of the rest. But never mind, the writing is lovely. Recommended.

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Jun 18, 2011

Amanda rated it:

Not quite what I expected, based on the title and cover. A kind of behind-the-scenes look at popular fairy tales. It was kind of fun trying to guess which fairy tale I was reading based on the title and the first few paragraphs, but overall somewhat dry.

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Jun 26, 2009

Britney rated it:

short stories of retold faerie tales. Two of the stories were really good. One was a cinderella story. Most have the prince being a loser. This is from the perspective of the prince and cinderella becomes the villain wanting revenge on her family.

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Jul 29, 2011

Maggie rated it:

This is a book of short stories/ retold fairytales. From the 7 stories I really liked two of them Dame Nigran's Tower(Rapunzel from the witch's point of view) and Diamonda ( Snow White from a dwarf's point of view). The other stories were ok but not as good. There are 7 illustrations made by Rebecca Guay and the cover which I really liked. Overall i liked the book and give it three stars only because I only really liked two of the stories. If the book was only the two stories mention above i wou More...

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Feb 04, 2009

Kristin rated it:

Good collection of fairy tale retellings. Published as adult, OK for older teens (the last 2 stories are on the mature side). Jack and the Beanstalk from the harp's point of view and other unique perspectives on familiar stories.

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Jul 14, 2008

Allison rated it:

Hawes, Louise Black Pearls: A Faerie Strand, 211 pgs. Houghton Mifflin Company; Language~G, Sexual Content~PG-13; Violence~PG

At first glance, this title appears to be the telling of some dark faerie tale. Unfortunately the cover is very misleading. Hawes takes 7 known fairy tales and retells them in a non-traditional way, while intriguing to the fairytale connoisseur; the stories are far from scary and are often full of disturbing images with underlying sexual inferences. This co More...

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Nov 20, 2008

MJ rated it:

Familiar fairy tales, all except one with quite a dark feeling. For example, Hansel tries to push Gretel into the fire…

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Jul 05, 2010

Terri rated it:

Retellings of classic fairy tales. Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Snow White, Lady Godiva and The Pied Piper. Original and fun. I particularly liked the Rapunzel (Dame Nigran's Tower) and Lady Godiva (Naked) ones.

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Jan 02, 2010

Stacy rated it:

a different spin on some old fairy tales. how snow white slept with dwarves, what cinderella was really like & more.

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Oct 07, 2008

Izlinda rated it:

I liked the humanity and three-dimensional figures in these fairy-tale retellings. I wasn't so fond of the Snow White retelling "Diamonda" but that was for personal reasons. My favorites (of seven stories) were "Dame Nigran's Tower" (Rapunzel retelling), "Ashes" (Cinderella retelling) and "Evelyn's Song" (about the golden singing harp from Jack and the Beanstalk story). Very few of these stories have a "happy" ending, or what is conventionally More...

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Mar 07, 2009

Janet rated it:

Wonderful twists on standard fairy tales. Beautiful language and rich imagery.

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Mar 13, 2011

Francesca rated it:

Some things were a little dark and it was just ok. I have read better but I didn't hate it

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Jan 12, 2009

Angelc rated it:

I love fairy tale retellings and this collection is one of the best that I have read. There's not a bad story in the entire collection, I especially liked her versions of Cinderella and Lady Godiva. I checked this out from the library but it's on my to-buy list because I can't wait to re-read it!

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 07, 2008

Mell rated it:

Nothing special. Supposed to be fairy tales with new twists, but none of the additions or changes are exciting.

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