Briar Rose
by Jane Yolen
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Read in May, 2008
This beautiful tale takes you out of time and into the "reality" of the Holocaust. Set around a woman's retelling of the simple Sleeping Beauty story you see the influence of World War II in the snatches of the story long before the narrative takes you there. It becomes a matter of the narrative confirming your guesses rather than revealing anything.
I've always been "haunted" by the Holocaust. I've never seen Schindler's List (which may be a good thing since this b...more
I've always been "haunted" by the Holocaust. I've never seen Schindler's List (which may be a good thing since this b...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
Those interested in the holocaust over 14 or so
If you picked up this book thinking it was a fantasy/modern fairytale, you will be disappointed. There is NO fantasy, magic, magical creatures, alternate realities etc in this book. In fact, I almost didn't finish it because it seemed like a pretty standard piece of fluff for over half the book.
I am glad that I did finish it, though. The only reason I did was because I decided to look up some reviews to see what the deal was. I found this book looking for retelling of fairytales/fantasy ...more
I am glad that I did finish it, though. The only reason I did was because I decided to look up some reviews to see what the deal was. I found this book looking for retelling of fairytales/fantasy ...more
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I have always loved fairy tales, and their retellings, ever since I got my hands on a complete collection of Grimm's Fairy Tales. So I was excited to find this retelling of Sleeping Beauty that is, of all things, also a Holocaust story. Becca is the 3rd daughter (third--very important in fairy tales...)of a Jewish family, whose grandmother, known to them as Gemma, has slipped into senility and finally dies. On her deathbed, Gemma makes Becca promise to track down her inheritance--the truth--o...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
Historical fiction buffs
This book won a Mythopoeic Award and yet it's got no fantastic elements at all. It's also described as being for ages 13 and up, but I doubt very much that my eldest daughter will be ready to read this in a couple of years at 13. I think that a very mature 15- or 16-year-old may be able to handle this with a lot of adult discussion.
I rated this a 3, but I have to say that I liked it way better than Sophie's Choice by William Styron, which is also shelved in the YA section of my local ...more
I rated this a 3, but I have to say that I liked it way better than Sophie's Choice by William Styron, which is also shelved in the YA section of my local ...more
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Read in June, 2008
Brair Rose is a unique and interesting take on an old and familiar fairy tale. I never would've even thought to compare the horror of the Holocaust to the story of Sleeping Beauty, but Jane Yolen does a beautiful job of weaving the two together in a way that really works for the reader.
I have only two complaints.
First, though I really enjoyed Becca's journey to Poland to discover her grandmother's past and her family history, I find it hard to believe that Becca and her family c...more
I have only two complaints.
First, though I really enjoyed Becca's journey to Poland to discover her grandmother's past and her family history, I find it hard to believe that Becca and her family c...more
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Read in January, 2008
I had a very hard time rating this! I hadn't read any Yolen for a very long while; I remember now that I don't necessarily really like her, although I don't necessarily dislike her either.
Anyway, the set up drags (and this is not a long book) and is filled with cheesy dialogue and wooden characters - honestly, the only character who feels real to me doesn't show up until Chapter 24 - but the pay off is excellent. I wish more of the book had been the story instead of getting to the p...more
Anyway, the set up drags (and this is not a long book) and is filled with cheesy dialogue and wooden characters - honestly, the only character who feels real to me doesn't show up until Chapter 24 - but the pay off is excellent. I wish more of the book had been the story instead of getting to the p...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
people who like to be reminded of the importance of remembering historical events
Briar Rose is not a fantasy tale, although it uses the tale of Sleeping Beauty to tell another sad story of the Holocaust. The basic storyline is that a young woman's grandmother dies and leaves a box of mementos that eludes immediate interpretation. This sends the girl on a quest to find the meaning, and she learns a variety of surprising and amazing things about her grandmother. She finds out that she survived the Holocaust in a remarkable way, and journeys to the site of a former conce...more
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Read in March, 2008
I loved the way that this book combined a beautiful, but dark fairy tale with the real horror of the holocaust out of which survived some beautiful true stories. The story held my interest until the end, but I can't say it is among my favorite fairy tale fiction. In the second half of the novel, much of the story is narrated by an elderly homosexual man who survived a concentration camp during World War II. While I learned a great deal from the man's awful story, I found it distracting and wa...more
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Modern story that combines fairy tales with the attrocities of the mass genocide of Gypsies, Jewish, and gay people by Nazi Germany during WW2. Fairy tales are often seen as stories used to amuse and calm children. But if you think about the origin of fairy tales, you see that they weren't really written for children; they have been watered down through the years, but many original fairy tales dealt out severe, sometimes bloody punishments for its characters.
Becca's grandmother uses fairy tale...more
Becca's grandmother uses fairy tale...more
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Read in January, 2008
This book is a really good twist on the Sleeping Beauty story. It was different from what I expected, but I enjoyed it very much. It's aimed at a younger audience, but there were a few details that ought to be reserved for adults. I learned a lot while reading about the Holocaust experiences. It was obvious a lot of thought and research went into this book, and the result is a great story about a girl who uncovers her grandmother's painful but inspiring past. However, I do agree with other revie...more
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recommends it for:
everyone
This is listed as a young adult book...I disagree, it is for everyone from their teens upwards. A most excellent telling of a young girls revelations about her grandmother's past.
The details of her grandmothers experiences during the Holocaust are harrowing and a bit devastating. Definitely a book that should be put on the must read list for high school, during the same period of reading Anne Frank.
Cannot recommend this book, and it's author enough. I have been a fan of Jane Yolen for...more
The details of her grandmothers experiences during the Holocaust are harrowing and a bit devastating. Definitely a book that should be put on the must read list for high school, during the same period of reading Anne Frank.
Cannot recommend this book, and it's author enough. I have been a fan of Jane Yolen for...more
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Read in August, 2008
This was a hard one for me to rate, because I really liked it up to near the end. It was well written, I really liked the story and couldn't put it down. Until...man's story. The book had so much building momentum until that point and then it seemed to lose all momentum for me. I don't know why the author felt we had to know his entire story. It wasn't necessary to such a wonderful story. Once I lost the momentum, the end didn't have as much oomph as I was hoping. It was disappointing to ...more
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Read in October, 2003
recommends it for:
all
Gemma is an old woman with three granddaughters. As they grow up, she often tells them the story of Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty). It is not until the girls get older that they realize their grandmother has not merely been telling them a story--she has been telling HER story, the story of how she survived during the Holocaust.
While the Holocaust and a fairy tale do not seem like they go together, Yolen does a masterful job of weaving the two together in a way that is so natural and lovely...more
While the Holocaust and a fairy tale do not seem like they go together, Yolen does a masterful job of weaving the two together in a way that is so natural and lovely...more
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Read in October, 2005
An absolutely heart - and gut - wrenching novel, which seamlessly and beautifully connects the Sleeping Beauty fairytale with the Holocaust and its history of strife, horror and death. I really liked this story of a woman in search of her grandmother's story, a promise she makes on a deathbed, and how she finds what she was looking for in her grandmother's homeland of Poland, in a story that is so saddening and frightening because most of the events portrayed are historical facts. A different an...more
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Read in February, 2008
I really enjoyed listening to this title as an audio book. The story begins as a simple retelling of a well known fairy tale by a grandmother to her grandchildren, but gradually develops into both a search for the history of the mysterious grandmother as well as a vivid recounting of a survivor’s experiences during the holocaust. This book is at times charmingly poignant with humorous and likable characters and at other times both chilling and heartbreaking as the gruesome and tragic details o...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to Marissa by:
My Mom
I really enjoy re-tellings of fairy tales. This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Instead of being lovely and romantic, the fairy tale takes place in a Concentration Camp during WWII.
Becca has grown up hearing her grandma Gemma tell the story of Sleeping Beauty. When Gemma dies, she does so after Becca has promised to go searching for Gemma's castle and story. After finding a box of photos and newspaper clippings, Becca goes to Poland to examine the story closer.
Curiosuly, while B...more
Becca has grown up hearing her grandma Gemma tell the story of Sleeping Beauty. When Gemma dies, she does so after Becca has promised to go searching for Gemma's castle and story. After finding a box of photos and newspaper clippings, Becca goes to Poland to examine the story closer.
Curiosuly, while B...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to Jenny by:
Tadierarecommends it for: Kristen K
Briar Rose is part of The Fairy Tale Series created by Terri Windling, and includes several fairy tale retellings, written for a more adult audience. This combines Sleeping Beauty with a family's story about the Holocaust, which was interesting, but honestly the book seemed to be trying too hard sometimes.
"We are made up of stories. And even the ones that seem the most like lies can be our deepest hidden truths."
"We are all sleeping princesses some time. But it is better t...more
"We are made up of stories. And even the ones that seem the most like lies can be our deepest hidden truths."
"We are all sleeping princesses some time. But it is better t...more
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Read in February, 2008
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Read in July, 2008
recommended to Joy by:
AJ
I must say before anything else that I was given this book. I guess someone thought that I would like it. At first I didn't think that I would. I didn't feel like reading another adaptation of a fairy tale but since a friend recommended it I thought I would give it a try. Well, I read it in 2 days and had a hard time putting it down. It's amazing. It's not just a retelling of Sleeping Beauty or Briar Rose. I would tell you why it isn't just a retelling of the tale but it would give it away if I ...more
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Not really a retelling of a fairy tale. More of how a fairy tale can mingle with and represent reality and life, the beautiful and the horrible, in ways that we are able to read them, look at them and handle them. This is the beautiful tale of sleeping beauty intertwined with the horrible tale of the Holocaust. The book isn't too graphic but it doesn't minimalize either. The book does not leave you feeling depressed but just a little unsatisfied. I still wanted to know Rose better and have ev...more
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 3.96 (732 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 3.91 (664 ratings) number of reviews: 124popular shelves
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"Fairy Tales always have a happy ending.' That depends... on wether you are Rumpelstiltskin or the Queen."
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