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The Girl with No Hands (and Other Tales)
by
Angela Slatter (Goodreads Author)
A stunning, emotional and eclectic collection of fantasy and dark tales. These are the stories told to warn children, entertain adults and beguile all.
Contents:
Bluebeard
The Living Book
The Jacaranda Wife
Red Skein
The Chrysanthemum Bride
Frozen
The Hummingbird Heart
Words
The Little Match Girl
The Juniper Tree
Skin
The Bone Mother
The Dead Ones Don’t Hurt You
Light As Mist, Heavy As...more
Contents:
Bluebeard
The Living Book
The Jacaranda Wife
Red Skein
The Chrysanthemum Bride
Frozen
The Hummingbird Heart
Words
The Little Match Girl
The Juniper Tree
Skin
The Bone Mother
The Dead Ones Don’t Hurt You
Light As Mist, Heavy As...more
Paperback, 1, 205 pages
Published
September 1st 2010
by Ticonderoga Publications
(first published August 2010)
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This was a birthday gift from my sister. I started it Wednesday and finished it Thursday. It's a really quick read. If I didn't have work Thursday and needed sleep I would have probably finished it Wednesday.
Angela Slatter rewrote a lot of fairy tales or folk tales in this book and made them very visceral. The words she uses are unapologetic and sometimes crude, but in the context, the bluntness works. The characters' motives aren't prettied up and we can see how some of them try to justify the...more
Angela Slatter rewrote a lot of fairy tales or folk tales in this book and made them very visceral. The words she uses are unapologetic and sometimes crude, but in the context, the bluntness works. The characters' motives aren't prettied up and we can see how some of them try to justify the...more
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What an incredibly imaginative and creative collection of stories. And I love the author's way with words and the way she approaches the tales from crazy/oblique angles/pov that it takes you awhile to make the connection to the standard more familiar tale that forms the base. Fractured/re-loaded fairy tales have always been amongst my fav type of stories, and this collection was more than satisfactory. I'm hard pressed to pick a favourite, but I'd say the very clever retelling of Little Red Ridi...more
There are those writers who you read and find yourself inspired by. And then there are the ones who make you wonder why you bother, as you'll never be as good as them.
The Girl With No Hands And Other Tales by Angela Slatter is a beautiful collection from Ticonderoga Books, both in presentation and content. Slatter's stories, many of which are retellings of traditional fairy tales, are deceptively simple, a bit like origami, fragile and exquisite, sometimes very dark, othertimes a ray of sunshine...more
The Girl With No Hands And Other Tales by Angela Slatter is a beautiful collection from Ticonderoga Books, both in presentation and content. Slatter's stories, many of which are retellings of traditional fairy tales, are deceptively simple, a bit like origami, fragile and exquisite, sometimes very dark, othertimes a ray of sunshine...more
I have been dipping in an out of this collection of short stories based on some well-known and not so well known folk and fairy-tales for a few weeks now. The reason for this is that I wanted to prolong my reading pleasure because, believe me, it would be too easy to sit down and read all of these in one sitting. Slatter is one of the most gifted writers I have read. Her ability to craft a tale using haunting, languid prose is, in my humble opinion, among the best. She lures you into tale and af...more
Short short stories, excellently written with enough beauty and darkness to balance every page.
Although I enjoyed all of the stories, I felt that "The Dead Ones Don't Hurt You" didn't fit thematically with the wonderful fairy tale atmosphere of the rest of the collection, and that the retelling of Rumplestiltskin didn't deviate enough from the original.
But then I'm a hard bastard, and this is a great collection of fairy tales and most enjoyable.
Although I enjoyed all of the stories, I felt that "The Dead Ones Don't Hurt You" didn't fit thematically with the wonderful fairy tale atmosphere of the rest of the collection, and that the retelling of Rumplestiltskin didn't deviate enough from the original.
But then I'm a hard bastard, and this is a great collection of fairy tales and most enjoyable.
An excellent collection of dark and haunting stories using folk and fairy tales as their basis. The focus is on the female characters in these stories as both victims and as active participants in their fate, whatever it ends to be. It's hard to stop reading in order to treasure each of the stories, but all of the tales in this slim volume are evocative and linger in the reader's mind.
In Angela Slater’s ‘The Girl With No Hands’ we are given sixteen short stories (some less than two pages long) that re-image familiar myths and legends, and in turn, give us something new to think about. Most of these short stories are about women in different stages of their life, under different difficulties or blessings, and Slatter makes the reader care for each and every one of them, despite what she makes them do (and some of them really do some terrible things.) We see jealous stepmothers...more
[4 1/2 stars]
A very fine short story collection, primarily retelling fairy tales or using fairy tale fragments in interesting new contexts. They're delicate, quicksilver, and delightfully swift reads that nevertheless linger in the mind afterwards. The prose is clear and lucid; the tales themselves are often dark, erotic and violent (as is much of the source material, of course). There's a strong focus on the female side of things, these are re-imaginings that restore female agency, or at least...more
A very fine short story collection, primarily retelling fairy tales or using fairy tale fragments in interesting new contexts. They're delicate, quicksilver, and delightfully swift reads that nevertheless linger in the mind afterwards. The prose is clear and lucid; the tales themselves are often dark, erotic and violent (as is much of the source material, of course). There's a strong focus on the female side of things, these are re-imaginings that restore female agency, or at least...more
Actually very very good. I was a big fan. These retold fairytales hit me much more powerfully than Angela Carter's did. An excellent collection.
Four-and-a-half stars for this dark and haunting collection of feminist fairy stories. The very talented Ms Slatter makes her mark on this genre.
Standard Ticonderoga Disclaimer: We published this book because we loved it!
I found the dark interpretation of the fairy tales rather unpleasant.
I have few words for how beautiful this collection is. Just go and read it. Slatter weaves magic with her words.
A strong collection. My only criticism is that the stories feel somewhat homogenous. Perhaps this is because her chosen source material - fairy tales - is well known. There is no doubting Slatter's talent though. It's abundantly on display in this book. The challenge for her, I think, is to explore a wider range of genres and voices. Overall, a recommended collection.
May 11, 2013
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Haralambi Markov
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5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
anthologies-collections,
fantastic-and-weird
Feb 01, 2013
Katelyn
marked it as to-read
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Angela Slatter is a Brisbane-based writer of speculative fiction (that’s in Australia, by the way). Over the years she’s done many things in order to avoid being a writer, including administering an MBA program and studying law – it’s hard to say which was worse. But now she’s given all that up and embraced the writerly and all it entails (poverty, depression, rejection, talking to herself, living...more
More about Angela Slatter...
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