The Wedding of Mistress Fox

by Philip H. Bailey, Gavin Bishop (Illustrations)

A retelling of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm story.

As she rejects suitor after suitor, the recently widowed Mistress Fox almost despairs of finding a new husband with the same wonderful qualities as the late Mr. Fox.

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Literature, Fairy Tales

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Wren (fablesandwren)]

I have the complete set of the Grimm Fairy-Tales, and there are so many that I haven’t read! They are very short, as one would know, so I have decided to read each one and give them a review. Some are very vulgar, some are very cute and some don’t even make sense. Some of them are well known fairy-tales and some have never been told. Some are fairy-tales we know but are not the same because they have been downplayed for the children.

This story tells me that you should never “test” your spouse to see if they are not being faithful or truthful.

It’s a weird story.

[Sukriti]

Jacob Grimm, alongside his brother Wilhelm, is renowned for compiling "Grimm's Fairy Tales," a collection of German folktales. This book is a captivating journey into the heart of folklore, presenting a mixture of enchanting and sometimes dark stories that have fascinated readers for generations. Grimm's work is not just a mere collection of tales; it's a profound exploration of the human condition, morals, and the cultural heritage of Germany. The stories range from the well-loved "Cinderella" and "Snow White" to the less known but equally intriguing tales. Each story is a masterpiece of fantasy, imbued with timeless themes and moral lessons, making this book a valuable treasure for both young and adult readers. Jacob Grimm's contribution through this compilation has left an indelible mark on literature and continues to inspire the imagination of readers worldwide.

[Damian]

Two stories bring twice as much fun for the price of one.

Pairing the two together, it feels like the lesson is make sure your husband is actually dead before you remarry, and don't get remarried too fast.

The story anthropomorphizes animals rather than have talking animals in a fairy tale world of humans. The imagery of a nine tailed fox is a good addition.

Similar to the story of Goldilocks, I'm not really rooting for a character, but it's enjoyable to watch where the story goes.

[Amelia Bujar]

FULL REVIEW ON MY WEBSITE
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...

It is different but not that different from what you might remember from first hearing this tale as a kid.

The plot here are very good but also dark which is the mix which I personally like a lot.

The writing style here was very old and you could feel the vibe of old the Europe which but it also felt like there was something missing.

[Paige]

What an interesting story. Really truly is. I have the whole Grimm collection and this is one of those rare unheard tales which you wish you heard more of. I love the fact that it had two stories inside and each a different ending. Happy and not so happy. Truly love this one.

[April Helms]

This one is actually two semi-related stories. In both cases, Mrs. Fox is seeking a new husband, but only someone who can match her first husband's qualities. This was different, although I preferred the second story.

[James]

Part story, part poem about a female fox mourning the loss of her husband and looking for a new mate. Rather sweet, rather fun.

[Caroline]

A little confused that there are two stories, but cool!

[Divia]

I did not dislike this story but I did not like it a lot either. The rhymes were fun. Mrs Cat is the best character and most engaging I think. She is the one who mostly rhymes.

[Anna Azarenko]

Very pleasant illustrations

[Ruponti]

moral of the story don't test your spouse if he or she is being faithful 😀 it was just bad

[Benjamin Stahl]

Not a Roald Dahl story.

[Mike Lisanke]

Short and sweet and happily ever after!

[Joseph Knecht]

When Mr Fox dies, Mrs is looking for a new husband.

Will he have many tails, or will she wed to the wolf's tales?

[Louise]

weird

[The Other Silas]

3.5*

[Kelly Anderson]

I found this book at a library book sale, and while the illustrations are unique and interesting, the story is just okay. Mistress Fox becomes a widow after her selfish fox husband dies, and turns away all suitors until Young Master Fox comes around.

[Ebster Davis]

There were actually two versions of the story in my edition. In the first, Mr Fox has 9 tails and each of "Widow" Fox's suitors is a fox. In the second, Mr Fox is just a regular fox and is actually dead for reals , and Widow Fox's suitors is a different kind of animal, except the last who is also a fox.



Note:

I don't get why Mr Fox was so offended, she always wanted the man who would remind her of him. But he was kinda setting her up, so he'd probably already made up his mind about her loyalty before he'd even got started.

Mrs Fox has a handmaid, Ms Cat who seems really nice, but nobody is interested in her. #friendzone

[Vaishali]

This is the first Grimm tale I've read having two endings! Didn't know they did a choose-your-own-end back then :) Interesting, although my volume rhymed in English... so it's hard to tell whether this was authentically a German translation.

[Pérez Andrea]

What kind of message is this supposed to send?
There is malice in both sides of the "relationship" lol.

[Lör K.]

This is an incredibly hard book to rate. Within my version, it had both versions of the story within one story of the collection.

The First Story

I felt this was really weak. It didn't suit the tone of the usual Brothers Grimm and it didn't really make sense. It really irked me, and annoyed me, and for that, I rate it 1/5

The Second Story

This one was much more interesting. It had a lot more to it despite it being a little shorter than the first version of the story, but this was much more well written. I felt the poetry flowed better, the story itself made a lot more sense and it left me with a smile on my face. This, i would rate 4/5.

Overall

Overall, I'm doing this by average for my rating, purely because I don't know how else to do it.

4 + 1 = 5
5 / 2 = 2.5

Rating: 2.5/5, although if this had just been the second version, it would have easily been four, maybe even five stars.