Lisa’s Comments (group member since Aug 16, 2014)

Lisa’s comments from the Once Upon a Time... group.

I'm enjoying this book. This is a very different take on the Cinderella tale than I have ever came across before. I like that the tale actually started with her childhood and progressed from there. I am loving how the author is blending in multiple fairy tales or at least references to them.

Mary, I agree that a scullery maid would not be pleasant, but she was already doing that job plus more as well as being verbally abused by her step family, which is why I personally would prefer to work elsewhere.
Agreed, Cheryl. I hate the original tale, but have enjoyed most of the retellings I have read because they usually give her some backbone.
I have started the other book and am finding it interesting so far.

Cinderella has always been my least favorite fairy tale. I dislike the idea that she would just blithely accept going from a pampered daughter of a rich man to a servant of her stepmother and stepsisters. I've always thought that if she were going to have to be a servant, then she should at least get a job in another household where she would at least be provided with a bed in the servant's quarters.
In some of the original translations I have read her father has died, but in this one he was still alive. I found that appalling - what father would allow his daughter to be treated like that?!
I also can not understand the concept of not doing anything to improve your situation for yourself. She is all "woe is me", and relies on her fairy godmother and the prince to save her.
I completely agree with Cheryl - the whole meet the prince and fall in love in one evening thing is ridiculous.

I couldn't agree more, Fiona!

Hope you are feeling better, Gem.
I finished it and absolutely loved this book. It just gets better the farther you get into it. The characters are so deep, including the secondary characters, yet it is not a story that bogs you down.
I love that every character's flaws and weaknesses are pointed out as well as their strengths.

The detail and stories of the side characters in this book are somewhat surprising to me. I haven't found many books quite like this.

I don't know if it's available to you, Gem, but I also found it was available as an audiobook on Hoopla. I'm reading the actual book, but I like having that as an option.

I have only read the first two chapters so far, but I am definitely going to enjoy this one. The writing style is fantastic and the characters are well developed and super interesting.

Yes, Fiona, Definitely don't feel bad! That is one of the cool things about a book club - we get to try a great variety of books that some will like and others won't, but they all bring something new to the table. I did enjoy Carter's descriptions. I just think she let that and the sexual references overshadow the actual plot and story telling. I'm looking forward to next month's book. Like I told Gem before, it sounds like one I will either love or hate. LOL. We shall see which it will be.

I was familiar with each tale, but most are not favorites. I agree with Adriel that this book seems more like one I would be required to read for a college class - definitely not for my own enjoyment. I really did not like it at all. It does seem like Carter had to bring sexual relations into every tale including The Snow Child, which was totally unnecessary and not true to the original at all (at least not as I recall). Oh well, hopefully others found it more enlightening. At least it introduced some lesser known tales to Gem and Adriel.

The Tiger's Bride was a very different perspective on Beauty and the Beast than any other I have read. Somewhat unexpected.

OK - so the second story, The Courtship of Mr. Lyon, was much better, both in content and readability. There were still a few instances of overbearing vocabulary, but it was acceptable. The story itself was likable, but Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale. It frustrates me that the author seems to use an extensive amount of descriptive language, but them skips over plot details.

Ugh! I am not getting notifications for posts from this group. Guess I need to check my settings again.
I'm getting a late start this month, but did start reading it yesterday. So far I only got through The Bloody Chamber.
I'm glad others are liking it, but I honestly didn't like the writing style at all. I found it overly wordy, pretentious, and archaic. However, I am hoping that was just for that one tale. I have always hated the tale of Bluebeard, so I'm sure that influenced me.
I will be reading the second tale today, so here's hoping.

I think I must need to update my settings because I am not getting notifications when comments are made.
Yes, Cheryl, it isn't a deep book in any sense and is a very easy read, but that is one of the things I actually love about this series. I realize they aren't really for adults, but the humor and diversity of characters draws me in every time.
This is the series I always recommend for moms looking for a beginning fantasy series for their daughters.
That being said, it has been several years since I read the series, and this time I have only read Dealing With Dragons, but I had in my mind that Cimorene was a little more spunky. She definitely has a mind of her own and is strong willed, but in my mind she was a little more daring. I still love the tale and will read the other three when I catch up on my current pile of books I need to read within the next month.

I’m so sorry that I missed your comment, Fiona! I agree that Vasya is a strong female character, which I majorly appreciate. I did enjoy the combination of the history and mythology, but it was just a little too depressing and violent for me personally. I’m really glad that you enjoyed it, though!
The January discussion is now open. Hope you like that one as well, although it is a much easier, lighthearted read

I need to pull my copy off the shelf and start reading it again. It's been several years since I have read it this time, so I'm looking forward to visiting this favorite friend.

Just finished it today. I rated it as three stars. It was interesting, but not really an enjoyable read - it was too dark for that. Yet at the same time, it wasn't deep enough to be riveting to dig deeper into the folklore. Hopefully others like this one more than I did.

I just got the audiobook today, so will be starting it tomorrow or Monday. I did read this one in 2019, although I wasn't keeping track of all my books at the time, so didn't rate it here. I do remember not being super impressed - definitely not enough to continue the series. Hopefully I will enjoy it more this time.

I just finished it last night. That's funny, Gem, simply because I actually didn't like the Cinder series, even though I liked the writing style, but really enjoyed Gilded! I immediately borrowed Cursed from Hoopla because I can't leave the characters the way they were at the end of Gilded.
I found the story within a story aspect of the book very entertaining and the fact that her "lies" or stories become the truth just added to my enjoyment.

I got my copy from the library on Friday and decided that it was too thick for my hands to handle right now. So I'm going to do this one as an audiobook. I will probably start it on Tues or Weds.