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What Members Thought
Hmm…I’m still digesting this one, and I’m not sure what I’m supposed to take away from it. Boy, Snow, Bird is less a reinvention of Snow White, but rather a work of historical fiction in which certain characters are inspired by Snow White and her wicked stepmother. I’m most familiar with the Disney version of the fairytale and the Fables reinvention of the characters. So now I’m wondering…who’s Bird? Is that Rose Red? Really? Or maybe it doesn’t matter…
While there is a touch of magical realism, ...more
While there is a touch of magical realism, ...more
I absolutely loved this book. I had to pause and actually stop reading it at points because I was getting too excited and emotionally invested in the book and because it has been a while since I have been so excited about someone's writing style. As another reviewer said, i wanted to tell strangers next to me about how amazing this book was!
sadly I felt annoyed about the ending and felt it hadn't really been thought of properly regarding trans issues and domestic violence, and felt an easy solu ...more
sadly I felt annoyed about the ending and felt it hadn't really been thought of properly regarding trans issues and domestic violence, and felt an easy solu ...more
I love how a sense of otherworldliness seeps through every page of Helen Oyeyemi’s latest novel. It’s a sly, fresh, and (mostly) trenchant examination of very 'of-this-world' questions about race and gender, perceptions and appearances. But the thing is…while the book helped me to engage critically with these issues, I would’ve liked for the story to have engaged me emotionally as well. Getting to the point where I could become invested in the story was a bit of a chore, and in the end, I don’t
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I thought this book was supposed to be a retelling of Snow White. There was a character named Snow, a stepmother, a mirror, and themes of beauty and jealousy, but it wasn't quite a fairy tale retelling.
I am honestly not sure what it was. The characters and their motivations didn't always make sense, I wasn't sure what the themes were or the point was. It seemed to be jumping all over the place. Then all of the sudden in the last 20 pages, there's another big surprise that comes out of nowhere. ...more
I am honestly not sure what it was. The characters and their motivations didn't always make sense, I wasn't sure what the themes were or the point was. It seemed to be jumping all over the place. Then all of the sudden in the last 20 pages, there's another big surprise that comes out of nowhere. ...more
First off, Oyeyemi's writing is absolutely gorgeous. This prose!
Second: I love Snow White retellings, and I like this one, although it's not as tied into the fairy tale as I usually like (I would have liked the mirrors to tie together more, for example). I found Boy's depiction as the evil queen to be odd; she didn't quite fit the bill for me.
Third: The discussion of race and passing is not exactly high level, but it also strikes me as something that would be real in a family -- how do you deal ...more
Second: I love Snow White retellings, and I like this one, although it's not as tied into the fairy tale as I usually like (I would have liked the mirrors to tie together more, for example). I found Boy's depiction as the evil queen to be odd; she didn't quite fit the bill for me.
Third: The discussion of race and passing is not exactly high level, but it also strikes me as something that would be real in a family -- how do you deal ...more
It was like this was 2 or 3 different books smooshed into one. Or the editor told the author that she needed to add something about a specific topic (don't want to create a spoiler here) to get a B&N promo so it ended at odds with the rest of the book. I'm flummoxed by this. There were fascinating characters that were bizarrely developed and left out to dry in the end.
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I didn't particularly get the first 100 pages, but then this got really good.
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Sep 19, 2013
Phoebe
marked it as to-read
Mar 04, 2014
Astrid Lim
marked it as wishlist
Mar 10, 2014
Saima
marked it as to-read
Mar 18, 2014
Becca
marked it as did-not-finish
Mar 18, 2014
Sara
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2014
Ching-In
marked it as to-read
Mar 07, 2015
Scott Flicker
marked it as to-read
Apr 12, 2015
Jocelyn
marked it as to-read
May 19, 2015
Rend
marked it as to-read
Aug 21, 2016
Katy
marked it as to-read
Aug 21, 2017
Jillian
marked it as to-read
Dec 16, 2019
Celeste
marked it as to-read
