Task 15: A Book That Is a Re-Telling of A Classic Story

[Melinda]

I think it would count. I'm (slowly) reading it right now. It isn't so much Pullman retelling the tales, but going through the different versions of the tales and putting together a cohesive version, with some commentary at the end of what he's done and why. It's interesting and I think some tales are more "retold" than others, but I do think that if someone wants to read the Grimm Fairy Tales, this is an excellent version.

[Ana-Maria]

Melinda wrote: "I think it would count. I'm (slowly) reading it right now. It isn't so much Pullman retelling the tales, but going through the different versions of the tales and putting together a cohesive vers..."

Thanks for that explanation! I'll definitely read it, and will probably end up counting it for the challenge, too. I'm thinking I'm probably going to be reading two books for most of these tasks, anyway! :)

[Ann M.]

Think I might try Going Bovine, Libba Bray's retelling of Don Quioxte.

[Nicole]

Any suggestions that are not traditional european fairy tales/nursery rhymes? I'm looking for something like O Brother Where Art Thou or Akira Kurosawa's Ran in book form.

I think I'm going to go with Grendel by John Gardner unless I find a better suggestion. Michael Creighton's Eaters of the Dead (The Thirteenth Warrior) is another good adaptation of Beowulf.

[Sabrina]

For this I used The Goddess Chronicle by Natsuo Kirino. This is a retelling of the Japanese creation myth from the perspective of the women in the story. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

This could also count as a book that takes place in Asia, a translated work, or a work about an indigenous culture.

[Srividya]

Sita's Ramayana I just finished Sita's Ramayana. It is a retelling of the classic Ramayana from the heroine's point of view.

[Katharine]

Alan Gordon's Fool's Guild mysteries retell familiar Shakespeare stories from the point of view of the fools, who are all really part of a guild of political operatives controlling the course of world events. Really fun.

[Denise]

"The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova. Loved it!

[JeNee]

Alice I Have Been

This is my selection.

[Krishna]

Srividya wrote: "Sita's RamayanaI just finished Sita's Ramayana. It is a retelling of the classic Ramayana from the heroine's point of view."
Srividya, this looks interesting – I'll have to keep my eye out for a copy!

My selection for this task will be The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering, Vol. 1 (and The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering, Vol. 2), which my wife and I are currently reading. Really great prose retelling of the epic, with much nuanced emotion and dialogue. I heartily recommend this version to anyone looking for a "novel-esque" treatment of the Mahabharata.

[Emma]

I just finished Stitching Snow - a futuristic-techy retelling of Snow White.

If you're looking a non-fairy tale reimagining:

For Darkness Shows the Stars is a retelling of Persuasion.
Across a Star-Swept Sea is a retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel.

For Arthurian retellings: Mary Stewart or A.A. Attanasio.

[Nicole]

I really liked Great by Sara Benincasa last year. It's a re-telling of the Great Gatsby in YA with sexually questioning characters.

[Erin]

For those who like YA, here's a list from BookBub today, "Modern Twists on Your Favorite Childhood Classics"

http://media.bookbub.com/blog/2015/01...

Since I adore Lord of the Flies I think I may try Gone.

[Robin P]

I'm listening to Pierce Brosnan narrating The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom. It's kid/young adult but very funny on audio. It's a bit like Into the Woods, the other side of all those famous fairy tales.

[Valerie]

A Thousand Acres and King Lear are on my list and will be paired.

[Michael]

I've got two main contenders for this task lined up: The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter and Grendel by John Gardner (which for me would entail re-reading Beowulf first). Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis also really intrigues me.

... Oh, and I think The Red Tent by Anita Diamant -- which some people seem to classify as Christian fiction (!!!) -- would definitely count for this.

[Ana-Maria]

Hershel wrote: "I've got two main contenders for this task lined up: The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter and Grendel by John Gardner (whi..."

I LOVED The Bloody Chamber! I hope you do, too :)

[Mindy]

Since I bought Pride & Prejudice & Zombies a long time ago, I'm going to try it first. It's nice to know there are all these other great recommendations in case it's hideous, though.

Ella Enchanted is an absolutely wonderful retelling of Cinderella. Don't judge the book by the movie, the book is great. It's a children's book, but beautiful book is a beautiful book I say.

[Jeimy]

I borrowed Alias Hook from my local library and have not been enjoying it much. I am awaiting Stella Parrish's arrival to see if the tale picks up.

[Karin]

Hold Me Like a Breath is a retelling of the Princess and the Pea and coming out this spring.

Also, I don't think I saw it in this thread yet, but The Girls at the Kingfisher Club is a retelling of the 12 dancing princesses.

[Thegirlintheafternoon]

Karin wrote: "Hold Me Like a Breath is a retelling of the Princess and the Pea and coming out this spring.

Also, I don't think I saw it in this thread yet, but [book:The Girls at the Kingfisher ..."

All the YES in the world to THE GIRLS AT THE KINGFISHER CLUB, which is seriously my favorite thing I've read in at least 5 years. Was coming here to recommend it myself!

[Erika]

I picked For Darkness Shows the Stars for this one. It's a post-apocalyptic retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion.

[Linda]

I have finished reading "The Snow Child" by E own Ivey. This book is similar to a Russian fairy tale. love this book.I am not one to read books twice, but I did with this one.
So I have finished Task 15!!

[Bri]

I'm reading Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue, and I love it. This would also fit for LGBTQ literature.

[Danielle]

Just finished "The Fall" by Bethany Griffin. It is a re-telling of Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher." It Madeline's (the sister in the original) story.

[Julie]

I'll be reading Longbourn, which is Pride and Prejudice from the perspective of the Bennet's servants

[Jayne]

I just finished Hansel & Gretel, a wonderful retelling by the magnificent author Neil Gaiman, with woodcut illustrations by Lorenzo Mattotti. The book is published by TOON Graphics, and the quality of the paper and binding makes it even more pleasurable to read.

[Jane]

I am going to read Havah: The Story of Eve by Tosca Lee. Tosca is a local author and I am currently working my way through her books.

[Jillian]

I read Wide Sargasso Sea, a prequel to Jane Eyre. Then I read Jane Eyre for my book published before 1850.

[Jayne]

Jillian wrote: "I read Wide Sargasso Sea, a prequel to Jane Eyre. Then I read Jane Eyre for my book published before 1850."

Isn't that a fascinating combination?!

[Daisy]

Appropos Jane Eyre, I've just finished The Flight of Gemma Hardy, which was not a hard book to read at all.

[Dy]

Read this one before I decided to do the challenge, but after the start of the year, so I'm totally counting it!

Alias Hook

I enjoyed this immensely, both for the girl power element and for the adult perspective on Neverland.

[Kelly]

Just stumbled across The Looking Glass Wars, retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Looks like it fits the bill admirably.

[Liz]

I'm reading Bill Willingham's Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile as well as the rest of the series: Fables + Series reading list. It's a retelling, back story, and metafiction all rolled into a graphic novel format with just a dash of tongue and cheek humor. Gotta love it!

[Shannon]

Thegirlintheafternoon wrote: "Karin wrote: "Hold Me Like a Breath is a retelling of the Princess and the Pea and coming out this spring.

Also, I don't think I saw it in this thread yet, but [book:The Girls at t..."

Somehow, I've managed to miss this book but just ordered a copy and I'm so excited to read it!

[Whitney]

Kelly wrote: "Just stumbled across The Looking Glass Wars, retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Looks like it fits the bill admirably."

This is a trilogy and I loved it! Of course I'm a big Alice fan in general so I may be biased. Keep an open mind, it does take some liberties, but it is a great retelling!!

[Kathy]

I read The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I loved this novel and want to read more by the author.

[Beachesnbooks]

I read The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories for this one. It's short stories that are subversive fairy tale retellings--the title story was my favorite.

[Loreen ☕️]

I read .

[Tatiana]

For this task I read Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi, a strange and fascinating retelling of Blubeard.

[Jayne]

Tatiana wrote: "For this task I read Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi, a strange and fascinating retelling of Blubeard."

I'm not familiar with this, Tatiana, but it sounds fascinating. Was it good?

[Tatiana]

Jayne wrote: "Tatiana wrote: "For this task I read Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi, a strange and fascinating retelling of Blubeard."

I'm not familiar with this, Tatiana, but it sounds fascinating. Was it good?"

Hi Jayne. I really enjoyed it. It's beautifully written and has a strange dream-like quality. I know some people didn't like it, I read the Goodreads reviews and many readers complained that it was too meta.

[Jayne]

Tatiana wrote: "Jayne wrote: "Tatiana wrote: "For this task I read Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi, a strange and fascinating retelling of Blubeard."

I'm not familiar with this, Tatiana, but it sounds fascinating. Was ..."
Thanks. I will look for it.

[Anna]

Malvina wrote: "Winter by Marissa Meyer!! Is it November 2015 yet?

Percy Jackson series

Edited: I decided to use books already on my tbr shelf so no Winter for me (for this category anyway) but Percy Jackson st..."

Love that series by Melissa Meyer! All three books also work for YA and Sci-fi categories

[Heikemarie]

Mr. Fox and The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories were amazing! Any other recs for subversive/feminist retellings? Right now I've got The Sleeper and the Spindle lined up but I'm always looking for more.

[Karena]

Besides Boy, Snow, Bird does anyone have any recommendations by other AoC for this task?

[Tatiana]

There are two books worth checking out if you are looking for non white, non American(or non European authors): A True Novel by Minae Mizumura, a retelling of Wuthering Heights set in post-war Japan; and The Meursault Investigation, by Kamel Daoud, a reimagining of The Stranger (Albert Camus) from the point of view of one of the nameless characters from that novel, the English translation will be published on June 2.

[Martha]

I'm reading The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness

[Denise]

Thanks to a suggestion on this page I picked up The Girls At The Kingfisher Club.
It was great, an awesome twist on one of my favorite fairytales The Twelve Dancing Princesses. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18...

[ChezJulie]

Julie wrote: "I'll be reading Longbourn, which is Pride and Prejudice from the perspective of the Bennet's servants"

I really enjoyed Longbourn. A good choice for Anglophiles.