It's #femmeMarch and I am reviewing books by women, or books featuring women characters. A review a day. I may not always have nice things to say about the books, but my review will be fair and honest. Read on...
For today's review, I chose to go with a male author - Neil Gaiman, and a male illustrator - Chris Riddell - but then I just loved the feminist take they offer on the world's best-known fairytales. Having said that I must also say it has the most gorgeous black-and-white-and-gold illustrations by Chris Riddell (Duh, like that's new!)
The Sleeper and the Spindle is a fairytale for young adults. It brings together the stories of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. No, let me correct that. It brings together the characters of the tales of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. No, that's not true, either. The Sleeper and the Spindle is a fairytale featuring three women - each of them is a strong woman, refusing to be a two-dimensional cardboard character. There's a queen who, on the eve of her wedding, decides it's more important to save her kingdom than speak her vows, there's an old woman whose hair on her scalp is grey and sparse but her determination is strong and fierce, there's a girl sleeping on a massive fourposter for seventy years - with a purpose.
This book is one of those rare books where the text and the illustrations enrich each other, and the reader's experience as well. Gaiman's concluding words are going to stay with me a long time and so is Riddell's illustration on the page.
The Sleeper and the Spindle takes your expectations and turns them on their head - every last one of them. Where Cinderella sheds her rags for a ballgown, the queen in this tale exchanges her wedding gown for a coat of chain mail. While fairytales focus on the 'bright and beautiful' future, Gaiman reminds us that our past makes us what we are, and what it makes of us is our choice. "There are always choices" as the queen reminds herself.
And that's why this tale is a must-read. In an interview, Gaiman had referred to fairytales as loaded guns or bombs. With Gaiman narrating fairytales, yes, they will certainly blow the cobwebs from our minds, and bomb all stereotypes to nothingness.
Author: Neil Gaiman
Illustrator: Chris Riddell
ISBN: 978-0-06-239824-6
Publisher: Harper Collins
Age: 11+
For today's review, I chose to go with a male author - Neil Gaiman, and a male illustrator - Chris Riddell - but then I just loved the feminist take they offer on the world's best-known fairytales. Having said that I must also say it has the most gorgeous black-and-white-and-gold illustrations by Chris Riddell (Duh, like that's new!)
The Sleeper and the Spindle is a fairytale for young adults. It brings together the stories of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. No, let me correct that. It brings together the characters of the tales of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. No, that's not true, either. The Sleeper and the Spindle is a fairytale featuring three women - each of them is a strong woman, refusing to be a two-dimensional cardboard character. There's a queen who, on the eve of her wedding, decides it's more important to save her kingdom than speak her vows, there's an old woman whose hair on her scalp is grey and sparse but her determination is strong and fierce, there's a girl sleeping on a massive fourposter for seventy years - with a purpose.
This book is one of those rare books where the text and the illustrations enrich each other, and the reader's experience as well. Gaiman's concluding words are going to stay with me a long time and so is Riddell's illustration on the page.
The Sleeper and the Spindle takes your expectations and turns them on their head - every last one of them. Where Cinderella sheds her rags for a ballgown, the queen in this tale exchanges her wedding gown for a coat of chain mail. While fairytales focus on the 'bright and beautiful' future, Gaiman reminds us that our past makes us what we are, and what it makes of us is our choice. "There are always choices" as the queen reminds herself.
And that's why this tale is a must-read. In an interview, Gaiman had referred to fairytales as loaded guns or bombs. With Gaiman narrating fairytales, yes, they will certainly blow the cobwebs from our minds, and bomb all stereotypes to nothingness.
Author: Neil Gaiman
Illustrator: Chris Riddell
ISBN: 978-0-06-239824-6
Publisher: Harper Collins
Age: 11+
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