Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Tor Books (2019), Edition: Reprint, 288 pages
Description
The tale of Sleeping Beauty and the dark tale of the Holocaust twined together in a story of darkness and redemption.
Subjects
Awards
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novel — 1992)
Mythopoeic Awards (Finalist — Adult Literature — 1993)
World Fantasy Award (Nominee — Novel — 1993)
Isinglass Teen Read Award (Nominee — 2004)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 1993)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (Fiction — 1999)
Reading Olympics (High School — 2024)
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member ncgraham
Jane Yolen’s Briar Rose is a book that has been calling me for years. I actually tried to read it once before, when I was about thirteen, but I put it down half-way through because I decided I was not old enough to deal with some of the mature content. Now that I’ve finally come back to it,
Becca Berlin has grown up hearing her grandmother (“Gemma”) tell her a version of “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood” that is both like and unlike the story her friends know. On her deathbed the old woman makes the shocking claim: she says she is Briar Rose, and goes on to extract a promise from Becca to go out and find her story, her castle, her prince.
I will say that the flashbacks, in which Gemma tells the fairytale to her granddaughters, are beautifully poetic. Also, I found the scenes leading up to and directly following the funeral are intriguing, and the middle part of the prince’s narrative, harrowing. Basically, any section that focuses on Gemma is bound to be 100% better than what comes before and after. She is the solution to the rest of the story’s mystery, the heart within its body, the spirit that transcends its cavern of flesh.
But unfortunately she has to share the book with her granddaughter and her “prince,” neither of whom are very interesting. Becca especially is a dull and forgettable heroine. And this is only the beginning of the problems. Unfortunately, Yolen seems to feel that she needs to continually remind the reader that this is a fairytale, despite its modern setting. So she has her characters constantly reference folktales in the stream of everyday conversation, which struck me as odd and abnormal. (The fact that I do this all the time is nothing to the point; I never claimed to be normal.) She does the same with social issues. Indeed, she seems to spend about half the novel shouting at the reader about how very relevant she is. It’s like she expects us to say, “Oh, Lordy, Lordy, Becca works for an ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER!!! And, look, now there’s a GAY CHARACTER!!! OMG!!!” I will admit that I disagree with her on some of the topics she covers, but that isn’t the reason I dislike the book—it has more to do with the way she handles the whole mess. I felt, as I read along, that I was being preached to. And very few novelists can do that well.
In passing, I want to remark that I’m incredibly disturbed that this book, originally published as an adult novel, has now been rereleased by Tor Teen, and labeled appropriate for ages 12 and up. Along with violence (expected when dealing with the Holocaust), there’s a good deal of swearing, and a pretty vivid homosexual love scene. This is just further proof of how desensitized we’re becoming as a society—a book with an adult content level is now deemed appropriate for twelve-year-olds!
Yolen is a talented writer. After finishing this book, I reread her wonderful short story “Meditations in a Whitethorn Tree,” and was relieved to find that I loved it as much as ever. With as great a talent as hers, and as great a premise as this, it’s a pity that Briar Rose turned out so poorly.
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I’m not sure it was worth it, and will only admit that it has an awe-inspiring premise—the very reason I came back to it, of course. The idea of juxtaposing an old fairytale with the horrors of the Holocaust is, admittedly, brilliant.Becca Berlin has grown up hearing her grandmother (“Gemma”) tell her a version of “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood” that is both like and unlike the story her friends know. On her deathbed the old woman makes the shocking claim: she says she is Briar Rose, and goes on to extract a promise from Becca to go out and find her story, her castle, her prince.
I will say that the flashbacks, in which Gemma tells the fairytale to her granddaughters, are beautifully poetic. Also, I found the scenes leading up to and directly following the funeral are intriguing, and the middle part of the prince’s narrative, harrowing. Basically, any section that focuses on Gemma is bound to be 100% better than what comes before and after. She is the solution to the rest of the story’s mystery, the heart within its body, the spirit that transcends its cavern of flesh.
But unfortunately she has to share the book with her granddaughter and her “prince,” neither of whom are very interesting. Becca especially is a dull and forgettable heroine. And this is only the beginning of the problems. Unfortunately, Yolen seems to feel that she needs to continually remind the reader that this is a fairytale, despite its modern setting. So she has her characters constantly reference folktales in the stream of everyday conversation, which struck me as odd and abnormal. (The fact that I do this all the time is nothing to the point; I never claimed to be normal.) She does the same with social issues. Indeed, she seems to spend about half the novel shouting at the reader about how very relevant she is. It’s like she expects us to say, “Oh, Lordy, Lordy, Becca works for an ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER!!! And, look, now there’s a GAY CHARACTER!!! OMG!!!” I will admit that I disagree with her on some of the topics she covers, but that isn’t the reason I dislike the book—it has more to do with the way she handles the whole mess. I felt, as I read along, that I was being preached to. And very few novelists can do that well.
In passing, I want to remark that I’m incredibly disturbed that this book, originally published as an adult novel, has now been rereleased by Tor Teen, and labeled appropriate for ages 12 and up. Along with violence (expected when dealing with the Holocaust), there’s a good deal of swearing, and a pretty vivid homosexual love scene. This is just further proof of how desensitized we’re becoming as a society—a book with an adult content level is now deemed appropriate for twelve-year-olds!
Yolen is a talented writer. After finishing this book, I reread her wonderful short story “Meditations in a Whitethorn Tree,” and was relieved to find that I loved it as much as ever. With as great a talent as hers, and as great a premise as this, it’s a pity that Briar Rose turned out so poorly.
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LibraryThing member Whisper1
This book is marvelously crafted and it is one of the best I've read this year. It is a masterpiece of haunting beauty.
Though it was told in a much different rendition than the Disney interpretation, as a child Becca and her three sisters repeatedly heard the story of Briar Rose by their
Becca, the youngest sister was enthralled by her grandmother's storytelling abilities. In real life, very little was known of Gemma, other than she insisted she was a princess rescued by a prince who broke through the thorns of the castle wherein all were silent and asleep. The Prince then kissed her and woke her from deep sleep.
On her deathbed Becca's Polish immigrant grandmother pleaded with her to "find the castle."
Discovering fragments of her grandmother's history in a box left behind, Becca undertakes an incredible journey to Poland where she learns of the brutality inflicted on the innocent at an extermination camp that was housed in a schloss (castle.)
Weaving the tale of Briar Rose and the Holocaust, Yolen vividly depicts the horror at Chelmno, Poland where from 1942-1945, 320,000 people were gassed and buried in mass graves.
Fairy tales do not always have happy endings. But, while this book covers a terrible tragedy, it is also a tale of courage, of sacrifice and the power of redemption.
Though it was told in a much different rendition than the Disney interpretation, as a child Becca and her three sisters repeatedly heard the story of Briar Rose by their
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grandmother.Becca, the youngest sister was enthralled by her grandmother's storytelling abilities. In real life, very little was known of Gemma, other than she insisted she was a princess rescued by a prince who broke through the thorns of the castle wherein all were silent and asleep. The Prince then kissed her and woke her from deep sleep.
On her deathbed Becca's Polish immigrant grandmother pleaded with her to "find the castle."
Discovering fragments of her grandmother's history in a box left behind, Becca undertakes an incredible journey to Poland where she learns of the brutality inflicted on the innocent at an extermination camp that was housed in a schloss (castle.)
Weaving the tale of Briar Rose and the Holocaust, Yolen vividly depicts the horror at Chelmno, Poland where from 1942-1945, 320,000 people were gassed and buried in mass graves.
Fairy tales do not always have happy endings. But, while this book covers a terrible tragedy, it is also a tale of courage, of sacrifice and the power of redemption.
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LibraryThing member wewerefiction
I started reading this almost immediately after I finished The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone, which was probably very unfair to all the other books I have half-finished (Brief Encounters with Che Guevara by Ben Fountain, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne which will by the way have a very large
I hadn’t read anything by Jane Yolen prior to this book, but I previously purchased a copy of The Devil’s Arithmetic, which I intended to read last summer but never seemed to get around to. After reading this book, I’m more convinced to dig through my boxes to find this book than I am to finish any of the above novels that I’m still in the middle of reading. Though I have some style/format issues with this book (some chapters are only half a page long, and I’m one of those people who think that chapters should be at least three pages to be worth calling chapters), the text was beautifully composed and I was amazingly receptive once I got into it. At first, it was slow and I couldn’t find a path for myself, but I eventually found myself calling Richard and telling him to find a ride home because I’d rather sit on the couch and read this all night than take the five minutes to pick him up…
”Stories,” he’d said, his voice low and almost husky,” we are made up of stories. And even the ones that seem the most like lies can be our deepest hidden truths.”
Prior to my recent months of reading, I never paid a lot of attention to tag lines or – for the sake of being entirely honest here -- titles, because as a makeshift writer I can never come up with “that brilliant title” that so defines my story, opening up possibilities for the starting readers, as well as bringing it to a defining close for the just-finished readers. The Agony and the Ecstasy, the book I finished a few days ago, opened my mind to the “possibility” of a brilliant title. This book, Briar Rose has created a more fond appreciation for tag lines. On the cover it simply states, “A powerful retelling of Sleeping Beauty that is ‘heartbreaking and heartwarming.’” At first glance it just seems like one of those standard tag lines used to draw in a general population, but after reading the book I see how absolutely true this is. “Heartbreaking” and “heartwarming.”
I read this book in two days because of those two words. I began describing it to Richard after only an hour or two of reading, telling him how utterly involved and interesting this book is. This is exactly the kind of book I wish I could write, though honestly, I probably wouldn’t be strong enough to write about the subject matter – I cried as I was reading Josef’s monologue. But aside from the horrific history, the deep understanding of culture, and the fairy tale “meddlefur,” this book is about stories. People dying for stories, the stories of lives and deaths and heroes and non-heroes, the stories spoken late into the night to small children about fairies and princesses, the stories that gave people the strength to live. The story of a secret. It’s about storytellers, the people who carry on the tradition and bring things to life once again even if they were never “living” in the first place. These stories are heartbreaking and heartwarming and they are intertwined together with such elegance that I can’t imagine why this book doesn’t jump off the shelf.
The one thing he could clearly recall was lying on his back, staring up through the canopy of trees, and thinking that the stars were falling until the first ones hit his face and he realized it was snow.
And it’s one of those books that, when I finished it, I had difficulty talking about every-day things; I just wanted to sit in unexpressed silence and clear my brain of everything. I only wanted to appreciate what I had in front of me, while still appreciating the past but I couldn’t seem to function; I could only think of Magda’s statement that “sometimes living takes more courage than dying,” thinking of Aron’s body in a ditch and what it meant to both Josef and Gemma, thinking of how incredibly real the story was even though it was, as the author notes, almost entirely made-up. It was a truth I couldn’t shake even if I tried. I couldn’t distract myself in another book; I couldn’t wake up from this dream. And so I sat and listened to the loud ring of nothing, feeling that pit of emptiness in my chest pulling me to something I couldn’t define.
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commentary coming with it, Send by David Shipley and Will Schwalbe, among others), but I couldn’t wait to get my mind on it. It’s written as part of a “Fairy Tales series” (none of the other books have I read) which I find very intriguing – a fan of fairy tales, Terri Windling wanted to create a series of stories based on the beloved interest. What resulted, presumably, was a few remarkable stories told by remarkable authors, this being one of them.I hadn’t read anything by Jane Yolen prior to this book, but I previously purchased a copy of The Devil’s Arithmetic, which I intended to read last summer but never seemed to get around to. After reading this book, I’m more convinced to dig through my boxes to find this book than I am to finish any of the above novels that I’m still in the middle of reading. Though I have some style/format issues with this book (some chapters are only half a page long, and I’m one of those people who think that chapters should be at least three pages to be worth calling chapters), the text was beautifully composed and I was amazingly receptive once I got into it. At first, it was slow and I couldn’t find a path for myself, but I eventually found myself calling Richard and telling him to find a ride home because I’d rather sit on the couch and read this all night than take the five minutes to pick him up…
”Stories,” he’d said, his voice low and almost husky,” we are made up of stories. And even the ones that seem the most like lies can be our deepest hidden truths.”
Prior to my recent months of reading, I never paid a lot of attention to tag lines or – for the sake of being entirely honest here -- titles, because as a makeshift writer I can never come up with “that brilliant title” that so defines my story, opening up possibilities for the starting readers, as well as bringing it to a defining close for the just-finished readers. The Agony and the Ecstasy, the book I finished a few days ago, opened my mind to the “possibility” of a brilliant title. This book, Briar Rose has created a more fond appreciation for tag lines. On the cover it simply states, “A powerful retelling of Sleeping Beauty that is ‘heartbreaking and heartwarming.’” At first glance it just seems like one of those standard tag lines used to draw in a general population, but after reading the book I see how absolutely true this is. “Heartbreaking” and “heartwarming.”
I read this book in two days because of those two words. I began describing it to Richard after only an hour or two of reading, telling him how utterly involved and interesting this book is. This is exactly the kind of book I wish I could write, though honestly, I probably wouldn’t be strong enough to write about the subject matter – I cried as I was reading Josef’s monologue. But aside from the horrific history, the deep understanding of culture, and the fairy tale “meddlefur,” this book is about stories. People dying for stories, the stories of lives and deaths and heroes and non-heroes, the stories spoken late into the night to small children about fairies and princesses, the stories that gave people the strength to live. The story of a secret. It’s about storytellers, the people who carry on the tradition and bring things to life once again even if they were never “living” in the first place. These stories are heartbreaking and heartwarming and they are intertwined together with such elegance that I can’t imagine why this book doesn’t jump off the shelf.
The one thing he could clearly recall was lying on his back, staring up through the canopy of trees, and thinking that the stars were falling until the first ones hit his face and he realized it was snow.
And it’s one of those books that, when I finished it, I had difficulty talking about every-day things; I just wanted to sit in unexpressed silence and clear my brain of everything. I only wanted to appreciate what I had in front of me, while still appreciating the past but I couldn’t seem to function; I could only think of Magda’s statement that “sometimes living takes more courage than dying,” thinking of Aron’s body in a ditch and what it meant to both Josef and Gemma, thinking of how incredibly real the story was even though it was, as the author notes, almost entirely made-up. It was a truth I couldn’t shake even if I tried. I couldn’t distract myself in another book; I couldn’t wake up from this dream. And so I sat and listened to the loud ring of nothing, feeling that pit of emptiness in my chest pulling me to something I couldn’t define.
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LibraryThing member Jenson_AKA_DL
At the death bed of her beloved grandmother, Gemma, Becca makes a promise to discover the secret of Briar Rose, the fairy tale which may lie at the heart of Gemma’s mysterious past.
This is a story I picked up at a library sale basically because I knew that the author is from my local area and
Despite the fact that had I realized the true content of this book before picking it up I never would have done so, I can’t say that I disliked this book. Sometimes I have to admit that reminding ourselves of humanities past atrocities gives new incentive toward wanting to prevent anything like that of ever happening again in the future.
This is a story I picked up at a library sale basically because I knew that the author is from my local area and
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that I’ve always been interested in fairy tale retellings. Insofar as the local area went I was rather tickled that of the Western Massachusetts places are ones I’m very familiar with, and even the Advocate paper, were mentioned and visited. I’ve never read a story by Jane Yolen before and I was pleased to find her writing style quite pleasant to read. The only point of disappointment that I felt is that this is another book which is purported to be “fantasy”, when in reality it is no such thing at all. This story is actually a rather riveting story of Becca’s discovery of her grandmother’s roots in escaping the holocaust, and as such is truly too horrifying and real a premise to be considered anything like a fantasy. Putting that aside, this was a very well told and engrossing tale. I liked Becca’s character very much and her personal journey into her roots in Poland and her grandmother’s past were interesting. As to be expected, Josef P.’s story, when the reader gets there, is disturbing on every level. It was quite reminiscent of another book I read last year called “Damned Strong Love” and should you read this part of the story and be interested in a true story written very much in the same vein, I would highly suggest reading it.Despite the fact that had I realized the true content of this book before picking it up I never would have done so, I can’t say that I disliked this book. Sometimes I have to admit that reminding ourselves of humanities past atrocities gives new incentive toward wanting to prevent anything like that of ever happening again in the future.
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LibraryThing member krau0098
I really like fairy tale retellings, so I was eager to read this book. It is a good book, but not so much about fairy tales as about the Holocaust and one girl's struggle to uncover her grandmother's past.
Becca's grandmother, Gemma, always tells the story of Sleeping Beauty. As Gemma ages and gets
This was a very well-written book and a very interesting idea. When I realized that this was a book that merged the story of Sleeping Beauty with the Holocaust I was a bit taken aback. I mean the origins of fairy tales are never pretty, but I can't think of an uglier time in human history than the Holocaust. The chapters alternate between short snippets of Gemma reciting her version of Sleeping Beauty and chapters following Becca's journey to find out what happened to Gemma.
More than anything this is a fairly accurate fictional accounting of events that happened during the Holocaust; as you might expect this makes for a somewhat sad, depressing, and distressing read. This story is much more about history, the origins of fairy tales in general, and human nature than it is about Sleeping Beauty. While there are some echoes of hope throughout the book, the majority of it explores the evils of the Holocaust and the struggles people went through during that time. The renditions of some of the actions taken by the Nazis are disturbing and accurate, although not overly gory.
The story itself is very engaging and hard to put down as you are struggling to guess what Becca will find out about her grandmother. All in all it was a good read, just not necessarily a pleasant one. I have read works by Yolen before and her writing style is excellent; I am not used to her dealing with such a serious topic.
Overall, this was an excellent read. People should be prepared more for a different variation of Holocaust events than a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. This book is about so much more than fairy tales. Yolen also has a brief afterward telling which events in the book really happened and which she fabricated to meet the stories needs. For those of you who have read enough about the Holocaust to know how truly disturbing it was; you may want to skip this. I do think that everyone should be exposed to the horrors of those times though so that they are remembered...and this book does an excellent job of doing that while pulling readers through an intriguing story at the same time.
Becca's grandmother, Gemma, always tells the story of Sleeping Beauty. As Gemma ages and gets
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sick, the story of Sleeping Beauty is the only thing she ever says. When Gemma passes she leaves a mysterious box of trinkets for Becca. Becca has promised to track down her grandmother's past and uses the box of clippings and trinkets to find out the story of her grandmother who thought she was a Polish Princess.This was a very well-written book and a very interesting idea. When I realized that this was a book that merged the story of Sleeping Beauty with the Holocaust I was a bit taken aback. I mean the origins of fairy tales are never pretty, but I can't think of an uglier time in human history than the Holocaust. The chapters alternate between short snippets of Gemma reciting her version of Sleeping Beauty and chapters following Becca's journey to find out what happened to Gemma.
More than anything this is a fairly accurate fictional accounting of events that happened during the Holocaust; as you might expect this makes for a somewhat sad, depressing, and distressing read. This story is much more about history, the origins of fairy tales in general, and human nature than it is about Sleeping Beauty. While there are some echoes of hope throughout the book, the majority of it explores the evils of the Holocaust and the struggles people went through during that time. The renditions of some of the actions taken by the Nazis are disturbing and accurate, although not overly gory.
The story itself is very engaging and hard to put down as you are struggling to guess what Becca will find out about her grandmother. All in all it was a good read, just not necessarily a pleasant one. I have read works by Yolen before and her writing style is excellent; I am not used to her dealing with such a serious topic.
Overall, this was an excellent read. People should be prepared more for a different variation of Holocaust events than a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. This book is about so much more than fairy tales. Yolen also has a brief afterward telling which events in the book really happened and which she fabricated to meet the stories needs. For those of you who have read enough about the Holocaust to know how truly disturbing it was; you may want to skip this. I do think that everyone should be exposed to the horrors of those times though so that they are remembered...and this book does an excellent job of doing that while pulling readers through an intriguing story at the same time.
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LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: Becca's grandmother was always an excellent storyteller, but there was only one story she'd tell - the fairy tale of Briar Rose. Just before she dies, she claims that she is the real Briar Rose from the story, and makes Becca promise to find out the truth of her history. The rest of her
Review: With the exception of getting up to make myself a second cup of tea, I devoured this book in a single sitting. It pulled me in very quickly, and was nearly impossible to put down. It's admittedly a quick read - YA-level prose, large font - but I felt like it was glued to my hands for the few hours it took me to read; I came out of it with a crick in my back because I was too absorbed in reading to even shift in my chair.
I love fairy tale re-tellings in general, and I particularly love versions that give a plausible real-life basis for the stories. This one didn't quite provide an origin story - Sleeping Beauty was already hundreds of years old by the time WWII came around - but it was chillingly effective in the way it melded the fantasy elements of the story with unflinching horror of reality. I mean, I like my fairy tales dark, but wow.
That said, there were times in this book when I was left wanting more. It may have been that the adult protagonist or the seriousness of the story line led me to expect an adult novel rather than the YA it was, but there were times when things felt a little thin. The character development is not this book's strong suit - even the protagonist is pretty two-dimensional, and her love-story is pretty weak, and felt like a late addition. I also thought the investigation was under-done, and it left me wanting more actual sleuthing; it seemed like Becca went to Europe and just accidentally happened to bump into the one and only person who could tell her the real story. Still, I get that these elements aren't necessarily the stars of the show: the focus is on the fairy tale, and that part succeeds admirably. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Fans of fairy tales and fairy tale retellings, as well as WWII fiction buffs should all definitely check this one out.
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family dismisses her claims, but armed with only a small box of her grandmother's papers that detail her immigration to the U.S. in 1944, Becca goes in search of the truth - a quest that will lead her to Poland, and to one of the unspeakable atrocities of history.Review: With the exception of getting up to make myself a second cup of tea, I devoured this book in a single sitting. It pulled me in very quickly, and was nearly impossible to put down. It's admittedly a quick read - YA-level prose, large font - but I felt like it was glued to my hands for the few hours it took me to read; I came out of it with a crick in my back because I was too absorbed in reading to even shift in my chair.
I love fairy tale re-tellings in general, and I particularly love versions that give a plausible real-life basis for the stories. This one didn't quite provide an origin story - Sleeping Beauty was already hundreds of years old by the time WWII came around - but it was chillingly effective in the way it melded the fantasy elements of the story with unflinching horror of reality. I mean, I like my fairy tales dark, but wow.
That said, there were times in this book when I was left wanting more. It may have been that the adult protagonist or the seriousness of the story line led me to expect an adult novel rather than the YA it was, but there were times when things felt a little thin. The character development is not this book's strong suit - even the protagonist is pretty two-dimensional, and her love-story is pretty weak, and felt like a late addition. I also thought the investigation was under-done, and it left me wanting more actual sleuthing; it seemed like Becca went to Europe and just accidentally happened to bump into the one and only person who could tell her the real story. Still, I get that these elements aren't necessarily the stars of the show: the focus is on the fairy tale, and that part succeeds admirably. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Fans of fairy tales and fairy tale retellings, as well as WWII fiction buffs should all definitely check this one out.
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LibraryThing member tipsister
When I picked up Briar Rose, I really anticipated reading a version of Sleeping Beauty. I had no idea I'd be reading a book about the Holocaust. That said, it took nearly 150 pages to get to the portion of the book about the Holocaust.
First the good . . . The last fifty pages or so were quite
Then the bad . . . The first one hundred and fifty-ish pages were boring. I didn't like the style of writing. It seemed very amateurish and way too detailed. Details can be lovely but not when the author describes the main character bending over to get a magazine. That's not important.
The book got rave reviews for the most part. I'm afraid I can't contribute to those. While I feel the story of the Holocaust is important to tell, I don't think this book was good enough to really do that. It is listed as a novel for young adults and yet the subject matter was quite adult and there are scenes of homosexuality that may not be appropriate for younger readers.
First the good . . . The last fifty pages or so were quite
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gripping. Gemma's story was horrifying and tragic. I was completely engrossed. Then the bad . . . The first one hundred and fifty-ish pages were boring. I didn't like the style of writing. It seemed very amateurish and way too detailed. Details can be lovely but not when the author describes the main character bending over to get a magazine. That's not important.
The book got rave reviews for the most part. I'm afraid I can't contribute to those. While I feel the story of the Holocaust is important to tell, I don't think this book was good enough to really do that. It is listed as a novel for young adults and yet the subject matter was quite adult and there are scenes of homosexuality that may not be appropriate for younger readers.
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LibraryThing member myfanwy
Briar Rose is a contemporary retelling of a fairy tale, in somewhat the same vein as Tanith Lee's Red as Blood. I'm not sure whether I simply was more forgiving when I read Tanith Lee, but this time around I could barely push myself through the amateurish writing. Yolen spends 140 pages on the
Throughout these first pages (and by "first" I mean the vast bulk of the novel) Yolen confuses detail with telling a story. I don't need to know when the character bends down to tie her shoelaces, or the fact that she takes out a coffee filter before putting the coffee in the machine. Stories should follow the same heirarchy as memories. Do you remember what you had for breakfast this morning? Probably you didn't give it much thought. But you remember the look on your friend's face when you told them a secret. You remember the warmth of affection, the smell of fall leaves and all the accompanying memories of years gone past. Our brains naturally whittle it down to the relevant details and leave the rest to murkiness. Stories should too.
After most of the book has passed we finally get to hear the story we already know, all packaged up as retold by a survivor. It's all first person. It's a 40 page story arc that contains no dialogue and no character development. The climax of the entire novel is what ought to have been the writer's notes for a good book! Is it interesting? Of course. It's interesting because tales of the Holocaust are inherently interesting. Tales of escape and life and death go to the very roots of our evolution. Was it told well? Not particularly, though it certainly shines brighter than the rest of the book due to the subject matter.
This book was as unremarkable as its leading character. I'm rather surprised it got accolades. The writing is not bad enough to really rail on about -- it's probably about average for fantasy novels - but it's certainly not good enough to draw you in through style alone. This is the tragedy of contemporary fantasy. There are so many writers with good ideas whose books are trashed by amateurish writing. I feel it's a little unfair that Henry James and Steinbeck and Nabokov and Marquez can write about an ordinary summer's day and have me hanging on every word. They could be writing about a drainage ditch for all I care. It's not fair, but it's true. I think it's time for me to read another Patrick O'Brian just to clear my literary palate.
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unremarkable search of an unremarkable woman for her grandmother's story, a story which anyone can guess from reading the back page. If you studiously ignore the back page and make it through the first 30 pages of the book, you'll still be clear. It doesn't take a genius to know the tragic story behind a polish Jew immigrating to this country in 1944 and a little reticent about her past. We've all heard it a thousand times. Yolen's foreshadowing is ham-handed and thick. I could have done without the fifth through nth retelling of Briar Rose 'revealing' a little more each time that which any adept reader would have already guessed.Throughout these first pages (and by "first" I mean the vast bulk of the novel) Yolen confuses detail with telling a story. I don't need to know when the character bends down to tie her shoelaces, or the fact that she takes out a coffee filter before putting the coffee in the machine. Stories should follow the same heirarchy as memories. Do you remember what you had for breakfast this morning? Probably you didn't give it much thought. But you remember the look on your friend's face when you told them a secret. You remember the warmth of affection, the smell of fall leaves and all the accompanying memories of years gone past. Our brains naturally whittle it down to the relevant details and leave the rest to murkiness. Stories should too.
After most of the book has passed we finally get to hear the story we already know, all packaged up as retold by a survivor. It's all first person. It's a 40 page story arc that contains no dialogue and no character development. The climax of the entire novel is what ought to have been the writer's notes for a good book! Is it interesting? Of course. It's interesting because tales of the Holocaust are inherently interesting. Tales of escape and life and death go to the very roots of our evolution. Was it told well? Not particularly, though it certainly shines brighter than the rest of the book due to the subject matter.
This book was as unremarkable as its leading character. I'm rather surprised it got accolades. The writing is not bad enough to really rail on about -- it's probably about average for fantasy novels - but it's certainly not good enough to draw you in through style alone. This is the tragedy of contemporary fantasy. There are so many writers with good ideas whose books are trashed by amateurish writing. I feel it's a little unfair that Henry James and Steinbeck and Nabokov and Marquez can write about an ordinary summer's day and have me hanging on every word. They could be writing about a drainage ditch for all I care. It's not fair, but it's true. I think it's time for me to read another Patrick O'Brian just to clear my literary palate.
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LibraryThing member lifeafterjane
"'Fairy Tales always have a happy ending.' That depends... on whether you are Rumpelstiltskin or the Queen."
When you think about fairy tales, one tends to picture the standard issue beautiful princess, there is an evil adversary (usually a stepmother), and said princess is rescued from whatever
Those aren't real fairy tales. Those are children's stories. Happy, pleasing little ditties designed to give a false sense of well being with the world and to entice them to sleep- and that's OK, because if you read your children a real fairy tale, the way they were written and meant to be told...they would be too afraid to ever shut their eyes.
Becca was a little girl who loved bedtime stories. Her favorite was the story of Sleeping Beauty as told by her Grandmother, her Gemma. She grew up on this tale, enchanted by the castle covered in thorns and it's inhabitants who were magically made to sleep and the handsome prince who awakened the sleeping beauty with a kiss. Gemma's telling of the story was different from the happy classic that most are familiar with. In her story, the beauty has red hair, like Becca and her grandmother and when the people are put to sleep by the evil fairy's mist, only one ever wakes up.
A Becca all grown up sits at the side of her Gemma's deathbed, where she makes her grandmother a promise that she doesn't know how she'll keep. All her life she has been told the story of Briar Rose and now, with her last breath Gemma is claiming the story as her own, that she is the sleeping beauty.
Very little was known about Gemma's past. Even her daughter was uncertain as to what her real name was. The only thing they are sure of is that Gemma escaped to the United States, during WWII- during the holocaust. Determined to solve the mystery of her grandmother's past and to fulfill her promise to Gemma, Becca embarks on a journey into one of the darkest times in history.
A wall of thorns becomes a barbed wire fence, a castle an extermination camp, and the mist that made the people of the castle fall asleep- something horrible and unthinkable.
This was a difficult book to read and I needed a good week between reading it and writing this to get over the initial impact of the story. It's dark, and disturbing. Haunting doesn't cover it- this story doesn't just stay with you, it becomes a part of you and it hurts.
This book is part of a series by Terri Windling that features, dark recreations of classic fairy tales. Which I agree, the darker interpretations are more true to form. I remember my big, battered well love copy of Grimm's fairy tales. Some of them scared the heck out of me.
I appreciate this book, but to say I enjoyed it would be rather morbid. It's uncommonly good- save for the dialogue which tended to be rather stilted and at times removed me from the story.
When you think about fairy tales, one tends to picture the standard issue beautiful princess, there is an evil adversary (usually a stepmother), and said princess is rescued from whatever
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awful situation she's been put in (by the stepmother, sorry stepma) by a dashing, brave and handsome prince. He or she or both are usually assisted by something otherworldly such as fairies or mutant frogs and of course there is a price that must be paid for said service- often something small and inconsequential like their eternal soul. But after it is all said and done, the one thing you can always count on in a fairy tale, is a fairy tale ending- happily ever after, Christmas trees and pie.Those aren't real fairy tales. Those are children's stories. Happy, pleasing little ditties designed to give a false sense of well being with the world and to entice them to sleep- and that's OK, because if you read your children a real fairy tale, the way they were written and meant to be told...they would be too afraid to ever shut their eyes.
Becca was a little girl who loved bedtime stories. Her favorite was the story of Sleeping Beauty as told by her Grandmother, her Gemma. She grew up on this tale, enchanted by the castle covered in thorns and it's inhabitants who were magically made to sleep and the handsome prince who awakened the sleeping beauty with a kiss. Gemma's telling of the story was different from the happy classic that most are familiar with. In her story, the beauty has red hair, like Becca and her grandmother and when the people are put to sleep by the evil fairy's mist, only one ever wakes up.
A Becca all grown up sits at the side of her Gemma's deathbed, where she makes her grandmother a promise that she doesn't know how she'll keep. All her life she has been told the story of Briar Rose and now, with her last breath Gemma is claiming the story as her own, that she is the sleeping beauty.
Very little was known about Gemma's past. Even her daughter was uncertain as to what her real name was. The only thing they are sure of is that Gemma escaped to the United States, during WWII- during the holocaust. Determined to solve the mystery of her grandmother's past and to fulfill her promise to Gemma, Becca embarks on a journey into one of the darkest times in history.
A wall of thorns becomes a barbed wire fence, a castle an extermination camp, and the mist that made the people of the castle fall asleep- something horrible and unthinkable.
This was a difficult book to read and I needed a good week between reading it and writing this to get over the initial impact of the story. It's dark, and disturbing. Haunting doesn't cover it- this story doesn't just stay with you, it becomes a part of you and it hurts.
This book is part of a series by Terri Windling that features, dark recreations of classic fairy tales. Which I agree, the darker interpretations are more true to form. I remember my big, battered well love copy of Grimm's fairy tales. Some of them scared the heck out of me.
I appreciate this book, but to say I enjoyed it would be rather morbid. It's uncommonly good- save for the dialogue which tended to be rather stilted and at times removed me from the story.
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LibraryThing member cbl_tn
Unlike her older sisters, twenty-something Becca has always loved the story of Briar Rose as it was told by her grandmother “Gemma”. Just before Gemma died, she told Becca “I am Briar Rose.” Gemma extracted Becca's promise to find the castle and the prince. After Gemma's death, her family
Although the subject matter is heavy, Yolen doesn't lose sight of her YA audience. The “light at the end of the tunnel” is in view even in the darkest parts of the story. It wouldn't be a fairy tale without the possibility of “happily ever after”! The novel loses its momentumduring Josef's story. It takes 3 ½ chapters to get to the point where he met Gemma. I had grown impatient by then. While the Nazi persecution of groups other than Jews (Josef was homosexual) will be of interest to many, that isn't Gemma's story. The shift in focus seems out of place.
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realized how little they knew about her background before she arrived in the United States. They weren't even sure of her name. With the encouragement of her editor, Becca puts her journalistic skills to work as she tries to discover Gemma's origins. Her search takes Becca to some surprising places and uncovers some harsh truths.Although the subject matter is heavy, Yolen doesn't lose sight of her YA audience. The “light at the end of the tunnel” is in view even in the darkest parts of the story. It wouldn't be a fairy tale without the possibility of “happily ever after”! The novel loses its momentum
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LibraryThing member saroz
The idea is undeniably intriguing: a modern-day story about a young woman searching for her grandmother's past, with only the tiniest of clues and a fairy tale to guide her. As a pitch, I buy it. Even in the first few chapters of the novel, as it becomes rapidly clear that this will be a Holocaust
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story, I'm willing to follow Becca on her journey to dig deeper and deeper into a past she doesn't really understand. Once she gets to Poland, however, things become a lot less appealing - not because of the content but because the author's writing style is so limiting. Yolen may have intended this as an adult or adolescent novel, but her writing style keeps the reader from ever buying into it completely. Most of the time I felt like I was reading a book for twelve-year-olds, with brief references to "soft core movies" and "lesbian relationships" to (supposedly) make it feel adult. It's awkward, but as long as Becca stays in America, it's okay. Once she reaches Poland, though, Yolen's style goes into overkill: she seems to feel a relentless need to *explain* everything that happens in Poland, from names to terms to the truly irritating meta-device of Becca constantly correcting her host's broken English. (It doesn't do anything for your sympathy toward the protagonist, either.) The story of her grandmother's past - once she finds it - is certainly interesting, but it reads like a giant plot online: despite being "told" to the protagonist, the flashback is written in third person, with primarily reported dialogue. That really doesn't do anything to maintain my interest, so while I started the book very intrigued, I limped toward the finish - all the while wishing a more skilled writer had taken on the same story. Show Less
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
I remember feeling rather stunned when I first read this book. It's a re-imagining of the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty--the German version collected by the Brothers Grimm is known as "Briar Rose." I do love literate adaptations of these sorts of stories which, as the introduction to the book
Some reviewers--in fact both the negative ones I've read--complain of scenes depicting homosexuality not appropriate for younger readers--the book is marketed towards teens. Coming fresh from reading the story, this puzzled me, because I couldn't remember anything graphic or objectionable. Going back, I could find only one sentence that could be seen as close to explicit ("They made love during Hitler's victory speech, a horrible angry, passionate thrusting that left Josef bruised and somewhat stunned.") Would anyone object to teens reading that sentence if it were a man and a woman depicted? And Hitler's persecution of homosexuals is history, and for that very reason I don't think anything that should be glossed over or that I thought intrusive or forced on the story. Frankly, there was far more disturbing material in the book than what could be seen as in any way sexual. Indeed aspects are downright creepy--but not out of keeping of either the dark nature of original fairy tales nor the horrors of the Holocaust. I found this novel both engrossing and fast-moving--I read this in one sitting.
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notes, are darker and more complex than their Disney versions. The story begins and ends with Gemma telling the tale to her young grandchildren, and the telling is interspersed throughout, with very individual touches not found in the traditional versions. When she's dying, Gemma claims that she is Briar Rose, and asks her now grown granddaughter Becca to find her castle and her prince. Becca goes in search of her grandmother's story and finds it's intertwined with the Holocaust. I think what I found so particularly brilliant upon first (and even second) read was how well the details fit, giving a modern gloss to a centuries old story. And that modern horror tale is heart-rending--I think all the more because before reading this, I had never heard of this particular corner of the tragedy. We've all heard of Auschwitz; I'd never heard of Chelmno. Some reviewers--in fact both the negative ones I've read--complain of scenes depicting homosexuality not appropriate for younger readers--the book is marketed towards teens. Coming fresh from reading the story, this puzzled me, because I couldn't remember anything graphic or objectionable. Going back, I could find only one sentence that could be seen as close to explicit ("They made love during Hitler's victory speech, a horrible angry, passionate thrusting that left Josef bruised and somewhat stunned.") Would anyone object to teens reading that sentence if it were a man and a woman depicted? And Hitler's persecution of homosexuals is history, and for that very reason I don't think anything that should be glossed over or that I thought intrusive or forced on the story. Frankly, there was far more disturbing material in the book than what could be seen as in any way sexual. Indeed aspects are downright creepy--but not out of keeping of either the dark nature of original fairy tales nor the horrors of the Holocaust. I found this novel both engrossing and fast-moving--I read this in one sitting.
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LibraryThing member sunnycouger
You know, when I picked this up I don't know what I was expecting to be honest. Sleeping Beauty retelling ticked my fairytale obsession, Holocaust twist ticked my history and originality boxes and the fact it was well written and engaging just made everything better after the last few books.
Despite
I don't want to spoil anything, but the tie in with the Holocaust is harrowing and extremely well thought out. This is essentially a fairytale without a happy ending because of what happened, and as we watch Becca try and find out information on her grandmother and try and trace this information on so few clues, you can't help but think about how many stories like this there may have been.
There are mentions of events, what would happen in camps, that seem like the stuff of nightmares, but we all know they happened but even so you just think how relatively recently all that happened. I think of my own family, my grandmother who was interned at a 'work' camp during the war and I'm not going to lie, it actually makes me want to try and find out everything I can because it's something I want to know because even though you can't change what happened, I kinda want to understand it better and like Becca in this story, it reminds me that sometimes it's not the ending that matters, but the fact that there is an actual story there that deserves to be known.
Not everything is tied up in a nice little package in this book - not every question is answered, not every mystery is solved, but somehow, despite the fact you want to know it all, what you do learn feels enough.
I highly recommend this for anyone who has any sort of interest in either of these subjects. I know it's marketed as a young adult book - but it's really so much more than that.
Despite
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my positivity going in, I just didn't expect to get so wrapped up in this and to feel that bad at times, and that desperate for answers at others. The basic premise is that Becca makes a promise to her grandma 'Gemma' on her deathbed to find out about the princess that she had grown up being told about, Her grandmother had an obsession with the story Sleeping Beauty - and obsession that survived multiple tellings, her grand children's growing apathy with the tale and even dementia and through it all the facts of the story never changed. Briar Rose's castle was cursed by the evil fairy with the black books and the hat with the eagles on it, she was eventually rescued by the prince, she was kissed and no one else in the castle woke up afterwards.I don't want to spoil anything, but the tie in with the Holocaust is harrowing and extremely well thought out. This is essentially a fairytale without a happy ending because of what happened, and as we watch Becca try and find out information on her grandmother and try and trace this information on so few clues, you can't help but think about how many stories like this there may have been.
There are mentions of events, what would happen in camps, that seem like the stuff of nightmares, but we all know they happened but even so you just think how relatively recently all that happened. I think of my own family, my grandmother who was interned at a 'work' camp during the war and I'm not going to lie, it actually makes me want to try and find out everything I can because it's something I want to know because even though you can't change what happened, I kinda want to understand it better and like Becca in this story, it reminds me that sometimes it's not the ending that matters, but the fact that there is an actual story there that deserves to be known.
Not everything is tied up in a nice little package in this book - not every question is answered, not every mystery is solved, but somehow, despite the fact you want to know it all, what you do learn feels enough.
I highly recommend this for anyone who has any sort of interest in either of these subjects. I know it's marketed as a young adult book - but it's really so much more than that.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
This book is a wonderful twisting of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale and the holocaust together into the story of a young woman’s search for her grandmothers’ identity and her own roots. Classed as a Young Adult Book, the author does a remarkable job of not only showing the horrors visited upon
Growing up hearing her Grandmother’s story of Briar Rose, Becca always thought it was just a tale, until, on her death bed, her grandmother whispers, “I am Briar Rose”. Promising her grandmother that she would follow the story back to the beginning, Becca embarks on a journey of a lifetime, following the slim clues she has all the way to Chelmno, a death camp in Poland.
As Becca finds the link and hears the truth about her Grandmother, she is finally able to fit the pieces of the story of Briar Rose together, and her Grandmother’s extraordinary life comes into full focus. I think this book, along with others like The Diary of Anne Frank and The Book Thief would be a very good introduction to this aspect of World War II.
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Europe by Nazi Germany, but also what intolerance, ignorance and discrimination can lead to. Growing up hearing her Grandmother’s story of Briar Rose, Becca always thought it was just a tale, until, on her death bed, her grandmother whispers, “I am Briar Rose”. Promising her grandmother that she would follow the story back to the beginning, Becca embarks on a journey of a lifetime, following the slim clues she has all the way to Chelmno, a death camp in Poland.
As Becca finds the link and hears the truth about her Grandmother, she is finally able to fit the pieces of the story of Briar Rose together, and her Grandmother’s extraordinary life comes into full focus. I think this book, along with others like The Diary of Anne Frank and The Book Thief would be a very good introduction to this aspect of World War II.
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LibraryThing member MichelleCH
This book was a page-turner for me. Although it was a bit unrealistic and the dialogue may have been awkward at times (as noted by other reviewers), I thought that it spun the tale of a horrifying Holocaust experience in a unusual and engaging way. I was able to suspend disbelief and enjoy the flow
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of the words; I also became attached to the story's characters. It did what a good book should - it made me, the reader, want to find out more. Show Less
LibraryThing member MerryMary
What an amazing book. The framing story of Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty) as told by Becca's grandmother, dovetails perfectly with the information Becca finds as she tries to unravel the secrets of Gemma's past. A little known part of the Holocaust story provides the spark for this riveting tale of
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love and loss. Show Less
LibraryThing member lalalibrarian
enchanting! I love that Gemma has turned a horrible past into a fairy tale. This book is part fairy tale itself, part mystery and beautiful!
LibraryThing member tapestry100
A powerful, modern day retelling of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, Jane Yolen's Briar Rose takes the fairy tale and recreates it in a way that is compelling, tragic and heartwarming. Rebecca's grandmother Gemma has told her stories of Briar Rose as long as Rebecca can remember. The stories became
Briar Rose is part of Terri Windling's Fairy Tale series, retellings of fairy tales by modern day authors. Jane Yolen chose the story of Sleeping Beauty to be the basis for her contribution to the series. Once I got into the story, I picked up fairly quickly on where she was going with the and I don't want to give it away, but this is not your typical fairy tale. Yolen has deftly managed to incorporate a very real tragedy and make it into something magical. It doesn't have the happily-ever-after that most would be looking for in a fairy tale; instead she has crafted a story of the strength and resolve of the human spirit and it's ability to overcome even the worst in life.
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an intricate part of Rebecca's childhood and adolescence, but when Gemma passes away, Rebecca discovers just how intricately the stories were woven through the mystery that was Gemma's life as well. A deathbed promise to Gemma takes Rebecca halfway around the world, uncovering the mystery of Gemma's shrouded past, as well as giving Rebecca a renewed sense of herself.Briar Rose is part of Terri Windling's Fairy Tale series, retellings of fairy tales by modern day authors. Jane Yolen chose the story of Sleeping Beauty to be the basis for her contribution to the series. Once I got into the story, I picked up fairly quickly on where she was going with the and I don't want to give it away, but this is not your typical fairy tale. Yolen has deftly managed to incorporate a very real tragedy and make it into something magical. It doesn't have the happily-ever-after that most would be looking for in a fairy tale; instead she has crafted a story of the strength and resolve of the human spirit and it's ability to overcome even the worst in life.
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LibraryThing member bikerevolution
Modern story that combines fairy tales with the attrocities of the mass genocide of Gypsies, Jewish, and gay people by Nazi Germany during WW2. Fairy tales are often seen as stories used to amuse and calm children. But if you think about the origin of fairy tales, you see that they weren't really
Becca's grandmother uses fairy tales to avoid directly talking about her experiences as a holocaust survivor, and the watered down fairy tale hides terrible horrors. After her grandmother's death, Becca decides to seek out the truth behind the fairy tales.
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written for children; they have been watered down through the years, but many original fairy tales dealt out severe, sometimes bloody punishments for its characters. Becca's grandmother uses fairy tales to avoid directly talking about her experiences as a holocaust survivor, and the watered down fairy tale hides terrible horrors. After her grandmother's death, Becca decides to seek out the truth behind the fairy tales.
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LibraryThing member sara_k
Briar Rose is a powerful and brilliant telling of a largely ignored part of the holocaust using the fairy tale of Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty.
Becca is a journalist who fights to find truth and make differences in her stories. She has always loved her Grandmother Gemma's story of Briar Rose
This is definitely a story for older children and adults. An adult who knows the child well would do well to read Briar Rose before reading it with or recommending to the child.
Becca is a journalist who fights to find truth and make differences in her stories. She has always loved her Grandmother Gemma's story of Briar Rose
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featuring Gemma as the princess. As Gemma is dying she begs Becca to find the truth of her story. In a carved wooden box Becca finds a mishmash of photos, newspaper clippings, and documents that lead her into the depths of a story that is true and not true at the same time. Interspersed throughout Becca's search are snippets from the different ways that Gemma told the story; each telling reveals more of the true fairy tale. This is definitely a story for older children and adults. An adult who knows the child well would do well to read Briar Rose before reading it with or recommending to the child.
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LibraryThing member greymalkin
This is not an easy read, and only vaguely (in a mostly symbolic way) follows the original story. But the combination is fascinating and the details very delicately drawn.
LibraryThing member 23eris
Yolen takes the tale of Sleeping Beauty
(aka Briar Rose) and melds it with an intriguing tale of the Holocaust.
Yolen once again writes a fantastic book that captures the reader and holds them until the book ends.
This book is also an extremely creative adaptation of Sleeping Beauty that involves no
Highly recommended.
(aka Briar Rose) and melds it with an intriguing tale of the Holocaust.
Yolen once again writes a fantastic book that captures the reader and holds them until the book ends.
This book is also an extremely creative adaptation of Sleeping Beauty that involves no
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alternate universes, magic, or royalty. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member thioviolight
Briar Rose was loosely written around the tale of Sleeping Beauty. This modern version is much more complex as it tells about a young woman's search for her family's mysterious past. Yolen has a keen eye for detail, adding depth to her storytelling.
LibraryThing member justine
A sleeping beauty story with a twist, set during the holocaust.
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
This is the story of a grandmother who told a story of Briar Rose. A princess who is revived by a kiss from a prince. Her past is mysterious and when she dies her youngest grandaughter goes to find out more about her. Intercut with the story, Becca, the grandaughter, hunts up the past, finding that
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fairy story echoes the reality, but that fairy stories are sometimes much better than reality. Haunting and beautiful it's a masterful retelling of the story, without losing the feel of the original Show Less
ISBN
1250242738 / 9781250242730