Valerie Paradiz

This is a great little book, part biography of the Grimm family, part background information about their gathering of folk tales, part recap of lesser known fairy tales. I've grown up with these stories, so this took me right back to my childhood! I'm also familiar with the area where the Grimms lived and worked. There were numerous authors and their works mentioned which I have read at school, but since forgotten about; virtually every page brought a fresh memory. This book was certainly tailor-made for me, but even a reader with not as much connection to the fairy tales or German literature will find this book informative and interesting.… (mehr)

3.5 stars.

Clever Maids tells the story of the Brothers Grimm and how they went about gathering the fairy tales for their collection. It seems that a good portion of their stories came from women, although they weren’t credited by name.

It was good. I like biographies and this book included plenty of info on the entire Grimm family, as well as biographical info about the women who provided them with their stories. There was also some history in the book, giving us a picture not only of Europe at the time, but of how things were, in general, for women.… (mehr)

People worldwide know the tales of the Brothers Grimm. But many do not know the stories behind these tales. Paradiz has carefully researched the lives of the Grimm brothers (who even knew there were more than just Jacob and Wilhelm) and illustrates to readers that the true authors of the Grimms' tales are the women of their lives.

Not quite what I expected but still a decent read. It is clear that Paradiz is knowledgeable about the Grimm family's history, and most likely many things German. I was very intrigued to learn that most of the stories contributed to the Grimm anthologies were told to the brothers by neighborhood women. There were a few too many members of the Grimm social circle for me to keep them straight, but this was a short read so that wasn't so much of a problem. I would have liked to have each woman fleshed out a big more, but I was glad for the biographical information Paradiz did provide. Also not too much detail is given as to why these women are largely uncredited for their contributions or about what happens after the publication of the Grimms' books. So, I craved a little more, but still an interesting read.… (mehr)