Deirdre Sullivan (2)

Literary Merit: Very Good
Characterization: Very Good
Grades: 9-12

Tangleweed and Brine is a collection of short stories by Irish YA author Deirdre Sullivan that reimagines fairy tales from a feminist perspective. It is divided into two parts: Tangleweed, which includes stories primarily set in forests, and Brine, in which the tales are set near the water. The table of contents lists each story’s title as well as the fairy tale that it is based upon. Some will be immediately familiar like Cinderella, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast. Others, such as Fair, Brown, and Trembling and Donkeyskin, are based on European fairy tales and may be less familiar to American readers. Each tale has an accompanying black and white illustration depicting a scene from the story.

These stories are well written, but they are not for the faint of heart. The author makes some interesting choices with point of view, often telling the story from the second-person point of view (thus casting the reader as the main character) and in the present tense, which makes the tales all the more unsettling for their immediacy. These stories are dark, visceral, and gory at times, and there are no happily ever afters. The world of fairy tales (like the real world) often treats girls as if they are less than human, and these stories put that tendency on full display.

Most students who come to the library looking for fairy tale retellings have something lighter in mind and are more likely to want a novel than a short story collection. I know the original tales are often very dark, but teens tend to be more familiar with the Disney or childhood storybook versions. In a high school setting, I could see using one or two of these stories in a literature class; they would make for great discussion and analysis especially as a counterpoint to the original tales or other retellings. Recommended for larger collections or where short story collections are in demand.… (mehr)

Tangleweed and Brine is a collection of short stories by Irish YA author Deirdre Sullivan that reimagines fairy tales from a feminist perspective. It is divided into two parts: Tangleweed, which includes stories primarily set in forests, and Brine, in which the tales are set near the water. The table of contents lists each story’s title as well as the fairy tale that it is based upon. Some will be immediately familiar like Cinderella, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast. Others, such as Fair, Brown, and Trembling and Donkeyskin, are based on European fairy tales and may be less familiar to American readers. Each tale has an accompanying black and white illustration depicting a scene from the story.

These stories are well written, but they are not for the faint of heart. The author makes some interesting choices with point of view, often telling the story from the second-person point of view (thus casting the reader as the main character) and in the present tense, which makes the tales all the more unsettling for their immediacy. These stories are dark, visceral, and gory at times, and there are no happily ever afters. The world of fairy tales (like the real world) often treats girls as if they are less than human, and these stories put that tendency on full display.

Most students who come to the library looking for fairy tale retellings have something lighter in mind and are more likely to want a novel than a short story collection. I know the original tales are often very dark, but teens tend to be more familiar with the Disney or childhood storybook versions. In a high school setting, I could see using one or two of these stories in a literature class; they would make for great discussion and analysis especially as a counterpoint to the original tales or other retellings.… (mehr)