It seems every time I delve into the world of a retelling I begin by pointing out how much I didn’t care for the original. I guess it should come as no surprise that Snow White and Sleeping Beauty weren’t my idea of a great time when I was a kid either. In fact, the entire world of Disney princesses kinda creeps me out – unless it’s these kind of princesses . . . . The added humour made it so much fun and my favourite character of all was first dwarf Ralph Ineson, his rumbling Leeds/Yorkshire accent made great listening, he was cast perfectly and Neil Gaiman been added in himself as Home Secretary was a bonus touch. While I generally fall into the “idiot overzealous fangirl” side of the spectrum when it comes to Gaiman, this one wasn’t quite as good as Snow, Glass, Apples so it hovered around the 3.5 mark. I’m rounding up, however, because there was a little more to the story than met the eye that left Mitchell and I looking something like this . . . . This is one of my favourites from Gaiman. I'm not much of an audiobook person but I really loved this and honestly, I'd consume anything that has Gaiman's name stamped on it. So... clearly this review is biased. BBC made this available for free for a period of time. To anyone reading this, at this point of time you still have 12 more days to listen to this dramatisation of The Sleeper and the Spindle.

They felt the castle long before they saw it, felt it as a wave of sleep that pushed them away. If they walked towards it their heads fogged, their minds frayed, their spirits fell, their thoughts clouded.” urn:lcp:sleeperspindle0000gaim_c2g0:epub:846aed25-212a-4851-802e-79fe9fe921d8 Foldoutcount 0 Identifier sleeperspindle0000gaim_c2g0 Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t06z1ps27 Invoice 1652 Isbn 0062398245 It’s ideal for children, but equally delightful for adults in a suitable frame of mind - or wanting to be, as I was. Escape to childhood for half an hour.

This Christmas' offering was a radio play adaptation of The Sleeper and the Spindle, a book I really enjoyed reading.

Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments I'm not a big fan of Gaiman's writing, I guess. Would this be the same artist but a different author, say Laini Taylor or Catherynne M. Valente, this could have been as magical and wondrous as I had wished it. Suffused with joy and melancholy and underpinned by the knowledge of where it comes from and where it wants to go... It is absolutely a retelling for our age, but also for ages still to come -- Lucy Mangan The Guardian This physically sumptuous book doesn’t open with those words, but it doesn’t need to. It immediately has the welcoming familiarity of folklore and the rhythm of myth. But that is sharpened by twists of tangled thorns, and frissons of melancholy and menace. It is eternal, but fresh. Entrancing, and new.I got this book from the library but I can tell you it is going to be added to my bookshelves as I must have it. The story is so different and dark and good. The graphics are AMAZING! She called for provisions, and for her horse, and then she rode out of the palace, towards the east.” A brand new BBC Radio adaptation of Neil Gaiman's award-winning fairytale, merging Snow White and Sleeping Beauty to enchanting effect A diferencia de los cuentos tradicionales, aquí no hay un caballero que salve a la princesa, sino que es la reina la que toma el mando y va al rescate de la bella durmiente. Al fin un cuento en el que las mujeres se muestran valientes e inteligentes.!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

The art and the words weave a web of imaginative power, an inspiration for those of us who are tired of princesses marrying to be forgotten. Queens take the road less travelled by. And that makes all the difference.

A ver, si fuera por la edición de Salamandra y las ilustraciones le ponía 20 sobre 5. Pero en esta novela/historia lo que cuenta es también, justamente, la historia. The queen (Snow White) is preparing to marry her prince and to live happily in her kingdom until she’s informed of a sleeping enchantment that’s taken over everyone in a nearby land. She takes matters into her own hands, alongside her dwarves-at-arms, and leaves on a journey to see what this enchantment is all about. There are subtle changes to this adaptation of The Sleeper and the Spindle that make it far more magical. Part of it is the performances - you really can't go wrong with Gwendoline Christie - but also a few extended scenes that make the Queen all the more heroic by reminding her of what she's left behind and by giving her more of a challenge. There are also a few more details that make the story more of a journey and that make the ending feel far more wide with possibility. You don’t need princes to save you. I don’t have a lot of patience for stories in which women are rescued by men”.