This book, while clearly well written and incredibly imaginative just didn't do it for me. I may bump the rating to a 3, but my personal, for readers like me, it's a 2. ( )

This was good, except that most of the stories hinge on their last sentence, something like, "...AND HE WAS DEAD THE WHOLE TIME", which feels very campfire. ( )

Meh. Rave reviews for this collection of morality tales are everywhere, so I may just be the odd woman out on this one. ( )

Originally banned from publishing in the Soviet Union (aren’t they all?), Ludmilla Petrushevskaya is now a famed Russian contemporary writer with this collection being one of the first introductions to English readers. This collection of not-so-fairy fairy tales is a mix of Edger Allen Poe and Grimm’s. Dark, bleak, and occasionally grotesque, they represent the difficult past (and present?) of the Soviet and Russian lives. At first glance, they are filled with negativity, from hungry families and towns, distrust and envy amongst neighbors, selfish youth, to murders, death, and overindulgent parents with what little they have. Deeper within is a repeated theme of resilience, whatever it may take to work through the hardship, often with sacrifice that may be ‘rewarded’, even if in a twisted way.

The 19 tales are separated into 4 categories: Songs of the Eastern Slavs, Allegories, Requiems, and Fairy Tales.

The most lauded tale is “The New Robinson Crusoes”; it read a bit like a mini version of “The Road” where a family is constantly staying ahead and away from the bandits who will rob and kill everyone they encounter. From darkness, the family unit grows stronger.

My two favorites are “The Shadow Life” and “Marilena’s Secret”. The former addressed an orphan girl who grew up to be a self-reliant woman and gained closure of her missing and deceased mother’s love. The twin girls in the latter triumph over an evil wizard, greedy fiancé, and murderous future sister-in-law.

Not an easy read to stomach and a dose of ‘what just happened’, I can’t recommend this book without caution. Nonetheless, I thought it was a worthy read. ( )

These stories are like entering into the vivid and tormented dreams of someone with a feverish delirium. Yet they are oddly refreshing and often touching tales. The author displays an astonishingly original creativity. I particularly liked "The Fountain House" which had been previously published in the New Yorker. It fulfills the promise of its' opening line: "There once lived a girl who was killed, then brought back to life." ( )