I read this book for the first time when I was on a car trip, and it stuck with me. Reading it again a good 7 years later, I can see why. Briar Rose is incredibly haunting and the premise sticks with you for a long time.

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I can already tell (finished this book yesterday) that Briar Rose is going to be a book that stays with me. Yolen tells such an amazing story - both heartbreaking and hopeful. Her story is unlike any retelling of Sleeping Beauty I've ever read. I highly recommend it.

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Not a book for children. Some may disagree but it is my opinion. There are too many adult situations for a younger audience. That said, Miss Yolen brings an intriguing story to paper that comes to a complete ending. I like the way she pulls the story together chapter by chapter, never giving any thing away until necessary.

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Brief but very interesting take on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. Definitely not disney.

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An awesome perspective of the Holocaust!

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The grim realities presented in this story did not mesh well with the fairy tale it was supposed to be based off of. I admire the author for trying to take an old story and ground it in reality (and provide a fresh outlook), but that's not what people read fairy tales for. Or at least, i felt this version detracted from the story it hailed from. In short: interesting but no.

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I read this book when I was in middle school and over the years I have remembered it and wanted to read it again. I'm sure that I will not stop, having read it twice already. It is a quick read but it is also such a good book that shows such a different style to understanding the holocaust.

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Briar Rose was a little slow to get into, but considering it is a short book it didn't take too long. The story that was told was heart breaking and horrifying. It was only made worse by the knowledge that it was based on actual events. This is not to say that the book was not good, it was, just be prepared, there is no happily ever after to Briar Rose.

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I didn't exactly mean to read this in one sitting, but that is just what happened! This book is loosely based on the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, but is set in Poland during WWII. The history is tragic and the writing is pretty solid, but there is a definite loss of magic that should be at the heart of every fairy tale - retold or not. Still, I did enjoy it.

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