Jennifer E. (jenenglish) reviewed on + 40 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I read this book years ago while working at a bookstore, and while it is a truly wonderful collection, it was a surprise. Andersen's stories are much more appropriate for children than Grimm's, but many in the collection are very unlike the "Disney-fied" versions we know.
For example, we all know that in the Little Mermaid, Ariel falls in love, faces some adversity, and lives happily ever after. But that's Disney's version. In Andersen's original story, she actually dies and turns into foam on ocean waves. Not so happily-ever-after now, huh?
Even with the sometimes sad endings, many of Andersen's tales have a subtle Christian message suitable even for the non-religious, and it's a real treat to read the stories as he originally intended them.
For example, we all know that in the Little Mermaid, Ariel falls in love, faces some adversity, and lives happily ever after. But that's Disney's version. In Andersen's original story, she actually dies and turns into foam on ocean waves. Not so happily-ever-after now, huh?
Even with the sometimes sad endings, many of Andersen's tales have a subtle Christian message suitable even for the non-religious, and it's a real treat to read the stories as he originally intended them.
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