Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, 13 Jan 2009
Liga has been mistreated all of her life. Her father is a monster; preying upon her at night in the midst of his drunken stupors. Liga's mother is dead, and cannot protect her daughter from the wickedness in the world.
Because of this, Liga is made a mother too early. In an act of desperation, Liga decides to kill her first child, believing that she will be better off in another place. A magic "moon-babby" takes pity on Liga and offers her an alternate universe to raise her daughters.
For many years, Urdda, Branza, and Liga are safe; no one can do them harm. Eventually, the boundaries of their world are infiltrated, and the three women must leave their paradise. Their new task; to survive in a world full of both cruelty and kindness, something that Liga thought she would never have to face again.
The basis for TENDER MORSELS is the story of Snow White and Rose Red. Two sisters must battle a dwarf and rescue a man from a witch's curse. Lanagan has included these pivotal plot details while still making the story her own.
There are many interesting twists that Lanagan has included in the novel. Her use of vocabulary and language is also very unique. The story may appear daunting to readers at first, but those who give it a chance will be greatly rewarded.
Reviewed by: LadyJay
|
|
|
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The fairytale has grown up, 10 Aug 2009
TENDER MORSELS is a loosely based re-telling of the fairytale, "Snow White and Rose Red". But even if you are not aware of the original tale, you can still read this novel and enjoy it.
The story follows Liga. When we first meet her, she is a young girl in her teens. Due to her mother's earlier death, she is alone with her brutish father. He is a true monster. He abuses Liga in the worst possible way, resulting in Liga giving birth to a child who is also his. Not long after this, Liga is then brutally raped by a gang of town boys. Again, she bears a child.
Her two daughters, Branza and Urdda, are striking in their differences. They are like two opposite poles - one fair and quiet, the other dark and willful.
Through Liga's utter sorrow and torment which the world has thrown on her, she is granted the chance to live in her own version of heaven, where nothing can harm either her or her daughters. But, as time passes, the divide between the two worlds becomes less stable, threatening all that Liga has created for her small family.
That is a brief synopsis. What is really at the heart of this book is the idea that brutality and beauty can live side by side. In some ways, TENDER MORSELS seems to suggest that it has to - that the real world is never going to be a place where no dangers lie. In this respect, Lanagan has done a tremendous job in creating such an idea, such a world. Her prose reflects this notion; there are times when the violence of the book is diturbing and extremely uncomfortable reading, but there are also times when the prose reads almost like poetry. Although deprivation can be found within these pages, there is also magic and hope.
This is one of the best re-tellings of a fairytale that I have read in a long time. However, you really do need to persevere with it - the first 50 or so pages are pretty horrible, and the language of the towns people can be difficult to get used to, but if you stick with it, you should be rewarded.
|
|
|
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marmite on ginger bread., 7 Sep 2009
If you think you are too old for fairy tales you should read this. If your heart is cracked this book will rub the wound but their is comfort in knowing that someone can articulate those feelings. You may find yourself running with the bears on their day and be thrilled by the arrival of the five avengers. If you have loved and lost a canine companion then you may find yourself wishing for the gift given in the final chapter. Above all this is a story of the love, protection and sacrifice of mothers.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Margo Lanagan
by Margo Lanagan
by Richard Bausch
by Meg Rosoff
by A.S. Byatt
