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Synopsis
One Christmas after hearing how the toy nutcracker made by her godfather got his ugly face, a little girl helps break the spell and watches him change into a handsome prince.
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First Sentence
SNOW WAS FALLING gently on the streets, and people were hurrying home, their arms filled with gaily wrapped boxes and paper parcels from toy stores, candy shops, and bakeries. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
SNOW WAS FALLING gently on the streets, and people were hurrying home, their arms filled with gaily wrapped boxes and paper parcels from toy stores, candy shops, and bakeries. Read the first page
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9 reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
A Nutcracker that introduces you to the original Hoffmann story
29 Mar 2007
Format:Hardcover
The Janet Schulman edition of Nutcracker is a different creature from most other Nutcracker books. Like the venerable Maurice Sendak edition, it presents the original Hoffmann story, albeit in a simplified version here. I first read this book just to acquaint myself with the real Nutcracker, not the one best-known from the well-loved Tchaikovsky ballet. Yes it may be darker but it is certainly more fascinating and adds an edge to the story.
Without going into plot spoilers here, it's fascinating to read how Godfather Drosselmeier's family was involved in the wicked schemes of the Mouse King, his mother Dame Mouserinks, and Princess Pirlipat. This episode may have been omitted from the ballet, but it demonstrates how Drosselmeier helped Marie earn Nutcracker's love, making her more steadfast. It offers a greater role for Drosselmeier than in the ballet. However, this edition gains an edge by presenting the bare bones of the story without delving into too many details like in the original.
This book fuses the original Hoffmann story with the ballet scenario, but only towards the end when it describes Marie's journeys with Nutcracker. The original Hoffmann story does not include any Sugraplum Fairy or any of the dancers for whom the ballet provides music. It may be disconcerting to fans of the original Nutcracker story like myself, but at least it serves to make the original Hoffman story more accessible to younger listeners who only know the ballet. But this does not hurt because I rather like the Tchaikovsky ballet, and the music is after all included on the narrated CD with Claire Bloom.
I am well aware that this book tones down the dark domestic atmosphere of the original story and softens the hard, stern character of Marie's parents and Fritz. But even so it's a treat to be able to read at least a simplified version of the original Hoffmann story. The accompanying CD with Claire Bloom's narration is equally wonderful, except that the sound quality doesn't seem to be so good, as if it were transferred from a cassette rather than the original master tapes.
In short I would definitely recommend this version of Nutcracker, as a step up from the sanitised Tchaikovsky ballet. It is a worthwhile introduction to the original Hoffmann story and would perhaps serve as a step-up to the original Hoffmann version, available in Maurice Sendak's wonderful picture-book edition.
Without going into plot spoilers here, it's fascinating to read how Godfather Drosselmeier's family was involved in the wicked schemes of the Mouse King, his mother Dame Mouserinks, and Princess Pirlipat. This episode may have been omitted from the ballet, but it demonstrates how Drosselmeier helped Marie earn Nutcracker's love, making her more steadfast. It offers a greater role for Drosselmeier than in the ballet. However, this edition gains an edge by presenting the bare bones of the story without delving into too many details like in the original.
This book fuses the original Hoffmann story with the ballet scenario, but only towards the end when it describes Marie's journeys with Nutcracker. The original Hoffmann story does not include any Sugraplum Fairy or any of the dancers for whom the ballet provides music. It may be disconcerting to fans of the original Nutcracker story like myself, but at least it serves to make the original Hoffman story more accessible to younger listeners who only know the ballet. But this does not hurt because I rather like the Tchaikovsky ballet, and the music is after all included on the narrated CD with Claire Bloom.
I am well aware that this book tones down the dark domestic atmosphere of the original story and softens the hard, stern character of Marie's parents and Fritz. But even so it's a treat to be able to read at least a simplified version of the original Hoffmann story. The accompanying CD with Claire Bloom's narration is equally wonderful, except that the sound quality doesn't seem to be so good, as if it were transferred from a cassette rather than the original master tapes.
In short I would definitely recommend this version of Nutcracker, as a step up from the sanitised Tchaikovsky ballet. It is a worthwhile introduction to the original Hoffmann story and would perhaps serve as a step-up to the original Hoffmann version, available in Maurice Sendak's wonderful picture-book edition.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Fantastic book!
15 Dec 2002
Format:Hardcover
This is a beautifully written version of The Nutcracker. I have never read a more beautiful adaptation. The CD is incredible and I think Claire Bloom's reading of the book is amazing. I hope that many people will buy this book and enjoy it.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Finally - on CD!
4 Dec 2009
Format:Hardcover
I grew up listening to Claire Bloom's reading of this version of the Nutcracker. We had an LP that my parents transferred onto cassette for me to listen to. I listened to that all the time during the month of December and is the only tape to this day that I ever listened to so much that I actually wore the magnetic tape so thin that it finally broke! I came across this book several years ago and was delighted to recover my beloved story, now on CD! I have always been a fan of the ballet and loved how this version of the story is more in depth, explaining how the Nutcracker came to be and why he is at odds with the Mouse King. It doesn't feel truly like Christmas to me until I hear Ms. Bloom's lovely voice saying, "Snow was gently falling...".
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