Most helpful customer reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic and lurid. Sumptuous prose., Jun 3 2004
I'm writing this because I don't want the fool in line behind me to have the last word. I know nothing about the factual aspects of Carter's life and could care less- I'm in it for the stories, the tales, the language. These are excellent reworkings of classic stories, boldy reworked to highlight and examine the feminine elements at play in the tale. I'm not gonna get all lit jargony on your ass. The stories themselves are taut, well-paced, superbly detailed and all atound marvelous to read (though the first one- the reworking of the Bluebeard story- is my least favorite). These stories inspired me to attempt my own reworkings of various tales. I'm not soliciting here- I'm just demonstrating that this book is an inspiring little collection of polished gems. Reasonably priced too. Also, as a final tempt- If you know a young woman who is imaginative and literary minded, and you want to reinforce those qulaities (quite task in this day and age) you should get her this. It will be a step up from Anne Rice novels and the lyric sheets to those Cure CDs. Pick up 'The Sadean Woman,' too. It's an interesting feminist appraisal of the infamous Marquis and an illuminating read.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Vampires All?, Mar 24 2003
To begin, with the exception of the eponymous story at the beginning , these stories are the stylstic masterpieces of a miniaturist virtuoso. These renarrated fairy tales are nuanced stories that give the reader pause to reconsider his or her sexuality and the inherent violence and danger attendant upon it.-And then, perhaps, to reflect that the fairy stories in their original form were less explicit forms of the same thing for children....As the writer Djuna Barnes puts it in Nightwood, "God, children know something they can't tell; they like Red Riding Hood and the wolf in bed!" The first story, is, to my taste, the only failure here. It's a bit too heavy-handed and obvious, and the imagery and phraseology borrow too much from Poe, particularly from his "The Fall of The House of Usher." They leave you straining for an impact which is just not there. That said, the rest of the stories are erotic/metaphysical gems in which the reader can peer into his or her own sexuality in its many (mostly crimsoned) facets. There is a subtle but deep undertone here that, in some way, our sexuality makes us all otherworldy ghouls and outcasts from the civilized world. As the narrator puts it in "The Lady of the House of Love," "The end of exile is the end of being."-In other words, our sexuality metamorphoses (one of Carter's favourite words and themes)us into vampires, werewolves and sadistic murderers, if only in our imagination, and frequently in life. An exqusite book to pique anyone's interest into his or her sexuality and its implications, both in the realms of action and imagination
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5.0 out of 5 stars
grown-up fairytales, Feb 18 2003
up until recently, i had heard ms. carter's name mentioned in conversation but i'm all the happier for having finally read a collection of her short stories. we've all heard about the adult fairytales which exist & many of us have even read a few here or other. whether you picked up one of anne rice's trilogies written under a pseudonym or found another author's collection of modern fables, you'd have to admit that almost all of us were intrigued by the grown-up fairytales at one point in time or another. well, i'd like to say for starters that i've read the anne rice books & a few others who have taken classic myths, legends, or fairytales & given their twist to the story but none of them have captivated me nearly as much as the bloody chamber has done. it's difficult to say which story perhaps is the best although i love the company of wolves. this having been my favorite film for nearly a decade, i was excited to see that ms. carter wrote the original short story as well as the screenplay. some of the others great stories which i love are ofcourse the book title, the courtship of mr. lyon which is simply gorgeous, & the tiger's bride. although i don't want to pidgeon hole her writing in any particular category but she remind me a bit of joyce carol oates or margaret atwood although i enjoy ms.carter's work a bit more i believe. her attention to detail is almost divine & the ironic humor here only makes the read that much more pleasurable. although not quite graphic, there are layers of sensuality are fleshed out on every page which are tastefully done so as not to offend too many readers. although not excesseviley gory, her books are often steeped in violence which may not be suitable for all readers. excellent read highly recommended. it's a shame we no longer angel carter in the world of literature & i'm sure her writing is greatly missed by many.
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