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Once Upon a Time
This volume contains a collection of over 40 short stories, 30 poems, and 6 essays of Jane Yolen. It is being produced for her Guest of Honourship at Interaction, the 2005 World Science Fiction Convention.
378 pages, Hardcover
First published February 23, 2006
3 people are currently reading
565 people want to read
About the author
Jane Yolen
973 books3,237 followersJane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 2, 2013
Remember The Blue Fairy Book? The Yellow Fairy Book and all the other primary colored editions? Or their lesser-known cousins Pink, Grey and Crimson Fairy Books? I checked out every one I could find at the local library, and spent endless hours reading about talking beasts, seventh sons and bloody appendages (these were graphic fairy tales). Apparently, Jane Yolen shared a similar predilection towards fairy tales, folklore and myths and much of her writing is built on that foundation. "Once" is an honorary anthology that puts together many of Yolen's interpretations of fairy tales, interspersed with short essays and a number of poems.
In my imaginary book-world, Jane is clearly friends with Patricia McKillip and Robin McKinley. They share a distinct tendency towards dreamy works, feminist-inclined re-imaginings and occasionally grim plots; not everything is "happily ever after." "Once" stays true to the feminist re-inventive tradition, at turns fierce, humorous and empowering. A running theme throughout is the power of words and language. The short stories are very much in the fairy tale and occasionally folk tale tradition, and if you remember your color fairy books, some of these will seem familiar. Like fairy tales, many surround the theme of male-female relationships and transformation and don't turn out to everyone's happiness.
The fairy tales have a wide variety of styles and tones. A few of her unusual set ups are successes. One that stands out in my memory is "Happy Dens or A Day in the Old Wolves' Home." Nurse Lamb arrives at her first day of work at the Happy Den, where aging, toothless wolves are fed mash. Poor Nurse Lamb is somewhat intimidated by her new charges until she learns what really happened with Peter and the Wolf, the three (greedy) pigs and Little Red Riding Hood (who has a penchant for pretending). Then there's "Flight," an enchanting little story of a daring child braving a stolen ride on Athena's pegasus. "Dream Weaver" follows the tale-within-a-tale format of a blind weaver weaving tales in the marketplace; her fascinating little stories are only slightly marred by the unsurprising ending. "Words of Power" seems to be based on a Native American tale of a rather surly girl on the cusp of adulthood. One of my favorites, it even managed to surprise me with both the plot and the moral. "Snow in Summer" is the best Snow White interpretation I've read yet. "The Moon Ribbon" was a delightful tale in the Cinderella tradition, with a young woman who learns to take initiative.
I actually enjoyed the poetry far more than I expected; I have the tendency to skim over it in many similar anthologies. The poetry tended towards integration with the modern world. "Mother Goose's Maladies Or: Aren't You Glad You Asked?" stands out as particularly clever, divided into six parts that anyone over 40 can empathize with--knee, back, colon, reflux, memory and the old gander.
The essays are wonderful musings on writing, storytelling and fairy tales. "Fantasy Novels: Truth in Disguise?" is hysterical, consisting entirely of footnotes. My favorite? "3. Of course Le Guin is a fanatic about such things. Consider her background." The footnotes cite everyone from Joseph Campbell to Dorothy Parker and Melville. "Oh God, Here Come the Elves," starts with a laughable idea--why must elves make their way into seemingly every fantasy story--and ends with profound musings on writers being open to their craft. "Like the sibyls before us, we must be overwhelmed by the vatic voice... The author, lacking leaves, pot, and cave walls, uses black smudges on a page."
Ultimately, a three-and-a-half star read for me. A few of the tales stumbled in execution, particularly "Golden Balls" and "The Barbarian and the Queen: Thirteen Views." The tone of some of the poems felt uneven to me; they would be beautiful and word-smithy, and then end with a twisty little snark-like comment that threw my reading off. Perhaps the biggest detraction is that even these re-tellings lack the sophistication I look for in my reading these days. However, her essays were fascinating and left me wanting more.
From "The Story Between," one of her core story concepts:
"It is merely that we bring to tales that most complex of constructs--ourselves."
Cross posted at: http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...
In my imaginary book-world, Jane is clearly friends with Patricia McKillip and Robin McKinley. They share a distinct tendency towards dreamy works, feminist-inclined re-imaginings and occasionally grim plots; not everything is "happily ever after." "Once" stays true to the feminist re-inventive tradition, at turns fierce, humorous and empowering. A running theme throughout is the power of words and language. The short stories are very much in the fairy tale and occasionally folk tale tradition, and if you remember your color fairy books, some of these will seem familiar. Like fairy tales, many surround the theme of male-female relationships and transformation and don't turn out to everyone's happiness.
The fairy tales have a wide variety of styles and tones. A few of her unusual set ups are successes. One that stands out in my memory is "Happy Dens or A Day in the Old Wolves' Home." Nurse Lamb arrives at her first day of work at the Happy Den, where aging, toothless wolves are fed mash. Poor Nurse Lamb is somewhat intimidated by her new charges until she learns what really happened with Peter and the Wolf, the three (greedy) pigs and Little Red Riding Hood (who has a penchant for pretending). Then there's "Flight," an enchanting little story of a daring child braving a stolen ride on Athena's pegasus. "Dream Weaver" follows the tale-within-a-tale format of a blind weaver weaving tales in the marketplace; her fascinating little stories are only slightly marred by the unsurprising ending. "Words of Power" seems to be based on a Native American tale of a rather surly girl on the cusp of adulthood. One of my favorites, it even managed to surprise me with both the plot and the moral. "Snow in Summer" is the best Snow White interpretation I've read yet. "The Moon Ribbon" was a delightful tale in the Cinderella tradition, with a young woman who learns to take initiative.
I actually enjoyed the poetry far more than I expected; I have the tendency to skim over it in many similar anthologies. The poetry tended towards integration with the modern world. "Mother Goose's Maladies Or: Aren't You Glad You Asked?" stands out as particularly clever, divided into six parts that anyone over 40 can empathize with--knee, back, colon, reflux, memory and the old gander.
The essays are wonderful musings on writing, storytelling and fairy tales. "Fantasy Novels: Truth in Disguise?" is hysterical, consisting entirely of footnotes. My favorite? "3. Of course Le Guin is a fanatic about such things. Consider her background." The footnotes cite everyone from Joseph Campbell to Dorothy Parker and Melville. "Oh God, Here Come the Elves," starts with a laughable idea--why must elves make their way into seemingly every fantasy story--and ends with profound musings on writers being open to their craft. "Like the sibyls before us, we must be overwhelmed by the vatic voice... The author, lacking leaves, pot, and cave walls, uses black smudges on a page."
Ultimately, a three-and-a-half star read for me. A few of the tales stumbled in execution, particularly "Golden Balls" and "The Barbarian and the Queen: Thirteen Views." The tone of some of the poems felt uneven to me; they would be beautiful and word-smithy, and then end with a twisty little snark-like comment that threw my reading off. Perhaps the biggest detraction is that even these re-tellings lack the sophistication I look for in my reading these days. However, her essays were fascinating and left me wanting more.
From "The Story Between," one of her core story concepts:
"It is merely that we bring to tales that most complex of constructs--ourselves."
Cross posted at: http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...
June 24, 2020
A bit of a mixed bag of an anthology, but there were a few stories Iiked, such as "The Coin of Heart's Desire" by Yon Ha Lee, "Castle of Masks" by Cory Skerry, and "Blanchefleur" by Theodora Goss.
October 24, 2011
I found this thought provoking and informative, but felt cheated because I wanted one of her exceptional full length stories instead. :D
June 3, 2019
A collection of Jane Yolen's fairy tale retellings. If you're familiar with, and like, her reimaginings of fairy tales in short story form, then give this one a shot. I do really enjoy Yolen's work, but some of her stories got a little repetitive. Her concepts and ideas were good, but I found it a little hard to power through this entire volume because the "fairy tale structure" she employed became a little boring to me. A couple of stories stood out, including the longer (and, admittedly, one that didn't follow the fairy tale structure), Evian Steel. I also enjoyed Dream Weaver (another longer form short story).
Read this if you already enjoy Jane Yolen's work, or are an avid reader of re-imagined fairy tales.
I gave it three stars because for me:
1 star = I couldn't even finish it it was so awful
2 stars = I finished it but only because I was curious about how it ended
*3 stars = I enjoyed the story but don't intend to ever read it again
4 stars = I really liked the story, may read again, and definitely recommend
5 stars = I love it and own it and will read it again
Read this if you already enjoy Jane Yolen's work, or are an avid reader of re-imagined fairy tales.
I gave it three stars because for me:
1 star = I couldn't even finish it it was so awful
2 stars = I finished it but only because I was curious about how it ended
*3 stars = I enjoyed the story but don't intend to ever read it again
4 stars = I really liked the story, may read again, and definitely recommend
5 stars = I love it and own it and will read it again
March 16, 2025
Final rating(through averaging the individual ratings) is 3.5. I enjoyed most of the essays, and my favorite story was The Faery Flag. My least favorite was Allerleirauh, because of the themes of rape and incest.
August 3, 2017
Great insight into Jane Yolen as an author. Large collection of fairy tales and some poems.
Want to read
May 30, 2025Cutting is for Make Up and Fat is Not a
Fairy Tale
By Nikki Giovanni and Jane Yolen
Fairy Tale
By Nikki Giovanni and Jane Yolen
September 27, 2010
Overall 3.5 stars, with individual stories 4 stars.
This is a great collection for all lovers of fairytales. A mixture of essays, poetry and short stories, some of which are original tales and others are retellings.
My personal favorites are:
Once Upon A Time, She Said (poem)
Sans Soleil
Happy Dens or A Day in the Old Wolve's Home (retelling & comic)
The Promise
The Girl Who Cried Flowers
The White Seal Maid
The Moon Child
America's Cinderella (essay)
From The Gwynfahr: "Who is to say which mouth's outpouring will lift the soul higher - that which is or that which could be?"
From Remembering Books: "So I read the colored fairy books at an impressionable age and, quite frankly, have never gotten over them. They taught me about honor and loyalty and truth. They taught me about courage and conviction and control. "Just as good as true" said Mr. Lang, but when I first read them they were better than true. They were in the deepest sense truth itself. They were about you and they were about me. They were humanity's history."
From Fantasy Novels: Truth in Disguise?:
Lloyd Alexander ~ "Realism walks where fantasy dances."
"One must never forget the chief poets of Ireland who had to have:
Purity of Hand: Bright without wounding.
Purity of Mouth: Without poisonous satire.
Purity of Learning: Without reproach.
From Knives (poem):
And I just love the cover art by Ruth Sanderson. It is not only a gorgeous picture, but it captures the feel of this collection.
This is a great collection for all lovers of fairytales. A mixture of essays, poetry and short stories, some of which are original tales and others are retellings.
My personal favorites are:
Once Upon A Time, She Said (poem)
Sans Soleil
Happy Dens or A Day in the Old Wolve's Home (retelling & comic)
The Promise
The Girl Who Cried Flowers
The White Seal Maid
The Moon Child
America's Cinderella (essay)
From The Gwynfahr: "Who is to say which mouth's outpouring will lift the soul higher - that which is or that which could be?"
From Remembering Books: "So I read the colored fairy books at an impressionable age and, quite frankly, have never gotten over them. They taught me about honor and loyalty and truth. They taught me about courage and conviction and control. "Just as good as true" said Mr. Lang, but when I first read them they were better than true. They were in the deepest sense truth itself. They were about you and they were about me. They were humanity's history."
From Fantasy Novels: Truth in Disguise?:
Lloyd Alexander ~ "Realism walks where fantasy dances."
"One must never forget the chief poets of Ireland who had to have:
Purity of Hand: Bright without wounding.
Purity of Mouth: Without poisonous satire.
Purity of Learning: Without reproach.
From Knives (poem):
"Love can be as sharp as the point of a knife, as piercing as a sliver of glass.
They did not know this secret of the world: the wrong word can kill. It can cost them their lives."
And I just love the cover art by Ruth Sanderson. It is not only a gorgeous picture, but it captures the feel of this collection.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2014
It's a collection of short stories, poems, essays, and footnotes (and not, I might add, all of them, which is a bit of a surprise for such a very large book). It contained some of my favorite pieces by her, such as The Boy Who Drew Unicorns, and a few stories from other anthologies that absolutely delighted me. Yet the vast majority I would be satisfied to have simply read once and not again. Many of the stories were in a large part about sex in some form or another, though thankfully she used it as the means to an end and not the end itself. I liked the short stories best, then the essays, then the myths, and last the poems. I don't read much poetry. Maybe someone who reads more of it would appreciate it. But the poems tended to be the most erotic of the lot (tell me again why this is in the young adult section?). Also, especially given the introduction by Anne McCaffery that praised Yolen's attention to detail and grammar, I found far too many grammatical mistakes (and some formatting errors, but that's the editor/typesetter's fault). Although some individual pieces shone very brightly, overall I give the collection a Neutral.
March 27, 2013
I have recently heard or read several times the aphorism Write what you know. If this book is any indication, Jane Yolen knows a lot. Within these covers are twenty-eight poems, forty-six short stories, and six essays. She covers a vast territory. Most of these stories have a foundation in fairy tales or folktales from all over the world, but unlike modern-day animated features, Ms. Yolen does not water them down or give them syrupy endings. Of the poems my favorite is The Storyteller; of the stories my favorite is The Woman Who Loved a Bear, but I also enjoyed Words of Power, Dream Weaver, The Moon Ribbon, The Foxwife, The Boy Who Drew Unicorns, and The Seventh Mandarin; of the essays my favorites are The Story Between and America's "Cinderella." But really, I liked all of the essays. I always enjoy hearing from authors about how they write, what process they use, or what books and experiences influenced their writing.
October 19, 2013
I finally finished! I'm not a serious short story reader because it is way too easy to put short story collections down, which is what I did with this lovely collection for nearly two months! Some stories I loved, some left me mystified and some are definitely going to be re-read. Yolen obviously has knowledge of an incredible range of fairy tales and folk tales that ferment in her marvelously creative brain and comes out unexpectedly remade. Her creative genius also allows her fabricate her own unique tales that often have a sucker punch right at the end. She also manages to weave in many themes of female empowerment and heroines that refuse to conform to the normal fairy tale standards.
Highly recommended for the serious (feminist) fairy tale buff.
Highly recommended for the serious (feminist) fairy tale buff.
March 4, 2014
A collection of stories, essays, and a few poems which add up to a meditation on fairy tales. The essays convince me that I need to make sure my son is exposed to real fairy tales early and often. The stories are well-told and immersive fairy tales, either old ones or new riffs, which remind me of how deep the stories can be when really "told." Lately I have seen fairly tales mostly in Bulfinch or other collections where we get bare-bones tales, a collection of events which seem bare, disjointed, and bizarre; or translations from Perrault, which have been formulaic and boring. This book reminds me that it's not the stories that are at fault.
October 3, 2012
I found this to be a wonderful collection of short stories that I have never read. The personal essays gave me a new insight into the author that lead to a different perspective when reading her works.
August 22, 2013
Huge collection of stories, poems and essays by the wonderful Jane Yolen. Here in one volume is a sampling of what makes Jane Yolen so good -- fantasy, fairy tale retellings, thought-provoking thoughts, quirky ideas and more.
July 15, 2009
Short stories. Retold fairy tales.
June 30, 2010
Yolen writes well. The short stories were a mixed bag. Some I liked, some were okay, and a few I did not enjoy at all. However, her essays were delightful.
March 27, 2012
A collection of short stories and essays by Yolen. Every fantasy reader/writer must read the essay "Oh God, here come the elves"!
November 26, 2014
Lots of very short stories, and a few essays. Some of the stories are a little weird or depressing, but many are ironic or just funny. An interesting collection.
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July 25, 20112006
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews