Rosie Little's Cautionary Tales for Girls

by Danielle Wood

A series of contemporary fairy tales populated by wolves, witches, snakes, and an entirely new breed of heroine.

In this Brothers Grimm–meets–Bridget Jones collection of linked stories, Danielle Wood introduces readers to Rosie Little, a thoroughly modern Little Red Riding Hood who offers her sharp, rueful take on life, love, and everything in between.

Rosie knows better than most that some men are wolves at heart, that the snake in the grass is to be avoided, and that fairy-tale endings are usually, after all, only fairy tales. And yet stout-hearted Rosie reassures us that there are ways out of the deep dark forests of our own making in these survival tales of teenagers deflowered at parties, a young journalist who misses the chance to write a front-page story because she’s busy flirting with a married man, and two women who must cope with the loss of their babies.

A brand-new take on the age-old fairy tale, Rosie Little’s Cautionary Tales for Girls will appeal especially to readers like Rosie, with “boots as stout as their hearts, and who are prepared to firmly lace them up (boots and hearts both) and step out into the wilds in search of what they desire.”

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Humor, Chick Lit, Fantasy, Australia, Ebooks

275 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Danielle Wood was born in Hobart in 1972. Danielle has an arts degree from the University of Tasmania, and a PhD from Edith Cowan University. She has worked as a journalist, as a producer with ABC Radio, and as a media officer for Tasmania's Parks and Wildlife Service. Her first novel, The Alphabet of Light and Dark won the 2002 The Australian/Vogel's Literary Award, was the winner of the 2004 Dobbie Literary Award, commended in 2004 in the FAW Christina Stead Award for Fiction, shortlisted for the 2004 Commonwealth Writer's Prize in the Best First Book category for the SE Asia and South Pacific Region, and nominated for the 2005 IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

Her latest novel, Rosie Little's Cautionary Tales for Girls was published by Allen & Unwin in 2006.

Danielle is currently teaching creative writing at the University of Tasmania.

Reviews

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

“…a boutique with shop girls as thin as straps of liquorice. One had a long ponytail and wore a miniature black dress and retro high heels. The other wore flares ruffled from the knees down and her hair in a sharp quiff that put Justine in mind of a shark fin. These women would be the type, Justine thought, to factor in the calories in the sugar coating of their contraceptive pills”

Rosie Little’s Cautionary Tales for Girls is the second book by Australian author, Danielle Wood. It is a collection of loosely connected stories, in many of which Rosie Little stars; in most others, she makes an appearance. Somewhere in each story, there is an inset piece which contains an observation or a piece of advice from Rosie on a topic central to that story.

The chapters cover Virginity, Truth, Travel, Beauty, Art, Love, Commitment, Marriage, Work, Longing, Loss and Destiny, and are filled with humour, much of it black, as well as some magic, and all have a cautionary theme, hence the title. The book won the Sydney Morning Herald’s 2007 Best Young Novelist of the Year award, and small films have been made of two of the tales.

Rosie (or more correctly, Danielle) does have a way with words: “There was nothing to do. The hours we had to kill would die slow, painful deaths. Surely, I thought, the expression ‘terminal boredom’ was used for the first time in an airport closed down for the night”. This one is clever, funny, sometimes sad and even a little thought-provoking.
3.5 ★s

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Australian collection of short stories with lessons built in sort of modern day Aesop tales but for girls with modern day issues like date rape, abusive relationships,psycho dudes, and much more. But really funny.
Did Jessi just say the date rape story was funny? I did! To be clear date rape is not funny (obvs.)but these are cautionary tales and in this story Rosie goes to a party at 14 yrs old and ends up losing her virginity after getting severely intoxicated by the date-rapeiest (this is not a word to my knowledge but I say it a lot) looking guy ever, no one wins in this situation, but Rosie learns an important lesson.

My favourite in this collection of stories is
"Rosie Little in The Mother Country" this has Rosie going to England to stay with godparents she has never met before and experience all the "Mother County" has to offer. It does not go well and the godfather turns out to be a bit of a creeper, Rosie's inner thoughts on this are some of the funniest bits in the book. While in England she meets a boy, falls in love and they decide to have sex. When the boy asks if she has ever done this before she thinks about the party in the previous story and says very sweetly

"Technically, yes. Effectively, no. What about you?

The girls got spunk and I like it.

Not all the stories are winners, but there were a few gems.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of twelve short stories that add a new and different kick to the traditional fairy tale where the girl/woman is no longer the damsel in distress, instead she is the damsel in the red Doc Martins. Each story deals with a different aspect of modern life from a woman's point of view and shows all the different ways of dealing with it that don't involve giving in but instead involve lacing up your boots and setting them walking in whichever direction suits you best. Each story is well written and thoughtful with touches of wit and humour that add a certain realism to each one without undermining the purpose or focus of each one. The characters are also just as well written and believable and every reader, man or woman, will be able to see some of themselves in each one and the difficulties they face. And excellent collection that reflects real life but manages to make it better.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I really did enjoy this book. The episodic nature of the book made it easy to pause or keep reading without feeling overly invested in the book. That didn't make Rosie's story shallow, and I liked how not all the episodes tied directly into her life - that other people's love stories were told as well - and by LOVE stories I really mean LIFE stories.

Great ending, great storytelling.

[Gemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't bother : a waste of time. It's off to the charity shop with this one...

[Bekkitae Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The snapshots into the life of Rosie Little and tangential characters have a sense of honesty about them. Situations where hormones, nerves and love are involved invariably lose a sense of monochromatic morality and this is the reality in which Wood's characters have been crafted.

The borderline invasive use of the comma in the author's writing style would normally have me thrusting the book away after the first few pages; somehow she has managed to create a melodic flow through word selection - no mean feat.

I enjoyed this collection of stories enough to make a go of it in one day. Thanks for the read, author.

[KateOB · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book use a Red Riding Hood analogy to follow a young woman as she negotiates the hazards of modern life: including school boys who treat girls as prey (‘Rene Pogel’) and the subtleties of domestic violence (‘The Wolf’). In these stories published in 2006, Danielle Wood captures the zeitgeist of 2021.

[Linda (Book Sniffer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still keep it on my nightstand. Loved it.

[Susan Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very enjoyable stories in here, good to pick up when you need an easy diversion.

[Tiare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to read, I loved her writing style and how she connected the short stories.

[Kimberley Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories - some of which are excellent, others much less so.

Good if you want to pick something up and finish in one session

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty bizarre and fun

[Angie Fehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title on this book can be pretty misleading for a lot of book shoppers, so let me just say right up front that this collection of short stories is NOT, repeat NOT, for young girls. Cute as the title and book design is, these stories actually feature themes of loss of virginity, adult women dealing with fat shaming (largely within the family), painful and awkward moments of first love (or that first experience of unrequited love with the wroooong kind of guy), dangers of creeper guys, and one story even talks about domestic abuse. So yeah... unless you're cool with having those important life talks with your daughter way early in her life, I'd say this one is better off going to late teen girls or older.

Now, that being said, I ended up really enjoying this collection! I wasn't too sure how much I was going to enjoy the book after the first couple stories, but I stuck with it and am so glad I did. While there is some darker, more depressing material in a number of the stories, nothing is too creepy or scary until you get to "The Wardrobe". That's the one story where I got to the end and thought Wait... whaaaat just happened?! It went from being something that just seemed to be about an odd relationship into something that could have been a Twilight Zone episode! {I dunno, maybe it was}. "Eden" is a great story that creative types will love because it talks about an artist who is trying to work through hardcore procrastination. She has the best intentions to start painting, but it ends up taking her three days to set up her still life. Then her items for her still life don't look quite perfect, so she wants to shop for what's missing. Then she decides she needs to sharpen all her art pencils (nearly 100). Then friends come to visit. We've all been there. Also, the last story, "Rosie Little Joins The Dots" had just the perfect ending, I thought.

I really liked all the asides that the Rosie Little character interjected into the middle of the stories as the other characters are going through all their individual dramas {" A Word From Rosie Little On ___"}. My favorite was Rosie Little's story on cake forks and the analogy she does with that. Just brilliant :-) I definitely want to check out more of Danielle Wood's works but in the process of trying to look up her books, I discovered that she is an Australian author, and her titles seem to be reeallly limited here in the U.S. :-( But I'm pretty good at tracking down obscure titles over time, so I'll let you know how the others are as I get them!

[Helen Hagemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review by Helen Hagemann
Rosie Little's Cautionary Tales for Girls
The stories are a collection of cautionary tales told with a modern twist in a Chick-Lit fashion. Modern day 'folk-fairy-tales' on subjects such as BEAUTY, LOVE, COMMITMENT MARRIAGE, WORK, etc, are written to inform young women about how to avoid the dangers of the world. Rosie Little, as main character, appears throughout the book and we follow her progression from closely losing her virginity, through first love, relationships and working life. The first story in the book is The Deflowering of Rosie Little and deals with teenage sexuality, naivete, the stumblings of young girls faced with acting cool when her virginity is at stake. One of the most empathic aspects of this teenage naivete is how Wood manages to bring in flowery Latin words like "fellatio", especially "phallic" which unfortunately pushes Rosie to look up the dictionary under "F".

Other stories in the collection range from mildly serious to complaisant, while some appear as schadenfreude stories. "Vision In White" is a look at a rather clumsy-crazed bride, determined to extend her special day by wearing a wedding gown and descending the steps of an international flight. Through many mishaps she ends up losing her veil, is covered in red wine and embarrasses her waiting Australian relatives; who having missed the wedding, find it all a bit of a giggle.

Nevertheless, the bulk of Wood's tales are lighthearted, full of wry humour and wit. As readers we are not meant to look beyond the surface, they are merely there on the page for light entertainment. Rosie Little's Cautionary Tales is a worthy text for parents, possibly to have on hand, in the light of any of their female teenagers (say 13-14 years-old) curious to know what other teenage girls have faced. I doubt the collection is meant for deep university study, however one might see the author's musings on the plight of young women with burgeoning relationships with men. Cautionary - is especially the catch word and more likely than not a feminist warning vis-a-vis concerns for women in our society, a 21stC society now fraught with misguided negativity of what feminism is all about.



Helen Hagemann (c) 2012

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book so much more, but after giving it a fairly good effort on two separate occasions, I've decided that it's just not going to happen. Three-ish stars it is. The novel is made of short stories mostly all about the title character, Rosie, from losing her virginity to visiting London to her first job and first love, etc. A few stories are about friends or family and seem to also be narrated by Rosie. I have to say that I really hated that this book is labeled as "chick-lit". It is NOT chick-lit. To me, chick-lit is that horrible Harlequin Romance shit or "light reading" novels by people like Fern Michaels and Debbie MacComber.

Anyway, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys short literary fiction in the form of witty, darkly comic and often TMI sex tales. (Of course, they aren't all about sex. But there is often TMI in other things.) Also, someone with the patience to stick with all the stories.

I would say that the best story in the book is "The Anatomy of Wolves", which is about Rosie's first major love—and first major breakup.

This book just couldn't hold my attention, in spite of everything so great and amazing about it. The prose is literary and excellent, the characters are human and realistic, the stories are funny and introspective. It makes me sad that I just couldn't get through the whole book.

[Nav · Rating 2 out of 5]

No magic (with one exception) so it read more biographical. The stories are quite grim indeed and very much not for little girls.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exactly what I wanted to be - Clever, fun, well-written. There are several short stories told from the perspective of "Rosie Little". She talks about life-defining moments in her life as well as life-observations she's made based on other people in her life. There are some creepy stories ("The Wardrobe", "Eden") as well as some sweet moments. I love the way the story-teller (ie Rosie) breaks up a story-line with little tidbits (such as how to say Twinkle Twinkly in latin). Very Fun! Definately worth picking up:)

~~~~~~~~~~~

This looks like a fun, easy, "KICK-@SS" type of read... After the last couple of books, I could use it:)

couple paragraphs from the Opening Preface:

These are not, I should say from the outset, tales written for the benefit of good and well-behaved girls who always stick to the path when they go to Grandma's. Skipping along in their gingham frills - basket of scones, jam and clotted cream upon their arms - what need can these girls have for caution? Rather these are the tales for girls who have boots as stout as their hearts, and are prepared to firmly lace them up (boots and hearts both) and step out into the wilds in search of what they desire.......

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the title of this novel can be taken with a pinch (a truckful?) of salt. These aren't so much 'cautionary tales' for a generalised idea of women, but rather the tales of one woman's unlucky life and friends. I can't help but be disappointed about the content. I can't say what I was expecting exactly, but episodic regrets about relationships wasn't it.

On the other hand, however, I really enjoyed reading this. I finished it over one weekend, and even then, I wasn't focusing all my time on reading. It's a very quick read, and the chapters are almost like little episodes. I enjoyed the stories which had more of a supernatural element, but that was just me. I don't think the more modern, realistic stories fell through in any way. Wood writes in a way that certainly doesn't make your attention waver, however, for me, I personally came away unsatisfied. I kept getting hit with small pinches of weird, wonderful and at some points, disturbing content, only to have it dragged away by the titular character's poor dealings with the male sex.

[Pomme de Terre · Rating 3 out of 5]

A small, lovely gem of a book. These are short little stories, some hilarious, some melancholy and some brutal, but all a pleasure to read. Given their short length, however, it was difficult to get too big an emotional reaction out of the me, although some, like the wolf story or the elephant story (oh, the elephant story . . .), were able to pack quite a punch.

This book feels like a woman's magazine at its best: light and fun to read while also actually having some sharp and insightful things to say about being a woman in Western society and offering a sense of comfort and understanding to the reader about the uncertainties and anxieties they're experiencing.

Above all, the one main reason why you should read this book: the narrator. Rosie may be one of my favourite characters, honestly, because her voice is just marvellous. The, prose, oh the wonderfully witty, clever prose works so well with Rosie, whether she's being wry, sad, bitter or cheeky. Following her from adolescence up to and throughout adulthood is quite a joy.

[Sinead · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not, as the title suggests, a happy-go-lucky view of da Sistahood and how to keep those no good-for-nothing menfolk at bay. With an opening sentence describing how fellatio is not onomatopoeic, the rest of the book does not disappoint. Its darkness is only exaggerated in the naivity of the ladies who feature in the stories.

The novel comprises a selection of short stories touching on the female milestones in life - Virginity, Love, Marriage, Beauty, Loss..., but some having more of a Brothers Grimm approach.

I strongly recommend reading this, if only to get an insight into the twisted workings of the female psyche. The other option is, of course, to sit through "He's Just Not That Into You".

The final recommendation comes from my class of 32/35 boys. There is currently a waiting list of 6 people to read it, so it can't be all that bad...

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful collection from Australian writer. Really enjoyed reading it, I just bought The Alphabet of light and dark because I enjoyed her style. Her is an excerpt from Rosie's Little Cautionary Tales for Girls.

"That was one of a number of psychic slaps that Rhona was unwittingly to give her daughter."


"Jean was as hard and defined as a stone, and she left Meredith feeling bruised. Jean was loud, while Meredith spoke as if she might diminish her size by keeping her voice small."

"We returned to his bed and stayed there all through the heat of the day, listless as midday lions for the most part, but rousing ourselves occasionally for the purpose of consuming food, or each other."

Wood understands women and all our complications, more she has a way of expressing all our dimensions without making a caricature of women. Great writing.

[Hester · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book for two reasons, it was dirt cheap and I loved the book design. It was worth the $5 I parted with. Danielle Wood's Rosie Little's Cautionary Tales for Girls is a collection of stories narrated by Rosie Little. They range from personal stories involving date rape, being in an abusive relationship and giving a vain newlywed a little push down some stairs as she emerges in her wedding dress from an airplane to meet her in-laws for the first time. The non Rosie-centric stories are just as good, a hospice nurse tends to a dying woman and a red heart shaped pebble causes problems for three love lorn women.
Wood is a talented story teller who knows how to connect all of the dots.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book purely on the cover. I know you're not supposed to that but it a gorgeous design. It's a collection of short stories by an Australian author, all told by Rosie Little. Some our things she has experienced herself, and others are connected to her in various ways. I found the stories to be charming, almost like fairytales, but there were also some very sad stories in there as well. I liked her metaphors, especially in the story about the clothes (you all know how I love clothes!).

A light read, but it was perfect as I've been too distracted with other things to read anything heavy right now.

[Lissa]

I had to read this book for a University writing and poetry course, which is interesting because Danielle was also my teacher of the course.

This book tells a lot of linked short stories. I love Danielle's easy writing style and Rosie's friendly, fun voice. It reminds me of the uncertainty and honesty of Bridget Jones' voice but it's also very Australian and uniquely Rosie Little.

I don't remember if I ended up buying this book or just borrowing it from my classmate who was a huge fan but not a writer. I certainly want to re-read it because it's perfect for light entertainment, and because it's basically a collection of short stories you can invest as much time as you want into it.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky little collection of short stories that borrow lightly from fairy tales without falling into Feminist Retellings 101. Likeable, familiar, chick-lit voice, but the surreal props, plot twists, and characters keep it from being too precious. A definite read for fans of Kelly Link's Stranger Things Happen. (I did want to give it 3.5 stars, rather than 3 or 4.)

BTW, the author is a professor at the University of Tasmania. Most of the stories are set in Tasmania or Australia. Not so common.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a funny, wise, wistful and definitely cautionary collection of marvelous stories!
You laugh whilst you wince with recognition, or cry...
I can't pick a favourite out of the collection - I enjoyed them all in quite different ways.
The topics are as varied as the opening story dealing with body image and others' perceptions as opposed to self image.
There 's the coming of age with a vengeance story!
Two stories involving abuse are told from quite different perspectives.
The 'time for a change' and tackling fear of moving on story is there and much much more.
Dip in and enjoy!

[Deb]

Most of the Chick Lit I've tried to read are fluffy feel-good novels that don't make you think much.

This is not one of those books.

Rosie Little's Cautionary Tales are female fairy tales written in the traditional Grimm fashion; the stories touch on feminine milestones and sneak in their moral lessons under the guise of humor and wisdom.

If you liked the literary style of "The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing," you'll enjoy these stories even more. Not recommended for younger teens due to sexual content.

[Becca Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am really sick of chick-lit books. The characters ALWAYS have the same voice and the writing is always the same. This book TRIED to be different, but it didn't succeed, in my opinion.

A few of the stories had real promise and could have been developed further, but they felt unfinished. I would have given this book one star, but I did enjoy the story about the woman who kept her daughter's fetus in a jar in the liquir cabinet(!)

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a little gem of a book. I gave it as gift to a friend because I liked the cover and she liked it so much she gave it back to me to read. It's essentially a collection of short stories but they are tied together by one narrator who is either the protagonist of each story or an "observer." There's a real dichotomy between her lightness of tone and the deep tragedy that underlies some of the stories (like my favorite: Elephantaisis).

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyable but very easily forget-able. Possibly a few steps up from 'chick-lit' and I appreciated that it was Australian, still the metaphors about fairy tales, the bible, etc. got in the way of my truly appreciating any of the stories. I thought the strongest stories were the first one and the last one.