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Alice in Tumblr-land
Disney meets Lena Dunham in this illustrated humor book featuring your favorite fairy-tale characters dating and finding their way in 21st-century America
The Ugly Duckling still feels gross compared to everyone else, but now she’s got Instagram, and there’s this one filter that makes her look awesome. Cinderella swaps her glass slippers for Crocs. The Tortoise and the Hare Facebook stalk each other. Goldilocks goes gluten free. And Peter Pan finally has to grow up and get a job, or at least start paying rent.
Here are more than one hundred fairy tales, illustrated and re-imagined for today. Instead of fairy godmothers, there’s Siri. And rather than big bad wolves, there are creepy dudes on OkCupid. In our brave new world of social networking, YouTube, and texting, fairy tales can once again lead us to "happily ever after" — and have us laughing all the way.
The Ugly Duckling still feels gross compared to everyone else, but now she’s got Instagram, and there’s this one filter that makes her look awesome. Cinderella swaps her glass slippers for Crocs. The Tortoise and the Hare Facebook stalk each other. Goldilocks goes gluten free. And Peter Pan finally has to grow up and get a job, or at least start paying rent.
Here are more than one hundred fairy tales, illustrated and re-imagined for today. Instead of fairy godmothers, there’s Siri. And rather than big bad wolves, there are creepy dudes on OkCupid. In our brave new world of social networking, YouTube, and texting, fairy tales can once again lead us to "happily ever after" — and have us laughing all the way.
265 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2013
About the author
Tim Manley
4 books49 followersTim Manley is a writer, filmmaker, and storyteller.
Tim’s debut novel, My Own Kind of Person, will be published by Rocky Pond Books on September 8, 2026.
He is the creator of the Emmy-nominated web series The Feels. His true stories have been featured on The Moth Radio Hour, at SXSW EDU, and in his solo show, Feelings. He is also a former high school English teacher in New York City.
He lives with his family in the Catskills.
Tim’s debut novel, My Own Kind of Person, will be published by Rocky Pond Books on September 8, 2026.
He is the creator of the Emmy-nominated web series The Feels. His true stories have been featured on The Moth Radio Hour, at SXSW EDU, and in his solo show, Feelings. He is also a former high school English teacher in New York City.
He lives with his family in the Catskills.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 336 reviews
October 27, 2013
Initial reaction: This book had the potential to be a pretty awesome read, at least in premise. Told in a series of short, toggled stories with popular fairy tales and Disney-esque references paired with illustrations, "Alice in Tumblr-land" explores what might happen in the lives of such characters if they had social media in their lives, with a slant towards adult crude humor.
Only I barely found anything funny in this collective read, if at all. Maybe if you find Beauty and the Beast sexting each other, Beauty (sometimes compared to Disney's Belle because of certain references) obsessing over her weight because of Thinspiration, Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother obsessing over Red's boobs, Aladdin and Jasmine having marriage problems, and Sleeping Beauty suffering from depression and anxiety hilarious, you might find this book funny.
I did not.
I might do something a bit different from the usual review for this one - I'm going to have various Disney characters (who were actually featured in this particular story) react to this book in a series of short scenes/tales. And hopefully point out some of the problems that this narrative has in a creative way.
This ought to be more fun than the actual experience reading this book, if I can manage to do it. Oy vey.
Full review:
Author's Note/Disclaimer: The following stories are penned for the purposes of humor in association with my reaction to this book. I do not own these Disney characters, and these perspectives are not reflective of any Disney affiliates or creators. I guess I put this disclaimer as a way to cover my bases, but really I'm only doing this for fun and critique as food for thought.
So basically, the short pieces of text in this book and illustrations are taken from the author's blog that features adult crude humor interpretations of fairy tales and Disney-esque turns in what if scenarios associated with social media. I liked the idea behind it, but the humor wasn't my cup of tea at all for the most part. The humor was too much and much of it wasn't funny to me. I'm going to stretch my creative wings a bit to present a few reactions, in the form of popular Disney characters, to the content contained in this book. I'm hoping it also reveals some critiques that I have about the presentation of humor and problems in this book as well.
Since these run a little long, I'll let the stories speak for themselves. And fair warning, this review has a few gifs. Enjoy!
Peter Pan
Wendy Darling promptly shuts the book in her hands, looking distressed.
Wendy: Oh, how dreadful.
Peter Pan stops wrestling with his shadow for the umpteenth time long enough to notice Wendy's distress.
Peter: What's wrong, Wendy?
Wendy: I just finished the most peculiar story.
Peter: Really? You gonna read it to me?
Wendy: Ooh, no, no, no, Peter. I - I couldn't.
Peter: Why not? You never had a problem reading stories to me and the Lost Boys before. Does it have pictures?
Wendy: Well, yes, it does, but that's not the problem. And I think it might be awkward since the story's about you. At least in part.
Peter's brows raise, and then he grins wickedly. He flies over to Wendy, but Wendy clutches the book tight to her chest.
Peter: Aww, come on! You're not being any fun keeping it from me. I wanna see.
Wendy: You really shouldn't.
Peter flies around her, trying to grab the book as she moves it in the opposite direction of where he reaches.
Peter: Wait, what's that over there?
Wendy's so surprised by Peter's about face that he plucks the book from her hands with ease. And considering Tinkerbell's laughing in a far corner of the room, out of where she can sprinkle Wendy with pixiedust, Wendy can't fly after him as he floats in the air above her.
Wendy: Peter! That's not fair.
Wendy goes to grab the book from him, but Tinkerbell yanks her back by one of her curls.
Peter: Easy, Tink. Leave her alone. I just want to see what's in this, that's all. What's all the fuss about it anyway?
Tinkerbell pulls back from Wendy, but doesn't look happy for getting scolded. Peter floats in the air on his back above Wendy. Wendy sighs, folding her arms across her chest while looking up at him, helplessly. Peter holds the book above him, reading and flipping through several pages.
Peter: At least it looks like a regular storybook, but the pictures are weird. Is that supposed to be me? And John? And Michael? Why does it say that I wanna grow up and get a job? That's not me at all. And I'd never neglect the Lost Boys for something called...Facebook. Or a blog, whatever that is.
Peter flips through more of the pages.
Peter: It keeps saying that I have weird relationship with Tigerlily, sending her weird pictures of myself in something called email, but it ends up posted everywhere. And like I'd abandon Tink. And then having me work with Captain Hook? Like I would work for that codfish! At least the pictures make him look like one!
Wendy: That's why I said it was odd.
Peter: At least they mentioned you too, but it was about having kids after coming from Neverland and then you were "too tired to do anything else".
Wendy doesn't look happy about that, at least from Peter's perspective.
Peter: Is this supposed to be funny?
Wendy: For grownups, I suppose it is.
Peter grins, closing the book casually and allowing it to fall safely into Wendy's outstretched hands.
Peter: All the more reason I never wanna grow up. It's no fun at all.
Beauty and the Beast
Cogsworth paces frantically in the halls of the East Wing, looking distressed.
Cogsworth: Oh, of all the dark days to be having, this is one of the worst. That book should've never been brought from the village, and now everything is ruined. I told them it wouldn't do, that it didn't seem like a book she would love, but does anyone ever listen to me? Noooo....
Lumiere: And what iz wrong with you, my friend? Your pendulum's swinging a little more than usual.
Cogsworth: Do you mind?! I don't have time for you making odd assertions about me, whatever that's supposed to mean. We have a problem.
Lumiere looks around.
Lumiere: I see no problem. Actually, it's been fairly quiet today.
Lumiere flinches as a roar echoes through the hall from a distance. Cogsworth gives him a side-eye glance.
Cogsworth: You were saying?
Lumiere: Seems I missed something. The master's angry.
Cogsworth: And for good reason. The master's angry because the lady's angry.
Lumiere: Ah! What happened?
Cogsworth: Long story short, she read a bad book that was brought in from the village. And she threw it at the wall in the library. Several times.
Lumiere: Ah, ze trials of ze bookworm. Romantic when it works, terrible when it doesn't. Was it an unfortunate tale of love unrequited? A tragedy? A murder gone unresolved?
Cogsworth: No, if only it were that. It seems it was some dreadful sensationalist piece about the master and lady's "relationship," if you will. And about the lady's person as well - about her weight, things that she was teased about as a girl, and even further suggesting that she was inspired to stop eating carbs because of something called "Thinspiration". I told the courier who brought it that it was a bad idea, but he insisted on the delivery. I take it he will never set foot on the castle grounds again. That is, IF he values his life.
Lumiere: Was it really that bad?
Cogsworth: Oh, it was worse than BAD, I assure you.
Lumiere: I suppose we should do damage control.
Cogsworth: Yes we should.
Lumiere: Say no more, Ce'st la vie. But was there anything actually funny about ze book?
Cogsworth: Perhaps...There was a joke about Jack climbing beanstalks but never getting as high as the first one?
Lumiere: Ah...I don't get it.
Cogsworth: Neither do I.
Aladdin
Aladdin groans as he closes the book in hands.
Aladdin: Why am I always the one that's supposed to be in trouble?
Iago: You get a book written about you, and you're COMPLAINING? Me, I have to be the anti-hero, and no one ever talks about me! You, you get a whole subsection in a book about fairy tales gone awry. Matter of fact, you're the only one who gets even directly mentioned in the whole Mickey Mouse organizational references. Why does this NEVER happen to ME?
Genie: I think because as much as you talk about yourself, a book wouldn't even begin to cover you.
Iago: I RESENT that!
Aladdin: Guys! Focus! Look, I mean, I'm not the most perfect aspiring Sultan in the world, but somehow I don't know what it is I did that made Jasmine mad, mad enough to get so frustrated and break up with me.
Iago: Maybe it was that woman in the Marketplace you were singin' with.
Aladdin: No, actually she kinda scared me...
Genie: Ah, don't worry about it, kid. I read the book too and what I got out of it was that most of the humor's pretty much a theater of the absurd. It kinda throws a lot of things at the wall to see what sticks, but some of it does, others don't.
Aladdin: Well, I didn't like it for ~reasons~, but do you think other people will?
Genie: Some might, because I think trainwreck fairy tales are all the rage in that millennia. But it's kinda iffy because when you have Sleeping Beauty suffering from depression, a sexual disease, and something else, when you have a wooden puppet's nose breaking everything in sight because he lies all the time, and King Authur and Lancelot being buddy buddy and getting jobs at Applebees and Starbucks and try to pass it off for humor, it's going to hit people different ways.
Aladdin: That...doesn't make any sense.
Genie: That's probably the point. It's so random and over the top that some might think "Wait, this is weird" while others might laugh about how it's taking things from that period that are familiar and throwing it every which way but loose.
Aladdin: I guess. But I think it's still going to be offensive to some people. And it's such a short book that I don't know who would buy it. Maybe worth a one-time read maybe, but I don't know.
Genie: I think probably if people are worried about the humor, they should just look at the author's webpage. That's what this is based on anyway. Then they can determine whether it's for them or not.
Aladdin: Webpage?
Iago: Nevermind that, when am I going to get my own book? Or my own webpage, too? Seriously, is that too much to ask?
Iago continues talking a mile a minute, complaining about how he doesn't get enough media coverage or respect.
Aladdin: (Genie, I think we need to leave...)
Genie: (Good idea. He can keep talking, but I think we're done here.)
Aladdin and Genie board Carpet and speed off into the night, leaving Iago behind.
Overall score: 0.5/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.
Only I barely found anything funny in this collective read, if at all. Maybe if you find Beauty and the Beast sexting each other, Beauty (sometimes compared to Disney's Belle because of certain references) obsessing over her weight because of Thinspiration, Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother obsessing over Red's boobs, Aladdin and Jasmine having marriage problems, and Sleeping Beauty suffering from depression and anxiety hilarious, you might find this book funny.
I did not.
I might do something a bit different from the usual review for this one - I'm going to have various Disney characters (who were actually featured in this particular story) react to this book in a series of short scenes/tales. And hopefully point out some of the problems that this narrative has in a creative way.
This ought to be more fun than the actual experience reading this book, if I can manage to do it. Oy vey.
Full review:
Author's Note/Disclaimer: The following stories are penned for the purposes of humor in association with my reaction to this book. I do not own these Disney characters, and these perspectives are not reflective of any Disney affiliates or creators. I guess I put this disclaimer as a way to cover my bases, but really I'm only doing this for fun and critique as food for thought.
So basically, the short pieces of text in this book and illustrations are taken from the author's blog that features adult crude humor interpretations of fairy tales and Disney-esque turns in what if scenarios associated with social media. I liked the idea behind it, but the humor wasn't my cup of tea at all for the most part. The humor was too much and much of it wasn't funny to me. I'm going to stretch my creative wings a bit to present a few reactions, in the form of popular Disney characters, to the content contained in this book. I'm hoping it also reveals some critiques that I have about the presentation of humor and problems in this book as well.
Since these run a little long, I'll let the stories speak for themselves. And fair warning, this review has a few gifs. Enjoy!
Peter Pan
Wendy Darling promptly shuts the book in her hands, looking distressed.
Wendy: Oh, how dreadful.
Peter Pan stops wrestling with his shadow for the umpteenth time long enough to notice Wendy's distress.
Peter: What's wrong, Wendy?
Wendy: I just finished the most peculiar story.
Peter: Really? You gonna read it to me?
Wendy: Ooh, no, no, no, Peter. I - I couldn't.
Peter: Why not? You never had a problem reading stories to me and the Lost Boys before. Does it have pictures?
Wendy: Well, yes, it does, but that's not the problem. And I think it might be awkward since the story's about you. At least in part.
Peter's brows raise, and then he grins wickedly. He flies over to Wendy, but Wendy clutches the book tight to her chest.
Peter: Aww, come on! You're not being any fun keeping it from me. I wanna see.
Wendy: You really shouldn't.
Peter flies around her, trying to grab the book as she moves it in the opposite direction of where he reaches.
Peter: Wait, what's that over there?
Wendy's so surprised by Peter's about face that he plucks the book from her hands with ease. And considering Tinkerbell's laughing in a far corner of the room, out of where she can sprinkle Wendy with pixiedust, Wendy can't fly after him as he floats in the air above her.
Wendy: Peter! That's not fair.
Wendy goes to grab the book from him, but Tinkerbell yanks her back by one of her curls.
Peter: Easy, Tink. Leave her alone. I just want to see what's in this, that's all. What's all the fuss about it anyway?
Tinkerbell pulls back from Wendy, but doesn't look happy for getting scolded. Peter floats in the air on his back above Wendy. Wendy sighs, folding her arms across her chest while looking up at him, helplessly. Peter holds the book above him, reading and flipping through several pages.
Peter: At least it looks like a regular storybook, but the pictures are weird. Is that supposed to be me? And John? And Michael? Why does it say that I wanna grow up and get a job? That's not me at all. And I'd never neglect the Lost Boys for something called...Facebook. Or a blog, whatever that is.
Peter flips through more of the pages.
Peter: It keeps saying that I have weird relationship with Tigerlily, sending her weird pictures of myself in something called email, but it ends up posted everywhere. And like I'd abandon Tink. And then having me work with Captain Hook? Like I would work for that codfish! At least the pictures make him look like one!
Wendy: That's why I said it was odd.
Peter: At least they mentioned you too, but it was about having kids after coming from Neverland and then you were "too tired to do anything else".
Wendy doesn't look happy about that, at least from Peter's perspective.
Peter: Is this supposed to be funny?
Wendy: For grownups, I suppose it is.
Peter grins, closing the book casually and allowing it to fall safely into Wendy's outstretched hands.
Peter: All the more reason I never wanna grow up. It's no fun at all.
Beauty and the Beast
Cogsworth paces frantically in the halls of the East Wing, looking distressed.
Cogsworth: Oh, of all the dark days to be having, this is one of the worst. That book should've never been brought from the village, and now everything is ruined. I told them it wouldn't do, that it didn't seem like a book she would love, but does anyone ever listen to me? Noooo....
Lumiere: And what iz wrong with you, my friend? Your pendulum's swinging a little more than usual.
Cogsworth: Do you mind?! I don't have time for you making odd assertions about me, whatever that's supposed to mean. We have a problem.
Lumiere looks around.
Lumiere: I see no problem. Actually, it's been fairly quiet today.
Lumiere flinches as a roar echoes through the hall from a distance. Cogsworth gives him a side-eye glance.
Cogsworth: You were saying?
Lumiere: Seems I missed something. The master's angry.
Cogsworth: And for good reason. The master's angry because the lady's angry.
Lumiere: Ah! What happened?
Cogsworth: Long story short, she read a bad book that was brought in from the village. And she threw it at the wall in the library. Several times.
Lumiere: Ah, ze trials of ze bookworm. Romantic when it works, terrible when it doesn't. Was it an unfortunate tale of love unrequited? A tragedy? A murder gone unresolved?
Cogsworth: No, if only it were that. It seems it was some dreadful sensationalist piece about the master and lady's "relationship," if you will. And about the lady's person as well - about her weight, things that she was teased about as a girl, and even further suggesting that she was inspired to stop eating carbs because of something called "Thinspiration". I told the courier who brought it that it was a bad idea, but he insisted on the delivery. I take it he will never set foot on the castle grounds again. That is, IF he values his life.
Lumiere: Was it really that bad?
Cogsworth: Oh, it was worse than BAD, I assure you.
Lumiere: I suppose we should do damage control.
Cogsworth: Yes we should.
Lumiere: Say no more, Ce'st la vie. But was there anything actually funny about ze book?
Cogsworth: Perhaps...There was a joke about Jack climbing beanstalks but never getting as high as the first one?
Lumiere: Ah...I don't get it.
Cogsworth: Neither do I.
Aladdin
Aladdin groans as he closes the book in hands.
Aladdin: Why am I always the one that's supposed to be in trouble?
Iago: You get a book written about you, and you're COMPLAINING? Me, I have to be the anti-hero, and no one ever talks about me! You, you get a whole subsection in a book about fairy tales gone awry. Matter of fact, you're the only one who gets even directly mentioned in the whole Mickey Mouse organizational references. Why does this NEVER happen to ME?
Genie: I think because as much as you talk about yourself, a book wouldn't even begin to cover you.
Iago: I RESENT that!
Aladdin: Guys! Focus! Look, I mean, I'm not the most perfect aspiring Sultan in the world, but somehow I don't know what it is I did that made Jasmine mad, mad enough to get so frustrated and break up with me.
Iago: Maybe it was that woman in the Marketplace you were singin' with.
Aladdin: No, actually she kinda scared me...
Genie: Ah, don't worry about it, kid. I read the book too and what I got out of it was that most of the humor's pretty much a theater of the absurd. It kinda throws a lot of things at the wall to see what sticks, but some of it does, others don't.
Aladdin: Well, I didn't like it for ~reasons~, but do you think other people will?
Genie: Some might, because I think trainwreck fairy tales are all the rage in that millennia. But it's kinda iffy because when you have Sleeping Beauty suffering from depression, a sexual disease, and something else, when you have a wooden puppet's nose breaking everything in sight because he lies all the time, and King Authur and Lancelot being buddy buddy and getting jobs at Applebees and Starbucks and try to pass it off for humor, it's going to hit people different ways.
Aladdin: That...doesn't make any sense.
Genie: That's probably the point. It's so random and over the top that some might think "Wait, this is weird" while others might laugh about how it's taking things from that period that are familiar and throwing it every which way but loose.
Aladdin: I guess. But I think it's still going to be offensive to some people. And it's such a short book that I don't know who would buy it. Maybe worth a one-time read maybe, but I don't know.
Genie: I think probably if people are worried about the humor, they should just look at the author's webpage. That's what this is based on anyway. Then they can determine whether it's for them or not.
Aladdin: Webpage?
Iago: Nevermind that, when am I going to get my own book? Or my own webpage, too? Seriously, is that too much to ask?
Iago continues talking a mile a minute, complaining about how he doesn't get enough media coverage or respect.
Aladdin: (Genie, I think we need to leave...)
Genie: (Good idea. He can keep talking, but I think we're done here.)
Aladdin and Genie board Carpet and speed off into the night, leaving Iago behind.
Overall score: 0.5/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.
May 26, 2021
the best thing about this book is the title.
the second best thing is the cover.
that's all there is to it.
this is part of a project i'm doing where i review books i read a long time ago. sometimes it's as simple as this.
the second best thing is the cover.
that's all there is to it.
this is part of a project i'm doing where i review books i read a long time ago. sometimes it's as simple as this.
June 18, 2017
Whats fun/funny for me, may not be for you - thats the first thing to keep in mind when watching a movie claiming to be a comedy, a tv show or reading a book of fairy tales mischievously adapted to the 21rst century and our social media obsessed culture :)
That being said, this was a personally very funny break from the more serious reading i usually do, and it wasnt finished faster because i decided to make it last as much as possible!
What you have here are some of fairy tales most popular heroes in very modern situations - that can lead to hilarious results - The ugly duckling's obsession with instagram, Cinderella and her new found love of Crocs , Snow White and her crush on ryan gosling...and so on.
it reads easy enough and is entertaining - the only reason i dont give it a higher score is because, personally, i find the structuring of it somewhat confusing - the stories are all mixed up so one page you read about snow then the next one is little red ridding hood and then 5 pages later snow white's tale proceeds.
Still - if you have a sense of humour and enjoy fairy tales with a twist, take a peek - its got a few laughs guaranteed! :)
"...Peter Pan was determined to grow up and become a man. First step: stop hashtagging words aloud..."
"Jack became a minor celebrity after slaying the Giant, and he did all the late night talk shows - except for Conan O'Brien, who was too tall for Jack's comfort...."
Happy Readings!
That being said, this was a personally very funny break from the more serious reading i usually do, and it wasnt finished faster because i decided to make it last as much as possible!
What you have here are some of fairy tales most popular heroes in very modern situations - that can lead to hilarious results - The ugly duckling's obsession with instagram, Cinderella and her new found love of Crocs , Snow White and her crush on ryan gosling...and so on.
it reads easy enough and is entertaining - the only reason i dont give it a higher score is because, personally, i find the structuring of it somewhat confusing - the stories are all mixed up so one page you read about snow then the next one is little red ridding hood and then 5 pages later snow white's tale proceeds.
Still - if you have a sense of humour and enjoy fairy tales with a twist, take a peek - its got a few laughs guaranteed! :)
"...Peter Pan was determined to grow up and become a man. First step: stop hashtagging words aloud..."
"Jack became a minor celebrity after slaying the Giant, and he did all the late night talk shows - except for Conan O'Brien, who was too tall for Jack's comfort...."
Happy Readings!
November 6, 2013
How can you not love this book?!? The illustrations are great, the stories either make you laugh, cringe (in a hilarious way), become thoughtful or even a little sad...what more could you ask for? Seriously, this book uses images and text in a way that is very unique, very effective and just makes me want Tim Manley to write another book! I recommend this without hesitation (but keep it for the older crowd, please: these fairytales are for a more mature audience :) ).
Want to Read
July 18, 2013Is this out yet? It sounds fucking hilarious.
November 3, 2013
A copy was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.
"The ugly duckling still felt gross compared with everyone else. but then she got instagram and there's this one filter that makes her look awesome."
I had never heard of Tim Manley's Tumblr page before so when I saw this book I thought it was a brilliant idea. I was expecting witty and funny but unfortunately, that's not what I got.
Manley takes the fairy tales we loved as children and re writes them for the social media generation. for example, the ugly duckling is now taking selfies with instagram and Pinochio is emailing his college lecturer (using his nose) to lie about how he cannot submit his work on time. Its just so hipster-ish. I didn't really find it funny at all. I think a dry humour would have worked better.
This comic seems to be another case of the blog to book epidemic. I say epidemic because I'm not really convinced that it works. There is a reason why these topics makes successful blogs. They suit that format. If it's not broke don't fix it!
If you can borrow this book from a library it might be worth a one time flick through but I wouldn't recommend it as a purchase for the bookshelf.
"The ugly duckling still felt gross compared with everyone else. but then she got instagram and there's this one filter that makes her look awesome."
I had never heard of Tim Manley's Tumblr page before so when I saw this book I thought it was a brilliant idea. I was expecting witty and funny but unfortunately, that's not what I got.
Manley takes the fairy tales we loved as children and re writes them for the social media generation. for example, the ugly duckling is now taking selfies with instagram and Pinochio is emailing his college lecturer (using his nose) to lie about how he cannot submit his work on time. Its just so hipster-ish. I didn't really find it funny at all. I think a dry humour would have worked better.
This comic seems to be another case of the blog to book epidemic. I say epidemic because I'm not really convinced that it works. There is a reason why these topics makes successful blogs. They suit that format. If it's not broke don't fix it!
If you can borrow this book from a library it might be worth a one time flick through but I wouldn't recommend it as a purchase for the bookshelf.
April 3, 2017
I honestly don't even know what to give this. This wasn't what I was expecting. The "stories" are 1-3 sentences on every other page about a certain well-known fairy tales and basically made them all angsty or lazy 20 year olds. Some of the characters are reoccurring, furthering their stories and some of them are mentioned once and never again. While some of them were funny, for the most part it was just on a level of "okay" and didn't impress me much. Don't know if it was worth making a book over. I would have much rather have read fully remade stories than little segments.
Overall, this was a really (really) quick read that passed the time well, but I didn't love or hate it.
Overall, this was a really (really) quick read that passed the time well, but I didn't love or hate it.
June 13, 2018
er zitten hele grappige bij, maar ook hele flauwe. 2.5 of 3 sterren 🤔
recensie binnenkort op myperfectbooklife
recensie binnenkort op myperfectbooklife
November 8, 2013
On the style:
Short passages reflect the brevity of our social media generation's textual conversations. We have become fast-paced digital creatures. Speedy processors of information. Tim Manley is mindful of the target generation of readers. Had the fairytales each been longer, undoubtedly we would lose patience and check our Facebook Newsfeeds.
On the content:
Twenty-somethings. The social media generation. We played kickball with our neighbors. Knocked on friend's doors. Kept loose change for Mr. Softy. Then one day, we instant messaged CUTIEPIE3 from our AOL buddy list and all hell broke loose. Next was AIM, and finally Facebook connected us to college classmates who e-mailed lectures we missed. Then the party invitations, pictures, and dating services. Emoticons succeed love letters. Unannounced visitors seldom ring the bell.
The wild part? Only our generation can personally analyze social media's impact since we actively navigated through its development. And we know it can get weird. And we consider disconnecting on a weekly basis. But social media always wins because we don't want to miss something big.
Alice in Tumblr-Land cleverly highlights the oddities of today's social beings. This book will forever live on my coffee table. Coffee shops and bars catering to 20-somethings should scatter copies. Each passage is a conversation starter. Overall, this book is witty, funny, and entirely relatable to the social media generation.
Short passages reflect the brevity of our social media generation's textual conversations. We have become fast-paced digital creatures. Speedy processors of information. Tim Manley is mindful of the target generation of readers. Had the fairytales each been longer, undoubtedly we would lose patience and check our Facebook Newsfeeds.
On the content:
Twenty-somethings. The social media generation. We played kickball with our neighbors. Knocked on friend's doors. Kept loose change for Mr. Softy. Then one day, we instant messaged CUTIEPIE3 from our AOL buddy list and all hell broke loose. Next was AIM, and finally Facebook connected us to college classmates who e-mailed lectures we missed. Then the party invitations, pictures, and dating services. Emoticons succeed love letters. Unannounced visitors seldom ring the bell.
The wild part? Only our generation can personally analyze social media's impact since we actively navigated through its development. And we know it can get weird. And we consider disconnecting on a weekly basis. But social media always wins because we don't want to miss something big.
Alice in Tumblr-Land cleverly highlights the oddities of today's social beings. This book will forever live on my coffee table. Coffee shops and bars catering to 20-somethings should scatter copies. Each passage is a conversation starter. Overall, this book is witty, funny, and entirely relatable to the social media generation.
February 16, 2015
Buying this book was the best impulse buy I've ever made. As soon as I saw the cover and the title I was like "You are coming home with me book". I mean, how can someone who likes Alice in Wonderland and is obsessed with Tumblr NOT buy this book?!
Okay so, the review:
I LOVED it! It was hilarious and quirky and exactly my type of humor! Definitly the best humor/parody book I've read in a long time (although I don't really read a lot of humor books, but oh whale). The concept was just hilarious and I really felt how new this book was, because they mentioned facebook, instagram, twitter, etsy and a lot of other sites/social medias that are popular right now. I've already said it but I'll say it again, I LOVED it!
Okay so, the review:
I LOVED it! It was hilarious and quirky and exactly my type of humor! Definitly the best humor/parody book I've read in a long time (although I don't really read a lot of humor books, but oh whale). The concept was just hilarious and I really felt how new this book was, because they mentioned facebook, instagram, twitter, etsy and a lot of other sites/social medias that are popular right now. I've already said it but I'll say it again, I LOVED it!
January 10, 2016
Very humorous, and a nice and easy read. Not without meaning, Manley does a good job of using classic characters as a way to remind the modern generation that the morals of fairytales are never outdated.
February 28, 2016
50% (sorta) funny, 50% u tried.
November 20, 2013
I'm having a really hard time forming an opinion on this book. It's definitely not what I expected (or what I was hoping) it would be. But I don't want to hold that against the author...
But I'm not really sure what he's going for. Rather than being like a collection of stories where each plotline had a couple of pages in a row, like mini stories, each had a page here and there scattered throughout the book. After I made it a little over halfway through they kind of pieced together and I realized they weren't all completely random pages from each other, but it took me that long to really start kind of liking it.
I couldn't tell if this quick read (like 30 minutes, quick) was supposed to be a coffee table book (where a guest may flip to and read a random page or two) or if it is supposed to be read like a really quick book.
Some of the modern twists I thought were cute (The Ugly Duckling finding an Instagram filter that actually made her look good), while others were just kind of eh to me (Goldilocks is now gluten free.) Even others were a little much (Beauty and the Beast are "sexting" each other to rekindle their relationship). But again, I won't hold that against the author. Just not quite what I expected.
I'd definitely recommend my friends check it out from the library (as I did) before purchasing...
But I'm not really sure what he's going for. Rather than being like a collection of stories where each plotline had a couple of pages in a row, like mini stories, each had a page here and there scattered throughout the book. After I made it a little over halfway through they kind of pieced together and I realized they weren't all completely random pages from each other, but it took me that long to really start kind of liking it.
I couldn't tell if this quick read (like 30 minutes, quick) was supposed to be a coffee table book (where a guest may flip to and read a random page or two) or if it is supposed to be read like a really quick book.
Some of the modern twists I thought were cute (The Ugly Duckling finding an Instagram filter that actually made her look good), while others were just kind of eh to me (Goldilocks is now gluten free.) Even others were a little much (Beauty and the Beast are "sexting" each other to rekindle their relationship). But again, I won't hold that against the author. Just not quite what I expected.
I'd definitely recommend my friends check it out from the library (as I did) before purchasing...
July 12, 2015
This was really fun!!!! Also very funny. The modern twists to these tales were so fun and clever, I loved them. The illustrations were really nice, too. There was a nice amount of diversity in this that I really appreciated: Sleeping Beauty was black, Mulan got a sex change, Repunzelle started dating a girl and Arthur admitted he's in love with Lancelot. So cool, very funny, nice little read.
March 17, 2015
3.5 star rating.
Let's keep this simple.
It was funny, entertaining, and I need a copy of my own now. :)
Let's keep this simple.
It was funny, entertaining, and I need a copy of my own now. :)
February 13, 2014
This review is just going to be a quickie, because this book is mainly just drawings from the author's website. I love anything to do with fairy tales, and I am always saying this - plus, it was a cool concept. What would fairy tale characters be like if they had to live in a modern world, with all its conveniences? But they also would have to deal with the pitfalls of a technology saturated world. This was supposed to be a book of humorous (and I assume), somewhat fanciful drawings of fairy tale characters. I honestly looked through it and smiled a few times, but for the most part I didn't really find its sense of humor all that amusing. If anything, this book was pretty depressing. I associate fairy tales (and their reimaginings) with magic and the high likelihood of love, or at the least a somewhat happy ending. It wasn't very fun to see beloved characters as mostly miserable, average people. Overall, this was a disappointment and I wouldn't recommend it unless you have an angsty, worry filled personality. Or, if you want to look at the pictures. Those were kind of fun, if you go in with low expectations. Any sort of credit this gets from me is based on the quality of the drawings, and that's it.
VERDICT: 1/5 Stars
*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, Penguin, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published November 5th, 2013.*
VERDICT: 1/5 Stars
*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, Penguin, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published November 5th, 2013.*
November 6, 2013
I have followed this blog for a long time and was super excited for the book to come out. But what makes this book even better than expected is that 1. I think 80-90% of the mini-stories in this book are fresh material, and 2. All of the characters' stories get resolved in some way by the end, lending the whole thing a nice feeling of a (hilarious) multiple-narrator novel, not just a bunch of clever and sometimes raunchy fairy tale snippets.
If you haven't read the blog, the whole book is made up of short less-than-one-page "stories" about familiar fairy characters in situations that twenty-something-year-olds usually find themselves in (though really I think almost any adult could relate to many of these situations and see the humor). We jump from Peter Pan to Cinderella to Robin Hood to Little Red Riding Hood, and so on and so forth. Then we loop around again and again, so you have multiple stories from each character, each with its own narrative arc connecting all the stories. Many are very, very funny (I won't give them away here), and some are more serious or poignant, which I think is what sets this book apart from being a straight-up humor book. It's deeper than that, and therefore better.
If you haven't read the blog, the whole book is made up of short less-than-one-page "stories" about familiar fairy characters in situations that twenty-something-year-olds usually find themselves in (though really I think almost any adult could relate to many of these situations and see the humor). We jump from Peter Pan to Cinderella to Robin Hood to Little Red Riding Hood, and so on and so forth. Then we loop around again and again, so you have multiple stories from each character, each with its own narrative arc connecting all the stories. Many are very, very funny (I won't give them away here), and some are more serious or poignant, which I think is what sets this book apart from being a straight-up humor book. It's deeper than that, and therefore better.
October 29, 2013
Tim Manley’s Alice in Tumblr-land: And Other Fairy Tales for a New Generation tells the stories of fairy tale princesses and heroes, as twenty-somethings navigating relationships, friends, sex, careers and social media.
The Tortoise and the Hare Facebook-stalk each other down opposite career paths. Robin Hood worries if his killer social media campaign is fighting hunger or just slacktivism. Beauty’s new boyfriend plays videogames in his underpants. Ariel just doesn’t get pop culture, besides the episode of Hoarders with all the forks. Rapunzel posts a selfie with her short new do, and wonders, did everyone hate my old look without telling me? Ping’s father still calls him “Mulan” sometimes, but he calls the internet “AOL”, so Ping tries not to hold it against him.
Each story is told in a short blurb -- a bit longer that a tweet, shorter than my blog posts -- and then on to the next story, with the major narratives picked up again. The result is a magical Tumblr feed of fairy-tale characters living out their twenty-something adventures.
Read the rest (mild spoilers, I guess?)
The Tortoise and the Hare Facebook-stalk each other down opposite career paths. Robin Hood worries if his killer social media campaign is fighting hunger or just slacktivism. Beauty’s new boyfriend plays videogames in his underpants. Ariel just doesn’t get pop culture, besides the episode of Hoarders with all the forks. Rapunzel posts a selfie with her short new do, and wonders, did everyone hate my old look without telling me? Ping’s father still calls him “Mulan” sometimes, but he calls the internet “AOL”, so Ping tries not to hold it against him.
Each story is told in a short blurb -- a bit longer that a tweet, shorter than my blog posts -- and then on to the next story, with the major narratives picked up again. The result is a magical Tumblr feed of fairy-tale characters living out their twenty-something adventures.
Read the rest (mild spoilers, I guess?)
May 26, 2016
A dose of reality made this even more hilarious! Little Mermaid's story just didn't appeal to me, although it the end it got better.
Sharing my favorite part. It's funny because it's true! XD
3 stars
Sharing my favorite part. It's funny because it's true! XD
3 stars
October 2, 2019
3.5 Stars
This was a really good book to pass the time,it's hilarious and really fast to read,but it was also a bit sad to realize how many people its actually going trough stuff like this in his real life,so i think the idea of using so remarkable characters going trough them was something really clever.
This was a really good book to pass the time,it's hilarious and really fast to read,but it was also a bit sad to realize how many people its actually going trough stuff like this in his real life,so i think the idea of using so remarkable characters going trough them was something really clever.
October 1, 2024
This book is so unhinged 😂
But I kind of love it!
But I kind of love it!
February 10, 2016
5/5 Stars
This is a short humor book that consists of a collection of short “fairy tales.” Red Riding hood can’t seem to find a good man that doesn’t turn out to be a wolf. Belle’s relationship with the beast is quickly losing steam. Things didn’t work out so well for Cinderella. Alice is a college student that is never sure of what’s happening around her. Geared toward the young adult generation, these tales are sure to have you laughing out loud and nodding your head in agreement, relating to everything our favorite heroines are going through.
I cannot praise this book enough. My goodness, it was excellent. I’m so glad I own it so I can read it like two bazillion more times.
Manley’s writing is wonderful. It’s fun, concise, and to the point, which is how humor writing should be. Even though he only writes in small chunks of text, the stories Manley weaves are impeccable. I adored every word that he put down on the page.
What’s next to touch on? Character development, I guess. Like I said, Manley only writes in small blocks, but he is able to construct some strong, marvelously unique, and in depth characters that all have arcs throughout this short book. Because of how this story is told, I was flipping pages so quick to find out what happened next. Manley keeps the anticipation and tension high by alternating and telling a small portion of each character’s story and then moving on to another one. There’s a small pattern, but not one that can be trusted. These characters are simply magical and will have you begging for more.
So, I’ve touched on characters, and I’ve briefly talked about story, what’s next? I guess I’ll talk about the humor. Manley relies on the “new generation” in order to tell his jokes. Most of them focus around social media, gossip, and ideas that plague young adults. So, if this isn’t your style, maybe don’t pick up this book. However, I can assure you that this book is fantastically hilarious and had me laughing out loud on many more than a few occasions. The humor is topnotch. Two thumbs up!
Another thing that I need to talk about before wrapping up this review are the illustrations. These pictures are gorgeous. I love everything about them. They made for perfect companions to the stories being told. These are the types of drawings that are beautiful in simultaneously being simple and complex. They’re wonderful to the eye simply passing by, but they provide the goods in the details for those who want to stop and stare awhile.
The final thing I’m going to say is that I love how feminist and empowering this book was not only to woman, but honestly to anyone involved. There were some great things happening here, making this book a must-read for everyone.
This is a lovely book that focusses on happy endings that don’t always have to revolve around woman finding their prince charming. (Thank god.) Manley reminds us that there is more than one type of happy ending, many more, and he brings us to that conclusion through humor and wit. Whether it’s finally selling that piece of artwork you’ve been working on for ages, breaking away from your social media addiction, or rediscovering love, Manly lets us know that there’s happiness out there for anyone.
I highly, highly, highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It’s a fabulous read that will sure to have you chuckling all the way through, leaving you smiling and satisfied. But, beware, it will also leave you wanting so, so much more. I couldn’t get enough of these stories and characters!
Review originally published on my Wordpress blog Dreaming Through Literature.
This is a short humor book that consists of a collection of short “fairy tales.” Red Riding hood can’t seem to find a good man that doesn’t turn out to be a wolf. Belle’s relationship with the beast is quickly losing steam. Things didn’t work out so well for Cinderella. Alice is a college student that is never sure of what’s happening around her. Geared toward the young adult generation, these tales are sure to have you laughing out loud and nodding your head in agreement, relating to everything our favorite heroines are going through.
I cannot praise this book enough. My goodness, it was excellent. I’m so glad I own it so I can read it like two bazillion more times.
Manley’s writing is wonderful. It’s fun, concise, and to the point, which is how humor writing should be. Even though he only writes in small chunks of text, the stories Manley weaves are impeccable. I adored every word that he put down on the page.
What’s next to touch on? Character development, I guess. Like I said, Manley only writes in small blocks, but he is able to construct some strong, marvelously unique, and in depth characters that all have arcs throughout this short book. Because of how this story is told, I was flipping pages so quick to find out what happened next. Manley keeps the anticipation and tension high by alternating and telling a small portion of each character’s story and then moving on to another one. There’s a small pattern, but not one that can be trusted. These characters are simply magical and will have you begging for more.
So, I’ve touched on characters, and I’ve briefly talked about story, what’s next? I guess I’ll talk about the humor. Manley relies on the “new generation” in order to tell his jokes. Most of them focus around social media, gossip, and ideas that plague young adults. So, if this isn’t your style, maybe don’t pick up this book. However, I can assure you that this book is fantastically hilarious and had me laughing out loud on many more than a few occasions. The humor is topnotch. Two thumbs up!
Another thing that I need to talk about before wrapping up this review are the illustrations. These pictures are gorgeous. I love everything about them. They made for perfect companions to the stories being told. These are the types of drawings that are beautiful in simultaneously being simple and complex. They’re wonderful to the eye simply passing by, but they provide the goods in the details for those who want to stop and stare awhile.
The final thing I’m going to say is that I love how feminist and empowering this book was not only to woman, but honestly to anyone involved. There were some great things happening here, making this book a must-read for everyone.
This is a lovely book that focusses on happy endings that don’t always have to revolve around woman finding their prince charming. (Thank god.) Manley reminds us that there is more than one type of happy ending, many more, and he brings us to that conclusion through humor and wit. Whether it’s finally selling that piece of artwork you’ve been working on for ages, breaking away from your social media addiction, or rediscovering love, Manly lets us know that there’s happiness out there for anyone.
I highly, highly, highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It’s a fabulous read that will sure to have you chuckling all the way through, leaving you smiling and satisfied. But, beware, it will also leave you wanting so, so much more. I couldn’t get enough of these stories and characters!
Review originally published on my Wordpress blog Dreaming Through Literature.
December 10, 2013
Alice in Tumblr-land is a book full of snippets and pictures that help narrate fairy tales in the modern era. Peter Pan wants nothing more than to be internet famous, Alice experiences a drug trip, and Sleeping Beauty and the Ugly Duckling struggle with self-esteem problems. This is a fairy tale for the technology generation.
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This book was dark and strange, and I loved it. It wasn't at all what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I snickered throughout reading it.
One of the things that I most enjoyed about this was the graphics. Each short little tale has a picture with it, and I really liked the artwork. They're drawings that look simple, but that are still way better than I'd ever do.
Another thing that I liked about this book was the size of the stories. Each page has only a few sentences and a picture, making the book seem easier to read. You can either read a bit at a time and appreciate each page on its own, or if you read it in longer sections, you can see the wider story arcs that each character we know and love experiences.
All in all, it made me laugh out loud more than once. I would recommend it mostly to my fellow in-their-20's internet dwellers, the ones that either use or scoff at instagram, that use tumblr or imgur or the like, because I feel that they'll be the ones that connect with it most. However, if you like retellings and use the internet, I'm sure you'll get a chuckle out of it too.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books for my chance to read this. This review can also be found on my new blog, Bitches n Prose.
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This book was dark and strange, and I loved it. It wasn't at all what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I snickered throughout reading it.
One of the things that I most enjoyed about this was the graphics. Each short little tale has a picture with it, and I really liked the artwork. They're drawings that look simple, but that are still way better than I'd ever do.
Another thing that I liked about this book was the size of the stories. Each page has only a few sentences and a picture, making the book seem easier to read. You can either read a bit at a time and appreciate each page on its own, or if you read it in longer sections, you can see the wider story arcs that each character we know and love experiences.
All in all, it made me laugh out loud more than once. I would recommend it mostly to my fellow in-their-20's internet dwellers, the ones that either use or scoff at instagram, that use tumblr or imgur or the like, because I feel that they'll be the ones that connect with it most. However, if you like retellings and use the internet, I'm sure you'll get a chuckle out of it too.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books for my chance to read this. This review can also be found on my new blog, Bitches n Prose.
October 17, 2014
Have you ever wanted to know what happens to your favorite fairytale characters after the happily ever after? Then Alice in Tumbr-land is the perfect book for you. It has all the answers about the fairy tale characters, even some of the ones I had forgotten about. It also takes a look at what fairy tales would be like in our modern world.
Alice in Tumblr-land takes the harsh realities of being an adult and puts them in a sarcastic, humorous light. I think everyone will be able to identify with at least one of the characters, whether that be Peter Pan who is addicted to social media, or The Ugly Duckling who is always finding flaws about herself. Peter Pan is my favorite character in the book. A few people I know (including myself) could learn a few things from him. The book also takes a few slight jabs at pop culture, which I found hilarious.
One of the things that blew me away in the book was the illustrations. I was impressed at how beautiful most of them were. I didn't expect it based on the book's subject matter. There were a few of them, such as the one of Robin Hood thinking while on a walk, that would make awesome tattoos. There are a few quotes in the book that would also make cool tattoos. I know it's weird, but it's something that caught my attention while reading.
Alice in Tumblr-land was an incredible book. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The book got added to the list of my favorite fairy tale retellings. If you have a great sense of humor, like sarcasm, and need a laugh, you should definitely check out Alice in Tumblr-land. You won't regret it.
Alice in Tumblr-land takes the harsh realities of being an adult and puts them in a sarcastic, humorous light. I think everyone will be able to identify with at least one of the characters, whether that be Peter Pan who is addicted to social media, or The Ugly Duckling who is always finding flaws about herself. Peter Pan is my favorite character in the book. A few people I know (including myself) could learn a few things from him. The book also takes a few slight jabs at pop culture, which I found hilarious.
One of the things that blew me away in the book was the illustrations. I was impressed at how beautiful most of them were. I didn't expect it based on the book's subject matter. There were a few of them, such as the one of Robin Hood thinking while on a walk, that would make awesome tattoos. There are a few quotes in the book that would also make cool tattoos. I know it's weird, but it's something that caught my attention while reading.
Alice in Tumblr-land was an incredible book. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The book got added to the list of my favorite fairy tale retellings. If you have a great sense of humor, like sarcasm, and need a laugh, you should definitely check out Alice in Tumblr-land. You won't regret it.
December 18, 2013
Alice In Tumblr Land is a series of fairy tales retold for the jaded internet age where all the characters are kind of like hipsters. Little Red Riding Hood is trying not to meet creepy men. Snow White and Prince Charming are married with difficulties. Rapunzel has cut her hair off and all her friends like her profile picture better. Mulan is having an identity crisis.
Actually most of the characters are suffering an identity crisis or some form of ennui. Since there are a lot of characters and the stories alternate by page, I found it a bit confusing at first, but eventually found that the stories continue. There are illustrations on every alternating page that give the book more of a fairy tale feel. Each page is short, presumably for the attention deprived.
It's all got a dark humor to it that was lost on me at first. It's funny while being depressing. I'm not sure who I know that I'd recommend this too, but I know Tim Manley has a following on the internet.
I was given a review copy of this book by Penguin Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this book.
Actually most of the characters are suffering an identity crisis or some form of ennui. Since there are a lot of characters and the stories alternate by page, I found it a bit confusing at first, but eventually found that the stories continue. There are illustrations on every alternating page that give the book more of a fairy tale feel. Each page is short, presumably for the attention deprived.
It's all got a dark humor to it that was lost on me at first. It's funny while being depressing. I'm not sure who I know that I'd recommend this too, but I know Tim Manley has a following on the internet.
I was given a review copy of this book by Penguin Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this book.
January 25, 2014
This is a very short book, but be forewarned: it's really hard to put down. It consists of a series of very short vignettes (I think that's the right word) and illustrations on fairytale characters in modern times...Sleeping Beauty checking facebook in bed, Rapunzel putting up a profile picture with her new short haircut (everyone likes it, which makes her wonder, "did everyone hate my long hair and just not tell me?" :). What makes it so hard to set aside is that the stories are all mixed into the book -- one page will be about one character, the next another. They do all form complete stories, but it makes it so there's no convenient stopping point :)
I really liked these. They're full of today's 20-something ethos, tied in to technology and uncertain about pretty much everything. While that's a topic that's quickly wearing thin, the fairytale angle added freshness, and the cynicism that characterizes the topic was mild, interspersed with humor. There are a lot of great quotes and "oh, that's exactly right" moments. This is a book I want to keep handy and should I ever have a coffee table, I'll want it on there to entertain anyone who stops by.
I really liked these. They're full of today's 20-something ethos, tied in to technology and uncertain about pretty much everything. While that's a topic that's quickly wearing thin, the fairytale angle added freshness, and the cynicism that characterizes the topic was mild, interspersed with humor. There are a lot of great quotes and "oh, that's exactly right" moments. This is a book I want to keep handy and should I ever have a coffee table, I'll want it on there to entertain anyone who stops by.
April 25, 2026
"Her doubts and uncertainties lingered, they did, but she knew now they would never fully go away. They weren't a sign she was doing something wrong. Neither were her mistakes
Everything she'd been through, it was all just part of the story."
Alice in Tumblr-land is unique for having some truly impactful, meaningful storylines followed by some of the cringiest 2013 humor known to mankind. The highlights are found in the storylines for Cinderella, Robin Hood, Mulan (though a bit dated), Rapunzel, The Little Mermaid and King Arthur. Hansel and Gretel, The Ugly Duckling and The Tortoise and the Hare are also good, but significantly weaker than the others.
Peter Pan is a definite low point, though has a nice conclusion. Alice is in the same boat, despite being the titular storyline. Beauty and the Beast is very predictable. Sleeping Beauty has a strong backing, but falls flat overall.
But this was a fun, easy read!! If you ever find a copy of this in the wild, I highly suggest flipping through it and even actively seeking out the Cinderella and Robin Hood entries specifically.
January 8, 2015
This came across my desk by accident--it had been ordered by our adult fiction buyer but our TS department assumed it was for teen. I can see why, and I'm debating ordering another copy for teen. I definitely think it would have a lot of teen appeal, although the jokes are most squarely aimed at post-college life. There are a few jokes that are a little bit adult (the word "sexting" is used) but I don't think there's anything in here that's more explicit than say, a Lauren Myracle novel.
I hadn't heard of the Fairy Tales for Twentysomethings blog before, but this is that blog in book form. Like a lot of blogs in book form, I think this is the kind of thing that's absolutely cute and charming on Tumblr, but when you sit down and read a whole book of it, it's like, yeah, okay, I get it, what if fairy tale characters had Facebook.
Still, there are a lot of solidly funny jokes in here, and the artwork is adorable.
I hadn't heard of the Fairy Tales for Twentysomethings blog before, but this is that blog in book form. Like a lot of blogs in book form, I think this is the kind of thing that's absolutely cute and charming on Tumblr, but when you sit down and read a whole book of it, it's like, yeah, okay, I get it, what if fairy tale characters had Facebook.
Still, there are a lot of solidly funny jokes in here, and the artwork is adorable.
July 15, 2015
Rating: 3.75 Stars
I really loved the premise. Fairy tails given the chance to grow up and evolve into something more modern, what more could you possibly want? I appreciated how brief and refreshing each chunk of story was. It wasn't an overload of information. Some weren't as great as others, but there was a really great chunk of them with creative references to social media and modern situations. A nice light read and good for a laugh. The artwork is a sweet addition to the little excerpts as well. Overall a lovely modern fairy tail rendition for older readers. (Note: Some include references to alcohol and swearing and the like. It's not in every single one or the main basis for the whole thing in any way, but it does happen more than once, so that should be known.)
I really loved the premise. Fairy tails given the chance to grow up and evolve into something more modern, what more could you possibly want? I appreciated how brief and refreshing each chunk of story was. It wasn't an overload of information. Some weren't as great as others, but there was a really great chunk of them with creative references to social media and modern situations. A nice light read and good for a laugh. The artwork is a sweet addition to the little excerpts as well. Overall a lovely modern fairy tail rendition for older readers. (Note: Some include references to alcohol and swearing and the like. It's not in every single one or the main basis for the whole thing in any way, but it does happen more than once, so that should be known.)
September 24, 2013
Absolutely delightful book! Manley cleverly reimagines all the familiar fairy tale characters we know from childhood and infuses them with embarassingly recognizable millennial anxieties: Am I going to figure out what to do with my life post-college? Why didn't I get enough Facebook likes on that post? Why are there so many wolves on online dating sites? AM I GOING TO BE OKAY IN THE REAL WORLD?? All the characters are endearing... The Ugly Duckling, for example, stresses about her high school reunion. The humor is zippy, the pop culture references are fresh (Kim & Kanye, ha!), and the illustrations are whimsical. This hilarious book really does capture the voice of a generation.
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