Mothers Grimm

by Danielle Wood

A sly, cheeky and blackly comic telling of mothering, heartache, heartbreak, desire, love and death.

In the fairytales of the Brothers Grimm, Rapunzel’s mother trades her firstborn child for a handful of leafy greens, and
Hansel’s step-mother abandons him in a clearing in the forest. In ‘The Goose Girl’, the queen sends her daughter away
to her fate with a bloodied handkerchief tucked in her bosom, and in ‘Sleeping Beauty’, Mama’s best efforts cannot
prevent one little prick from having disastrous consequences for the heroine. Danielle Wood’s Mothers Grimm brings characters from these stories into the modern world in a collection of four long stories that interrogate contemporary
womanhood and motherhood. Happy endings not guaranteed.

Genres: Short Stories, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Fiction, Retellings, Contemporary, Unfinished

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2014

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

[Sally906 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say the book wasn’t quite what I expected. I assumed that each of the four stories that appear in MOTHERS GRIMM would be a recognisable retelling of some well-loved Grimm brother’s fairy tale. However what I felt I actually got were contemporary stories that were so twisted from the original tale that the connection was at best very tenuous, and in the case of at least one of them I just didn’t get it at all. The prologue set the stage and I absolutely loved it. It described the ‘good mother’ the one we all strive to be, but no real mother can ever achieve the goal, and concludes that”...why it is, in fairy tales, that the Good Mother is always dead.” Once the prologue was completed the stories commenced - Lettuce, inspired by Rapunzel; Cottage by Hansel and Gretel; Sleep, naturally by Sleeping Beauty; and, finally, Nag inspired by The Goose Girl. Set in Australia the main characters are all mothers who are each more familiar to me than the mythical perfect mother. Mothers-to-be taking yoga classes to ensure a stress free, pain free birth all obsessing over one of the other women; a working mother who is traumatised at having to leave her precious (dare I say spoiled) son at a day-care centre, a teen suddenly rebelling and falling pregnant and desperately needing sleep, and the final one was about an overworked housewife and mother. In all of the tales the reader is told of the fairy tale link, although except for the last one I am sure most readers will pick up on it themselves. I really enjoyed the first two stories, however, the last two stories were not really my cup of tea and the last one, Nag, didn’t draw me in at all. Each of the stories are very well written and many of the fictional mothers shared thoughts with the reader that seemed hauntingly familiar to some of my own thoughts as a first time mother – their insecurities, fears and mind-numbing tiredness. I didn’t find it funny – well there was humour in the prologue, but the stories that followed steadily seem to increase in bleakness. As it says on the cover ‘Happy endings not guaranteed.’



3 stars – Above average. Was very readable and I really liked it but was easily able to put it down and walk away for a while.

With thanks to Allen & Unwin and the author for this copy to read and review

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author sets the tone for this collection of short stories with her prologue with a description of the Good Mother, you know the one with the white as white washing and the perfectly behaved children who sleep through the night and never cry. But as she surmises, in fairy tales the Good Mother is always dead.

In this retelling of four popular fairy tales in a modern setting, women fall short of their aspirations to be the Good Mother and instead the realities of motherhood drive them want to give away their children in exchange for a stress-free lifestyle or just a really good long sleep.

Witty and clever, I enjoyed these re-made tales particularly "Lettuce" and "Cottage" a reworking of Rapunzel and Hansel and Gretel. As promised in the introduction, unlike in traditional fairytales, happy endings are not guaranteed.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

From an Uncorrected Proof kindly provided by Allen & Unwin and The Reading Room.
Mothers Grimm is the third fiction book by Australian teacher and author, Danielle Wood. It is a collection of four short stories that offer strikingly different versions of fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm. The prologue describes for readers The Good Mother, a woman we all recognise but can somehow never actually be. The first story, Lettuce is Rapunzel in deep disguise; Cottage is Hansel and Gretel with a modern day twist; Sleep, of course, takes a different look at Sleeping Beauty; while Nag is a very alternative interpretation of The Goose Girl. These stories have beautiful women and crones; babies are abandoned at birth, or taken and left daily in the woods known as child care; mothers suffer from sleep deprivation, loneliness, rejection, exhaustion and lack of support. As well as being blackly funny, these tales are thought-provoking, clever and occasionally heart-breaking enough to produce a lump in the throat of the most cynical reader. The characters are familiar from the preschool, the mothers group, the yoga class and the café. The prose is often wonderfully evocative: “You turn your back and walk out the door and, as you do, you hear your [baby] screaming. The effect is like having your uterus torn out through your earholes.” “Being the younger sister, Lauren thought, was a bit like turning up in the afternoon to a garage sale once all the good stuff was gone.” “…the rich smell of coffee made Meg’s lemon and ginger tea taste even more like the overpriced hot water that it was.” “His crying echoed within her all the way to the car, all the way to work through the morning-choked streets, stowing away in the curling corridors of her ears…” Being a mother is NOT a prerequisite for enjoying this novel, but it is certainly a book that will appeal to mothers. Reading (or rereading) the original versions of the fairy tales is likewise not absolutely necessary, but doing so (and Wikipedia is helpful here!) will demonstrate just how cleverly Wood incorporates various elements of the original tales in her own creations. Really quite brilliant!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible throught provoking and heartfelt journey. Mothers Grimm is a selection of 4 short stories that are about mothers loosely based on the Grimm fairytales.

An incredible eye opening book that will challenge any woman, particularly mother who reads it. It is like nothing I have ever read before, it makes the reader keenly aware of the pressure that women and mothers feel on a daily basis. The characters were all relateable and their plights will be felt leaving the reader pondering for quite some time after finishing.

I would recommend this book to any mothers, it was an eyeopening journey that makes one aware of the daily struggles a mother faces

[Figgy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I try not to judge a book too much by what my expectations were going in, but sometimes it just can’t be avoided.

In this instance, I fell like I was offered modern day magic, or at least something “other”.
But each of these stories only had a very small link to the original fairytale, more often than not unfeasible in this modern, real world they were thrust into.

The rest of this review can be found here!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of dark "fairytales" around the subject of motherhood.

[Alison Stegert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A full review can be found on my blog, Spilling Ink, here.http://ali-stegert.com/2014/09/03/boo...
I love fairytale retellings. It's my "thing." So, when I saw Mothers Grimm, I was instantly hooked--especially with the fabulous cover and the blurbs on the front cover. Tell me--Who can resist "wickedly dark, astonishingly funny?"

But I have to admit, this book wasn't what I was expecting. If you're after "Once-upon-a-times," "love's first kiss," and "happily-ever-afters," this isn't the book for you. (Incidentally, that's not what I'm after either. I like dark, rich archetypes and stories that zap the slumbering collective-unconscious, neither of which I found in this book.)

Though the fairytale link is tenuous, what this book offers is fantastic writing. Danielle Wood's stories of motherhood, love, and female friendships thrum with truth. On page after page I encountered creepily familiar thoughts, insecurities, and reflections, things I'd assumed to be my own unique brand of weird. Who knew other women were plagued with such things? Maybe I'm okay after all...

Raw and honest?--Yes. Absolutely. "Astonishingly funny?"--Not for me. Sorry. I found the stories in the book beautiful in their bleakness and honesty but not funny.

There is a lot to admire and enjoy in Mothers Grimm--even if there is no big, bad wolf or wicked witch. 3.5 stars.

I received an uncorrected proof from Allen & Unwin for an honest review.

[Sharon Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received my copy of "Mothers Grimm" from TheReadingRoom and Allen & Unwin for which I thank them :)

Wow - a pretty amazing read and one that I read in one sitting I enjoyed it that much. "Mothers Grimm" as you can probably tell by the title is something of a twist on the Brothers Grimm. I never really cared much for many of the Grimm fairytales as a child - they seemed rather cruel and quite nasty to me, which of course they were!

Author Danielle Wood has written 4 short stories which deal with motherhood, each story entirely different and totally believable - although I didn't care as much for the last story 'Nag' as I did for the first three, 'Lettuce', 'Cottage' and 'Sleep'. These first three were absolutely riveting, managing to make you smile but also make your heart break in two. As it says on the cover - Happy endings not guaranteed!

Mothers Grimm wasn't exactly what I was expecting but it was so much more - an incredible read and if it wasn't for the final story not quite doing it for me, I would have given 5 stars, but I've settled for 4 (it would be 4.5 if Goodreads had half stars!)

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED IT! Four tales and I laughed at each one. Expectant mothers should be given a copy when they announce they are pregnant. Throw away "What To Expect When You're Expecting" and read this instead. Far more important to know what you are up against when the sprog arrives. Easy to read and, in fact, I read it in one go. Love, love, love it.

[AllAboutBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say I love Danielle's work. Australian writers produce such great work. This Fiction book contains a prologue and four short stories that are equally powerful in their own way. There is definitely a grim view of motherhood in these short stories. They make you think rather than being enjoyable. The writing is good.

I particularly loved the final story "Nag" which brought me to tears. The main character accepted her lot in life but the story was infused with a steadfast acceptance of the way things just 'are' but with such an underlying private yearning for something else.

Being a mother is not necessary for enjoying this novel, but it is certainly a book that will appeal to mothers more. Reading the original versions of the fairy tales is likewise not absolutely necessary but some may enjoy it anyway.

For many, this fiction book Deals with interesting and difficult situations well and will bring up memories of early days as a young mum for some of the readers! I wish I had read Mother’s Grim in those early, grim days of parenting. Sure, I may still have cried endless tears over crying, unsleeping children, but at least I would have known that, even in the dark, I wasn’t alone. I ordered this fiction book online in Pakistan from www.chapters.pk Chapters online bookstore for Rs 1305 which is just over $7 so I thought that was a good deal. I would certainly recommend that you get this book.

Leaving you with this emotional note from the book:
When Hedgehog II is a year old, your partner announced he is leaving you.
‘I think you have a personality disorder,’ he says.
‘Of course I have a personality disorder,’ you say. ‘I haven’t slept for three years.

[Tien · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a fairytale, the only good mother is six feet under. All the others are bad news.

By this part of the blurb alone, it should be pretty obvious what we’re getting here. None of that Disney fairy tales with an Happy Ever Afters. By the last line of the Prologue; ”...why it is, in fairy tales, that the Good Mother is always dead.”, I questioned the timing of my reading this book on motherhood (FYI, am expecting my second baby in about 6 weeks). Yet, I continued reading with some foreboding...

There are 4 stories in this novel which I supposed inspired rather than a retelling of any fairy tales. Each story was preceded by some phrases of a fairy tale on which stories are based. These stories are set in more contemporary times with loose interpretations on fairy tales’ mothers. What is missing from these stories are the magic usually employed in fairy tales, the basic good vs. evil, and the ultimate love prevails overall sort of path. In spite of this, these stories are cleverly realistic and frighteningly Grimm-like.

The black and white of distinction between good and evil is blurred as these stories dug into the human psyche. These mothers are far from perfect and each carry own unique struggles in her role as a woman and a mother. These well-told tales carried the burdens of motherhood throughout the ages into contemporary settings where appearances are just never what they seemed. This was highlighted throughout by black humour; pushing out or aside that darkness within us all can sometimes be overpowering.

My instincts tell me that if I were to read this a decade or so from now, I would’ve appreciated it more. But in consideration of my current situation, my heart ached for the future: the upcoming birth, the joys & pains of small children, and further on, the promised heartbreak when they will eventually leave home. These are, of course, the natural course of life though reading Mothers Grimm made it all so awfully real to me –that these all collided in to one point in time so near rather than throughout the next decade or two. This book is one I’d like to re-read one day in the distant future to hopefully better appreciate.

Thank you, Allen & Unwin in conjunction with The Reading Room for copy of paperback .

[Emmy9394 · Rating 3 out of 5]

More a three and a half for me. I had been coveting this book for a long time and was disappointed to discover that it was not what I expected.

I cannot deny that the book was beautifully written - the prose made me incredibly happy - but it didn't speak to me as a twenty-year-old university student. I truly believe that to enjoy this book in all its glory it is important to have the experience of a mother.

Made up of four short stories and a prologue, Mothers Grimm is a very subversive exploration of fairytale mothers.

The prologue is divine - the description of the difficulties of parenting and the comparisons mothers draw between themselves. This is encapsulated in the form of the 'good mother', the woman everyone strives to be but never will be.

Lettuce - loosely based on Rapunzel - is the story of a prenatal yoga group and the friendships between the women, and their obsession with the good mother in their group. A twist at the end proves that the good mother isn't all that she appears to be.

Cottage, a Hansel and Gretel reworking, explores the guilt mothers feel leaving their children in childcare.

Sleeping Beauty is reinterpreted in Sleep which portrays the overwhelming difficulties new mothers face when coping alone.

The fourth story, Nag, which I believe is based on 'The Goose Girl' didn't capture my attention as much as the other three - possible because I don't know this story particularly well and therefore didn't understand Wood's interpretation. It captures the often difficult relationships mothers have with their daughters.

I would still recommend this book, but to a certain audience - not to my university friends, but perhaps to my mother's friends and to new mothers. The prose itself is enough reason to read the stories, even without the experiences which would make it a perfect read.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just…very average. That is the most accurate description I can think of. Each story was fairly nondescript, blending into each other – I’ve just finished the book, and already I cannot recall details from each individual story. I just know that all the women in the book were crazy.

There are books that go out with a bang, and books that go out with a whimper. This one goes out silently. You are reading, and then suddenly the word ‘acknowledgements’ greets you in big letters, and you realise that the book has finished. There is no actual conclusion to any of the stories.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. I give two types of three-stars: the ‘meh’ type, and the ‘some-bits-were-great-but-some-were-terrible’ type. This was (if you haven’t already figured it out) the ‘meh’ type. And that is the worst insult you can give a book, I think. I know that if I were an author, I would prefer readers to rant over my book over simply letting it slip from their consciousness the moment the book finishes.

Read it…read it if you are looking to catch up on your Reading Challenge. That’s why I read it. It’s fairly short, it’s fairly painless, and if you’re looking for an inoffensive, bland interlude between heavy literature or trashy YA, this might be the book for you.

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wood has written four short stories that explore motherhood, riffing on an altered fairy tale theme. I appreciated that she tried to get at the complexities - she didn't just cover the usual ground of "motherhood is so hard but in the end I love my kid so much and it all turns out fine". Each story is messy and she departs from the fairy tale theme as none of them end neatly with a happy ending.
At some points the writing tended to get a bit too flowery and some characters seem more cliche than reality. That does fit with the fairy tale theme but at the same time made it a bit harder to engage.
Overall though, there was a tone throughout the book of melancholy that I found quite beautiful. It was very readable and I'd recommend it to most of my friends.

Note: I received an uncorrected proof of this book for free from Allen & Unwin.

[Karina Almeroth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flawless.

The most perfect book! I love how (only the truly great) fairytale writers, retellers of fairytales, weave that spell over you. This book is magical.

It's dreamy, it casts a spell over you, it's both wickedly funny and heartbreakingly devastating. It 's all about motherhood, the pain, exhaustion, how it rips everything out of you, yet you adore your kids..

It's all fairytales about mothers. And you know what they say about mothers....'The best ones are all in the ground.'

[Emma Monfries · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. It begins with a summary of the 'good mother' archetype and then retells four fairytales. The tales are very dark, and while the central theme is motherhood, the stories are truly about womanhood, and society's unrealistic and unfair expectations of all of us. I found the stories enormously insightful as to how we think of ourselves and others, and of the dark places that perfectionism can take us. Highly, highly recommended.

[Tehani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look, it wasn't that this book wasn't well written. It was. But it is absolutely NOT what the cover and blurb and tagline try to make it out to be. This is grim, realistic fiction - go into it expecting that, and you'll probably enjoy the reading experience much more than I did.

[Sonia Bowditch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. An honest exploration of much of the hard stuff that comes with motherhood and all with a nod to Grimm's fairy tales that we know and love. This book is funny, heartbreaking and amazingly perceptive.

[Kylie]

Modern fairy tales about all the fears and dreams and desperations and desires of mothers old and new.

Devastating and magical.

[Ziyy · Rating 3 out of 5]

*As seen on my blog*

Mother’s Grimm karya Danielle Wood adalah sebuah buku yang memuat empat kisah retellings -some Mother characters from Brother’s Grimm Fairytale. Kisah-kisah yang berbeda, namun memiliki tone dan ending senada. Yang pertama berjudul Lettuce . Tentang Meg, seorang wanita yang secara fisik, bertubuh tinggi dan biasa. Meg tipikal observator. She thinks about things around her but she’s a quiet person. Ketika hamil anak pertamanya, ia ikut kelas yoga untuk ibu-ibu hamil. Di sana, ia bertemu seorang wanita bertubuh sempurna. Melekat padanya perhiasan dan pakaian berkelas. Bahkan dalam kondisi hamil besar, wanita itu terlihat cantik. Yang juga tak luput dari penglihatan Meg adalah bahwa wanita itu, meski hamil, tak mengenakan cincin kawin. Meg memanggilnya Treasure.

Sejak itu, pupil Meg selalu awas saat ada Treasure dan terhadap segala hal tentangnya.

Lalu mengapa judulnya Lettuce?

Di hari persalinan anak pertamanya (yang ia beri nama Jackson Alexander Campbell), di klinik tempat ia melahirkan, ada seorang bayi perempuan cantik yang ditinggal ibunya begitu saja. Melihat bayi itu, ia memberi saran nama Lettuce. Terdengar silly, tapi jika apa yang dipikirkannya benar hingga ia mencetuskan nama Lettuce itu, maka tak salah lagi bahwa bayi itu adalah bayi milik Treasure. Mengapa sampai bayi cantik itu ditinggalkan?

Next.

Kisah kedua berjudul Cottage . Berkisah tentang seorang ibu, Nina, yang mesti meninggalkan impiannya untuk menjadi ibu rumah tangga; merawat anak-anaknya dengan perhatian penuh. Apalagi anak pertamanya, Henry, adalah bayi yang butuh perhatian khusus; tubuhnya kurus, susah makan, dan emosinya sering tak stabil. Bukan keinginan Nina untuk menjadi working mom, tapi keadaan finansial keluarga kecilnya. Lucas, sang suami, memiliki hutang besar yang meski dengan tambahan Nina bekerja pun, baru bisa dilunasi dengan angsuran bertahun-tahun. And so it goes, childcare is the solution.

Childcare tempat ia menitipkan Henry dan Gracie (putri kedua Nina) bernama Cottage. Hari-hari pertama Henry dan Gracie ditinggal di Cottage selama Nina bekerja, terasa begitu sulit. Henry menjerit-jerit, menangis hingga muntah, tak pernah benar-benar rela ditinggal ibunya. Nina pun, tak sanggup melihat Henry bereaksi seperti itu hingga ia jadi tak fokus dengan pekerjaannya.

Tapi hari-hari berlalu menjadi minggu, lalu menjadi bulan, dan Henry terbiasa dengan ritual perpisahannya dengan Nina sebelum ia berangkat bekerja. Sayangnya, Henry juga jadi lebih lengket pada salah satu perawat yang bekerja di Cottage yang bernama Beverly. To the point that Henry compares Nina to Beverly, even choosing Beverly over her. Henry masih dengan emosinya yang tak stabil. Paranoia Henry bahwa Nina sudi untuk sewaktu-waktu pergi meninggalkannya dan tak kembali juga masih ada. Dan satu momen tantrum Henry mentrigger emosi terpendam Nina (sedih, takut, cinta, khawatir dan marah) hingga Nina menjadi sesosok Ibu yang tak ia kenali lagi.

Hmm… Masih ada dua kisah bernuansa Grimm dalam buku ini. Baiknya mungkin saya stop sampai di dua kisah pertama ya?

Okelah, sedikit aja deh tentang dua kisah berikutnya.

Kisah ketiga, berjudul Sleep . Sedikit banyak tentang seorang wanita muda, yang hamil dan memiliki anak di luar rencananya dan selanjutnya kisahnya ditambahi sentuhan baby blues. Saya kesulitan menceritakannya kembali dalam kalimat-kalimat singkat, tapi yang jelas, buat saya kisah ketiga ini yang paling ‘Grimm’. Gimana, jadi penasaran kenapa saya bilang paling Grimm?

Last story, berjudul Nag . Saya paling ngga gitu mudeng dengan cerita yang terakhir ini. Lebih tepatnya ngga tahu apa yang membuat narator dikategorikan ‘Grimm’ (Oh My, Grimm udah bukan sekedar nama tapi udah kaya kata sifat!) kecuali bahwa ia membunuh seekor kuda yang menurutnya berbisik kepadanya –yup, sedikit fantasy untuk kisah terakhir ini. Narasinya maju mundur, tentang si narator yang bernama Avery mengenang kembali hari terakhir sebelum ia memisahkan diri dari ibunya. Avery mengingat perhatian sekaligus kesedihan ibunya saat melepaskan dirinya. It happens that the life (and the man) she has chosen might not the one her mother’s wanted. Sometimes she regret that (maybe most of the times). But she walked on. And now that her children are grown up, it comes to her, the feeling her mother’s once have about her and her life. If only she did better.

Eeeh, what a long post (and yet I still have couple things to say)!

That evening, Meg’s mother came to the hospital to meet her grandson.

‘Did you . . . ?’ Meg began.

Meg was tired and weepy by now and uncertain she could continue, and yet there was something she had to know. ‘Mum, did you feel this? Did you . . . love me this much?’

Meg looked closely at her mother, and at the unkindnesses done to her face by the years of trying to hold it all perfectly together. The scoldings, the crossness, the indignation: they all showed. But, even so, they were not up to the task of hiding her wistfulness.

‘Hold on to that feeling, Meggie,’ her mother said. ‘Because it has to last you for a very, very long time.’

Membaca buku ini, membuka mata saya akan beratnya menjadi seorang ibu dan bahwa menjadi ibu yang baik itu susah. Padahal menjadi ibu yang baik adalah dambaan semua ibu muda. Karena dalam prosesnya, kehidupan wanita yang menjadi ibu ditempa dengan hal-hal rutinitas dan aktivitas yang menguras tenaga, pikiran, dan emosi. Yang tiapnya, saat mencapai titik terlemah pertahanan seorang wanita, malah berpotensi mendestruksi dirinya sendiri (bahkan anak-anak mereka).

Ngga semua perempuan itu tough, tapi semuanya memiliki bibit fragile. And so, what will you become?

[Tellatale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing is very good - so the 2 stars are for that.
Only read the 1st story and did not feel inclined to read on and just skipped through as it was not the Grimm fairy tales I was expecting at all and I take full responsibility for my expectations.
The mothers and their mental states depicted here were certainly grim, and I must add, true to grim reality in the current world of working mothers and pursuit of perfection in all areas of life but not in the fairy tale kind at all.
It was dark, but not humorously dark for me; just gloomily dark.
I could not find anything to be amused at in the sorry state of mothers shown.
Hence, the DNF. I wanted something to cheer me up, not pull me down.
But I must add, this no way reflects on the talent of the author which I was actually impressed with.
Just not the kind of book I was in the mood to read, so the rating is based on my personal experience of the book not the critical evaluation of it.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The four stories are all set in the present day, with women as the main characters and men playing only bit parts. The women here are sisters and mothers, and they are flawed. Some are exhausted, others guilt-riven, some manipulative, others cruel. The stories are long enough to really develop the characters and draw you into identification – not necessarily sympathy- with them. At about 40-50 pages in length, they are just the right length for me as a reader: able to be read in one sitting, and meaty enough that you don’t want to turn to the next one, but just let it sit instead. They are Australian stories without going all ‘Henry Lawson’ on the reader; they are urban and current and thoroughly relatable.

See my review at
https://residentjudge.com/2018/12/27/...

[Tan Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

While having a very intriguing concept as evidenced from its title, this collection is less of like Angela Carter;s The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, and are simply realism short stories bursting the fairy-tale sacredness of motherhood ala We Need to Talk About Kevin, with its allegorical fable elements is deployed in a threadbare flimsy manner at best. A let-down to say the least.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would echo the comments from other people about this book. While the writing itself is very good, the "package" is a little disappointing. Wanting there to be some element of fairytale-ness to it, rather than it just being regular, albeit honest and grim, tales of modern motherhood. Not a bad book, just not what I had hoped it would be.

[Karen McCulloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Medicine for a mother's soul! LOVED this book. Eloquent and humorous reflections on the often unspoken ups and downs of the surprising adventure of motherhood.

[Laura Morrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredibly dark portraits of parenthood. Really makes you not want kids!

[Rebecca Altmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t give this book to a new mother!
Although, if you are looking for back-up to support a decision not to procreate then this may be just the thing to wave around and force upon your breeding friends with a smug, ‘I told you so’ running through your mind if not actually on your lips.
The most honest thing I can say for this book is that it is depressing. It condenses all the heartache and pressure of mothering – as the mother of a new born, multiple toddlers, a teen, an adult – but is missing all the lightness and joy and sparks of bliss that make it worthwhile.
All parents have times when they feel there is no way out. Times when you wonder how different you life could have been. Times when you wish your partner was that fairytale prince from the Disney brand of childhood brainwashing. Times when you stand back and let the helplessness wash over you and sweep away all rational understanding of your responsibility for your own happiness. That in itself is normal. What is not normal, and not okay, is when that is all there is. All these characters are stuck in the helplessness exactly at the point of despair – and that makes for a difficult read.
On the plus side – the writing is really very good. Each story is very different in style and carefully crafted even though sometimes you are left wanting more. There are some interesting (if uncomfortable) reflections on how the words and actions of a mother can stay with a daughter throughout her life, shaping -distorting?- her own experience when she becomes a mother and grandmother. There are phrases that will resound with you, strike you and stay in your mind for a very long time.
‘It was something Meg had not known until she had children, how easily please can be made to stand in for for fuck’s sake.’
‘The effect is like having your uterus torn out through your earholes.’
‘This, then, was a baby. Not a blank thing, after all, Liv discovered. Not an outline to be inked in by parents and teachers and other good influences – not like that at all, but a whole person, ready made.’
‘But there was something in the watchful set of her face, the twists at the corners of her mouth, that hinted to Lauren of dangerous disappointments, resentments and judgements.’
‘I’d never yet thought of my life as a thing whose shape and dimensions were within my own control’
‘And although ‘I love you’ is perhaps the biggest part of what I want to say to you, it’s still not even close to all.’
The prologue is, to me, where the wit and humour promised by the blurb is contained. It is an amusing piece of writing to which most mothers (and others) will relate. I wouldn’t call any of the four stories ‘darkly funny’ or witty. Dark for sure, sad, heart-breaking or heart-wrenching, despairing. Forget happy endings, there is no happiness anywhere to be found.
The final story , Nag, didn’t really catch me first time round. Maybe I was saturated by that point. I re-read it while writing this review and it spoke to me in a way the others didn’t. It is a very different writing style, a woman reflecting on her life and her relationships with her mother, partner, mother-in-law and children. It is really worth a read but probably lost at the back of the book. Take some time out and read it in isolation from the others. It is reflective, poignant, quite well crafted and probably the thing that will make me seek out more of this authors work.
To sum up – worth a read and probably fantastic for book groups. Expect to feel a bit side-swiped after reading it. My copy will be going back on the bookshelf for a while as I would like to re-read the stories with a bit of distance to see if my response changes.
Note: Review is from an uncorrected proof copy

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very well written, but I came away disappointed.

The theme seems to be expectations. I expected a dark retold fairytale, full of the humour promised on the cover, with dark angular figures and classic mythology. What I got was 4 separate stories about 4 separate women, each on a journey through motherhood that was not at all what she expected. The tales are short, grim, and full of unfulfilled promises, unfulfilled dreams, and failing relationships.

It seems like these stories are a warning against high expectations, against falling for the prevailing culture and mythology behind what it is to be a woman and a mother in the modern world. How someone can go through life without any expectations is beyond me - if you have a fully functioning brain, you have dreams and hopes, you expect things to be better than they are. If we didn't dream, there'd be no books, and I wouldn't be writing this review.

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a lot of babies in my life at the moment. Not mine (fortunately), but I have a lot of pregnant friends and new mothers in my circle of friends. Reading Mothers Grimm, I can’t say that I want to join their ranks too soon!

When we think about mothers in fairy tales…well, there’s not too many of them (but a plethora of wicked stepmothers) and they’re not the nice, selfless types. A baby for leafy greens? Sure. Leaving your child in the woods? No worries. But everyday mothers don’t do that – they are pure and always act in the best interests of their offspring…right? The mothers in this story are modern and they’re also women in their own right. They had lives, careers, friends and a social life before Baby made an entrance. Society expects them to juggle everything with a smile, from the high-powered, high-stress job to having a perfect three course dinner on the table every single night. It’s just not possible and in these tales, Danielle Wood shows that something’s got to give. Nobody can be perfect 100% of the time and society does put unrealistic expectations on mothers and judges them harshly for it.

The stories are based on fairy tales, but the premise is so twisted that you’d be hard-pressed to recognise the origin of the tale. I really liked that part – it meant I had no preconceived ideas of what was to come. Boy, I was in for some eye-opening. Wood tackles the big stuff, from the seemingly perfect mother who changes her mind at the last minute to the accidental pregnancy that ends in accidental tragedy. She reveals that mothers are not serene angels, but women whose phones go flat because they forgot to turn the charger on and die a little inside when they have to leave their child in day care to pay the mortgage. They do bad things too, whether it be poisoning or sneaking in a coffee when pregnant. It’s great. It shows we’re all human and we all have faults. Who is this society to tell us what to do anyway?

The stories are easily read in a sitting or two (I say two because they equalled two train trips for me) and I think women who are mothers may relate more to some of the thoughts expressed in the stories (us others, we just nod and know that our friends have said this a lot). It’s probably not a book you want to give to your idealistic friend who is expecting her first child though! (Wait until she’s had several months of sleepless nights). They’re not always happy, but they reflect life as we know it. Read it and grin at the scenes you recognise!

Thank you to Allen & Unwin and The Reading Room for the ARC of this book.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com

[Emily Wrayburn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review posted on A Keyboard and an Open Mind November 27, 2015:

In Mothers Grimm, Danielle Woods presents four shorter stories that break down the “Good Mother” trope/stereotype often found in fairy tales (the Good Mother is often so good that she is dead). Each story is linked to a fairy tale but turns it on its head to depict the realities of motherhood.

Well, this was disappointing.

A disclaimer: I am not a mother and I don’t have any intentions to become one. It is possible the stories in this book may have resonated with me more if I had children.

The four stories all depicted pretty bleak outlooks on motherhood. The women felt trapped in failing relationships, or resentful of the children who were taking up their lives, or just plain unhappy. To read these stories, you would think that there wasn’t a single rewarding aspect of being a parent. You would think that being a mother completely ruins lives.

The four characters were all well-written and individual, but none was especially likable. One of them was a bitchy gossip. Another lied to her husband about being on the Pill, then seemed to try to make out it was his fault when she fell pregnant a second time. The third was an eighteen-year-old who had made some bad choices; I didn’t mind her too much. The fourth was a mother in the 1950s who felt she was disappointing her own mother. The problem was that I wasn’t invested in any of them. I think perhaps part of the author’s aim was to make these women unlikeable, to ensure there was not one ounce of Good Mother in them. But what’s wrong with a woman succeeding in at least some areas?

The other issue was that I came in expecting some kind of fantasy or fairy tale element. This was absent. Even the links to the fairy tales were tenuous at best. Perhaps that’s my own fault for coming in with expectations of something that wasn’t, but I still felt a little bit ripped off at the end of it.

Initial Review:
I am all for breaking down the Good Mother trope, but yeesh, is the only way to do that to depict motherhood as some godawful experience that no one in their right mind would want to go through? Maybe I would have more appreciation for the stories in this book if I were a mother and could relate to it on that level but as it was, it just felt depressing.