The Enchanted Forest

by Comtesse de Ségur, Beatrice Schenk de Regniers (Adapted by), Gustave Doré (Illustrator)

Lured into the Enchanted Forest through the wiles of her wicked stepmother, Princess Goldenhair is found by Bonnie Cat and Gentle Doe and kept in their castle with the assurance that one day she will return home.

Genres: Childrens, Fairy Tales, Fantasy

87 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Sophie, Countess of Ségur (née Countess Софья Фёдоровна Ростопчина; Saint Petersburg, 1 August 1799 - Paris, 9 February 1874) was a French writer of Russian birth.

She is best known today for her novel Les Malheurs de Sophie ("Sophie's Misfortunes"). The action takes place in a castle in the French countryside during the Second French Empire, where Sophie lives with her parents Mr and Mrs de Réan. Curious and adventurous, she does one silly thing after another, with the critical help of her cousin Paul, who is good and tries to show her the right path. She has two friends, Camille and Madeleine de Fleurville, 'good little girls' whom she tries hard to imitate. But she will learn that life is not a bed of roses ... Therese Martin (1873-1897), known as St. Therese of Lisieux, was an avid reader as a child of the novels of the Countess of Segur.

The novels of the Countess of Ségur were published from 1857 to 1872 in the "Bibliothèque rose illustrée" by the publishing house Hachette. They were collected together in 1990 under the title Œuvres de la comtesse de Ségur in the collection "Bouquins" (publisher: Robert Laffont).

Un bon petit diable
Les Malheurs de Sophie
Diloy le chemineau
Mémoires d'un âne
Jean qui grogne et Jean qui rit
Le Mauvais Génie
François le bossu
Les Caprices de Gizelle
Pauvre Blaise
La Fortune de Gaspard
Quel amour d'enfant !
Les Petites Filles modèles
La sœur de Gribouille
Blondine
Après la pluie, le beau temps

Reviews

[Shannon Bower · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book over and over as a child (from the library each time) and have searched the web for it, ever since! So glad to see an old friend!

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a 1974 English translation of a fairy tale story written in French in the mid-1850s. I learned a lot about the author while looking it up but overall the story left me very unimpressed. It's more the translation than anything else; the story is very standard fairy tale/morality tale fare, but the translator comes right out and says that she changed things, like editing out a character (the sister, Brunette) and changing another character's fate (I guess she didn't think children in 1974 would be ok with that character's Grimm-Fairy-Tale-style ending). The translated names are also pretty terrible. I get that they are pretty direct translations, but some could have been left alone or finessed a bit more.

I guess my recommendation would be to just hop on Google Books and read a more literal translation for free. It will only take you about ten minutes.

[Saffron Moon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have yet to read Old French Fairy Tales which I understand includes the unabridged literal translation of this story. This edition, although beautifully illustrated by the esteemed Gustave Doré (5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the illustrations) is an abridged translation.
Sadly, I just didn’t find this telling of the tale engaging. Interesting characters and magical settings were introduced, but I didn’t feel any connection with the main character or her plight. Bland.

[Kim Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

My all time favorite childhood fairy tale, read it many times as a child, and passed it on to my daughter when she was young too.

[Rosie Gearhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quaint little fairy tale reminiscent of George MacDonald’s short stories for children.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fairly generic/formulaic fairy tale. Nothing much here to make it memorable--at least, not if you've read half a dozen really good fairy tales!

[Lisa Van Oosterum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bizarre and exciting. A fairy tale that takes the reader on an adventure of surprises. Quick fun read.