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Good Night, Sweet Prince
Stop struggling and listen: Once upon a time, there was a prince who wanted to marry Death.
You already know this won’t end well.
You already know this won’t end well.
ebook
First published May 19, 2014
1 person is currently reading
659 people want to read
About the author
Rosamund Hodge
27 books4,894 followersCatholic. Writer. Lay Dominican. I write books about gods & death & girls with knives. Next: WHAT MONSTROUS GODS, coming 03/05/2024.
Goodreads policies: I do read messages. I seldom friend people. I never comment on reviews of my own work.
Goodreads policies: I do read messages. I seldom friend people. I never comment on reviews of my own work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 30, 2016
An interesting short story about a prince falling in love with Death. The ending's not bad and again, I just realized Rosamund's stories like this are all about some abstract philosophy.
The only problem with this kind of writing style is that I have difficulty fully connecting with the plot. Or the characters. There aren't many characters in these stories, but because of the limitation in words(I suppose?), the feeling's cut shortly after those key words are written. So it's hard to give them more than 3 stars here.
Normally, my less-than-4-star rating means I don't enjoy the book/story very much, but it's an exception for short ones. :)
The only problem with this kind of writing style is that I have difficulty fully connecting with the plot. Or the characters. There aren't many characters in these stories, but because of the limitation in words(I suppose?), the feeling's cut shortly after those key words are written. So it's hard to give them more than 3 stars here.
Normally, my less-than-4-star rating means I don't enjoy the book/story very much, but it's an exception for short ones. :)
August 11, 2016
Abstract writing is good for some but, I particularly don't really care for it. It's like that abstract art where some search for a deeper meaning for the things that are smudged or splashed upon the painting. I see only the nothingness that presides there. I see only the things that are something but make no sense so they are nothing to me. While some may feel bad, I enjoy the way I think when it comes to that. I don't want to overthink paintings, or writing for that matter. I want a feasible explanation, or at least some strings/sentences/lines that connect to a varying degree do that some interpretation may be made.
I did like the twist at the end so a half a star for that.
And that is why I did not care for this.
Maybe you might, so I shall give you the link to where I read this for free, thank you author.
http://hanginggardenstories.tumblr.co...
I did like the twist at the end so a half a star for that.
And that is why I did not care for this.
Maybe you might, so I shall give you the link to where I read this for free, thank you author.
http://hanginggardenstories.tumblr.co...
September 9, 2018
Her eyes were like a precipice, and he, fool boy, was happy to fall.
The story itself probably would be better told as a novel instead of a short story. The emotion wasn't really there but the concept was pretty neat.
August 2, 2016
I do not care about the children who have nestled in your womb and now smile at you each morning. I do not care about your husband, who would weep upon your grave. I do not care about the apples you will never see ripen, nor the colors you will never have time to weave into your tapestries. I do not care about you.
I am Death, and all mortals are the same to me.
Short & strange.
I am Death, and all mortals are the same to me.
Short & strange.
November 28, 2015
You can never go wrong with Rosamund Hodge.
Read
December 4, 2015I love Rosamund Hodge's spins on fairy tales. I didn't realize that she had written so many stories until I looked on Goodreads--and voila! Also interesting is that site, Hanging Garden Stories. Lots of authors who are now published (Kim Liggett, E.K. Johnston, Natalie Parker, Julie Murphy, etc.) have stories there. More lunchtime reading for me!
September 12, 2015
It was so good and so sad at the same time. The endless cycle of despair. A Story that will never have a happy ending...
February 27, 2018
I don’t know why you’re so desperate. You have lived. You always knew that meant you would die.
Did you think there would be another end to your story? Did you think anyone has ever had a different end?
Well. This prince did.
I adore Rosamund Hodge's philosophical approach towards her works. Good Night, Sweet Prince was more than beautiful and thought-provocing. It is like these rare types of works in school that finally make you think of the world around you and take a piece of your heart.
Also, a very good example how a well-developed full-rounded story can be executed in just a few pages (I've got a new appreciation of short stories after reading some Chekhov).
Did you think there would be another end to your story? Did you think anyone has ever had a different end?
Well. This prince did.
I adore Rosamund Hodge's philosophical approach towards her works. Good Night, Sweet Prince was more than beautiful and thought-provocing. It is like these rare types of works in school that finally make you think of the world around you and take a piece of your heart.
Also, a very good example how a well-developed full-rounded story can be executed in just a few pages (I've got a new appreciation of short stories after reading some Chekhov).
March 28, 2017
Haunting short story.
August 6, 2017
Another amazing short story. It left me with all the feels!
May 11, 2016
I love, love, loved the last part of the story. The second-person talk gave me chills. The whole story is wrapped up so prettily that it felt like it was more than a short story. This was amazing.
Rosamund's short stories are all so beautifully written. Everything you want in a story, it's there. I'm always excited when a new short story comes up on her blog.
Just some extra information here. I first knew Rosamund Hodge when I stumbled across Cruel Beauty, which is one of the best retellings of Beauty and the Beast I have ever read, and soon I was searching for more of her writing. Then on her website, there were all these short stories based on myths and fairytales, and I started reading through all of them. Almost all of them got me close to tears of awe. Rosamund Hodge is one talented writer.
Rosamund's short stories are all so beautifully written. Everything you want in a story, it's there. I'm always excited when a new short story comes up on her blog.
Just some extra information here. I first knew Rosamund Hodge when I stumbled across Cruel Beauty, which is one of the best retellings of Beauty and the Beast I have ever read, and soon I was searching for more of her writing. Then on her website, there were all these short stories based on myths and fairytales, and I started reading through all of them. Almost all of them got me close to tears of awe. Rosamund Hodge is one talented writer.
December 27, 2020
Review to come.
March 22, 2017
I do not care about the children who have nestled in your womb and now smile at you each morning. I do not care about your husband, who would weep upon your grave. I do not care about the apples you will never see ripen, nor the colors you will never have time to weave into your tapestries. I do not care about you.
I am Death, and all mortals are the same to me.
A fine short story. Worth spending 15 minutes on it.
I am Death, and all mortals are the same to me.
A fine short story. Worth spending 15 minutes on it.
June 6, 2017
Okay, that was both extremely creepy and very beautifully written, which I've come to expect from Rosamund Hodge's work, who is on my auto-buy list. I particularly liked the parts where Death was talking to the reader. It almost read like an actual fairy tale. Also, hey, Hamlet reference in the title!
May 17, 2019
I mean how do you rate a short (as in really short) story. It's more of a tale/fable I guess. Fans of the author would probably want to read it and it's so short whether you liked it or not you won't really regret it.
November 18, 2019
This is a short story about a prince who falls in love with Death. All of Hodge's short stories that I've read (so far) are like fairy tales. This one was good, but it wasn't amazing. Slightly creepy.
December 18, 2019
2/5
I love Hodge's writing; I've read her Cruel Beauty (a masterpiece) and Crimson Bound. But the character, which I get would not be drawn out because it's a short story but I wish there was more development than just they are Death and a prince, that is it.
I love Hodge's writing; I've read her Cruel Beauty (a masterpiece) and Crimson Bound. But the character, which I get would not be drawn out because it's a short story but I wish there was more development than just they are Death and a prince, that is it.
July 15, 2017
A really beautiful short story. With all the abstract writing and all the twists and turns I love so much about Hodge's works.
January 29, 2018
A nice but sad short story, by a very talented author!
April 17, 2018
It was okay. It was a short story, but I read it on her tumblr, so I didn't quite realize how short it was until I reached the end.
May 17, 2018
Rosamund Hodge has such a unique way of writing, I'm never disappointed with her stories
August 14, 2018
Enjoyable, but it didn't feel fully realized - I would have liked to see characterization for both the Prince and Death expanded a bit more.
December 26, 2018
What a beautiful, yet haunting, short story of the price we pay for love and the price that is also paid in death.
August 16, 2019
That was so sad 😞
January 21, 2017
Full review can also be found on: Paein and Ms4Tune’s Book Blog
So I was casually checking Rosamond Hodge's Goodreads page the other day and I found all these short stories I hadn't realised existed. What the heck?! Where have I been??
They can be read on the The Hanging Garden page on tumblr, you can follow this link HERE.
This was a strange story, but sometimes you need to go away and think about stories to actually understand them. This one is circular, but not quite. You can't go straight from the end to the start again, but it's an almost thing. It doesn't have a happy ending either, it's almost bittersweet. Yay! My favourite thing! (please note: NOT SARCASM. Mostly...)
This is about a spoilt prince who sees a beautiful woman and is determined to wed her. It's a little bit alarming - he was going to have her no matter what, poor woman. But in the end the joke was on him for she was DEATH! I can't guarantee that I've taken this story the way you're meant to - Many people fear death but I do not. I'm fascinated by stories portraying death as a character, but not in what I would think of as a morbid way, more of an abstract way. I think perhaps it has something to do with the Death in Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series. There, Death is called Shadow-Lover in a song and it just sounded so beautiful and sad.
I like how this was written, as though it was a tale being told to somebody, interspersed with conversations Death is having with someone. It also suddenly changes from he and she to you and I, but that's for story type reasons and I can't tell you more on that, just that it's a tiny little bit clever. It's also really very short which is a shame.
But it's always great to read a little something nice.
August 3, 2016
Once upon a time, there was a prince who wanted to marry Death.
You already know this won’t end well.
I wish that the author could pick up this short story and make it a book, with more pages, a full story... that would be amazing.
I liked this so much that made me sad ending up so soon.
February 29, 2016
Why do I always end up both confused and amazed when I read Rosamund Hodge's short stories?
I actually quite enjoyed this one. The story is twisty and it still has me wondering which (if any) fairy tale it was based on. The two main characters were grand but flawed, and I can't help but wonder if this is actually a back story for a character I do not know yet.
I actually quite enjoyed this one. The story is twisty and it still has me wondering which (if any) fairy tale it was based on. The two main characters were grand but flawed, and I can't help but wonder if this is actually a back story for a character I do not know yet.
June 30, 2016
It was nice. I think I actually got what was going on and for a second I figured that there was a twist and all through eternity, they played off each other as Death. Though I'm not too sure what the ending meant.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews