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Snow White and Rose Red
Wrede's romantic and charming retelling of the Brothers Grimm tale is the fourth in this series. In the village of Mortlak, near the river Thames, during the reign of Elizabeth I, live the Widow Arden and her two daughters, Blanche and Rosamund. The widow, who supports her family by selling herbs and making healing potions, lives in fear of being accused of witchcraft. Her daughters gather the herbs she needs, sometimes crossing into the realm of Faerie, one of whose borders lies in the forest nearby. Also residing in Mortlak is the real-life Doctor Dee, astrologer to the Queen, who with his friend Edward Kelly seeks to harness the magic of Faerie. Their efforts turn Hugh, one of the half-human sons of the queen of Faerie, into a bear. With the aid of the widow and her daughters, John, the elder Faerie prince, tries to disenchant his brother, who has crossed over to the mortal world. John is initially thwarted in his efforts by Madini, head of a faction in Faerie that seeks complete separation from the mortal domain. In putting her twist on the classic tale, Wrede uses language appropriate to the period and nicely evokes both medieval England and a magic land.
273 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 1989
80 people are currently reading
9134 people want to read
About the author
Patricia C. Wrede
67 books4,002 followersPatricia Collins Wrede was born in Chicago, Illinois and is the eldest of five children. She started writing in seventh grade. She attended Carleton College in Minnesota, where she majored in Biology and managed to avoid taking any English courses at all. She began work on her first novel, Shadow Magic, just after graduating from college in 1974. She finished it five years later and started her second book at once, having become permanently hooked on writing by this time.
Patricia received her M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1977.
She worked for several years as a financial analyst and accountant, first with the Minnesota Hospital Association, then with B. Dalton Booksellers, and finally at the Dayton Hudson Corporation headquarters.
Patricia finished her first novel in late 1978. In January, 1980, Pamela Dean, Emma Bull, Will Shetterly, Steven Brust, Nate Bucklin, and Patricia Wrede -- all, at that point, hopeful but unpublished -- formed the writer's group that later became known as "The Scribblies." Several years later, they were joined by Kara Dalkey. In April of 1980, Patricia's first novel sold to Ace Books. It came out at last in 1982, which is the year she met Lillian Stewart Carl (who introduced her to Lois McMaster Bujold by mail).
In 1985, shortly before the publication of her fifth book, she left the world of the gainfully employed to try winging it on her own.
Her interests include sewing, embroidery, desultory attempts at gardening, chocolate, not mowing the lawn, High Tea, and, of course, reading.
She is a vegetarian, and currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her cat Karma. She has no children.
Patricia received her M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1977.
She worked for several years as a financial analyst and accountant, first with the Minnesota Hospital Association, then with B. Dalton Booksellers, and finally at the Dayton Hudson Corporation headquarters.
Patricia finished her first novel in late 1978. In January, 1980, Pamela Dean, Emma Bull, Will Shetterly, Steven Brust, Nate Bucklin, and Patricia Wrede -- all, at that point, hopeful but unpublished -- formed the writer's group that later became known as "The Scribblies." Several years later, they were joined by Kara Dalkey. In April of 1980, Patricia's first novel sold to Ace Books. It came out at last in 1982, which is the year she met Lillian Stewart Carl (who introduced her to Lois McMaster Bujold by mail).
In 1985, shortly before the publication of her fifth book, she left the world of the gainfully employed to try winging it on her own.
Her interests include sewing, embroidery, desultory attempts at gardening, chocolate, not mowing the lawn, High Tea, and, of course, reading.
She is a vegetarian, and currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her cat Karma. She has no children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 438 reviews
September 13, 2010
I love Patricia C. Wrede, so I had high hopes for this book, especially since it takes on a fairy tale that has not been retold to death.
Apparently this was one of her earliest works, and it shows. Set in Elizabethan England, the characters speak in the dialect of the time, and it usually comes off sounding stilted at best--especially against the not-Elizabethan descriptions of everything else, as well as occasional bursts of modern-day speech by the characters--and at the worst like something a fourth-grader wrote. "Mother, hast thou the poultice? This gentleman haveth need." "Nay child!" etc.
The dialogue was the first stumbling block but I kept trudging on, only to find other problems. The villains--a discontented fairy, a water spirit, and either a tree spirit or a troll, it's never entirely clear--are straight out of an early-90s Disney movie knockoff, and I kept picturing them as poorly drawn cartoons. Their motives are never really explained, but since they're evil I suppose their aspiration is just to be evil and do harm to the good people/gain POWER OVER FAERIE.
A few times it seemed like there wasn't enough time to write a scene, so things are moved along/explained not by the characters themselves but by the omniscient narrator. "By chance, the Widow, Rose and Blanche were gone from the cottage that day, so their existence was not discovered by the other two sets of magicians." Oh ok, thanks for that. I was really worried! (Plus: That the Widow never earns a name is annoying. She has a last name, which I've forgotten, but for the most part she's referred to simply as "the Widow.")
There's some romance, and I am pretty sure the book ends with a double wedding, considering there are two beautiful sisters AND two handsome, upstanding faerie princes as major characters. The romances are clumsily moved along via too-loud protestations and encouraging words that are not only part of the dialogue but also explained by that pesky narrator. "Blanche's sudden, uncharacteristic burst of feeling met with a puzzled glance from Hugh, an exchange not lost on the Widow."
There are many similar gestures and expressions that are carefully described as to make abundantly clear that some people are in LOVE, some people are SHIFTY, etc. People pull wicked faces while other people's backs are conveniently turned to reach for a spell ingredient. People close their eyes during a spell and so can't see that their two evil henchmen are exchanging knowing glances. And, in one especially annoying, useless scene, the prince notices that one of the Queen's 14 ladies in waiting has a brief expression of triumph/malice when the Queen is delivering some bad news. Even though he's been astute enough to notice this millisecond-long smile, the narrator tells us that he's too busy to deal with it and so forgets about it immediately.
By the final third of the book, I was so bored that I couldn't finish. I knew the evil people were about to make one last push to finish their evilness, and that the good people were probably going to have a few stressful moments before they came out on top, but I just didn't care about any of them.
I was excited that this book was reprinted, but IMO it does nothing to further Wrede's catalog. Her short stories, Enchanted Forest books and Cecilia books are much better than this Robin McKinley wannabe, and I hope that this was no one's first Wrede experience.
As a side note, this book originally appeared in Terri Windling's fairy tale series. Most of the other titles are out of print (fine by me, if they're like this one) with the exception of Briar Rose, Jane Yolen's excellent, haunting retelling of the Holocaust and Sleeping Beauty.
Apparently this was one of her earliest works, and it shows. Set in Elizabethan England, the characters speak in the dialect of the time, and it usually comes off sounding stilted at best--especially against the not-Elizabethan descriptions of everything else, as well as occasional bursts of modern-day speech by the characters--and at the worst like something a fourth-grader wrote. "Mother, hast thou the poultice? This gentleman haveth need." "Nay child!" etc.
The dialogue was the first stumbling block but I kept trudging on, only to find other problems. The villains--a discontented fairy, a water spirit, and either a tree spirit or a troll, it's never entirely clear--are straight out of an early-90s Disney movie knockoff, and I kept picturing them as poorly drawn cartoons. Their motives are never really explained, but since they're evil I suppose their aspiration is just to be evil and do harm to the good people/gain POWER OVER FAERIE.
A few times it seemed like there wasn't enough time to write a scene, so things are moved along/explained not by the characters themselves but by the omniscient narrator. "By chance, the Widow, Rose and Blanche were gone from the cottage that day, so their existence was not discovered by the other two sets of magicians." Oh ok, thanks for that. I was really worried! (Plus: That the Widow never earns a name is annoying. She has a last name, which I've forgotten, but for the most part she's referred to simply as "the Widow.")
There's some romance, and I am pretty sure the book ends with a double wedding, considering there are two beautiful sisters AND two handsome, upstanding faerie princes as major characters. The romances are clumsily moved along via too-loud protestations and encouraging words that are not only part of the dialogue but also explained by that pesky narrator. "Blanche's sudden, uncharacteristic burst of feeling met with a puzzled glance from Hugh, an exchange not lost on the Widow."
There are many similar gestures and expressions that are carefully described as to make abundantly clear that some people are in LOVE, some people are SHIFTY, etc. People pull wicked faces while other people's backs are conveniently turned to reach for a spell ingredient. People close their eyes during a spell and so can't see that their two evil henchmen are exchanging knowing glances. And, in one especially annoying, useless scene, the prince notices that one of the Queen's 14 ladies in waiting has a brief expression of triumph/malice when the Queen is delivering some bad news. Even though he's been astute enough to notice this millisecond-long smile, the narrator tells us that he's too busy to deal with it and so forgets about it immediately.
By the final third of the book, I was so bored that I couldn't finish. I knew the evil people were about to make one last push to finish their evilness, and that the good people were probably going to have a few stressful moments before they came out on top, but I just didn't care about any of them.
I was excited that this book was reprinted, but IMO it does nothing to further Wrede's catalog. Her short stories, Enchanted Forest books and Cecilia books are much better than this Robin McKinley wannabe, and I hope that this was no one's first Wrede experience.
As a side note, this book originally appeared in Terri Windling's fairy tale series. Most of the other titles are out of print (fine by me, if they're like this one) with the exception of Briar Rose, Jane Yolen's excellent, haunting retelling of the Holocaust and Sleeping Beauty.
July 10, 2008
The story of Snow White (not of the dwarves fame) and Rose Red was my favorite of the Grimm tales when I was young. And I'm positive I would've loved Wrede's retelling and expansion of this tale if I'd read it when I was an adolescent or even a teenager.
But maybe because I am much older than that, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. Perhaps because the series is marketed as 'for adult readers,' I was expecting something more; and maybe because I'd already read Jane Yolen's "Briar Rose," I expected more of a radical retelling of the story.
So my rating has not much to do with the merits of the writing etc., but more with my own experience of the book.
But maybe because I am much older than that, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. Perhaps because the series is marketed as 'for adult readers,' I was expecting something more; and maybe because I'd already read Jane Yolen's "Briar Rose," I expected more of a radical retelling of the story.
So my rating has not much to do with the merits of the writing etc., but more with my own experience of the book.
September 1, 2017
Once upon a time Patricia Wrede wrote a new take on an old fairy-tale. But this wasn't an ordinary modern re-imagining, for there was no contemporary slang and precious little fracturing.
The story starred a pair of mortal sisters; one adventurous, one pragmatic. For love interests there were a pair of half-mortal brothers similarly mirrored. Opposing the heroes emerged a cabal of bumbling magical creatures led by an elitist lady-in-waiting. She was intent on ruining everyone's fun and building a wall between the fairy and the mortal worlds. Think of her scheme as a plotting mash-up of Voldemort, Malvolio and Donald Trump.
Wrede set her story in Elizabethan England and structured it like a Shakespearean comedy with long conversations typically featuring three or more interlocutors. The threats rarely felt too perilous and the action was built around characters spying on one another and well-laid plans colliding in coincidental ways. Even the language exuded more of a Shakespearean than Brothers Grimm style.
Ultimately, this is light entertainment with some peculiar twists. Call it amusingly ever after.
Edited 9-1-2017
The story starred a pair of mortal sisters; one adventurous, one pragmatic. For love interests there were a pair of half-mortal brothers similarly mirrored. Opposing the heroes emerged a cabal of bumbling magical creatures led by an elitist lady-in-waiting. She was intent on ruining everyone's fun and building a wall between the fairy and the mortal worlds. Think of her scheme as a plotting mash-up of Voldemort, Malvolio and Donald Trump.
Wrede set her story in Elizabethan England and structured it like a Shakespearean comedy with long conversations typically featuring three or more interlocutors. The threats rarely felt too perilous and the action was built around characters spying on one another and well-laid plans colliding in coincidental ways. Even the language exuded more of a Shakespearean than Brothers Grimm style.
Ultimately, this is light entertainment with some peculiar twists. Call it amusingly ever after.
Edited 9-1-2017
July 10, 2010
This is definitely not Disney's Snow White. True, there is no sex or bad language, and violence is only discussed, not really depicted, but that's really where the similarities end. In Patricia C. Wrede's version of the classic fairy tale, Snow White and Rose Red are the daughters of a poor widow who ekes out a living by making herbal remedies to sell to the townsfolk. They live next to a forest, on the edge of the border of Faerie, in the Elizabethan era of England. Living in the village of Mortlak are two sorcerers whom the girls accidentally spy casting a spell that unwittingly traps the spirit of the younger son of the Queen of Faerie in first a lamp and then a crystal. The Queen's sons are half human/half faerie, and the human half slowly transforms into a bear which is then cast out into the human world. The Queen's older son, John, sneaks out of Faerie in search of a way to save his brother, Hugh, meanwhile a trio of human-hating faeries plots to steal the lamp and crystal and break the bonds holding Faerie to the mortal world.
The language is fabulous--very much how I think Elizabethan English might have sounded. Reading dialogue in the novel is like reading Shakespeare (and I mean that in a good way!), especially toward the end when the Puck-like character of Robin is introduced. It's delightful and really adds to the atmosphere of the story and setting.
So for Reader's Advisors, the main doorways are story and language. It's billed as a YA book, but adults will love it just as much--if not more--than teens.
The language is fabulous--very much how I think Elizabethan English might have sounded. Reading dialogue in the novel is like reading Shakespeare (and I mean that in a good way!), especially toward the end when the Puck-like character of Robin is introduced. It's delightful and really adds to the atmosphere of the story and setting.
So for Reader's Advisors, the main doorways are story and language. It's billed as a YA book, but adults will love it just as much--if not more--than teens.
February 24, 2012
Patricia Wrede is generally a fantastic writer, but this is quite a bit different from her usual work. The mix of a fairy tale and an Elizabethan historical fantasy are an interesting experiment that I think are even better than her usual genre.
For those who love the fairy tale in its traditional form, this is a fabulous gift, the ablility to find "another fairy tale". Most of us have exhausted the fairy tale genre and, sadly, there is only a set amount of authentic fairy tale out there. Snow White and the Red Rose is a fabulous example of a modern writer trying to dilute the essence of the fairy tale and make it into a modern book form. It is clear from reading this that Wrede has spent very long periods contemplating the essential elements of the fairy tale and wrote this tale as a sort of "homage" which may be lost on the general reader but rings loud and clear for fans of fairy tales(myself included).
Highly recommended for any fan of Fairy Tales or for the young at heart.
February 25, 2016
I don't have that many skeletons in my closet, but the ones that are there are all wearing Renaissance Faire costumes and this book is largely to blame. If I gave stars based on how much I loved a book when I was 15 this one would get 10. And it's holding up well -- I don't have to feel faintly embarrassed for my former self. PCW did a good job with the language -- I appreciate it more now than I did as a teenager, especially since it's so rare that anyone even bothers to try. She did her historical homework and blended history and fairy tale seamlessly. I started off giving this book four stars because I was trying to be temperate and mature. But I'm upping it because nowhere does she claim that witches were burned. So for lovely language, and lovely story-telling, and good history, and especially for dealing accurately with pre-modern witchcraft, I'm giving this book five stars.
March 19, 2023
If you, like me, read and enjoyed Dealing with Dragons by the same author, expect no such clever characterization or intricate plot in Snow White and Rose Red. This book suffers from plenty of problems, but it does succeed in several areas as well. Wrede was not quite at her prime, but her talent is obvious in the worldbuilding, compelling cast, and imaginative plot.
My biggest issue with Snow White and Rose Red is the lack of main character (not always a bad thing, though in this case it did not work well). As a matter of fact, almost every character introduced in this novel ends up with a bit told from their perspective. With an omniscient style, this is not done poorly - but it's done too often. There is no main character to get attached to; therefore there is no internal conflict to increase the drama and affect the reader *emotionally*.
Which brings me to my next point, the lack of focus in the plot. The plot itself is fairly tight, but because there is no one main character, it lacks intensity. There are lots of characters to care about but none to love, so the plot has to follow five main characters, five+ villains, and a few coincidental side characters all at once. My other plot problem would be the romance; it is hinted numerous times that the sisters care for their respective prince, but I don't really buy the two romances. There wasn't a lot of relationship development.
Partially because I was sick and partially because of the aforementioned issues, I had a hard time reading this. Another thing that irritated me was reading the somewhat over-the-top Elizabethan dialogue. It really is as bad as every single other review says! I grew weary of the 'thee's and 'thou's and 'mayhap's and 'belike's very, very quickly.
Nevertheless, I gave this three stars! Unfortunately, I have the tendency to focus on only the positive or negative elements of a book in my reviews. But Snow White and Rose Red really isn't bad, especially if you don't mind the omniscient narration style. The characters, especially the four main leads and the Widow of Arden, were fun to read about and the villains vengeful. Several side characters were very Shakespearean, and it was interesting to connect the original fairy tale to this retelling. The world was very compelling and well-described, and though the story featured a large cast, all of the characters were well-drawn.
If you enjoyed The Perilous Gard or The Witch of Blackbird Pond, you may like Snow White and Rose Red. Recommended to fairy tale fans who don't mind endless Elizabethan dialogue which sounds a bit like Shakespeare, minus his creativity with the language.
Content warnings:
My biggest issue with Snow White and Rose Red is the lack of main character (not always a bad thing, though in this case it did not work well). As a matter of fact, almost every character introduced in this novel ends up with a bit told from their perspective. With an omniscient style, this is not done poorly - but it's done too often. There is no main character to get attached to; therefore there is no internal conflict to increase the drama and affect the reader *emotionally*.
Which brings me to my next point, the lack of focus in the plot. The plot itself is fairly tight, but because there is no one main character, it lacks intensity. There are lots of characters to care about but none to love, so the plot has to follow five main characters, five+ villains, and a few coincidental side characters all at once. My other plot problem would be the romance; it is hinted numerous times that the sisters care for their respective prince, but I don't really buy the two romances. There wasn't a lot of relationship development.
Partially because I was sick and partially because of the aforementioned issues, I had a hard time reading this. Another thing that irritated me was reading the somewhat over-the-top Elizabethan dialogue. It really is as bad as every single other review says! I grew weary of the 'thee's and 'thou's and 'mayhap's and 'belike's very, very quickly.
Nevertheless, I gave this three stars! Unfortunately, I have the tendency to focus on only the positive or negative elements of a book in my reviews. But Snow White and Rose Red really isn't bad, especially if you don't mind the omniscient narration style. The characters, especially the four main leads and the Widow of Arden, were fun to read about and the villains vengeful. Several side characters were very Shakespearean, and it was interesting to connect the original fairy tale to this retelling. The world was very compelling and well-described, and though the story featured a large cast, all of the characters were well-drawn.
If you enjoyed The Perilous Gard or The Witch of Blackbird Pond, you may like Snow White and Rose Red. Recommended to fairy tale fans who don't mind endless Elizabethan dialogue which sounds a bit like Shakespeare, minus his creativity with the language.
Content warnings:
January 24, 2011
I thought the pros were well done. It took me a little while to understand all of the conversations as the characters speak in Elizabethan England's English. I was disappointed in the character development. I didn't get to know the characters or how their relationships developed. I felt that they were kind of stagnant - not much character growth to speak of.
April 23, 2010
you know it's not a good book when all you can think is 'when is this going to end'! I had no expectations for this book, but the story really could have been good, but it just wasn't written in a very reader-friendly text. Part of my problem was the dialoge was in an Old English Vernancular and the narration was in modern day English. Doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but really it was just a little too random for me. And, the particular dialoge the writer chose to include was just ridiculous at times.
Next thought, why does the cover only picture one girl, when the story is Snow White and Rose Red?!?!?? The entire time I was reading this, that drove me crazy. Maybe there is some deep meaning in the objects the girl is holding, i.e. the apples???? But, still it's a no for me!
This is harsh, but I can't think of anyone I would recommend this to. It's just a waste of time, and 2 stars is probably being generous.
Next thought, why does the cover only picture one girl, when the story is Snow White and Rose Red?!?!?? The entire time I was reading this, that drove me crazy. Maybe there is some deep meaning in the objects the girl is holding, i.e. the apples???? But, still it's a no for me!
This is harsh, but I can't think of anyone I would recommend this to. It's just a waste of time, and 2 stars is probably being generous.
October 13, 2015
I truly wanted to like this book, especially after having just visited the Black Forest in Germany and feeling in a faery tale mood.
I've found with this particular series (which markets itself as Faery Tales intended for adults) that, as a reader, you're bound to get one of two things: either a salacious, shocking adaptation of a faery tale (White as Snow, Fitcher's Brides; both very good if you can stomach sexual deviance) or a bland snore-fest (Tam Lin, egads). Jane Yolen's Sleeping Beauty adaptation has been the exception to the rule, and excellent.
Sadly, Snow White and Rose Red falls into the snore-fest category, which I hoped would be reserved for Tam Lin. It began promising enough, with two maidens living in a mysterious wood with their widowed mother under the threat of being accused of witchcraft because of their knowledge of herbal healing. I was intrigued! And it was written beautifully. However, the novel soon took a turn into the YA fantasy realm of all things faery, involved sad, bumbling sorcerers with a spell gone awry, and focused WAY too much on the heroines trying to come up with a spell to help a shape-shifting prince overcome his enchantment.
As I'm writing this, I'm thinking that the plot sounds way more interesting than it actually is. But that's because it had so much potential to be great, and it falls flat on its face. All of the marvelous directions that Wrede could have taken, the complexities that she could have added to it, are absent. The characters are painfully flat; we never discover what is motivating are villains beyond the blind hunger for power ("same thing we do every night, Pinky"), the romance between the two brothers and two sisters reads like a middle schooler's spiral notebook, and the cast as a whole comes off as a group of formulaic, cookie cutter characters straight out of a "How to Write a Faery Tale" manual. Hence, we never care about any of them, because they are so painfully one dimensional. And the incorporation of the Land of Faerie adds no real drama or danger beyond the beginning of the novel when the two girls are trapped in its borders and, therefore, Faerie becomes a frustration because it disrupts the flow of the novel and seems to fulfill no purpose.
At one point, I was so bored and agitated that I pulled my Grimms off the shelf and read the original tale. Granted, Wrede didn't have a lot to work with. But I can't help but think of how authors like Angela Carter took tales with shapeshifting and made such powerful statements with them. Wrede could have had an intense, paranormal romance on her hands, to rival a Beauty and the Beast, if she had only focused on the right aspects of the original tale AND if she had only done what this novel series promises, which is adaptations intended for adults. All the ingredients were there! Wrede had the writing talent for a fantastic dark, Gothic, romantic novel, and she settled for a sterile, safe romp in faerie land.
I've found with this particular series (which markets itself as Faery Tales intended for adults) that, as a reader, you're bound to get one of two things: either a salacious, shocking adaptation of a faery tale (White as Snow, Fitcher's Brides; both very good if you can stomach sexual deviance) or a bland snore-fest (Tam Lin, egads). Jane Yolen's Sleeping Beauty adaptation has been the exception to the rule, and excellent.
Sadly, Snow White and Rose Red falls into the snore-fest category, which I hoped would be reserved for Tam Lin. It began promising enough, with two maidens living in a mysterious wood with their widowed mother under the threat of being accused of witchcraft because of their knowledge of herbal healing. I was intrigued! And it was written beautifully. However, the novel soon took a turn into the YA fantasy realm of all things faery, involved sad, bumbling sorcerers with a spell gone awry, and focused WAY too much on the heroines trying to come up with a spell to help a shape-shifting prince overcome his enchantment.
As I'm writing this, I'm thinking that the plot sounds way more interesting than it actually is. But that's because it had so much potential to be great, and it falls flat on its face. All of the marvelous directions that Wrede could have taken, the complexities that she could have added to it, are absent. The characters are painfully flat; we never discover what is motivating are villains beyond the blind hunger for power ("same thing we do every night, Pinky"), the romance between the two brothers and two sisters reads like a middle schooler's spiral notebook, and the cast as a whole comes off as a group of formulaic, cookie cutter characters straight out of a "How to Write a Faery Tale" manual. Hence, we never care about any of them, because they are so painfully one dimensional. And the incorporation of the Land of Faerie adds no real drama or danger beyond the beginning of the novel when the two girls are trapped in its borders and, therefore, Faerie becomes a frustration because it disrupts the flow of the novel and seems to fulfill no purpose.
At one point, I was so bored and agitated that I pulled my Grimms off the shelf and read the original tale. Granted, Wrede didn't have a lot to work with. But I can't help but think of how authors like Angela Carter took tales with shapeshifting and made such powerful statements with them. Wrede could have had an intense, paranormal romance on her hands, to rival a Beauty and the Beast, if she had only focused on the right aspects of the original tale AND if she had only done what this novel series promises, which is adaptations intended for adults. All the ingredients were there! Wrede had the writing talent for a fantastic dark, Gothic, romantic novel, and she settled for a sterile, safe romp in faerie land.
September 30, 2012
There was once a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage. In front of the cottage was a garden wherein stood two rose-trees, one of which bore white and the other red roses....
Rosamund and Blanche are the daughters of a poor widow in a small town in Elizabethan England; the three of them gather herbs from the woods to make remedies for the citizens of Mortlak. They are extremely careful when in the woods, for it contains the ever shifting border of faerie, a border they are wary of but cross over occasionally while protected with herbs and small charms. The Queen of faerie has two half-mortal sons, one who resides mainly in faerie (Hugh) and the other who wanders freely the land of mortals (John). When the favored son of the Queen, Hugh, has his faerie-essence stolen and is exiled from his home, John goes against his mothers wishes and follows his brother to save him. Soon, he comes across the Widow and her daughters and together they risk their lives to right the wrongs that have been done.
This retelling of a classic German fairy tale weaves together fantasy, mystery, danger, and romance into a story that not only entertains but has a happily-ever-after ending. I really enjoyed the Wrede took liberties with the story, transforming the classic characters and introducing a few new one of her own while sticking to the main plot of the original tale - and to show you the parallels, she includes snip-its of the German version at the beginning of each chapter. The dialogue was also written in Elizabethan English which I have mixed feelings about: it added to the authentic feel of the story but the non-dialogue was written in modern day English and switching back and forth between the two was not always a smooth transition for the reader.
Overall, a wonderful story that proves that sometime the Disney version of fairy tales aren't always the best; I for one would take an overprotective and loving mother with two headstrong teenage girls who sweep in and save the Prince any day over the docile female characters of the 1950's Disney who wait to be rescued - take charge ladies....and teach a moral at the same time :)
Rosamund and Blanche are the daughters of a poor widow in a small town in Elizabethan England; the three of them gather herbs from the woods to make remedies for the citizens of Mortlak. They are extremely careful when in the woods, for it contains the ever shifting border of faerie, a border they are wary of but cross over occasionally while protected with herbs and small charms. The Queen of faerie has two half-mortal sons, one who resides mainly in faerie (Hugh) and the other who wanders freely the land of mortals (John). When the favored son of the Queen, Hugh, has his faerie-essence stolen and is exiled from his home, John goes against his mothers wishes and follows his brother to save him. Soon, he comes across the Widow and her daughters and together they risk their lives to right the wrongs that have been done.
This retelling of a classic German fairy tale weaves together fantasy, mystery, danger, and romance into a story that not only entertains but has a happily-ever-after ending. I really enjoyed the Wrede took liberties with the story, transforming the classic characters and introducing a few new one of her own while sticking to the main plot of the original tale - and to show you the parallels, she includes snip-its of the German version at the beginning of each chapter. The dialogue was also written in Elizabethan English which I have mixed feelings about: it added to the authentic feel of the story but the non-dialogue was written in modern day English and switching back and forth between the two was not always a smooth transition for the reader.
Overall, a wonderful story that proves that sometime the Disney version of fairy tales aren't always the best; I for one would take an overprotective and loving mother with two headstrong teenage girls who sweep in and save the Prince any day over the docile female characters of the 1950's Disney who wait to be rescued - take charge ladies....and teach a moral at the same time :)
November 13, 2025
This was such a fun read and surprisingly quick!
Well. The best thing about this for me was the personalities. I loved the characters and thinking back on it (well, after having just finished), they're what really stand out for me. I LOVED every single character and the ending was just perfect.
Well, this also takes place in an Elizabethan sort of setting and the language matches soooo. It was a bit much for me at times. Sometimes I felt less scholarly. Sometimes I felt more scholarly. Sometimes I just got lost in the story and the language wasn't as apparent BUT definitely something for new readers to be aware of!
A fun retelling too. I'm not as familiar with the original tale -- I think I read way back in the day when I was a kid but forgot a lot about it -- so it was fun to read it as a retelling that still felt very close to the original tale.
Mini-review posted on The Book Addict's Guide 1/14/15: I got a couple pages into the book and was like, “Holy cow. That’s a lot of thee & thou & thy.” But as I read on, it really wasn’t as daunting as it first seemed. I’m not used to the language so yes, it did affect my read a little bit because I had to concentrate more, but overall, the book was very enjoyable!
SNOW WHITE AND ROSE RED is actually one fairy tale I remember reading as a kid (at least I THINK I read the original…) and it stuck out in my mind. I really enjoyed Patricia C. Wrede’s adaptation and how she changed the tale in little ways to make it her own story and these changes actually really helped me grow attached to the book too. I’m notoriously hesitant about fairy books but after falling in love with books like Heir of Fire and A Court of Thorns and Roses, I’m definitely coming around so I was so happy to see that not only was it something that I wasn’t afraid of in SWRR but also something that I enjoyed.
I loved the characters and they totally made the book for me. They were SO much fun with so much personality.
Well. The best thing about this for me was the personalities. I loved the characters and thinking back on it (well, after having just finished), they're what really stand out for me. I LOVED every single character and the ending was just perfect.
Well, this also takes place in an Elizabethan sort of setting and the language matches soooo. It was a bit much for me at times. Sometimes I felt less scholarly. Sometimes I felt more scholarly. Sometimes I just got lost in the story and the language wasn't as apparent BUT definitely something for new readers to be aware of!
A fun retelling too. I'm not as familiar with the original tale -- I think I read way back in the day when I was a kid but forgot a lot about it -- so it was fun to read it as a retelling that still felt very close to the original tale.
Mini-review posted on The Book Addict's Guide 1/14/15: I got a couple pages into the book and was like, “Holy cow. That’s a lot of thee & thou & thy.” But as I read on, it really wasn’t as daunting as it first seemed. I’m not used to the language so yes, it did affect my read a little bit because I had to concentrate more, but overall, the book was very enjoyable!
SNOW WHITE AND ROSE RED is actually one fairy tale I remember reading as a kid (at least I THINK I read the original…) and it stuck out in my mind. I really enjoyed Patricia C. Wrede’s adaptation and how she changed the tale in little ways to make it her own story and these changes actually really helped me grow attached to the book too. I’m notoriously hesitant about fairy books but after falling in love with books like Heir of Fire and A Court of Thorns and Roses, I’m definitely coming around so I was so happy to see that not only was it something that I wasn’t afraid of in SWRR but also something that I enjoyed.
I loved the characters and they totally made the book for me. They were SO much fun with so much personality.
July 18, 2009
A beautifully retold tale, if at times a little overelaborate. The Elizabethan setting and especially dialect are very well-done. Not a book to rush through -- you are almost forced to reread sentences to savour nearly every word. Robin is the best character -- everyone else is a little flat, and the Faerie characters are slightly cliched (beautiful, icy, heartless, cold, unearthly, &c &c). I liked the relationship between the two sisters, and the mother and her two daughters, very much. The Fairy Tale series is great (the first one I read in it was the incomparable Tam Lin) and I especially liked how excerpts from the original fairy tale stand as epigraphs to each chapter of this novel. I think this is only the second or so book I've read by Wrede -- I've heard very good things about the Dragon and Sorcery series. -- The Thirteenth Child, though, OY.)
did-not-finish
August 21, 2024Dnf'd at 15%. I just can't get into the writing style for this book. It isn't at all what I expected from Patricia C. Wrede. The attempts at Elizabethan diction felt so forced. I was hoping for something similar in style to her Enchanted Forest Series that started with Dealing with Dragons. I cannot believe that that funny, self-aware, and witty book was written by the same author of this drab and boring piece. I was promised a funny book. Maybe it got better later, but I just don't have time to waste on something that nearly bored me to sleep.
November 18, 2020
A lovely, short, read- perfect for reading aloud to children at bedtime.
January 5, 2025
At long last... After technically starting this book years ago... I finished.
Decent retelling. Dialogue takes some getting used to. Latter half feels a bit rushed. Good.
Decent retelling. Dialogue takes some getting used to. Latter half feels a bit rushed. Good.
January 9, 2010
This book was a bit ... disjointed? Not disjointed in plot, but disjointed in language. All the dialog is in Elizabethan English, while the narration is all in modern English. While I like Shakespeare and other authors/playwrights of that time period, I just couldn't get into this one. As soon as I would catch the rhythm of the language in a long couple lines of dialog, there would be a break in it with a "she said" or "they walked out the door" etc. It broke the illusion of the language and made it modern again. Over and over again this happened through the entire book.
While the story was okay, what I read books for is the language used. I couldn't appreciate the Elizabethan language fully due to the modern interludes, and I couldn't appreciate the modern language fully due to the Elizabethan interludes. I think switching back and forth between the two dialects as she did was a great disservice to both. I think I would have liked it better if it had been written fully in one dialect or the other.
While the story was okay, what I read books for is the language used. I couldn't appreciate the Elizabethan language fully due to the modern interludes, and I couldn't appreciate the modern language fully due to the Elizabethan interludes. I think switching back and forth between the two dialects as she did was a great disservice to both. I think I would have liked it better if it had been written fully in one dialect or the other.
May 18, 2009
Fun little story with an interesting take on the world of "fairie." I loved the relationships between the sisters and their mother. I also really enjoyed the Elizabethan dialect - it took a couple of chapters for me to get into it, but I quickly found my footing in the language and it was a wonderful addition to the setting. Overall, a really great fairy tale re-telling.
When I first read this book, I made the mistake of completely missing the point that this fairy tale was being placed in a pseudo-historical story. I spent a large portion of it being exasperated that Wrede had concocted such lame antagonists (with dumb names, which I thought quite unlike her - she usually uses and creates wonderful names). Once I made the connection that there was real history involved, I found it fascinating. I think she did a wonderful job blending genres and creating a plausible place in history for this tale.
When I first read this book, I made the mistake of completely missing the point that this fairy tale was being placed in a pseudo-historical story. I spent a large portion of it being exasperated that Wrede had concocted such lame antagonists (with dumb names, which I thought quite unlike her - she usually uses and creates wonderful names). Once I made the connection that there was real history involved, I found it fascinating. I think she did a wonderful job blending genres and creating a plausible place in history for this tale.
April 9, 2017
I've always loved the story of Snow White and Rose Red, so when I came across this book, I was ecstatic. It started out slowly, and I was a little put off by the "thee's" and "thou's," but the further I got into this book, the more I was drawn into the story.
Picture a quiet village: common people terrified of magic, a duo of sorcerers longing for power, a trio of faeries who hate mortals, two half-breed boys cursed and exiled from their mother's lands, and the Widow Arden and her daughters caught up in the middle of it all, just trying to save their new friends and avoid the suspicious townspeople's gaze. That is this book.
The only problem is that if you are at all familiar with the tale of Snow White and Rose Red, you will know what basically will happen, but the rewritten plot will keep you from figuring out everything before it is time.
This is probably one of my all time favorite fairytale retellings, and the ending was so sweet! Snow White and Rose Red 2.0.
Picture a quiet village: common people terrified of magic, a duo of sorcerers longing for power, a trio of faeries who hate mortals, two half-breed boys cursed and exiled from their mother's lands, and the Widow Arden and her daughters caught up in the middle of it all, just trying to save their new friends and avoid the suspicious townspeople's gaze. That is this book.
The only problem is that if you are at all familiar with the tale of Snow White and Rose Red, you will know what basically will happen, but the rewritten plot will keep you from figuring out everything before it is time.
This is probably one of my all time favorite fairytale retellings, and the ending was so sweet! Snow White and Rose Red 2.0.
November 7, 2011
I enjoyed this retelling of Snow White and Rose Red and I liked how the author set the book in Elizabethan times. However, I wish she had stuck a little more closely to the original story, when it came to the girls involvement with the dwarf. In the fairy tale, Snow White uses her sissors to cut off the dwarf's beard to rescue him from the tree and the fish. In this tale it is a whole new character, the brother of the enchanted bear, who does the rescuing. One of the nice things about this particular fairy tale was the sisters cleverness and independence, a thing not often seen in fairy tales. Usually we read about damsels in distress and knights or princes who save the day not clever women who save the prince.
Still, it was an enjoyable read and very cleverly done.
Still, it was an enjoyable read and very cleverly done.
April 4, 2017
I love retold fairy tales, and I love how this one was set in Elizabethan England as opposed to a fantasy realm. The magic was herb magic, something more suited to the setting than the usual kind you get in fairytales.
If you're looking for some fairytale romance this isn't the book you're looking for; while it is clear that the girls fancy the two brothers, there is no physical contact between them, not even hand holding.
I enjoyed the uniqueness of this book, especially in relation to fairytale retellings, but it lost my interest about halfway through.
Even so, it's uniqueness and the fact that it was well written sustain it and I would suggest it to someone.
If you're looking for some fairytale romance this isn't the book you're looking for; while it is clear that the girls fancy the two brothers, there is no physical contact between them, not even hand holding.
I enjoyed the uniqueness of this book, especially in relation to fairytale retellings, but it lost my interest about halfway through.
Even so, it's uniqueness and the fact that it was well written sustain it and I would suggest it to someone.
September 16, 2017
Extremely clever rework of the Grimm tale of Snow White And Rose Red. It uses a lot of the frame tale but not in completely obvious ways, reworking it all into something fresh and smooth. Setting it in Elizabethan England was especially interesting. Of course, the language took a bit to get used to but it is far simpler than Shakespeare and it doesn't read as try-hard at all. It still flows naturally so long as you keep remembering that "an" means "if". The layers of the story manage to form some tension and push-pull while the characters contribute to that. Robin is a total little shit and I love it.
August 23, 2019
I've enjoyed other works by Patricia C. Wrede and I love fairy tales (especially this one!) but Rose Red and Snow White fell very flat for me. It took a long time to get into the book (about 50 pages) and the dialogue was frustrating and distracting. The characters were one-dimensional; the widowed mother was either reprimanding or fearful, Rose Red was either indignant or impetuous and Snow White was either sweet or quiet. The novel gave a great backstory to the fairy tale but the interchanges between the characters ruined the book.
February 7, 2016
I kept expecting all of the villagers to die in bloody massacres or profane rituals and was pleasantly disappointed.
This was such a *cozy* fairy tale I didn't know what to do with it but I want to cuddle it forever. There was still plenty of risk and danger and curses and tricksy Fae to keep things interesting.
This was such a *cozy* fairy tale I didn't know what to do with it but I want to cuddle it forever. There was still plenty of risk and danger and curses and tricksy Fae to keep things interesting.
February 24, 2012
I didn't make it past the first chapter. I was so disappointed because I have loved other works by Wrede. I just couldn't get past the dialogue. First it was "thees and thous" in one paragraph and then "you and yours" in the next! Stick to one or the other.
November 12, 2018
While not a terrible book, it definitely could have been better. My biggest complaint was that this book just seemed to drag. The beginning was ok but the middle was sooooooooooo slooooooooooooooow. I had a hard time making myself pick it up and finish it.
August 24, 2021
4.5 stars
Okay, I pretty much loved this.
Apparently I put this book on my on-tbr-longest shelf a while back? so clearly I've owned it for a while. And I'm so glad I finally read it!
Fae, sister relationships, herbal magic, a touch of romance, Elizabethan England, a fairytale retelling...it was a good time! And a winning combination for me personally.
I really loved the writing. The dialogue is definitely Elizabethan-flavored, but the narration is much more modern. If you're nervous about that, I think a reader with even a little Shakespeare experience would have no trouble with it. And for beginners, I think you'd get along just fine by looking up the older definitions for a handful of words, like "belike" and "an" ("maybe" and "if", respectively).
This was also just a really cozy book overall, and one I really needed at the time. The characters were (mostly) really enjoyable, and I really liked the fae and herbal magic elements. The cottage/forest setting was also great, and I really liked the way Wrede used and changed the fairytale.
My only complaints: I wish one of the romances had gotten more development. I understand with certain fairytales that the plot beats limit that somewhat...but still. It wasn't as satisfying as the other love story (which I really liked, despite the characters having relatively short scenes together), and a little weird to boot.
And my other issue was the villains. There are 3 separate groups of antagonists, and they were all fairly annoying to read about. I've been trying and I really can't think of a better way to describe them, lol. They were annoying.
Those two things were pretty minor, though.
This book doesn't seem to be that highly rated, but I loved it. And after loving and frequently rereading the other Patricia C. Wrede books I'd read before this, I'm kicking myself for not getting to more of her books sooner!
CW: Witch hunts, references to: hanging, execution.
*Also -- use of some possibly antisemitic magic tropes. Ex: one pair of antagonists at one point use Hebrew in an evil spell. They also use other languages and elements though (I remember Latin specifically), and the other antagonists aren't written with Jewish references at all: so I don't necessarily think those tropes were used intentionally, but I did want to mention it!
Okay, I pretty much loved this.
Apparently I put this book on my on-tbr-longest shelf a while back? so clearly I've owned it for a while. And I'm so glad I finally read it!
Fae, sister relationships, herbal magic, a touch of romance, Elizabethan England, a fairytale retelling...it was a good time! And a winning combination for me personally.
I really loved the writing. The dialogue is definitely Elizabethan-flavored, but the narration is much more modern. If you're nervous about that, I think a reader with even a little Shakespeare experience would have no trouble with it. And for beginners, I think you'd get along just fine by looking up the older definitions for a handful of words, like "belike" and "an" ("maybe" and "if", respectively).
This was also just a really cozy book overall, and one I really needed at the time. The characters were (mostly) really enjoyable, and I really liked the fae and herbal magic elements. The cottage/forest setting was also great, and I really liked the way Wrede used and changed the fairytale.
My only complaints: I wish one of the romances had gotten more development. I understand with certain fairytales that the plot beats limit that somewhat...but still. It wasn't as satisfying as the other love story (which I really liked, despite the characters having relatively short scenes together), and a little weird to boot.
And my other issue was the villains. There are 3 separate groups of antagonists, and they were all fairly annoying to read about. I've been trying and I really can't think of a better way to describe them, lol. They were annoying.
Those two things were pretty minor, though.
This book doesn't seem to be that highly rated, but I loved it. And after loving and frequently rereading the other Patricia C. Wrede books I'd read before this, I'm kicking myself for not getting to more of her books sooner!
CW: Witch hunts, references to: hanging, execution.
*Also -- use of some possibly antisemitic magic tropes. Ex: one pair of antagonists at one point use Hebrew in an evil spell. They also use other languages and elements though (I remember Latin specifically), and the other antagonists aren't written with Jewish references at all: so I don't necessarily think those tropes were used intentionally, but I did want to mention it!
December 30, 2022
A great rewrite of a fairy tale will bring a depth and subtlety to the story that the original lacks, and I don't think this quite manages that. It's a lot of fun and an entertaining read but I found it a little superficial, and that makes it a good rewrite but not a great one.
One point to consider is that Wrede has her characters speak in a faux Shakespearean manner that I found annoying initially, though I soon ceased to notice it as the story swept me up. If you think this is going to annoy you as well maybe you should avoid this book.
Anyhow, if you just want an enjoyable way to spend a few hours then this book is an excellent option, but I doubt it's a book you'll want to reread.
One point to consider is that Wrede has her characters speak in a faux Shakespearean manner that I found annoying initially, though I soon ceased to notice it as the story swept me up. If you think this is going to annoy you as well maybe you should avoid this book.
Anyhow, if you just want an enjoyable way to spend a few hours then this book is an excellent option, but I doubt it's a book you'll want to reread.
July 5, 2023
Really 3.5. Great premise, promising beginning, and satisfying conclusion, but the middle really dragged on for so long, I seriously considered a three star rating. Still, the cozy nature of this retold fairy tale felt refreshing, so I opted for the 4 star rating.
February 16, 2024
I like how the conversation was kept to the original style of speaking and still was easy enough to understand and even the humour.
Overall a very interested well done take. The ending was a bit boring I'll be honest, and the tale itself long however I like that type of thing so overall enjoyable
Overall a very interested well done take. The ending was a bit boring I'll be honest, and the tale itself long however I like that type of thing so overall enjoyable
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