The Princess and the Prick

by Walburga Appleseed

The Princess and the Prick is a feminist humour and gift book for adults.
May I kiss you, he said.
She didn't answer. She was asleep.
So he kissed her anyway.
SLEEPING BEAUTY

Revisit childhood classics, but not as you remember them. Familiar fables are turned on their heads as your beloved heroines finally have their say.

In a similar vein to the Ladybird for Grown-Ups and Enid Blyton spoof series, The Princess and the Prick flips fairy tales, nursery rhymes and children’s books on their head. Retold through a feminist lens as one liners, verses and rhyming couplets, and highlighting the sexism endemic in stories we grew up with, these classic tales will never be read in the same way again…

‘I hate this book. It makes me look like a right prick.’
Prince Charming

‘A real wake-up call.’
Sleeping Beauty

Perfect for fans of Gill Sims, Caroline Hirons and Alix E. Harrow!

Genres: Feminism, Poetry, Nonfiction, Short Stories, Retellings, Contemporary

144 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2020

Reviews

[Yoda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It´s funny but very short. Something I would buy as a fun extra gift not something I need in my bookshelf.

[Aoife · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am eternally thankful to my parents for having raised me on the Brothers Grimm tales as opposed to Disney, and feel this book perfectly illustrates every reason why I feel so. (Albeit in a far more light hearted way than I normally manage!)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it’s light hearted exposure of the ridiculous, sexist, and damaging messages so often conveyed in popular children’s literature.
While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend gifting this to your five year old niece(!!) I would recommend it for budding feminists everywhere or anyone who enjoys gentle, yet pointed, humour with some cursing thrown in!

[Hannah May · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75 stars.
There were a few pages that I thought were clever or spot on, but mostly, I felt it was lacking, although I can't put my finger on what exactly. I was excited to read it when I saw the title and read the blurb; however, for me, it missed the mark.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely audiobook, read by Mol. Loved it.

[Katie Rankine · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are tiny one or two lines about fairy tales/children's classics. Might be my fault but I expected it to be more fleshed out.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun feminist twist on classic fairytales, nursery rhymes and childhood classics. Each page is a couple of short lines of text which mange to get their point across well, and a beautiful illustration to match!
Perfect Christmas/stocking filler type book!

[Kourtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought the short stories would be longer than a line or two. It was okay, not something I would advise paying full price for though😅 unfortunately I thought this would be much better.

[Laura Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

It was okay. Read in 5 minutes. More of a novelty than an actual story/stories.
Some were great, some were confusing, and some I just didn't understand...

I liked the illustrations.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Princess and the Prick is not just a book for feminists. It’s a book for all of us who are questioning what we used to think was ‘normal’ and seeing it for what it truly is…something often laced with sexism or racism or any other kind of ‘ism’ you can name. Fairy tales are no exception. Typically written by men, most classic fairy tales celebrate the beauty of submissive women and glorify the male’s conquest and power over them. This book turns it all around and, in very few but well-chosen words, shows us exactly how wrong we’ve been all these years. The author doesn’t make us feels like dopes for loving these stories when we were kids, but rather she very subtly helps us to understand how ‘ism’ these stories actually are, while giving us a few chuckles at the same time. People are going to be talking about this one for a long, long time! Well worth the purchase.

[Chantelle Hazelden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and sweet read that you can delve into any time you're in need of your spirits being lifted.

This book is a great twist on classic fairytales, nursery rhymes etc giving a more feminist outlook on them.

I'd love to see some of these stories re-written with this book in mind!

[Rosanna ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I thought it was funny, it was definitely very woke. I liked the illustrations a lot, but it wasn’t really a story. I can’t really say much about it because there simply wasn’t that much there.

[Chetna · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘A real wake-up call.’ Sleeping Beauty

This book had me in sheer laughter this afternoon! 😂Revisited childhood classics from their feministic heroines perspectives! 👏🏽

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was fun and quotable, the gift that keeps giving.

[Chloe Metzger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got it as a birthday gift and it made me laugh out loud. A few people I know will get this for Christmas!

[Laura Fleming (WhatLauraReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

20 minute read and so so funny

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mary has her own mind and that is not a good thing."

[Piper · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth it . I found this offensive just so woke. I won't pay the price for it it's a few sentences on the pages.

[Kaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick and fun read. A wake up call, and puts a spin on some classics that I had not thought about before.

[Nandini Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lmfaooo it was so funny but so short. I need moreee

[Lizzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't what I thought it would be. I was expecting actual rewritten fairytale, but there's about 2 lines of text every 3 pages. The reviews on the back of the book were funnier than the pages contents, IMHO.

I get the point the book was trying to make, but for me it missed the mark and came across bitter rather than humorous.

I did enjoy that the book included films as well as fairytales though. A fun gag gift.

[Em · Rating 1 out of 5]

How is this even considered a book? I read it in less than 5 mins there's one sentence on each page. £10 for a few minutes of reading and it wasn't even funny or feminist 💀

[Kira Griffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny but bit too short

[Paula Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

When The Princess and the Prick by Walburga Appleseed arrived as a birthday gift, I practically squealed with delight. Having devoured Divine Dicks and Mortal Pricks, I knew I was in for a treat, and this feminist humour book for adults did not disappoint.

From the very first page, Appleseed takes a wrecking ball to the fairy tales we grew up with, exposing the deeply problematic gender dynamics lurking beneath their sugary surfaces. The opening story sets the tone perfectly: a prince asking if he may kiss Sleeping Beauty, not waiting for an answer because she's unconscious, and kissing her anyway. It's simultaneously hilarious and horrifying , a masterclass in how consent violations were normalized in stories we fed to children for generations.

Each page feels like a gut-punch of recognition as you realize just how much casual sexism was baked into these "innocent" childhood tales. The heroines finally get their say, and let me tell you, they have opinions.

Reading through these reimagined classics feels like having a wine-fueled conversation with your funniest, most politically aware friend who's had enough of patriarchal nonsense. The humor is biting without being preachy, accessible without dumbing down its feminist critique. It's the perfect gift book , substantial enough to mean something, funny enough to share at parties, and beautifully presented enough to display on your coffee table.

What I appreciate most is how Appleseed makes you laugh while simultaneously making you think. You'll never look at these stories the same way again. Those "romantic" princes? Creepy boundary-crossers. Those "saved" princesses? Capable women robbed of their agency. The book doesn't just point out problems , it reclaims these narratives entirely.

If you enjoyed the sharp wit of Ladybird books for adults or appreciate feminist retellings, The Princess and the Prick is essential reading. It's cathartic, clever, and laugh-out-loud funny. Perfect for anyone who grew up on fairy tales and later wondered why all those heroines needed rescuing. This book is the rescuing they actually deserved from terrible storytelling.

[Anna Gurevitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young adult or adult book, it contains some strong language, swear words and sometimes sexual innuendo mostly in mocking ways, so is for a 16+ audience and readership.

It also should be noted that the book is not a series of fairy-tale stories as many seem to think but rather it is a book that pokes fun at the sexism in traditional fairy-tales by silly, ridiculous to hilarious one liners.

I found it useful as a reminder that there are, thankfully, people writing actively anti-sexist literature. I write children's books so I find the book useful as inspiration around different ways in interpreting fairy-tales and whilst Walburga's book is presented in language too strong for little ones, it can be great inspiration for those of us writers wanting to write or re-write fairy-tales without the demeaning sexist gender roles. The book inspired me to think of humorous ways to be more inclusive, clever, witty and modern in writing fairy-tales (obviously without the swearing or innuendos but I can see that older teenagers can get some light hearted relief from those aspects).

I could also see this book on an adult education writers course or an adult education English literature course to be critically analysed alongside other books (Politically correct children's bedtime stories, for example, which doesn't have any swearing in but is also a YA or older teen book due to the sheer level of intellectual concepts, albeit hilariously presented)

So it's a great wee book for contributing to variety and diversity, and liberatingly different perspectives in tired old fairy-tales. (NB after I bought and read this book I went and bought a t.shirt that says, 'At Christmas we smash the patriarchy!' It's that level of liberating)

I personally found this book inspiring.

[Imogen · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this was very, very short, it was a fun and alternative take on classic fairy tales, nursery rhymes and ancient myths.

I'm someone who, although raised on Disney films and has a great love for Disney princesses, definitely understands the questionable messages portrayed in these films. Don't get me wrong, I don't take Cinderella, for example, too seriously and can separate it from my inner feminist. This short but sweet book however, does present some of my inner thoughts.

While I was familiar with all of the fairy tales and myths in this book, I was not familiar with the vast majority of the nursery rhymes - some of them are really quite weird. I had too look them up and yes, they're very strange rhymes for young children when you really think about them.

The section that I very much enjoyed was the short section on ancient myths. I have always been a strong defender of Helen of Troy, and this book mirrors my thoughts and feelings precisely.

The illustrations on every page are also really beautiful and fun! I would love to have a couple of them as prints!

Yes, it's very short and I'm not necessarily sure that I would read this again, I'm going against my standard rating guide as I did really enjoy this little book. It would make an excellent gift.

[Abigail Beckwith · Rating 5 out of 5]

old post reposted


I found "The Princess and The Prick: Fairy Tales For Feminists" at a local bookstore/small business gift-shop. I was a lot full on pancakes and bacon and chocolate milk; I had just smelled a bunch of candles; then I saw this cover and I couldn't just not buy it. Written by Walburga Appleseed; Illustrated by Seobhan Hope.
["Revisit childhood classics, but not as you remember them. Familiar fables are turned on their heads as your beloved heroines finally have their say. These stories will never be the same again."]

This books is alllllmmost like the Nikita Gill poems I've read and raved about....but with like 1000% more sass and attitude. Very blunt about who women are (and always have been) generally screwed over because men just do whatever the fuck they want (whether or not they have silly little things like consent or common curtesy).

Do not read this book with your children unless you're ready to explain why Little Red Riding Hood wants to be "devoured" by the Wolf (among a few other really quite funny adult situations).


#theprincessandtheprick #fairytalesforfeminists #WalburgaAppleseed #SeobhanHope #fairytales #nurseryrhymes #childhoodfilms #childrensclassics #mythsandlegends #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

[Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Three Stars

While it’s amusing enough, this is a pretty shallow collection of flash poetry about feminism (or lack thereof) in an array of classic stories. From fairy tales (but only the European ones), nursery rhymes, myths and movies (but only the Disney ones), there’s about two sentences for each pointing out how they fail their female characters - if they have them at all. The concept intrigued me, and as I say there’s a couple of perfectly funny ones, but there’s also a handful that feel pulled from a Google search and cliche stereotype bashing. Some of them also completely reduce what can be complex and empowering stories to a couple of words accusing it of misogyny. I don’t doubt that the book is meant to be taken as fun over analytically correct, but it’s a real shame that such a transformative genre is repeatedly ridiculed as useless when some - especially with our contemporary views that are taken full advantage of in this book - can provide hopeful potential for female power, intelligence and recognition.

[M]

The cover and title caught my attention, but this sort of marketing has its repercussions. To call something “feminist” and say “heroines will have their say” (on the back cover) should actually mean something. The short re-tellings are usually from the male perspective, though you can hear the sarcasm in each. Even so, saying patriarchal stuff ironically is not the epitome of feminism. The shortening and pin-pointing the “wrongness” in each of the fairytales by simply repeating what happened in rhyme and modern-day language doesn’t do it for me. This book is more interested in digestible humor than in making a feminist point. I loved the illustrations though, and think the book would have been better just with them alone. Disappointed.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this one up on a day I was feeling low and in need of my spirits lifting. It certainly did the trick and I was soon laughing out loud as I turned the pages.

The author has taken traditional, well-known fairy tales and given them a modern and feminist twist. My only complaint was that each one is just a few lines, more of a quick summary than a retelling. I would have loved them to be longer and be able to read the stories in more detail.

A quick and entertaining read, it's brevity makes it the perfect book to read if you only have a few moments and would make a great stocking filler this Christmas.

[Mary Laffey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so fun! Full of sarcastic and snarky jabs at gender roles, this little book takes the fairy tales, rhymes, myths, and childhood classics and exposes their true sexist natures. Read on for some of my favorites!

pg 20 - Rumpelstiltskin "The King wanted to marry the person who could spin gold. Rumpelstiltskin could spin gold. Gay marriage should have been an option. But it wasn't."

pg 44 - Mary Mary Quite Contrary "Mary has her own mind, and that is not a good thing."

pg 102 - The Hobbit "The road goes ever on and on. But where are the lady travellers?"

pg 118 - The Trojan War "It's all Helen's fault. She's just too passive-aggressively beautiful."