Chrissie Webb’s Reviews > The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories > Status Update

As the final story in the collection, I was not necessarily disappointed but underwhelmed by "Wolf Alice" - it was ok.

3 stars

"The Werewolf" & "The Company of Wolves" are two reimaginings of the Red Riding Hood story. Both were entertaining and offered different symbolic approaches to the same tale.

4 stars

Unfortunately, "The Lady of the House of Love" was not for me (surprising as I usually love gothic satire). I understand that Carter was constructing the necessary atmosphere throughout the first half of the story, but I found this to be too long-winded for the short story format (personal preference being the issue here!). The later clash between the modern rational v archaic supernatural was brilliant.

3.75 stars

Short but definitely not sweet, "The Snow Child" emphasises the destructive nature of the objectification, jealousy, and desire born from a patriarchal society. Told through a dark reimagining of Snow White, Carter is able to squeeze the most into a story that is less than 2 pages long.

4.25 stars

"Puss-In-Boots" offers a farcical romp of a tale that contrasts significantly in terms of light-hearted humour compared to the three previous stories. Nevertheless, the story is still very much an adult-take on the familiar tale.

4.5 stars

The second 'Beauty and the Beast' story, though still very good, is not my favourite of the two. That being said, "The Tiger's Bride" offers a darker, more unsettling interpretation with a hardened & pessimistic heroine (aspects that I really enjoyed). I also really enjoyed the ending.

4 stars

'Beauty and the Beast' is up there with 'Peter Pan' as being one of my all-time favourite childhood tales. "The Courtship of Mr Lyon" is a lovely, unassuming take on that story.

4.5 stars

I can't remember how many times I have read The Bloody Chamber but I can confirm that my enjoyment and sense of horror has increased each time

5 stars!

The reason it has taken me so long to resume reading The Bloody Chamber is because I struggled to enjoy the first few pages of 'The Erl-King'. I found the narration to be too rambly with not much plot (unlike others in this book).

On the other hand, though the shortest story, 'The Snow Child' was a fantastic (though somewhat disturbing) piece of feminist literature.

The Erl-King: 3 stars
The Snow Child: 5 stars

"But has my master witnessed my triumph? Has he, my arse."

'Puss-in-Boots' is definitely the most humorous story of this collection. Following the perspective of a cat who is trying to get his master into the bedchamber the women that he is moping over, this is a much more lighthearted tale than the first 3.

That being said there still features bleak elements that are present in the other stories.