Movie Adaptation: Cinderella (2015)

Cinderella has been the most known and beloved fairy tale of all times. It is the magic of the godmother and the kind heart of the Cinderella that fills the book with fantasy. The evil step mother is also a part of the tale. An important part. When there is no evil, goodness is not exposed. The movie version of Cinderella is for the first time letting the evil side explain their side of story.

The book 

Cinderella is a beautiful girl who lives with her stepmother and three step sisters. She is as beautiful as she is kind. Forbidden by her stepmother, Cinderella is upset to not go to the ball held in the honor of the prince. That's when the fairy godmother enters and lives are changed with magic. It is simple and sweet story of a girl finding love and her happily ever after. 

The movie 

Disney's Cinderella is a lot different from the book. The Cinderella story has been given a lot of depth. Here Cinderella is a girl who loves her mother but loses her to a terminal disease. She is asked by her mother to always have courage and be kind. Those were the last words. 

When few years later Cinderella finds out that her father is in love, she promises him to be kind to the new family too. 

The story picks up the pace from here. The step mother is not evil in the beginning, just a little insecure. More so because of the relationship that Cinderella and her father share. It can be noticed at the nigh she throws a party and overhears Cinderella and her father talking about her. 

Cate Blanchett is ever so graceful in the evil stepmother's character. The step sisters here are child like but they too have got dimensions. The magical elements in the story is what carries you to the dreamland. The carriage and beautiful clothes are elaborate, better than the imagination. The beautiful transition of 

I loved the entire movie but of all the depth of Cinderella as the character is inspiring. The Cinderella here does not intend to go to the ball to charm the prince. She wants to go there to meet her friend. And till the end she remains kind. Like she promised her mother. 

This is a movie definitely worth watching. It is one of the best Fairy tales converted into a very charming movie. 

Overall 

The fairy tale is the classic and the movie is a unforgettable work of art. Both are worth reading and watching time and again.

Bookhaul - September 2016

Yes, we are well into October, am late in posting this one! Better late than never right!? Considering the growing piles of unread books in my room, I really need to stop buying books (No, am just joking!). So , here is my very loved September haul!

Firstly, I decided to try and buy books around the theme for The Biblio Box, as it helps me organize my book buying. This time around the theme was Classics, and so I decided to buy Vinegar Girl, which is a retelling of one of Shakespeare’s books. Apart from this, I bought the entire series of books that feature Anne, of Anne of Green Gables. This  set of books by Puffin is simply adorable and was on my list for a very long time!

The month of September also brought to me some lovely used books from UK, sent by a very dear friend. Harvesting the heart, Rebecca, An impossible Marriage were some among them.

The biblio box had  Elligible (I already had one of the books they had in the box, hence I replaced it with this), Hemingway in Love and I upgraded it with The Great Gatsby- another book that I’ve been wanting for a while now!

Apart from these, I received some interesting titles like Dark Matter, Rau etc for review from the Publisher,  which have been getting amazing reviews from the readers. I also received two books from the authors themselves. One being, The Memory of Lost Dreams which is a dystopian novel  and the other is The Morning tree- a retelling of a fairytale. Lastly, I finally WON A GIVEAWAY! (do the capital letters show my excitement enough!?)  hosted by a friend and fellow blogger, I won the giveaway he hosted and got Shattered Dreams, and All yours, stranger.

Overall, September has left my room with a little hurricane of books that I am only too glad to clean up.

In Their Shoes by Various, Illustrated by Lucy Arnoux

My recent obsession with fairy tales has led me to different versions and origins of the same tales. These tales are much older than the Disney version dated as far back as 1st century BC. These stories evolve from folklore carrying the roots and traditions of the place. The book 'In Their Shoes' is a collection of these fairy tales, some in their much earlier versions. All involving shoes! 

Cover page 

The cover page reflects the content of the page. The shoes inside the pages come alive on the cover page with the help of beautiful illustrations. It is a simple and enchanting cover page. Definitely meant to be bought in hardback copies. 

Characters 

The book is a collection of fairy tales, each featuring the respective characters. These characters interestingly are completely different from the mainstream characters. Cinderella here is a child who lives in a cave and her best friend is a big fish. Hansel and Gretel's epic tale is traced back to a tiny child who saves himself and his siblings from a child eating ogre. Such are the fascinating characters in the book. 

Content 

The book begins with a quote from 'To Kill A Mockingbird' by Harper Lee. 

'You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.' 

The stories inside are literally, featuring shoes. In all forms. Cinderella's dancing shoes, puss in its boots, the twelve dancing princesses and their shoes and some more of them. It may seem to be a little odd but the author has creatively picked up the stories containing the magic of shoes and traced back their origins and presented a great collectible. 

Some stories are quite different from the Disney versions or even Grimm versions bordering to folklore. 

The book makes an interesting read when these stories come together. 

Language 

The language in the book is quite simple as it happens mostly in fairy tales and folklore. These contain great narratives which is what makes it magical. 

Good points 

The cover page is beautiful. The collection showcasing different stories involving shoes makes a wonderful read for those who are obsessed with shoes and fairy tales alike. The language is very simple. The length is not tiresome. It is a short read. 

Bad points 

The collection may be a little confusing at time since it comprises of the most recent and original folklore versions, both. The explanation towards the end hardly does any justice. 

Overall

It is great collection, fascinating to read. 

Whom do I recommend this to 

This book is for all the fairy tales enthusiasts. Those who love shoes are going to love the magic that empowers shoes in this book. Who doesn't want to fly wearing winged sandals right?

Quotable quotes 

Young men, when all is said and done, will find sharp wits and common sense worth more than an inheritance. 

He was small; when he was born he was hardly bigger than a man's thumb, for which reason Hop o' my thumb was what he was called.

I was sent a ARC by the publisher. The views expressed here are my own, uninfluenced.  

Cinderella by Charles Perrault, illustrated by Arthur Rackham

What can I say that is not already said about fairy tales. We all have grown up with them. Their tellings and retellings have been etched in our minds. My latest new obsession with fairy tales has taken me back to the good old days of fairy tales. As I visit the land once again I hereby bring the refreshed memories of Cinderella. I read an edition available on Amazon. This is a beautiful book authored by Charles Perrault, of course, and illustrated by Arthur Rackham. 

Cover

The cover contains a silhouette illustration by Arthur Rackham. It is a beautiful scene from the story where the fairy god mother is turning the pumpkin into a carriage for the wonderful night at the palace. There are lizards and rats all over. These tiny pretty illustrations depict the characters in the story. This makes a good cover for the fairy tale collections.😍 

Characters

Cinderella is a story of an orphan girl who lives with her stepmother and two step sisters. The girl is very kind and gentle. Her stepmother and stepsisters are hardly family since they often mistreat her and make her do all the chores in the house. The author has refrained from ghastly portraying any character evil. There are also other characters such as the prince, the mice, the lizards etc who help to build the story splendidly.

Content 

Cinderella lives with her stepmother and stepsisters. She is constantly being mistreated in her own house. Quoting one of my friends: 'Cinderella is a horrific story about a rich girl whose evil stepmother forced her to live as though she were a member of the working class.'

There is a twist in the sob worthy life of Cinderella when she hears of this ball that is taking place at the king's palace. The prince has invited all the maidens in the kingdom but Cinderella is not allowed to go. As the night approached Cinderella feels terrible and cries. 

The fairy godmother sees her and magically turns her night into an unforgettable experience.

The story ends with the prince coming to find her and marry her. And of course, they live happily ever after.

The story is magical. It has everything positive about it. It makes you believe in everything nice. 

Language 

The language is very simple. It refrains from too much negativity. The focus is on the magical element of the story which is bewitching. Picking up of small elements like mice and lizards and blending them into the story is exceptional. 

Good points

The illustrations are just beautiful. It makes me want to do another post featuring all the illustrations in the book. The story is a classic by itself. The more you read the story the more you want to read it. The characters want to make you believe in magic and they succeed too. Language is simple yet beautiful. 

Bad points 

Cinderella as a character is often debated to be shallow even when towards the end the author calls her 'as good as she was beautiful'.  

Overall 

It is a classic fairy tale. It is beautiful story. A definite must read. 

Who do I recommend this to 

This is for everyone. Boys, girls, feminists, realists, fantasy fanatics.. Everyone.. Just everyone..

Quotable quotes 

Once upone a time there was a gentleman whose second wife was the proudest and most haughty woman that was ever seen. 

She told Cinderella to lift the sort of the mouse trap a little, and as each mouse came out, she gave a tap with her wand, whereupon it was transformed into a fine horse. And so the six mice made a fine set of six horses of a beautiful mouse-colored dapple grey.

Cinderella, who was as good as she was beautiful, gave her two sisters a home in the palace and that very same day married them off to two great lords of the Court. 

The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen ; translated by Misha Hoekstra

A fair lady in distress, a prince charming and a 'happy ever after' is what most of the fairytales consist of. The debate of whether fairytales are good for kids or not is going on since centuries. There is no right way to tackle this but one issue is settled. Fairytales have been a part of all our childhood. We have come across it in different forms. 

Grandmother sat in the blessed bright sunshine and read aloud from the Bible: "Unless you become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven." 

Young girls are taught that they are to be respected and treated well, where boys are taught to be brave and chivalrous. There is no denying that a certain type of fairytale has been made more popular than the other. Which is where 'The Snow Queen' breaks the stereotype. 

Cover page 

'The Snow Queen' has a beautiful illustrated cover. The copy I am reading is blue in color with decorations around it. It keeps up the glorifies the fantasy inside and complells to buy the physical copy of the book, which is exactly what I am going to do. Another book for my shelf! 

Characters 

The book is about Gerda and Kai. These two kids are friends, more like siblings. Gerda is a smart girl who likes the company of Kai in their garden. Kai likes Gerda as much. Kai is nice to all the people around till a sad thing happens and he is left cold as snow. 

The story revolves around Gerda and her journey to rescue Kai from the snow Queen. The Characterization is quite different from other children's books. Gerda is not the damsel in distress. She on the other hand has taken the entire responsibility of finding Kai and bringing him back with herself. It is quite refreshing to see characters so different from other fairytales. 

Content 

The book is an enjoyable treat for sure and that is the reason it is so famous too. The book has been adapted into a couple of movies but hardly a few seem to know the actual story inside. 

The book is quite different from the other fairytales that most of us have grown up reading about. In this tale there are no perfect extremities. There is nothing black and white, not even the main characters. Gerda is a noble lead character in the book who has set out to find her friend but somehow forgets about him while living with a lady, until reminded by the roses in the garden. While many will argue that she is just a child who was distracted, many will still make a mindful note of it. The book also mentions a bandit girl who tortures animals but still is sweet to the girl she captures. 

Tickling a reindeer with a knife to scare it not funny.

After encountering a set of characters who have mixed shades within themselves, this may not be a perfect book to hand over to children. But of course this is open to debate since there is a huge leeway given to cinderella story where the toes of the step sister was chopped off so she could fit into the glass shoes. 

Language 

The book, besides it's content retains its bit of fantasy. Talking flowers and animals are made real with a help of good writing. The book takes you to the world of Children with its narration. 

Good points 

The illustrations are beautiful. The cover page demands it's place on the shelf. The narration is amusing. Lead characters in the book are quite fascinating. Gerda is probably a fictional character who will be remembered when it comes to fairy tale. 

Bad point

The book is a work of art but it someone dampens the praise when it comes to content inside. The book begins with a promise but it keeps one confused throughout. The joy of enjoying a good story without putting much mind into the duality of characters is lost. 

Overall 

The book's claim to be fit for children needs some rephrasing. It may not be fit for children but it still makes a good story. For those who want to understand the inspiration behind the movie 'Frozen' this book is always waiting. 

I received this book for reviewing. It has not influenced the review at all.