(no subject)

[skygiants]

So Patricia C. Wrede has her on days and her off days, and Snow White and Rose Red, which was my thesis-distraction book, is not really representative of her most on days.

The book is a perfectly serviceable retelling of the fairy tale in Elizabethan England, with bonus cameos from the ever-handy John Dee, but the characters never really reach any level of distinct personality and everyone's motivation is sort of murky at best. I think perhaps the problem is that Wrede sticks a little too close to the fairy-tale style of tell-not-show, which, while, again, a perfectly reasonable stylistic choice, doesn't really allow much character depth. Also I lost track of how often this basic exchange was repeated throughout the story:

Rosamund, aka Rose Red: Mother, let's do something dangerous!
Blanche, aka Snow White: I think we have a good reason to do this dangerous thing . . .
Mother: But it could be DANGEROUS!
Rosamund: But I am a spunky female character who gets annoyed when she isn't allowed to do dangerous things!
Blanche: And I am a slightly more thoughtful yet still active female character who would also like to be involved!
Rosamund: Anyways, what's the worst that could happen?
Blanche: True, we are unmarried young ladies going off into the woods, but we'll be careful. And it isn't like either of us is named Janet.
Mother: Fine, go off and do your dangerous thing. BUT DON'T GET BURNED AS WITCHES.

This is pretty much the extent of the characterization of these three. Except all in Elizabethan dialect - which was like the rest of the book, in that it was perfectly serviceable and not incorrect, but never felt quite natural. And I know Wrede can do natural-sounding historical chatter, because she pulls it off perfectly in Sorcery and Cecelia. (Obligatory shout-out: actually, the only author I can think of right now to pull off entirely natural-sounding Elizabethan is Kage Baker. Whom I love.) So, end verdict - I don't want to trash the book, because it's not terrible really, but it's definitely not the best example of Wrede's work. Also, it suffers in comparison to other retellings in the Fairy Tale series like Pamela Dean's Tam Lin and Jane Yolen's Briar Rose, both of which do something much more with their source stories than just retell them - but I should say that I may have been judging it more harshly than is fair, because I have kind of an addiction to fairy-tale reworkings, and what I am looking for in my favorites is not necessarily the same as what someone else might want.

Comments

[genarti]

My memory of that book is pretty vague -- which is saying something itself -- but from what I do remember, my opinion is pretty much dead-on with yours.

It's not bad. It's kind of fun. You just finish it and go "...Okay. Was that all?"

Still not as bad as a couple of her early works, though. *wry* And I say this as someone who absolutely adores several of her books. But she is definitely a writer who has her on days and off days, as you say.

[(Anonymous)]

Ohhh yes. *rueful* I picked up The Harp of Imach Thyssel a while back, from the same used bookstore where I found this one, and . . . it was kind of astonishingly bland.

I think possibly she's not quite sure what to do with herself when she's not deliberately aiming for comedy - all the works of hers I like best are kind of setting out to poke affectionate fun as part of their premise. All except the Mairelon books, anyways, and even those I don't like quite as well as her funnier ones (but don't tell Adiva >.> <.< I STILL THINK KIM IS AWESOME I PROMISE.)

[skygiants]

. . . wow, I just accidentally posted anonymously in my own journal. That is kind of a feat!

[river_meimei]

Go you with your skills! I shall retaliate with a character journal because I'm too lazy to log out.

Yeah, Harp of Imach Thyssel I thiiiink I've read, but I honestly can't even remember for sure. Let alone any plot details. That whole series is like that. I love The Raven Ring, but just because in its predictable implausibility it has some stock characters I am a sucker for. I don't know if it's that she wrote her Generic High Fantasy stuff back when she was a newer writer -- which is how it reads to me, but I haven't checked copyright dates to back that up -- or if it's just that she's better with stuff either aimed at comedy or set in a not-quite-our-world. Because Mairelon's fun, Sorcery and Cecilia et al are fun (and, okay, collaborative), and of course the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, but some of the rest... yeah.

Maybe Elizabethan Fairy-Tale times counts too much as Generic Fantasy in terms of the number of tropes she has to lean on?

[skygiants]

HI RIVER. *hands her a copy and waits expectantly for her to make it more interesting*

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the Generic Fantasy Stuff did come earlier - and I really do think part of the problem with Snow White and Rose Red was her reliance on the fairy tale to tell the story for her. Like, each chapter lines up perfectly with a verse, and so on.

(Also, you know, I may often laugh at excessive angst, but I kind of feel that a situation in which you are falling in love with an ENCHANTED FAIRY PRINCE TRAPPED IN A BEAR'S BODY AND SLOWLY LOSING HIS CAPACITY FOR INTELLIGENT THOUGHT is worthy of being milked for at least a little angst, or at least emotional exploration! :O)

[river_meimei]

Ahaha, I should put her in the bar with editing a book again sometime soon. Help me remember! Maybe I shall do it in time for Mary, whenever that is. (This may involve multiple occasions, I know. Whatever.

Yeah. It's a tricky thing, when you're going with a fairy tale and you have its structure to build on. But I do not think this was the way to go in this particular case.

(CRAAAAZINESS. THAT IS AN EVENT IN EVERY GIRL'S LIFE WHICH MUST BE MET WITH CHEERFUL EQUANIMITY! Er. Or something.)

[skygiants]

I will remind you, have no fear. >:D (You still owe me River editing a romance novel, anyways!)

Yeah. And there are ways that following the structure works, but I think it depends on the story, and how many dark and creepy issues there are to explore within it. (Uh, again, my bias towards the creepy side of fairy tales may be showing juuust a little here.) Snow White and Rose Red is actually pretty sweet, as fairy stories go!

(Well, I mean. I know when it happened to ME, I was fine, but I find it unrealistic to expect everyone to have my excellent coping skills in these matters. *solemn*)

[genarti]

*giggles* Did we have a Wacky Plan (tm) for her to acquire one? I can't remember, except the one that involved Moiraine. Although now I do have that Master Of Wolves one I could give her... (Have I told you about that one? I can't remember. The plot is lame, but it's the worldbuilding that's really, uh, special.)

*nodnod* Yeah. And I think it often works better in a short story than a novel, too. In a novel the lack of depth really shows up clearly if you're not very, very careful. (And creepiness! :D :D I mean, er.)

(It is true. *solemn* We can't all be you, try though we might!)

[skygiants]

I don't remember either, but I feel any plan involving romance novels is inherently better when it also involves Moiraine.

(You have, and I ENDORSE.)

Yeah, I agree. In a novel you really have to come up with something that enhances the story conceptually to make it long enough to properly be a novel!

(I know. I try to think of the little people.)