Customer Reviews
boring - By: , 24 Jan 2001 
I was hoping for a reallly good book, & instead I got a wierd boring lifeless one, I could barely finish it!!!! Francesca Lia Block is a very talented writer & I have read many of her previous books but this one was terrible!!!!!! I coudln't get into any of the stories!!!!!
Not the stories your mother told you at bedtime! - By: carole.torble@btinternet.com, 24 Jan 2001 
Author, Neil Gaiman, once said that we are unable to re-experience the fairy stories told (or read) to us in our childhood. I think this is true, but what Block has done is re-invent the stories & made them once again new to adult eyes. Block is not a widely recognized author in the UK & I have to wonder why, because this book is full of insight & universal truths, qualities which make for good stories. In Block's book a character named Snow is raised by men who are short by the world's standard & are labeled as freaks. This is the harsh reality of the world mixed with what we think of as fantasy. In The Rose & the Beast you will meet; Snow, Tiny, Glass, Charm, Wolf, Rose, Bones, Beast, & Ice. These stories are fantastic re-tellings of stories that you may instantly remember & some that you might have to think about. Rose White & Rose Red realize that sometimes we have to let go. These are fairy tales set in urban landscapes & the characters in the stories learn something. They are not just passive observors on the way to Wonderland. Compared to Block's other books this is the best I have read since The Hanged Man or Girl Goddess Number Nine. Perhaps, it is the subject matter that is so interesting, because Block's writing is always so unique & appeals to alll senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, & sound. This book will not only appeal to young adults but older young adults (I'm 23) & adults & anyone who loves fairy stories or loves this world that is often stranger than fiction. It is too bad that this American author is virtuallly unrecognized in this country. She has been published around the world, & there is a reason for that.
