An analysis of fairy tales and their messages about relationships,
more specifically looking at gender disparities. For example, all women need to do to win over a handsome prince is be pretty enough, while men might win someone's affection through a heroic act. I mean, I think anyone with a brain knows that fairy tales are not a true depiction of live and love, but if you are interested in a statstical analysis of how many males versus females in fairy tales are the active character or are evil and so on, you've come to the right place. It was interesting to a point, but I didn't finish because it was kind of repetitive with nothing really revelatory. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.

Loved this analysis of our most beloved fairy tales by looking at what happened after. Even as a child I preferred the original Grimm's to the retold Disney version. They were gritter and didn't always end happy. Which is sometimes how life works.

As an avid romance reader, I love fairy tales and fairy-tale tropes in contemporary and historical fiction,

After reading the description of the book and being attracted to the cover, the rational part of my brain really wanted to read this book but I think I have such a deep love for fairy tales that I couldn’t get myself to even download the book for fear of having my beloved fairy tales destroyed in my heart and mind!

I will re-attempt to pick it up and read it when I see it at my local bookstore but I couldn’t get myself to read it prior to pub date, I’m sorry!

A rather pessimistic view of fairytales, taken from a feminist point. Could have encouraged more sympathy for the children and 'princesses' that were taken advantage of. Overall, a nice reminder and opinion piece on the classic fairytales popular and less-heard-of.

This is not really what I expected. I expected more of a comedian's insight into these tales. Besides Cinderella too, she doesn't dive as much into specific ones.

This was a good, if brief, recounting of fairy tales and how they are ,meat to serve the patriarchy and promote stereotypes and docility among women. I especially enjoyed the discussion about more modern fairy tales and how they are bucking this trend and showing a new audience a more equal view of the future. A little short, but it was a quick and easy read.

I’m a huge fan of fairytales and this book instantly caught my attention. It goes in depth and I enjoyed reading this a lot.

This isn't a story it's just an analysis of what the Cinderella story is about.
Did Cinderella live happily ever after? You might think so until you look more closely at the hidden messages in beloved fairy tales. In this book, fairy tales are analyzed in terms of the underlying messages about marriage, agency, power, suffering, and good versus evil, with a focus on how male and female characters differ in each of these areas. The analysis is a data-driven approach that provides clear evidence for the hidden messages in these beloved tales. The end conclusion is not whether fairy tales are good or bad but rather what messages they deliver about life, even if unintentionally.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

This book provides a thorough study of gender roles in Grimms' fairy tales. In a finding that will surprise no one, it turns out that these stories are hugely misogynistic. The analysis is insightful and reads like an academic study.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.