The Sleeper and the Spindle: WINNER OF THE CILIP KATE GREENAWAY MEDAL 2016

This review appeared on my blog - www.medusaslibrary.comThe Sleeper and the Spindle is a new novelette by Neil Gaiman with illustrations by Chris Riddell. I imported it from the UK because I couldn't wait for it to be available here in the US. (I also got the UK edition of Shades of Milk and Honey because it has two extra chapters. I’m not obsessed. Hush.)First off, let me just say that this is a gorgeous book. The picture to the left doesn’t even really do it justice. The picture of the sleeper is printed on the actual book cover, then there is a velum dust jacket that has the title and the roses. The vines are all detailed in gold. I can’t find a good picture of the actual cover, and my cell phone can’t do it justice either, so I’ll leave it for you to search.As with so many things Gaiman has done, this book weaves fairy tales together. The two main stories are Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, but there are hints of Rapunzel, Red Riding Hood, and others I’m sure I’m not catching.Three dwarves set out on a quest to get the best silks for their queen. But when they reach the neighboring kingdom they are met with stories of a plague, a sickness, a curse, a spell. People are falling asleep. Everyone knows that there is a princess asleep in the castle. She’s been there for 70 years, but everything outside the castle full of roses, on this side of the haunted forest had been fine. Until recent. The sleeping curse is spreading west at two or three miles a day.The dwarves rush back to their kingdom to tell the Queen. She can do math and determines that the curse will reach her kingdom in a matter of weeks. So, she puts off her wedding, kisses her prince, and rides to the east. Dwarves are magical and only sleep once or twice a year, so they should be able to withstand the curse. And the Queen has already overcome one enchanted sleep, so she should be fine too.This story leaves the Princes behind. In fact, Snow White’s prince is patted on his “pretty face” and never thought of again. This book breaks conventions, while still being very much a classic fairy tale. It was noticed by several media outlets for this picture:kissThat’s Snow White waking up Sleeping Beauty with a kiss. It ties nicely into this year’s other non-traditional Sleeping Beauty kiss (Spolier) in Maleficent. Now, I will say that the picture is slightly misleading. This could be considered a SPOILER, so I’m going to ramble on for a bit in case you don’t want to see SPOILERS to give you time to click away from this page.There is not a happy, lesbian romance between Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. I just want to get that out there. So if you’re really excited about that or deeply offended by it, either way, bring it back in, because that’s not the direction this story goes. The kiss is more or less out of pragmatism. The Queen is the most logical person in the party (consisting of herself and three dwarves) to break the spell.Ok, now that that’s out of the way. I liked this story. I liked it very much. This is very much the story of the women involved. The dwarves are there, but they’re support. The Prince is barely a footnote. It’s beautifully illustrated and beautifully written. I can’t recommend it enough if you like fairy tales. The Queen (she’s never actually called Snow White in the book) takes agency. She is the Queen. She must go face this threat to her kingdom, but she also uses the quest as a way to reset her life, which is spinning slightly out of control.Another warning that is really more like a reminder. Neil Gaiman wrote this. You know, that guy who writes the things. Don’t look for a standard fairy tale ending from this book. It’s a satisfying ending. It’s a meaningful ending. It’s a beautiful ending. But it’s not a promise of “Happily Ever After.”I can’t say enough about Chris Riddell’s illustrations. He has a very definite style, which is very much in evidence here. The illustrations are all elaborate black and white drawings with gold embellishment. They’re just breathtaking. There are tiny details in all of the pictures that make you want to just sit and stare at a page for ages. One of my personal favorite pictures is that of the Queen in bed. She has gold skulls all over her coverlet. That just seems so perfect for Snow White. Sleep is a short reprieve from death for both these women. The skull motif carries on with the Queen’s armor. They aren’t leering skulls or demon skulls. They’re just small reminders. It’s just lovely.Also, I now really want to cosplay Snow White from this book.

Neil Gaiman’s "The Sleeper and the Spindle" is not a retelling of the Snow White and Sleeping Beauty fairy tales—it’s a RE-TWISTING. In this darker and more empowering version, the queen of Kanselaire calls off her scheduled wedding, changes her gown for chain mail, and sets out with three dwarfs on a quest to wake the princess of neighboring kingdom Dorimar from an enchanted sleep that’s spreading like a plague to all the inhabitants. There are also rumors that the enchantress who inflicted this sleeping sickness is still lurking in the castle, guarding the princess. From here, the story takes some insidiously clever plot twists, until you’re not sure anymore who is saving whom.I love how Gaiman turns the “damsel in distress” trope on its head and sends it packing! There are no princes or knights in shining armor here. Instead, a young, unmarried queen takes it upon herself to do the rescuing. “I don't have a lot of patience for stories in which women are rescued by men,” Gaiman said in a recent interview with The Telegraph. Hurrah! As much as I loved fairy tales as a child, and still do, I really appreciate that Gaiman is writing new ones for a new generation. Girls and boys, women and men, need to know that if they’re waiting for a knight in shining armor to rescue them, they’re in for a long wait. I’m not saying the world is a completely desolate, heartless place, but it’s so much more empowering to know you don’t have to wait for that knight who may never show up. You learn the knight is within you, and “even when all is at its darkest, you can think your way out of trouble,” as Gaiman told The Telegraph.I can’t give a complete review without commenting on Chris Riddell’s illustrations, which populate nearly every page of the book with as powerful a hold as the thorny rose bushes that enmesh the castle in the story. They are gorgeous. Riddell’s hand-drawn characters seem to possess their own energy and really look you in the eye. They are also subversive. I love the gilded skull motif on the queen’s bedclothes, which lends a gothic touch, and I love the complete lack of simpering smiles. The women in these illustrations compel attention with the resolve in their eyes, not with a coy smile or flirtatious wink.If you like reimagined fairy tales, there’s a good chance you’ll like "The Sleeper and the Spindle," and if you’re a Neil Gaiman fan, you don’t want to miss this!

I'm proud to have this book. It feels amazing when held in hand. The illustrations are beautiful. And the plot itself is interesting. Worth the purchase.

Versión: "Tapa blanda en inglés" !Libro muy bonito para un regalo, con ilustraciones encantadoras;desgraciadamente la Versión en español está agotada !Aconsejó regalar la "versión de tapa dura", en la que seguramente las paginas del libro se dejarán abrir mejor y se podrá disfruta mejor de las ilustraciones y del libro en sí !Atentamente un saludo

Chris Riddell und Neil Gaiman sind schon lange mein liebstes Duo, was gelungene illustrierte Geschichten angeht. "Coraline" oder zuletzt auch die illustrierte Ausgabe von "The Graveyard Book" haben mir sehr gut gefallen und zählen zu den schönsten Büchern, die ich in meinen Regalen stehen habe. Chris Riddell ist nun seit Jahren mein Lieblingsillustrator und über ihn habe ich auch glücklicherweise zu Neil Gaiman gefunden, weswegen ich sehr gespannt auf diese Zusammenarbeit war. Was soll ich sagen - ich bin erneut hin und weg!Zum Cover & den Illustrationen: eine schlafende Frau mit wallendem Haar, dazu an den Seiten gewundene Dornenranken - sofort assoziiert man diese Geschichte mit Dornröschen. Es passt wirklich sehr gut zur Handlung des Buches und zieht einen beinahe magisch an. Auch die restlichen Illustrationen sind (wie von Chris Riddel gewöhnt) ganz fantastisch geworden. Seine Menschen und Wesen haben einfach einen ganz eigenen Charakter, sprühen vor Charme und besonders seine Art Schatten zu setzten und zu Schraffieren bringt eine gewisse Dynamik mit, die ich selten bei Illustrator:innen sehe. Besonders der Mix aus "klassisch" schönen Elementen und Makabren hat mir hier besonders gut gefallen!Zur Handlung: in dieser Geschichte verfolgen wir eine mutige und emanzipierte Königin, die sich, zusammen mit einer Gruppe von Zwergen, auf den Weg macht, um den Fluch der Prinzessin zu brechen. Dabei werden die verschiedensten Märchenelemente von Dornröschen und Schneewittchen miteinander verwoben, sodass ein ganz eigenes Märchen erzählt wird. Die Geschichte ist nicht besonders lang, jedoch lässt sie einen beim Lesen zu keiner Zeit los und man fliegt nur durch die Seiten. Es ist ein Märchen mit vielen unerwarteten Wendungen, einer unabhängigen Protagonistin und Magie.Die Charaktere: durch die geringe Seitenanzahl war es schwierig, den Charakteren eine Entwicklung oder Tiefe zu ermöglichen, hier wurde sich wirklich eher auf die Handlung fokussiert. Jedoch hat mir unsere Protagonistin, die Königin, unheimlich gut gefallen. Ohne groß zu überlegen macht sie sich auf den Weg, um die Prinzessin zu retten, beweist unterwegs Mut und Stärke und bleibt sich dabei selbst treu. Zusammen mit den Zwergen hat sich dabei eine tolle Gruppe ergeben, die man gerne während der Reise begleitet hat.Ich kann wirklich nicht meckern. Das Buch hat mich von vorne bis hinten begeistern können und durch die wunderschöne Aufmachung einen Ehrenplatz im Regal gesichert. Von mir gibt es klare 5/5 Sternen und eine wirklich gut gemeinte Leseempfehlung! :)Besonders diese Deluxe Edition ist einfach nur eine Augenweide!

Esse livro é muito bonito. A história é uma releitura de "A Bela Adormecida" com alguns toques sombrios, o que a deixa mais divertida, a meu ver. A capa é dura e a jacket é um complemento dela, sem a jacket fica o desenho da adormecida na capa, que é muito bonito, como todas as ilustrações ao longo da história. Peguei numa promoção então valeu muito a pena. Não sei como é a edição brasileira, mas essa é linda. Recomendo.

So this book is an incredibly fast reader. Finished it in under an hour. But damn, it's definitely a unique spin-off. The story itself ventures off into the journey of Snow White. Her wedding is about to take place and a few of the dwarves set off to collect some items pertaining to her celebration. While in town they hear word of a curse spreading throughout the country that sets those sticking around into a deep sleep. Once coming back, they pass off their new knowledge to Snow and she decided postpone the wedding to find the source of the curse in hopes of defeating it before it spreads even further. So unlike your typical Snow White, she pretty much changed herself into a Joan of Arc type figure and sets off fearlessly. Won't give anymore details, but clearly the sleeping curse is where the Sleeping Beauty comes into play and let's just say things are rather unexpected. If this was a full blown out novel, I can only imagine the details and story progression they could have played with. Even so, it's set out like your typical fairy tale. But it is very dark. The illustrations are beyond beautiful and really they contributed to my liking of this. If you're into fairytales or into the macabre, you will not be disappointed. Truly unique!