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Jul 05, 2010
Melanti
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
fairy-tales-folklore-and-mythology,
2013
This is easily the weirdest fairy tale retelling I've read in a long, long time.
It's nominally a retelling of "Cinderella" from the point of view of the rat who drove the coach, though the "Cinderella" portion is over by the end of the second chapter. After the midnight ball, the coachman's mind is still that of a human though his body is that of a rat. Most of the rest of the novel is filled with musing over what it means to be human and humanity in general.
Very dark and strange. ...more
It's nominally a retelling of "Cinderella" from the point of view of the rat who drove the coach, though the "Cinderella" portion is over by the end of the second chapter. After the midnight ball, the coachman's mind is still that of a human though his body is that of a rat. Most of the rest of the novel is filled with musing over what it means to be human and humanity in general.
Very dark and strange. ...more
The Cinderella story as told from the point of view of one of the transformed rat coachmen. A decent book, but don't pick it up expacting a light, amusing diversion: things go badly for everyone.
...more
Certainly as gruesome as any tale by the Brothers Grimm, maybe even more so. Filled with melancholy and misanthropy. NOT for those seeking fluffy fairy-tale retellings.
The Coachman Rat used the tale of Cinderella as a way to explore the cruelty and selfish motives of man, what is "good" and what is "evil", what it means to be human, and what differentiates man from animal and animal from man. From the beginning I had a sense of foreboding that the rat's story would not end well, and was I ever r ...more
The Coachman Rat used the tale of Cinderella as a way to explore the cruelty and selfish motives of man, what is "good" and what is "evil", what it means to be human, and what differentiates man from animal and animal from man. From the beginning I had a sense of foreboding that the rat's story would not end well, and was I ever r ...more
Wilson presents a dark take on Cinderella in this book. The story is about one of the rats that was transformed for Cinderella's coach and how he stays human. For such a short book, Wilson does a good job in looking at the human condition and what humanity is. This book, however, is dark.
...more
Apr 10, 2014
Beth
marked it as retelling-fairy-tales
Nov 19, 2019
Carrie
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2025
Margaret
marked it as on-kindle
