Into the Forest discussion

Could anyone recommend any retellings of Bluebeard? Thank so much!

Oh my gosh, so many...

Fitcher's Brides by Gregory Frost
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
A Fair Maiden by Joyce Carol Oates
Blue Diary by Alice Hoffman
Bluebeard's Egg by Margaret Atwood
The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher

Also check out SurLaLune's Bluebeard page.

If you haven't read many "originals," I highly recommend Bluebeard Tales from Around the World which I've been working my way through for years. And I plan to read Secrets Beyond the Door: The Story of Bluebeard and His Wives later this year.

P.S. I really enjoyed Opal. :)

P.P.S. Dear Mods, maybe this thread would better fit in the Fairy Tales folder rather than the General folder?

Leah wrote: "Oh my gosh, so many...

Fitcher's Brides by Gregory Frost
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
A Fair Maiden by Joyc..."</i>

I would not have thought of [book:The Robber Bride as a Bluebeard retellings . It's a great book though.

Leh's hit many/most of the best ones.

If you like Vonnegut, there's Bluebeard. It's one of his serious ones, rather than a satire, and there's no sci-fi or fantasy elements to speak of (at all?).

Lila wrote: "I would not have thought of The Robber Bride as a Bluebeard retellings . It's a great book though. "

Yeah, it's on my Bluebeard shelf. Maybe not a retelling per se, but re-imagined, inspired by, influenced by.

I read somewhere (I think SurLaLune?) that The Robber Bridegroom tale types are similar to Bluebeard's (tale type 312). So if you've read original Bluebeard tales as well as The Robber Bridegroom tales, you'll note similarities enough to consider Atwood's The Robber Bride an amalgam of those tale types. And I definitely recall thinking that women's curiosity was not rewarded in Atwood's novel, which for me is one of the key points of Bluebeard tales, but Atwood switched up other bits that I won't go into in case of spoilers.

Melanti wrote: "If you like Vonnegut, there's Bluebeard. It's one of his serious ones, rather than a satire, and there's no sci-fi or fantasy elements to speak of (at all?)"

Ooo, a 5-star book for you... I've added this one to my Bluebeard shelf.

Leah wrote: "LI read somewhere (I think SurLaLune?) that The Robber Bridegroom tale types are similar to Bluebeard's (tale type 312). .."

Yes, not exactly "Bluebeard", but the same tale type.

Leah wrote: "Ooo, a 5-star book for you... I've added this one to my Bluebeard shelf. ..."

What can I say... I'm a Vonnegut fan. If you're not, your mileage might vary.

For everyone who was not in the group back then, we read The Robber Bride as a group read in 2013
Here's the link to the non spoiler thread
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
And the thread with spoilers
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Also, Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi, and the titular story in Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories is a very good Bluebeard retelling.

Lacey wrote: "Also, Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi, and the titular story in Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories is a very good Bluebeard retelling."
I didn't know Mr Fox was a Bluebeard retelling! I've been wanting to read more of Helen Oyeyemi!

Oh, Strands of Bronze and Gold: Strands of Bronze and Gold
I actually really enjoyed this version in a creepy, suspenseful way. Gothic feel.

Kerri wrote: "Oh, Strands of Bronze and Gold: Strands of Bronze and Gold
I actually really enjoyed this version in a creepy, suspenseful way. Gothic feel."

The slavery/Underground Railroad sub-plot in that really bugged me.