The Bloody Chamber
Angela Carter
Penguin Books
1979
Ms. Hen had learned about this book when she read THE DOLL'S ALPHABET earlier this year, and she didn't read it right away, either because it wasn't available at the library, or she wanted to wait for Halloween. It was available just in time for the season! Ms. Hen couldn't wait to devour this.
This collection of short stories are all rewritten fairy tales, with a feminist, and sometimes morbid sexual twist to each one. Two different versions of "Beauty and the Beast," live in these pages, and they are both perverse and lovely. A very short rewrite of "Snow White," is here, too, and it's brief, grotesque and breathtaking. One of Ms. Hen's favorite stories is "Puss-In-Boots," a reimagining of the children's tale, an X-rated version with the little cat misbehaving, and assisting his master in his dastardly deeds.
This short collection is deceiving, because it looks very small, but all the stories are dense with imagery, and lush language. Ms. Hen understands why critics compared THE DOLL'S ALPHABET to this book, because the stories are bizarre, and unexpectedly feminist and strange. It also reminds Ms. Hen of another book she read recently, BOY, SNOW, BIRD, the reimagined Snow White novel.
THE BLOODY CHAMBER is not for the faint of heart. Beware! Anyone who reads this collection might be disgusted, and could possibly pass out from horror. It is not for the squeamish, or the faint of heart. If you are like Ms. Hen, and enjoy the darker, disturbing side of life, you will love this book! If not, read something else. Ms. Hen says Happy Halloween, and keep on reading. You can find her in the haunted house, scaring everyone away.
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