Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses

Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses
Author(s)
Co-Authors / Illustrators
Genre(s)
Age Range
14+
Release Date
July 10, 2012
ISBN
9780763644062
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Writing in free verse honed to a wicked edge, the incomparable Ron Koertge brings dark and contemporary humor to twenty iconic fairy tales. Once upon a time, there was a strung-out match girl who sold CDs to stoners. Twelve impetuous sisters escaped King Daddy's clutches to jiggle and cavort and wear out their shoes. A fickle Thumbelina searched for a tiny husband, leaving bodies in her wake. And Little Red Riding Hood confessed that she kind of wanted to know what it's like to be swallowed whole. From bloodied and blinded stepsisters (they were duped) to a chopped-off finger flying into a heroine's cleavage, this is fairy tale world turned upside down. Ron Koertge knows what really happened to all those wolves and maidens, ogres and orphans, kings and piglets, and he knows about the Ever After. So come closer - he wants to whisper in your ear.

Writing in free verse honed to a wicked edge, the incomparable Ron Koertge brings dark and contemporary humor to twenty iconic fairy tales. Once upon a time, there was a strung-out match girl who sold CDs to stoners. Twelve impetuous sisters escaped King Daddy's clutches to jiggle and cavort and wear out their shoes. A fickle Thumbelina searched for a tiny husband, leaving bodies in her wake. And Little Red Riding Hood confessed that she kind of wanted to know what it's like to be swallowed whole. From bloodied and blinded stepsisters (they were duped) to a chopped-off finger flying into a heroine's cleavage, this is fairy tale world turned upside down. Ron Koertge knows what really happened to all those wolves and maidens, ogres and orphans, kings and piglets, and he knows about the Ever After. So come closer - he wants to whisper in your ear.

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Made up of messed-up-ness, unhappy endings, and a dash of enchantment
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Originally posted on: http://lustforstories.blogspot.com/2012/11/review-lies-knives-and-girls-in-red.html

To tell you the truth, I wholeheartedly loved this book, despite how purely screwed up it was.

Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses is a picture book, but one that's definitely not meant for children. It includes elements such as drug abuse, adrenaline junkies, and just something so messed up that you can't even imagine letting a child read it.

This book is a collection of super short stories that paints this beautifully painful and wrong picture to the readers. The characters all have something just so negative about them. Cinderella doesn't seem so amazing anymore. You'd wonder if Prince Charming is truly that charming. What if the princess in "The Princess and the Pea" was so sensitive that she could not bear even the lightest touch from her husband? Every one of the stories end with a conclusion that left me wondering what truly happened to the characters afterwards.

This book is not for the faint of heart. If you'd like to read short modern fairy tale retellings that just messes your head up, this may just be your thing.
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