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The donkey prince must overcome many obstacles to retrieve the magic apple that will restore him to human form. ... Read more

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Ten beloved fairy tales, given new life by the one and only Angela Carter Many classic fairy tale characters might not have survived into the present were it not for Charles Perrault, a seventeenth-century French civil servant who rescued them from the oral tradition and committed them to paper. Three centuries later, Angela Carter, widely regarded as one of EnglandÂ’s most imaginative writers, adapted them for contemporary readers. The result is a cornucopia of fantastic characters and timeless adventures, stylishly retold by a modern literary visionary. ... Read more

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This is a magical story of the love between mother and child and the gifts of kindness and understanding. Dragon King and Sea-Cat both live under the sea. Sea-Cat lives with his mother who sews him fabulous jewel-encrusted suits that shimmer and capture the attention of all who see him. Dragon King, the ruler, lives a sad and lonely life as he is so ashamed of his ugliness. When he sees Sea-Cat in his beautiful suit, he is overcome with jealousy and wants the suit for himself. But Sea-Cat is clever and kind and befriends Dragon King. Sea-Cat knows his mother can turn the Dragon King's ruby tears into a most dazzling suit, just for him!
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A lexicon of cats, illustrated in colour, and accompanied by a humorous commentary. Angela Carter has won the Somerset Maugham Award and the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for her novels. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

What is going on here?
This book was a gift from my sister.My husband tried to read it to our granddaughters and could make no sense of it.And so I picked it up and made up a story to go along with the pictures.My granddaughters loved my story.Now Sofie is old enough to read and can't believe that the story her grandmother read her for years is actually this book.The story--well, there is actually no story--makes no sense.It is simply pictures and long words.

But because my granddaughters loved it when I read it to them (my made-up story) I gave the book three stars.

The most beautiful cats
I was given this book many years ago, but have discovered it anew since we started reading it to our toddler son.The story is really too complicated for him, but he is entranced by the beautiful cats.Their eyes, in particular, are mesmerising.We revel in the clever rhymes (how often does "verisimultide" appear in verse I wonder?) and can imagine this book becoming a family favourite. What a pity that it's out of print!

why is it out of print?
How can such a fanatastic, gorgeous book be out of print? Both pictures and words comspire together in their simplicity to creep up on you and take you unawares. What has happened?

A lot of fun!
Any cat lover will treasure this book. It's a combination of beautiful cat illustrations (which are really almost portraits) and tongue-in-cheekpoetry that captures the nuances of personality with which all cat ownersare familiar.My fiancee and I have had fun writing Leman-esque poetryabout our own cats, inspired, of course, by this book. ... Read more

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The third volume of Carter's essays and journalism which follows her from the 1960s onwards as she explores new territories and overturns old ideas. The material is derived from sources such as student magazines, "New Statesman", "Nova", "Vogue" and the "London Review of Books" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Interesting collection of grotesques
"A Souvenir of Japan"--A study of everyday alien-ness, how a Western woman and a Japanese man can find each other appealing, yet still know nothing about each other. Carter captures the disillusionment fairly well, but it never really coalesces into a Story.

"The Executioner's Beautiful Daughter"--A disturbing look at a strange group of humans. This story recalled for me the phrase,"Who watches the watchmen?" Except here, the phrase should read who punishes the punishers.

"The Loves of Lady Purple"--An interesting grotesque about an old puppeteer and his special marionette, the Lady Purple. The language is beautiful, although the meaning is hidden.

"The Smile of Winter"--If a story could be a painting, this one would be on hanging on the wall. As such, I found it interesting but boring.

"Penetrating to the Heart of the Forest"--Carter is remembered best for her retelling of ancient tales, mostly fairy ones, but here she shows that she can also delve into the mythology of the bible for her reinventments. Her lush language fits this forest, and the ease at which the story shifts from point to point is simple yet masterly.

"Flesh and the Mirror""--An interesting character study of a woman who returns to Japan and finds her lover less what she had made of him while she was gone. The psychological dissection was intriguing, but there was no story to pin it on, and again, I found myself adrift. This is the second story of a woman in Japan; had Carter also spent time in Japan?

"Master"--A bit of the heart of darkness from the native viewpoint. Either that or a really perverse retelling of Robinson Crusoe. Again, interesting, but I do not seem to be catching the point of these tales.

"Reflections""--Wooo, what a ride, almost surreal in its depiction of the world in the mirror. Not quite what I was looking for, but closer.

"Elegy for a Freelance"--The idea, I believe, is to go on about the details of life while something is happening in the greater world that is more important. These characters can not see the forest for they are the trees. ... Read more

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Joseph - a 22-year-old self-styled nihilist in search of meaning, found releasing a badger from a zoo, seducing his best friend's mother, dancing at a Dionysic revel and spending his days in a mortuary - is the anti-hero at the heart of this novel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Story line not up to writing style
If you can dissect a book, and enjoy a group of words, for the way they have been framed and not expect these sentences to lead into an interesting or usual, expected occurences, then this book is for you.
The writing style is impressive, despite the lack of purposeful action expected in a novel. ... Read more

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Fairy tales, folk tales, stories from the oral tradition, are all of them the most vital connection we have with the imaginations of the ordinary men and women whose labour created our world."

-- From the Introduction

There was a time when fairy tales weren't meant just for children -- they were part of an oral folklore tradition passed down through generations. This volume of sixty enchanting and enduring tales, collected by master storyteller Angela Carter, revives the industry, eccentricity, spirit, and worldly wisdom of women in preindustrial times. Drawn from narrative traditions all around the world -- from ancient Swahili legends to Appalachian tall tales to European spirit stories and more -- these tales together comprise a unique feminine mythology.

Angela Carter (1940-1992) was widely known for her novels, short stories, and journalism. Her many books include The Magic Toy Shop, The Sadeian Woman, Nights at the Circus, Fireworks, and Saints and Strangers.

"A splendid folklore series."

-- Washington Post

Other titles in the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library include The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales, Victorian Fairy Tales, Folktales from India, American Indian Myths and Legends, Arab Folktales, and Favorite Folktales from Around the World. ... Read more

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Angela Metzger's review
The book arrived on time & was in good shape! I am very pleased with my purchase ... Read more

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Although much of Carter's work is considered part of the contemporary canon, its true strangeness is still only partially understood. Carter legitimised the life of fantasy and celebrated the fertility of the female imagination more than any other writer. Lorna Sage's authoritative study explores the roots of Carter's originality, covering all her novels as well as some short stories and non-fiction. ... Read more

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Sexuality is power. So says the Marquis de Sade, philosopher and pornographer. His virtuous Justine, who keeps to the rules, is rewarded with rape and humiliation; his Juliette, Justine's triumphantly monstrous antithesis, viciously exploits her sexuality.

With brilliance and wit, Angela Carter takes on these outrageous figments of de Sade's extreme imagination and transforms them into symbols of our time: The Hollywood sex goddesses, mothers and daughters, pornography, even the sacred shrines of sex and marriage lie devastatingly exposed before our eyes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Connisiuers of Poop
Angela Carter, is the premier feminist, but this book wasn't quite for me.I had no idea who Marquis de Sade was until I read this book, and I slightly wish I never had.Angela Carter tries to bring life to De Sade's female characters, which she does, but I just couldn't get passed the section where she talks of the women licking men's butts and being connisiuers of poop.Really, I just wish Marquis de Sade's work would be swept under some carpet and never be read.

the Sadeian Feminist
Angela Carter (1940-1992) has written a feminist reading of the Marquis De Sade. Carter has also used the work of the Marquis as a springboard for her own insights on the relation of sexuality to power. She is able to demonstrate that sexuality is constructed not from gender but rather form a relationship between power and politics. A must-read feminist classic.

Insightful
A very thoughtful book which puts Sade's work in a whole new light. Thoughtful, evenhanded and intelligent. This one is worth the read for anyone interested in going beyond the superficial with Sade. There is a lot of nonsensence about him -- finally, someone with something important to say! ... Read more

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A collection of French fairy stories comprising ten from "The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault" and two by Madame Leprince de Beaumont. They include "Cinderella", "Puss in Boots" and "Beauty and the Beast". This book won the first Kurt Maschler Award in 1982 and the Kate Greenaway Medal. ... Read more

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In this Readers' Guide, Sarah Gamble, herself a leading interpreter of Carter's work, examines the critical reception of her writing, including the much-debated non-fiction text, The Sadeian Woman. Drawing on interviews, articles, books, and Carter's own assessments of her role as writer, it focuses on the controversy surrounding Carter's portrayals of sadistic eroticism; her adaptation of the Gothic, science-fiction, and fairy-tale genres; her subversion of gender identity; and the extent to which she was influenced by postmodern theory.
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Angela Carter's writings have been a source of pleasure, puzzlement, and controversy ever since she started publishing in the 1960s. Until her death in 1992, she was one of Britain's most exciting contemporary authors, particularly with her fantastical fictions and her feminist political essays on sex, gender, and class. This collection of literary critical studies provides a selection from the many different responses her works have evoked over the past twenty years. Together they explore most of Carter's major writings, and demonstrates a variety of feminist theoretical approaches. New Casebooks brings together the best contemporary criticism and new critical thinking, illuminating the rich interchange between modern critical theory and practice that characterizes the current discussion of literature. New Casebooks complement the original Casebook series, which offers criticism inspired by the text throughout history. ... Read more