What Parents Should Know
Extrapolating the lives of fairytale characters before and
after their stories take place can make for interesting
discussions. Lump seems surly and ungrateful -- does the way he
has been treated justify his behavior? Does his ultimate
redemption ring true?
Common Sense Media Review
The novelized fairytale is a rich and growing genre, and
this is a more than worthy entry. In the original Grimm story
there is little reason for the appearance of the little man,
his offer to help, or his demand for the woman's first baby.
His help at first seems generous, and after he unreasonably
demands her first born he gives her a way out. But when she
succeeds in guessing his name, he tears himself in half. Very
strange behavior. A member of the Actor's Studio would have
reason to ask, "What's the motivation?"
Author Michael Gruber provides a thorough backstory that explains all, as well as an after-the-fairytale ending that wraps things up a little too easily. Lyrically written, engrossing, at time humorous, though a bit overlong, this vivid reimagining is as prickly and unpredictable as Rumplestiltskin himself.
From the Book:
Your afreet is a reasonably good architect, as is often
told in the
Arabian Nights, although the showy habit of nearly
instantaneous construction requires that they fudge some of the
details: the floors may be of marble and the walls may be
draped with perfumed silks, but the windows are apt to stick,
while the plumbing often leaves much to be desired. Besides
that, you can imagine that a nursery designed and built by a
demon would be an unusual sort of place to pass a
childhood.
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