Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #929699 in Books
• Published on: 1997-12-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

From Amazon.com
Robert Coover has a power over the language matched by few authors and a curiosity about the nature of stories and narratives that keeps his work intellectually charged, if sometimes difficult to follow. Students of postmodernism and fans of metafiction will be interested to read Briar Rose, Coover's funny deconstruction and retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.

From Publishers Weekly
Long a favorite of modern poets from Paul Valery to Randall Jarrell, the tale of Sleeping Beauty has given rise to some of the century's deepest meditations on the act of writing and the workings of inspiration and desire. Coover (John's Wife, etc.) has always drawn inspiration from classical narratives (he brilliantly reworked Hansel and Gretel in his short-story collection Pricksongs and Descants), so it will hardly surprise his readers that he has devoted an entire, albeit slim, novel to the princess. Briar Rose returns him to what may be his most fruitful obsession, the absurd and inescapable demands that Romance makes on our lives. "Desire," the fairy godmother asks herself, "what is that?" That's the question at the heart of this remarkable thicket of a novel, where plot and point of view intertwine according to the logic of fable, dream and parody. Coover's allegorical retelling of Sleeping Beauty-hard to put down and impossible to paraphrase-is one of his best, bitterest jokes to date. It is also one of his most accessible works, confirming him as simply wittier, sadder, more precise and more inventive than most novelists writing today.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Touted as a postmodern fairy tale, this brief work is Coover's retelling of the story of Sleeping Beauty. In this dark and unromantic world, a prince hacks his way through the briar hedge surrounding the castle, ever aware that the bodies of dead princes who went before him are swinging in the wind, and the princess dreams of the men who come and assault her as she lies helpless. Though the writing is beautiful, as one would expect, the mood is grim, even dreary, and the whole thing feels like a tedious exercise. A postmodern Pinocchio in Venice will also be released this spring. Not essential, though given Coover's standing, literary collections should consider.?Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Not his best
I think this would have worked better as a short story. It's a bold and poetic take on Sleeping Beauty - the book is divided into numerous brief sections that continuously, circularly revisit and revise different portions of the story. It has things to say about not just Sleeping Beauty, but act of storytelling and the nature of narrative. However, the repetition does start getting tiresome after a while; it would be a more tolerable yet equally effective read if it were significantly shorter.

Overall, it's one Coover's weaker works, but as he's one of the most unsung, underrated masters of postmodernism around, it's still pretty good. To see him in top form, read A Night at the Movies, one of my personal favorites of his. For more of his revisions of fairy tales, see his novel Pinocchio in Venice and the stories "The Door" and "The Gingerbread House" in his collection Pricksongs and Descants.

What a Waste of Time!
Well, sorry but this story [is disappointing]. Espescially for anyone who enjoyed the story and idea of Sleeping Beauty. And its not even that the story is that bad. The writing [is no good]. The reader is constantly confused, and even when you've finished the book, you might go "huh?" I hated it. I do not suggest that anyone buy this book.

Tedious, Boring, Brilliant?
As I read this book for a college class on fairy tales, I began to realize what Coover was doing: throwing out narrative for an exploration of destiny, fairy tales, dreams, story, and relationship to the reader. By the end of the short book, I totally hated it. So what do I do? I read it again. That's right, I'm drawn back to this meticulous piece of boredom. I guess that means the book is either brilliant or such a beautiful car wreck I have to make a U-turn to take a second look.