24.4.12

Tender Morsels



This is my review of Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan for the AWW 2012 challenge.


Scrolla ner, så kan du läsa på svenska.


I loved her language. I found it poetic and challenging ( in a good way). I was a bit worried that the violence and the sexuality stuffs I read about in various reviews would put me off, but that wasn´t a problem for me. Certainly there are some violent and sexual parts in the story but the author wash´t too explicit about it I think. Much of it is up to the reader to imagine - which of course isn´t
very pleasant, but it has it´s part in the story.

I loved the first half of the novel, but after that I was beginning to feel a bit bored. I lost interest in it and I didn´t got hooked again. I´m not sure though this has to do with the novel. I think it has more to do with me... You know how sometimes a book is read at the wrong time.

Nevertheless I´m impressed by her way of writing.

There´s been a discussion on this being an YA book or not and I think the answer to that more or less reflect your own view of what defines an YA novel.
First, I think that to give this novel the label YA - novel is to diminish it. This is a novel for all lovers of literature, fantasy and fairytales and there is a risk that readers may exclude this from there reading list because of the label and that is a shame. Next, the label YA can (wrongly) for some readers be taken as a guarantee that the novel does not include violent, sexual or other difficult matters. These are issues that many people struggle with not the least young adults so if this is what YA means then this of course is not an YA book. 



Tender Morsels, (ungefär ömtåliga stycken) bygger på den gamla kända sagan om Snövit och Rosenröd. I korthet handlar sagan om två små flickor som lever lyckliga med sin mor i skogen, tills de en vinterdag i snöstorm fick påhälsning av en björn. Flickorna och björnen lekte tills våren kom när han gav sig iväg för att skydda sina egendomar mot elaka dvärgar. När flickorna en dag samlade ris i skogen hjälpte de en pyssling som fastnat med skägget, men fick bara skällsord som tack. Trots det hjälpte  de pysslingen ett flertal gånger med samma otacksamma resultat. En dag överraskades de av björnen som pysslingen tussade på flickorna för att rädda sitt liv. Björnen blev arg och slog ihjäl pysslingen med sin ram. I detsamma fick björnen mänsklig gestalt och blev gift med Rosenröd och Snövit fick hans bror.


Romanen har ett fantastiskt språk och till att börja med blev jag riktigt fängslad av den. Tyvärr tyckte jag den blev något långrandig och jag tappade intresset ungefär halvvägs. Jag tror att den kanske hade tjänat på att vara lite kortare. Det saknades driv i den andra hälften av boken tyckte jag. Men den var ändå intressant och rolig att läsa och får  B B B 



2 kommentarer:

  1. Thanks for your review, Ann-Marie. It's interesting what you write about how Tender Morsels has been received by others - about the level of sex and what audience the book is suitable for. I've only read one of Lanagan's and I, too, found the writing exquisite.

    SvaraRadera
  2. I found the ending a bit abrupt when I read this one, but still really enjoyed the book. I'm a big fan of the way Margo Lanagan writes women. Thanks for sharing this AWW review. - Bronte (www.underthestilts.com)

    SvaraRadera