Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Witch Demands a Retraction: Fairy Tale Reboots for Adults

Top positive review

Any other fans of “Fractured Fairy Tales” out there?

Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2021

For those who, as children, enjoyed the delightfully ironic revisions of fairy tales on “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show,” here are some grown-up versions with even more amusing (and sometimes risqué) twists. And wait . . . there’s more! These are in sassy, light-on-its-metrical-feet verse. What if the heroes and heroines of fairy tales behaved not like good little moral exemplars, but like real human beings? The satire is deliciously subversive and wide-ranging, from foot fetishists to vegans to politicians, from farts to adultery to child abduction. And the illustrations by Ron Barrett are equally clever, with all kinds of hidden in-jokes, like a “Mad” magazine of yore. I read it from cover to cover the day it arrived.

But it is not just fun. Like other recent writers, such as Anne Sexton in “Transformations” or Stephen Sondheim in “Into the Woods,” Balmain is often looking at these familiar stories from a knowing new perspective that questions the givens of who is good, who is bad, and what kinds of endings are happy. So, yes, she is going for maximum chortles, but that doesn’t hide the sharp wisdom underneath.

4 people found this helpful

Top critical review

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Amazon Customer

Not at all what I expected.

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2021

Book lacked the clever humor I expected. It was rather sophomoric in content with borrowed fractured fairy tale ideas I have read before. I did not care for the illustrations at all, except for the witch on the cover of the book.

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Not at all what I expected.

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2021

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2022

Verified Purchase

I didn't think it was that funny. One star is generous. Went into recyclables same day.

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sandishelton

Laughing out loud here

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2021

I love this book! Melissa Balmain writes verse that is hilarious and bawdy and will make you howl with laughter. Fairy tales have been needing a makeover for some time now, and Melissa is just the person to do it: her wit is spot-on, and the characters in the stories--Rapunzel, the Ugly Duckling, the Pied Piper, among many others--tell the REAL stories behind the sanitized versions we can all recite by heart. (Not to give away any spoilers, but who knew the Three Little Pigs were in it for the insurance money?) Ron Barrett's illustrations are the icing on the cake!

3 people found this helpful

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She Just Loves Books

Hilarious - Adult-Only - Fairy Tales

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2021

This is a hilarious book of fairy tales that is meant for adults. It gives some great twists on stories that we know so well. I think this is a great book to have out on the coffee table to share with friends as they visit. It’s easy to flip through and the stories are short and easy to read.

Some are silly with a great twist on the original ending of the story. Other stories are spicy and definitely are meant for adult-only eyes. One of my favorites is what Goldilocks was really doing in the Bears’ home that day!

You’ll find stories from Pinocchio to Cinderella to the Pied Piper and everything in between! The illustrations for each story are great, and as you read the short story, you’ll laugh at the story, and then at how wonderfully the illustrations go along with it!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Lovemybooks2020

Laugh out loud funny

Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2021

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝘿𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙖 𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 by Melissa Balmain is a hilarious collection of poems that puts a grown-up, contemporary spin on the stories and characters we all learned as children.⁣
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From 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘙𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘰𝘰𝘥, to 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘳, and 𝘊𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢; each delightfully depicted in full-color by Ron Barrett, (𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴) one of the best and award winning illustrators in the business.⁣
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Included are: 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘰 𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘚𝘰 𝘚𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 and so many more in this twisted collection of adult fairy tales!⁣
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“If you’re looking for the perfect bedtime poetry to send your little ones peacefully to dreamland, keep moving. In The Witch Demands a Retraction, Melissa Balmain’s poetic retakes of classic fairytales, ‘happy endings’ means something else, and Mama Bear finds a clue in her bed that Goldilocks was not after the porridge. Witty, cringey, and hilarious. For every parent who wants a break from sincerity, and for every bad aunt or uncle looking for the perfect gift — this is your book.” — Tom Bodett⁣
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"This is an extremely irresponsible book — imprudent, unconscionable, certain to emotionally scar impressionable children for life. I highly recommend it." — Gene Weingarten⁣
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"Does anyone say, 'OH NO SHE DI-INT!' anymore? Because that will be your response to basically every poem in this treat of a book. Just don’t be drinking anything while you read, because these verses are a recipe for spit takes.— Faith Salie⁣
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Thanks @suzyapprovedbooktours and @melissa.balmain and @ronbarrett.art for a whole lot of belly laughs with this #gifted copy. I’ll be sharing this with my friend who owns a #littlefreelibrary so she can #lol and share it city-wide!⁣
⁣

Helpful

Rajiv

A hilarious collection of our classic Fairy Tales

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2021

“The Witch Demands a Retraction” is a hilarious collection of our classic Fairy Tales, spun for adults, and will make you change the perspective with them.

The creators did a fantastic job in this book, and I found myself laughing out loud at some of the scenarios. I admit, there were times when I used to read a fairy tale and laugh at some of the implausible situations the characters would find themselves in. For instance, wouldn’t Rapunzel’s head hurt when the prince put his weight on it to climb? The author takes all the classic fairy tales and spins them into adult situations. I found Snow White and Beauty and the Three Bears funny, and they were some of my favorites.

Moreover, the author keeps the book fresh and doesn’t use the same style of humor in every story. Each tale has a new style from the previous one. For instance, I loved the creativity behind the one where Cinderella’s Podiatrist writes an Amazon Review. Even Bluebeard and Rumpelstiltskin were unique in their way, and I admired the author’s storytelling style.

The illustrations by Ron Barrett are unique and give the book a quirky, charming look. I loved the details of some of the artwork and its textures and thought the images with Red Riding Hood and Bluebeard were the highlights. He illustrates the characters in a whimsical, childlike manner yet adds a touch of mischief to balance with the tale.

Overall, “The Witch Demands a Retraction: Fairy Tale Reboots for Adults” was definitely out of the norm from what I usually read. Still, it is nevertheless very entertaining and worth checking out!

Helpful

Nurse_bookie

Loved loved loved

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2021

TITLE: The Witch Demands a Retraction: Fairy Tale Reboots for Adults
AUTHOR: Melissa Balmain
ILLUSTRATOR: Ron Barrett
PUB DATE: 04.12.2021

This hilarious collection of poems by Melissa Balmain puts a grown-up, contemporary spin on the stories and characters we all learned as children, from Little Red Riding Hood, to the Three Bears, the Pied Piper, and Cinderella; each delightfully depicted in full-color by Ron Barrett, (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) one of the best and award winning illustrators in the business.

Review:

Simply fantastic and adorable in every way. I loved this book and so did my whole family. This is the perfect read aloud, giggling inducing fun read I have always wanted. This is the type of book I love to gift!

One person found this helpful

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Larry Hoffer

Funny reboots of fairy tales from an adult perspective...

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2021

Melissa Balmain's The Witch Demands a Retraction features funny reboots of fairy tales from an adult perspective.

Do you enjoy fairy tales? Ever thought about what happens after they lived happily ever after, after the foes have been vanquished? Or what the “real story” behind the fairy tales was?

Balmain has given this some thought. This fun book, accompanied by great illustrations from Ron Barrett, looks at some of our favorite fairy tales and provides short, less-starry-eyed updates.

From “Sleeping Beauty Talks to Her Therapist a Few Months after the Wedding” to “Mama Bear Sets the Record Straight,” these are no more than one page and they’re definitely good for a laugh! This was a quick read but one I definitely will share with others.

One person found this helpful

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Susan Z

A fun new take on the classics. For adults!

Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2021

I thoroughly enjoyed this fun new take on classic fairytales. With new twists on some of my favorites such as Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and The Beast and The Little Mermaid (yes I do love my princesses), I was laughing out loud. But my favorite might have been The Princess and the Pea.

Maybe everything didn't end happily ever after, and if it didn't, @melissa.balmain has some fun ideas about what happened after the fairy tale ending.

I would be remiss if I didn't give credit to Ron Barrett for his amazing illustrations. They are excellent!

This would make for a fun gift! But make sure the recipient is an adult or you may be forced to answer some tough questions 😂

One person found this helpful

Helpful

GeauxGetLit

Hysterical adult classic fairytales

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2021

Ok, listen up y’all this may look like your everyday kids fairytale rhyming book, but I’m here to tell you it’s a scandalous adult version.

You will find Rapunzel, Jack and Snow White poems written to appease adults. This had me laughing out loud and I don’t think I will be able to read the classic fairytales the same anymore!

This is a perfect gift for anyone who loves fairytales or any parent who is reading fairytales to their kids and needs a good laugh.

The illustrations are spot on, On the second slide I took a pic of the authors spin on Snow White!! Totally hysterical!

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