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  • The Witch Demands a Retraction: Fairy Tale Reboots for Adults
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
45 global ratings
5 star
74%
4 star
13%
3 star
6%
2 star 0% (0%)
0%
1 star
7%
The Witch Demands a Retraction: Fairy Tale Reboots for Adults

The Witch Demands a Retraction: Fairy Tale Reboots for Adults

byMelissa Balmain
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Top positive review

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Susan McLean
5.0 out of 5 starsAny 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.
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4 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 starsNot 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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From the United States

Susan McLean
5.0 out of 5 stars Any other fans of “Fractured Fairy Tales” out there?
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2021
Verified Purchase
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
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B. K. Loots
5.0 out of 5 stars Gift of a good laugh
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
Look no further. Here's the perfect gift for friends who have everything else. Bawdy verse versions of familiar fairy tales bring childhood up to date. The residual kid will get a kick out of the cartoon illustrations. From stinky feet to saucy brides, you'll get the stories behind the stories. Read them outloud to liven up any party (except perhaps a church social.)
6 people found this helpful
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Airymom
5.0 out of 5 stars Once upon a time---with a twist.
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2021
Verified Purchase
I laughed aloud reading Melissa Balmain's earlier book, "Walking In On People", so I was looking forward to her new one. She has written very funny and sometimes "naughty" revisions of famous fairy tales. I think my book club gals will thoroughly enjoy this book. Fabulous illustrations!
3 people found this helpful
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Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, charming poems
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2021
Verified Purchase
Absolutely loved it. I was charmed from the first page to the last, and chuckled throughout. If only this sort of poetry held greater sway over the reading public!

P.s. If you like this title, check out Walking in on People by the same author. Balmain is this century’s Dorothy Parker (though with a little more range.)
2 people found this helpful
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Susan Hawvermale
5.0 out of 5 stars Oh what fun!
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is the martini of fairy tales, a no-holds-barred romp that had me reading these rhymes again and again. Melissa Balmain throws zingers at everyone from The Three Bears to Thumbelina. Just when you thought the humor couldn't get any darker, you turn the page. And you keep laughing. I loved it.
One person found this helpful
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kdelano001
5.0 out of 5 stars Delectable Delight With Giggle Sprinkles
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2021
Verified Purchase
Hilarious and delectable, like a box of indulgent chocolates, but ZERO carbs. Melissa Balmain has outdone herself with this witty, pithy, irreverent take on classic fairy tales. Would make a great gift even for the grumpiest of bears. A true delight!
2 people found this helpful
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Bob McKenty
5.0 out of 5 stars The Grimm Rapier
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2021
Verified Purchase
The Grimm Rapier strikes again! Melissa Balmain’s “adult” updates to familiar fairy tales are a hoot. Ron Barrett’s excellent illustrations complement them perfectly, and the back-page blurbers are so impressive that I am humbled to add my endorsement to theirs. Buy this book and share it! –Bob McKenty
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James Klagge
5.0 out of 5 stars not for kids, but...
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2021
Verified Purchase
As it says...not for kids. She takes traditional fairy tales, finds a twist, and offers it in rhyme. A quick read. The illustrations are great, and I especially liked The Peeved Piper and The Miller's Daughter.
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Lady Exec
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious - very Ogden Nash
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
Ogden Nash meets the warren of hilarious witches
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David Hedges
5.0 out of 5 stars The parts your mother left out
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2021
Verified Purchase
If you're looking to tickle your ribs in these trying times, this is just the ticket! We all grew up with these fairy tales, but little did we know what lurked between the lines. Melissa Balmain has exposed the ribald truth in grand fashion. Thoroughly enjoyed the read!
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