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Summary: Rose
Review: I thought this book was pretty good but not my favorite. I think it's more for teenagers although it does give a lot of info one The Warsaw Ghetto.
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Summary: An unexpected fairy tale
Review: I have read the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty but never like this. The story Briar Rose combines the fairy tale sleeping beauty with the worrifying story of the Holocaust. The grandmother in the story (Gemma), tells the story of sleeping beauty to her three grandchildren named Sylvia, Shanna, and Becca. When Gemma dies, Becca, youngest of the three, promises to her grandmother before she died that she would look for the sleeping beauty. Not really sure what her grandmother meant on her death bed, Becca goes in search of her grandmothers death in a camp in Poland. There Becca finds a man named Josef who tells Becca the story of her grandmothers trials and tribulations as a jewish person living back during the Holocaust. Becca realizes her roots and just what Gemma went through before she died. The author Jane Yolen did a great job twinning together such opposites. I learned a lot from this book and had a good time reading it. I would recommend this book to everyone.
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Summary: An emotional tale of survival.....
Review: I feel that this is a well written book and a very educational book for anyone to read. Being that I am a young man and wasn't alive during the times of the Second World War, I wasn't aware of all the ghastly details of the German concentration camps. While reading the book I was able to get an almost real world experience through the eyes of the characters in the concentration camps. I feel the book starts out kind of slow, being that I am not a romantic type, but the further into the book I got, the more interesting it became. Jane Yolen did a great job of putting an ironic twist to the tale told my Gemma in the story, it definitely isn't what I was expecting and it made the book that much more interesting to read. I would recommend this book be read by anyone ages 14 and up. This isn't an upbeat type of reading and it can be very sad in most parts, but if you are looking for an experience of the Holocaust and a tale of survival then this is the book for you. It truly is a great example of a human beings ability to make good of any bad situation.
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Summary: Review of Briar Rose
Review: The book, Briar Rose, by Jane Yolan is an excellent book that I would recommend to anyone that can read. The book keeps you interested from the beginning to the end. I was surprised of how good of a book it was. I gained a great love for the book and the main character Becca. Becca is so intrigued by the fairy tale that her grandmother as a child. When her grandmother dies and says she is the princess from the story, Becca is determined to find out the truth. Her passion to find out the truth of her grandmother leads her all the way to Poland where she meets Josef Potocki. As you read when Josef tells Becca the tragic story of his past and her grandmother's past, you will become wrapped up in the story. The pain that Josef feels, you will feel as you read. The ending isn't happily ever after like I thought it was going to be. Becca did find out the truth of her grandmother, but she also had to learn about the horror that her grandmother went through. The book Briar Rose is an excellent book that ties the great fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, and the horror of the Holocaust into a great literary piece.
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Summary: Emotional Thrill Ride
Review: After finishing the last chapter only moments ago, I am taken back by a mixture of emotional stimuli as I sit and contemplate the novel. Saddness and despair are my intial feelings. Both of these conditions are triggered by my re-realization of the horrific conditions through which so many normal, innocent people suffered and perished. These sorrowful feelings are then followed by an overwhelming gratefulness and appreciation for the freedom, the sparing of such an experience, and way of life that my family, friends, government and the lord have provided. At the same time I also feel a sense satisfaction, completion or accomplishment. I feel almost relieved to find out the truth about Gemma's fairy tale past, as it is revealed by Josef, and the unimaginable events that lead her through the holocaust and over to Fort Oswego. I take pleasure in finally being able to connect the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty to the real life situation surrounding Gemma's "resurrection" and her lifestory thereafter. In just a few moments of contempaltion and ponderment regarding the completion of this novel, I have experienced an emotional mixture equivalent to the ups and downs and loops of a rollercoaster. However, one cannot fully experience the emotional journey I have underwent until one completely indulges themself in the legend of Briar Rose.
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Summary: Wildly Realistic
Review: When beginning Jane Yolen's Briar Rose I was somewhat confused. I soon caught on to the pattern of the tale, and quickly fell in love. It is a fairy tale wrapped inside a novel. Throughout her childhood, Becca is mesmerized by her grandmother Gemma's story of Sleeping Beauty. As a young adult, Becca is still captivated by the tale. Just before her death, Gemma whispers to Becca that she is Briar Rose. With only a few photographs and papers in addition to a fairy tale to guide her, Becca works to uncover a mystery that surrounds her grandmother's life. Becca's journey takes her to Josef Potocki, a partisan in the war. It is through Josef that the tale of Briar Rose is revealed as the horror of the Holocaust. By alternating between the fairy tale and the story of a Becca's voyage, Jane Yolen keeps even adult readers craving more. I especially enjoy this book because of the way it is beautifully written and astonishingly realistic. Jane Yolen vividly describes every detail as if it actually occurred. Briar Rose tells of mystery, courage, and romance. Although this is not a fairy tale made for children, it certainly ends happily ever after.
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Summary: Not Your Typical Fairy Tale
Review: Not Your Typical Fairy TaleI consider this a highly recommended book for anyone who wants to enjoy a fairy tale story with a moving twist. Jane Yolen takes the story of Sleeping Beauty and intertwines it with the horror of the Holocaust. In this novel, Gemma, the grandmother of three little girls named Sylvia, Shana, and Becca, spends many years telling the story of "Sleeping Beauty" to her grandchildren. It is Gemma's favorite fairy tale and passes her strong passion for it on to her grandchildren. Becca is the youngest of the three, but she is clearly the strongest and the most mature.
When Gemma dies, 23-year-old Becca lives to the promise that she made to Gemma right before she died. In this promise, Becca assured her grandmother that she would look for the "sleeping beauty," the "prince", and the castle and in the process, rediscover her family's roots. At first, Becca isn't quite sure what Gemma's dying words meant, but she uses her faith and intellect and takes the time to gather enough information to fulfill the promise she has made to her beloved grandmother. As she makes her journey, Becca gets a taste of the horrors of the Holocaust, and she clearly gains much wisdom in her young life. Rebecca went in search of her grandmother's death camp in Poland. Finally she finds her grandmothers "friend" Josef and he told her the heartbreaking story of her grandmother's life as a Jewish person.
I enjoyed Josef Potocki. Josef was a Pole and incarcerated because he was a homosexual. He escaped Schenhausen, which was labor camp and wound up at Chelmo. He found Gemma or "Ksizniczka" lying in a ditch. He brought Gemma back to life. Josef was the "prince" in "Briar Rose."
Carefully wrapped around the tale of "Sleeping Beauty," this novel will leave you with a better understanding of what all those people went through in the Holocaust, so long as you read it with an open heart and mind. It's a great read for young adults, and it is extremely well-written. Jane Yolen obviously spent much time on this, and she pulled it off beautifully. It's a wonderful story, and I would definitely consider it to be well worth your money.
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Summary: Excellent book
Review: The novel "Briar Rose" was one of the few novels I could not drop until I finished reading it. I must admit that it was a bit confusing when I was reading the first few chapters but as I kept reading I began to understan the plot. Yolen did a good job in using fairy tell to explain how horrible Holocaust was how it affected people . Though the novel is ment to entertain but I learned a lot from reading it than I had known.
There are many great characters in the novel but my best charater is Becca. When her grandmother died, she did everything (that most people her age will not do) possible to find out why her grandmother insisted that she was the real Briar Rose. Her only drive was simly to keep the promise she made to her grandmother on her deathbed. Everyone in her family did not care much about the secret behind the fairy tell but she took it upon her self to find out their "root"
My fevorite part the book was when Becca found out the entire story. What a great felling to know how her grama survived Chelmno and how she got married in the wood.
To make the book more complete and interesting, Stan and Becca got back together at the end of the book.
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Summary: Interesting twist on an old tale
Review: "Briar Rose" is not a book I would have generally chosen to read. Therefore, it was a shock to find myself completely wrapped up in the story. Jane Yolen puts an amazing twist on the old fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty." Becca, the main character, is enchanted by the classic story of Briar Rose or Sleeping Beauty - a tale she had heard so often as a child - told by her grandmother Gemma. As she becomes older she begins to realize that this story is much more significant than she thought as a child. When Gemma dies, Becca becomes devoted to unraveling the mystery of Briar Rose which she comes to realize is actually the story of her grandmother's life. What happens here is truly amazing. The story captivated me as Josef Potocki, a man from Gemma's past took me on a journey through the Holocaust - sharing his memories of such a horrifying time and giving the details of Gemma's past. The castles and princes I had envisioned of the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty" from my past take on a totally different meaning in this story. Yolen does a terrific job of combining a classic fairy tale with the horrifying reality of the Holocaust. Even if this is not the type of book you would normally read, you may be as surprised as me to have enjoyed it so much!
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Summary: A Very Unique Novel
Review: Yolen's *Briar Rose* is a very well-written adult fairy tale--not a fantasy with magic and mysticism like her *Sister Light, Sister Dark* or *White Jenna*-- and NOT the traditional, comfortable fairy tale retelling that would delight children and adult readers searching for another *Ella Enchanted*. The novel contains no more magic than our own family stories have, told or untold. In an understated but brilliant way, Yolen tells the story of two Jewish "princesses": the contemporary Becca and her grandmother. When Becca's grandmother dies, she keeps the promise she made her grandma on her deathbed...to find out why her grandmother always insisted that she was the real Briar Rose. Becca seeks a past and a prince...and discovers more than she ever expected to find. This novel is billed as an adult fairy tale, which is what it is. Mature young adults might enjoy it as well, as long as they are expecting a tale more about families, loss, and the Holocaust than about fairy godmothers and dreams. I highly recommend this beautiful book that tells an amazing story while defying genre description.
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