Rating: 
Summary: Left Wanting More
Review: It was mostly pure whim which led me to pick up a copy of Jane Yolen's _Briar Rose_; I was familiar with the series it came from, having previously read (and loved) Pamela Dean's _Tam Lin_, but I had decided earlier that none of the other fairy tales that had been rewritten were of interest to me. Still, _Briar Rose_ called out to me from the library stacks--and when I read the jacket flap, with its mention of the Holocaust, I thought that it might after all be worth a try.I'm very glad that I finally read the book. I devoured it in one evening. It's a beautiful, haunting story: Yolen raises the reader's curiousity about the grandmother to such a high point that you may not be able to put the book down until you learn the truth... even knowing that the truth is likely to be anything but pleasant. The character of Gemma is simply marvelous. Magda, likewise. Becca... perhaps not so much, but that could my disappointment speaking; I wanted the story to be told from the point of view of Shana after the first chapter, so couldn't help but be disappointed by Yolen's narrator choice. I really wanted to know more about Shana--and Sylvia, and Stan, and, and, and.... This is the main (really, only) problem that I had with the book: there's just not enough in it. What happens with regards to Becca and Stan? What's up with the sisters' marriages? Where did 'Gitl' come from? Etceteras, etceteras--it's easy to forgive the omission of certain details (including the Gitl thing), because it would be entirely unrealistic if we were able to learn *everything* about Gemma's past. Still... the missing parts and dangling threads detracted a bit from the fairy tale magic of the tragedy for me. However, I would still most definitely encourage anyone to read this book--including young adults, so long as their parents were handy to answer any questions that the narrative might inspire. This is a fairy tale of the oldest kind, rather macabre and grim in places, and containing mature and sexual themes. Yet its ability to give information and inspire curiousity about the Holocaust cannot be praised enough: after reading _Briar Rose_, I not only have learned a new story, but I have developed a greater appreciation for the atrocities of Gemma's time and want to find out more. If _Briar Rose_ can do likewise for children, that seems all to the good to me... and even if it doesn't, it's still a truly magnificent tale fit to horrify and (for lack of a better word) entertain.
Rating: 
Summary: Briar Rose
Review: Rebecca is a girl who loved to grow up listening to the story Briar Rose. But when Gemma, her grandmother and her special storteller dies, Becca is left with only a promise she made to Gemma to find her prince and castle and the words "I am Briar Rose." Forced to search Gemma's prince and castle, Becca travels to Poland and finds-good and bad-waiting for her.
Rating: 
Summary: Inappropriate for Young Adults
Review: The book make have may merits where insight about the Holocaust is concerned ...[But he planned to have a long talk with his lover about being more gentle the one morning.] But when he woke, he found the man dead in the marble bath..."
This is hardly appropriate for 9-12 year olds.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully crafted account on the Holocaust
Review: I consider this highly recommended reading for anyone who wants to enjoy a classic fairy tale story with a poignant twist. Jane Yolen takes the well-loved story of Sleeping Beauty and intertwines it with the horror of the Holocaust period. 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 eager grandchildren. It is Gemma's favorite fairy tale, obviously, and she passes her strong passion for it on to these girls. 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 out 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" and, in the process, rediscover her family's roots. At first, Becca isn't quite sure what Gemma's dying words mean, 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 toward discovery, Becca gets a taste of the bitterness of the Holocaust, and she clearly gains much wisdom in her young life. Masterfully wrapped around the tale of the 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.
Rating:
Summary: Briar Rose
Review: I would have to say Briar Rose was outstanding and exultant! The best thing about this outstanding book was with the twist of Beauty and the Beast! In my opine I would say during the begining was confessing but all the all the way through the book was very beautifully written! Also it was one of my favorite books. Trust me when you pick up Briar Rose you won't want to put it down! The reason why I loved this book so much is when Becca's grandmother dies and there is a question from the past and since she being the only girl to care she finds a secret about the Holocaust. Now if you liked what you just read you have to read this book and get into this story and find the magic in it!!
Rating:
Summary: Good Book I highly Recomend it
Review: Briar Rose is a very good mix of Holocaust and Fairy Tail. It was an interesting story of a girl named Rebecca Berlin and her "Gemma." Her Gemma had told the story of Briar Rose many times, to her and her two older sisters. They all enjoyed the story but it seems to be that Rebecca enjoyed it the most. The reason I say this is because she is the one who stayed with her Gemma till the end. Her Gemma told Rebecca that she was Briar Rose and she wants Rebecca to find her castle. 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.
Rating:
Summary: Holocaust remake of Sleeping Beauty
Review: Briar Rose by Jane Yolen was a very good book. I liked the set-up of the book, the way it switched back and forth in the years. I also liked the way Yolen tied a horrible thing into a classical fairy tale. After Becca's grandma dies there are still questions about her past. Becca, the only granddaughter that seems to care, goes in search of her Grandma's past. After Becca gets a good lead on her grandma life she sets off to Poland. There she finds out terrible secrets about the Holocaust. As Becca searches for the truth she comes upon some very interesting people. All in all I think Briar Rose was a very interesting book.
Rating:
Summary: BRIAR ROSE IS AN OUTSTANDING BOOK BY JANE YOLEN
Review: BRIAR ROSE BY JANE YOLEN IS A GREAT FICTION STORY OF THE HOLOCAUST. IT STARTS WITH A YOUNG GIRL NAMED REBECCA BERLIN, WHO ALL HER LIFE SHE WAS TOLD THE FAIRTALE BRIAR ROSE,BY HER "GEMMA".
AS THE YEARS GO BY REBECCA AND HER TWO OLDER SISTERS ARE STILL ADDICTED TO THE STORY OF BRIAR ROSE, BUT AS THEY BECOME WOMEN REBECCA IS THE ONLY ONE WHO STAYS CLOSE TO HER GRANDMOTHER AND THE FAIRYTALE. AS HER GRANDMOTHER LAY ON HER DEATHBED, THE OLD WOMAN TELL REBECCA THAT SHE IS BRIAR ROSE AND MAKES REBECCA PROMISE THAT SHE WILL FIND HER CASTLE IN THE SLEEPING WOODS.
AFTER THAT REBECCA IS DETERMINED TO FIND OUT HER GRANDMOTHER'S PAST.SHE SETS OUT ON A JOURNEY TO FIND OUT EVERYTHING FROM THE DEATH CAMPS HER GRANDMOTHER WAS IN TO WHO HER GRANDFATHER IS. BERLIN TRAVELS ALL THE WAY TO POLAND AND ENDS UP FINDING HER GRANDMOTHER'S FRIEND "PRINCE" JOSEF POTOCKI. SHE FINDS OUT HER GRANDMOTHER'S PAINFUL STORY BUT IN THE END, ALL FAIRYTALES HAVE HAPPY ENDINGS.
Rating:
Summary: Magic amid the horror
Review: Becca's grandmother has always been obsessed with the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty"; she told her own particular version of it hundreds of times to Becca and her sisters throughout their childhoods. Now the grandmother has died, having made Becca promise to dig into the past, and leaving her with the cryptic last words, "I am Briar Rose." Becca follows the few clues--the fairy tale and a few old papers and pictures--and the path leads to one of the Holocaust's darkest places. Jane Yolen artfully ties the fairy tale to the story of a woman who escaped a death camp, blending the two threads almost perfectly, in this quick and moving read.
Rating:
Summary: fairy tales find me
Review: What I learned from this book: Fairy tales can come true, sort of. This is a dense book for serious readers, which is a shame because it is a gem. The first chapter was hard to get into for me, but after that I was hooked. The story of sleeping beauty that is weaved throughout gives the book a continuity that helps the reader believe that Gemma could really be Briar Rose. Then when the real story is revealed of what happened to Gemma, all becomes plausible again for the princess lived basically a happy life, which is as close to "happily ever after" as we can really get. If you like this book, do see the movie "Ever After" which is based on the fairy tale of Cinderella.
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