Rating: 
Summary: A Dark, Stunning Collection of Tales
Review: 'The Rose and the Beast' was my first look into the writing of Francesca Lia Block, and I was immediatly captivated by both her style and tone and her insurpassable use of imagery, and her ability to make old fairytales into new, darker and profound creations. It is gradually becoming clear in the general world of literature that fairytales in their original form were not at all intended for children, and the advent of sweet little fairytales, beginning with the Brothers Grimm and accumulating in the works of Enid Blyton, are gradually heading back to what they were originally used for - deep insights into the minds and souls of human beings as a whole. With that in mind, Francesca Lia Block perfectly captures their essence and meaning.The cover art also captures this regard for fairytales - the front shows a beautiful young woman - but to turn the book around and see her lower half, one can see her hands are talons. Needless to say, this book is *not* for children.
There are nine tales in this volume, four of which are set in an entirely fairytale world, separate from our own, (Snow, Glass, Rose, Beast) and five of which are 'misplaced' fairytales, being played out in our contemporary world (Tiny, Charm, Wolf, Bones, Ice). Snow is a retelling of Snow White, which highlights a new angle on the tale - bringing forth not the love of Snow White's mother or her lover, but that which the old stories always forget to mention - that of the affection between Snow and the seven dwarfs. My favourite quotes, first when the dwarfs look upon her as a baby "they knew then that she was the love they had been seeking in every face forever before this", and when it is pointed out "She loved them. This is what no one tells. She loved them." Tiny is a reworking of Thumbelina. A mother looses eight children to death, but her ninth child is the size of her thumb, though "there was a perfectly normal heartbeat flickering on the screen like a miniature star". Tiny grows, unaware of her difference, till she sees her first male - a young man, searching for his Muse. Falling in love, Tiny appoints herself a Hero, and goes after him... Glass is a stunning retelling of Cinderella, in which our heroine is caught between the safety and predictability of her sisters, and the love she finds with her own Prince Charming. A natural storyteller, she is unawares of how easy she is to love, of her gift to transform, and of how she can change herself from sand into something clear and pure - like glass. Charm is the dark and disturbing tale based on Sleeping Beauty, in which the spindle is a heroin needle, and thrown into a world of drugs, photographs and glamour. But in this case, Sleeping Beauty *cannot* sleep, and only one person in the world can help her find rest, and awaken her from her nightmare. Wolf is Little Red Riding Hood, where a Stepfather takes the place of a wolf, and threatens the lives of a young girl and her mother. Running for the desert and her grandmother, the heroine finds that she has to face her greatest fear, when he turns up at her one place of sanctuary. Rose is the tale of Rose White and Rose Red, the dearest of friends, and the inevitable breaking of their friendship when one of them falls in love. It is simple, heartbreaking and yet utterly true in its message - the everchanging role of love and connections with other people. If you are familiar with the story, you may be saddened by the loss of the character of the dwarf that hinders the girls so badly, but the great black bear is still intact. Bones is perhaps the most ambigious of the stories simply because it is based on "Bluebeard", a tale that many may not know. The old story goes that a young woman marries Bluebeard who tells her she can go anywhere in the house expect in a particular room. Needless to say, the instant he leaves the house she open the door...and finds the bodies of his previous wives. In this case, Bluebeard is Derrick Blue, a talent scout who lures young women to his home in order to do what the original Bluebeard did. For a girl who begins wishing she was in a fairytale as "at least the girls in the stories were alive before they died", she ends vowing to listen to the tales of the 'bones' of the previous victims, and let their stories be known. Beast is another favourite of mine, with the fascinating angle of having Beauty prefer the beast to the man he changes into. The imagery in this one is also beautiful, as Beauty becomes more and more wild and "tries to retrain herself from licking her hand as if it were a paw." But Francesca saves the best for last. In Ice, based on the Snow Queen, we meet two lovers utterly enveloped in each other, until K. is lured away by the perfect beauty of the Snow Queen. Francesca excells herself here with the potency of her words - a girl too afraid to fight for her love as she is convinced something as perfect as their love cannot possibily last, a boy trapped between two women, and of course, the regal Ice Queen that we've all met in our own lives at one time or another, and her ability to make us see the worst in ourselves. This is my utterly favourite short story of all time. Read it!
Rating: 
Summary: I liked it at first...
Review: A collection of fairy tales retold in modern settings with modern problems is the subject of this very first book I've read by this author. I enoyed the first 3 tales "Snow" (Snow White), "Tiny" (Thumbelina), and Glass (Cinderella) greatly. However, after that, the book got horribly depressing to me. Two of the stories "Rose" and "Ice" I wasn't even sure what fairy tales they were based on. It's certainly an interesting, dark read, probably much like the Grimm fairy tales were in thier time.
Rating: 
Summary: enjoyable but very light read
Review: A short story collection featuring nine fairy tale based stories. Most of the major fairy tales are covered here: Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, ect... Some of the stories are set in fantasy worlds but many are set in modern times. This was an enjoyable and very light read but not much else. All of the stories were fun to read but my two favorites were Wolf and Beast. Wolf is a take on Little Red Riding Hood where a teenage girl runs away from her abusive father to her grandmother's house. Beast is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast that didn't stray far from the original. This was my favorite story in the book mainly because Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale. I recommend this book to any one who loves fairy tales.
Rating:
Summary: FLB is Incredible
Review: All of Francesca Lia Block's books are filled with transcendental flowery prose that makes you fall in love with the magical worlds she creates.
In this book, she may not have created these fairy tales, but she has made them her own.
Each story grows more amazing, as the alteration to the stories makes them relateable, modern.
If you are a fan of hers, you will love what she has done.
If you are a fan of fairy tales, you may have a harder time accepting the gritty, intense changes she has made to old favorites. You may find it more enjoyable if you read one of her other books first to acclimate yourself with her vision....and fall in love with her style.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting
Review: Being a lover of fairy tales, I immediately bought this when I spotted it at the bookstore. Because this collection of stories has gotten great reviews here, I was really excited to begin reading. Well, it did appeal to the dreamer in me; I appreciated the way Block plays with words to weave some sort of gauzy web around us readers. However, I also felt like the book painted too vague a picture. It was a bit too dreamy to read, and then understand exactly what was going on in each story. We are left sometimes with just a wisp of an idea of what the stories are trying to get at. It wasn't all that bad, though. The concept of re-telling much-loved fairy tales is interesting, and younger readers (older teens, that is) would probably appreciate this volume more than the "grown-up" crowd.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: Block's writing is poetic and inspiring ... it's like nothing else out there. If you enjoy faerie tales, or, for that matter, a good surrealish short story (some of the tales are not familiar and therefore stand on their own), I would certainly recommend this book. After finishing the book, you will feel an amazing connection to all the characters. Wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: Lyrical, Organic and Lovely
Review: Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved Faery Tales, and this is one of the best I have ever read. This book is so visual and lyrical and mesmerizing. I have been in dream world since I read it. Not just for teens, this is for anyone who wishes to be enchanted. FLB is brilliant!
Rating:
Summary: very cool...
Review: faerie tales were original meant for big people, too, and flb takes them back. there is no hansel and gretel tale in this book, though. the story bones is based on bluebeard, a grimm's tale they don't really use much anymore. someof these stories are things that could happen, and a few of them, well, aren't, but that's why they're faerie tales. this book is great to have with you when you don't have long to wait before something happens, but want something quick and beautiful to keep you busy.
Rating:
Summary: very cool...
Review: faerie tales were original meant for big people, too, and flb takes them back. there is no hansel and gretel tale in this book, though. the story bones is based on bluebeard, a grimm's tale they don't really use much anymore. someof these stories are things that could happen, and a few of them, well, aren't, but that's why they're faerie tales. this book is great to have with you when you don't have long to wait before something happens, but want something quick and beautiful to keep you busy.
Rating:
Summary: Dream-like Retellings of Classic Fairy Tales
Review: Francesca Lia Block has taken 9 very overused and familiar tales, twisted them, turned them inside out, and given us The Rose and the Beast. Her stories are haunting in their beauty and descriptiveness. All take place is Block's world of shifting beauty, color, and lovers. All nine stories (Snow White, Thumbelina, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Rose White and Rose Red, Bluebeard, Beauty and the Beast, and The Snow Queen) have a dream-like quality, as if they aren't really real, yet so real you can almost 'touch' them. Some, like Rose (her version of Rose White and Rose Red), are very similar to their original story, while others, like Ice (The Snow Queen) and Bones (Bluebeard) are fresh and beautiful with the original story floating beneath. My personal favorites are Tiny (Thumbelina), Charm (Sleeping Beauty), and Ice. The dark magical quality Block's writing has brings out a completely new side to the age-old fairy tales.
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