Grimm's Grimmest

If you're looking for a Disney version of your favorite fairy tales, you're not going to find it here. The Grimm's Grimmest is a fantastic compilation of some of the Brothers Grimm's darkest tales, as they were originally meant to be read. These tales illustrate a world where humans are suitable for consumption, sexuality knows no bounds, and two brothers let their imaginations run rampant. The stories themselves along with Tatar's brilliant insight make this one of the best books for fairy tale aficionados everywhere. Tricia Psarreas The Brighter Writer [...]

I like to tell bedtime stories to my granddaughters, but I'd never read one of these tales to them! This book shows quite well why the authors had the last name "Grimm", for most of these tales are grim indeed. There's murder, maiming, mutilation, incest, and just about every other evil device you can imagine. It's possible to recognize some of our own versions of these tales, but they are certainly changed from the originals! Reading this book is like passing a gruesome auto accident: you don't want to slow down and look, but you just can't help yourself. I recommend a very strong stomach for anyone wishing to read theis book.

I received this book as a Christmas present last year, and it has quickly become one of my all-time favorites. Okay, yes, the stories are pretty darn gory, with decapitations and/or mutilations playing a prominent role in quite a few of them, not to mention the incest and cannibalism and so forth, so you need to keep this book away from the kiddies. That aside, it's a wonderful and fascinating collection of tales. The illustrations are very nice, and there's a lot of them. Plus there's a great introduction at the beginning that gives the reader more of a background story on the Grimms and their work. Overall, a fantastic book.

Liked the illustrations to this volume of the darker tales, especially Juniper Tree, which was an amazing story that makes you realize just how awful the stepmothers of fairy tales are. Some of the stories are familiar but quite a few were new to me, so this was something of an adventure.

As a devout reader of fairy tales, I was ecstatic to find an anthology as complete as this one. These are not the toned down fairy tales Disney puts out; these are violent yet beautiful stories that will make anyone fall in love with fairy tales. Not for young ones.