maartje_volder's Reviews (578)

The different approach of this story is that there is no real main person to follow the story by, the story is told by the town in which it all takes place. So we get intimate with different people. Some more likeable than others... I do hope that if something like this would happen, it would be less dramatic than how it turned out here, but it is realistic. The end was a bit of a let down to me, King has a few go to solutions to wrap up his books and he uses those in this one as well. And maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't mind a bad ending once in a while. Not that say that this one was all good, but when it turned for the worst, that bit of silver lining just bugged me.

I really like how these stories have a base in truth and are told as nice tales. Joanna gathers the storyline and knits a tale from it. You get to enjoy a book and might learn a bit as well. The indirectness of her history lessons also gives it a nice view. It gives the reader a nice view of the play instead of being the main character.
Only downside that I had was the time jumps. In the first few chapters, the pace is very constant. In later chapters we start to jump and with jump it mean years.

I liked the story, but I usually like fairytales with a twist. But as David was falling from one quest into another it seemed to add little meaning to his main storyline. Some facts about this new world were laid on a bit too thick and the end outcome became somewhat predictable.

I have trouble with stories like these. There doesn't seem to be a goal. It's just a community and the tales of the day to day life. As soon as I become emotionally attached, the story switches perspective. Some characters are more likable than others. Overal it was an alright read but it didn't give me feelings.

I really liked going into a new fictional world and meet these dwarves. The story is well written and has a nice pace, but the plottwisting climax is given too soon and a bit too obvious.

It started out alright, but the author is boringly repetitive at times. The last chapters take up way too many pages for the amount of info in it. The author is a Disney lover, but he loves to point out anything that is wrong with the attractions, and that just takes away from the magic.

You should not judge a book by its cover, but I did. I saw it, loved it, read the premise and bought it.
The story was nothing like I expected, the characters real, broken and fascinating. The twists and leaps that are made take you along for a ride and it's just wonderful.

I knew the movie and decided it was time to know more about the source. The stories are funny and witty and easy on the go.

The story is based on facts but the details are filled in by the vision of the author. I really like that idea, but the story seems a bit too simple. Deciding where to end it must have been a thing as well, because I feel it is too early but also I do not see a better moment. Left me a bit unsatisfied.

Compaired to other big books of fairytales that have some sort of chronological order, this one is not very consistent. Things that are added in later stories conflict with previous ones. If you read them back to back, it is noticable.
But I liked the stories and I especially appreciated that the point of view is different in different stories. It keeps the stories fresh and the wide mix of cast is a delight.