Monday, January 02, 2017

Blood Red Snow White

Blood Red Snow White. Marcus Sedgwick. 2016. 320 pages. [Source: Library; Audience: YA, Adult]

First sentence: The years slip away.

Premise/plot: Set during the Russian Revolution, Blood Red Snow White is narrated by Arthur Ransome, children's book writer and journalist. Though a fictionalized account it does have a historical basis. The writing is lyrical.

My thoughts: What a book!!!! This one should not be forgotten when Cybils comes around again next year. I love the writing. It is beautiful and amazing. The story itself is compelling; the details are fascinating.

The title brings to mind fairy tales. Ransome loved fairy tales, and even wrote a collection of Russian fairy tales for children. While this one is not a fantasy exactly, fairy tale lovers may find it well worth their time! It very much celebrates storytelling.

Favorite quotes:
Beyond the sunrise, halfway to the moon, and so very far away it would make your feet weep to think about it, lies a land vast in size and deep in sadness. (7)
The typewriter was a marvel of miniaturization, made from steel and rubber and ivory. A simple enough thing, though to him, a miracle in itself, for in that box was the potential to write everything that could ever be written. Every word, every sentence, every thought that could ever be, was waiting to be made from the machine in the box. Every single idea ever was in there. And that in itself was a wonderful idea. One day I'll write a story about a closed wooden box. (31)
Stories twist and turn and grow and meet and give birth to other stories. (41)
Language is a subtle but vicious killer. (119)

© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

3 comments:

Kailana said...

Cool cover!

Cee Arr @ Dora Reads said...

I remember reading this book as a teenager - I loved it!

JazzFeathers said...

It does sound like an awesone, unique book.
Goes in my TBR list.
Thanks so much for sharing :-)
(Visiting from the Historical Fiction Challenge)