Wicked: Gregory Maguire has made a career of retellings, but his first was this take on the Wicked Witch that is so much deeper and richer than the musical (which is also fantastic in its own way).
The Bear and the Nightingale: There's a kind of vague Cinderella aspect to this, but the real treat is the Russian folklore, alongside an incredible heroine and a wonderful story that continues over two sequels.
Polite Society: I just recently read this take on Emma, transported to modern day India, and found it really enjoyable, striking a great balance between the broad strokes of the original while still telling its own story.
Ella Enchanted: Teenage me loved this YA spin on Cinderella where she's cursed to always be obedient.
The Song of Achilles: I did not especially enjoy reading The Iliad. But I did enjoy reading this take on it that posits Achilles and Patroclus as a long-term, committed couple.
Boy, Snow, Bird: I did not love one of the concluding "twists" of this book, inspired by Snow White, but until then had found it complicated and rich and interesting.
The Red Tent: Dinah, only daughter of the biblical Jacob, is barely a footnote in the Bible, but this book takes her portrayal there and fleshes it out with life and love and sorrow and joy.
Lamb: This is another retelling of a Bible story, but takes on a much more prominent character...Jesus himself, given a dumbass best friend called Biff, who narrates the "real" story of the Son of God.
Bridget Jones's Diary: It's a pretty loose take on Pride and Prejudice, but I love this book. So few "funny" books actually work for me and it's hilarious.
The King Must Die: I super loved Greek mythology growing up, and the religious aspects of this retelling of the story of Theseus made for a fascinating read.
American Gods: Neil Gaiman's vivid imagination brings together the spirits of mythological tradition from all over the world to face off with "the new gods" to which society has dedicated itself (media, technology, etc).
Posts
I love retellings, too. Some stories become even more powerful if they're reinvented for a new generation every so often. Great list.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT.
Right? It's refreshing to get an old story in a new way!
DeleteI love retelling so much. will have to look into these. I have heard of American Gods and I really want to read it someday.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT https://thereadingrebel.wordpress.com/2019/07/30/top-ten-tuesday-my-top-ten-favorite-bookish-businesses/
American Gods is more folklore/mythology inspired than a retelling, per se, but it's excellent!
DeleteOh, love your topic choice! Retellings are one of my favorites. :3 Wicked was my first retelling I ever read. I always hated The Wizard of Oz, since it felt empty and kind of creepy to me, but when I read Wicked, something clicked into place and I thought, YES, there's more of a story here. I haven't read The Song of Achilles or American Gods yet, but I'm so looking forward to both of them!
ReplyDeleteHere's my TTT post.
Song of Achilles is so good! It did the same thing for me that it sounds like Wicked did for you, giving the Iliad much more depth and interest
DeleteI can't believe I have read six of these! I would add the rest to my TBR just on your recommendation, but I might need another lifetime to get through them! The Song of Achilles is probably one of the top five books for me--ever.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to think about how long it's going to take me to get through just the books I've already bought that I want to read (the answer is MANY years). Song of Achilles is one of those books that I didn't realize was great when I first read it but has stuck with me for so long now!
DeleteThe first time I read Wicked was so indescribably fantastic. It's one of those books I have sensory memories for--incidentally, the musical has its own and I agree, it's great in its own way but the book? Hoo, boy. I've always loved Ella Enchanted, it was one of my favourites growing up too! What a fantastic read. Also, yes! American Gods is one of my favourite books of all time.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of these sound really great. I've always been curious about Boy, Snow, Bird.
I loved Wicked so much that I'm almost afraid to try the sequels...the book stands alone so well that I don't think it needs any more story. But at the same time I'm really curious, maybe I'll eventually get to them!
Delete