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A review by alice_digest
Tinder by Sally Gardner
3.0
On the shortlist for the Carnegie 2015, Tinder is Sally Garner's retelling of the Hans Christian Anderson classic tale 'The Tinderbox.' I love a good fairy-tale, and I love a beautifully illustrated book... But I really didn't like this like I expected to. I never found that really magical spark that pulls me into the story... if I hadn't had a quiet day to get it down in one go, I have a feeling it would have taken me a while to get to the end of this one.
Otto Hundebiss (which means Dog Bite) is a soldier in the bloody Thirty Years War, but he manages to defy death and is given some mysterious dice that tell him which direction to travel. He meets a beautiful young princess hiding out in the woods and they fall in love, but she is captured and returned to her castle. He vows to find her again, and on the way shelters in a bizarre wooden castle, where he completes a task for the witch who lives there and comes away with a tinderbox and a lot of gold. The box gives him power over three wolves.
There are some improvements on the original tale, but it largely follows the same story. The Princess, Safire, is more of an actual character that he actually meets and gets to know (rather than blindly kidnapping her). She's tough, tomboyish and knows how to use a rapier which I always appreciate in a female character. She is still the prize in this story, but they did at least spend a night together to fall in love first... And this is still a traditional fairy tale so I guess we can't have everything.
What this book does do successfully is explore the horrible brutality of war. Although disguised by the flowery, traditional language the crimes of men during war time are made starkly, horribly clear in the fate of Otto's sister, and his memories of what the other soldier tried to make him do. He was only a thirteen year old boy at the time (he is eighteen when the story begins) and he continues to be haunted and traumatised by what he has experienced. Until he meet Safire he doesn’t even have a purpose or direction save for what the dice tell him.
It is dark, with the shades of light and dark that the best fairy tales have. The ending is delightfully twisted, and leaves on a note of poignancy that had my thinking for a few moments afterwards. I do wonder on the intended audience for it though. I think a lot of younger readers will be put off with the very traditional style of the writing (it does require some real concentration) and would likely miss the messages of the story. I’m not sure on how it will appeal to the majority of older readers either being a fairly straightforward tale, although it is a lovely book. Personally I’m not a fan of David Robert’s illustrations, but I know a lot of people love them. They are suitably creepy, and I love the use of the red, but there is something off putting about the way he draws faces to me.
I’m disappointed that I didn’t love it. It was just an OK read. Nice to look at (apart from the faces I don’t like!) but never had that spark I was looking for. Some parts really dragged, and I was never exactly gripped by it.
Oh well, onto the next one! I’ve not had much luck so far with this year’s Carnegie Shortlist!
Otto Hundebiss (which means Dog Bite) is a soldier in the bloody Thirty Years War, but he manages to defy death and is given some mysterious dice that tell him which direction to travel. He meets a beautiful young princess hiding out in the woods and they fall in love, but she is captured and returned to her castle. He vows to find her again, and on the way shelters in a bizarre wooden castle, where he completes a task for the witch who lives there and comes away with a tinderbox and a lot of gold. The box gives him power over three wolves.
There are some improvements on the original tale, but it largely follows the same story. The Princess, Safire, is more of an actual character that he actually meets and gets to know (rather than blindly kidnapping her). She's tough, tomboyish and knows how to use a rapier which I always appreciate in a female character. She is still the prize in this story, but they did at least spend a night together to fall in love first... And this is still a traditional fairy tale so I guess we can't have everything.
What this book does do successfully is explore the horrible brutality of war. Although disguised by the flowery, traditional language the crimes of men during war time are made starkly, horribly clear in the fate of Otto's sister, and his memories of what the other soldier tried to make him do. He was only a thirteen year old boy at the time (he is eighteen when the story begins) and he continues to be haunted and traumatised by what he has experienced. Until he meet Safire he doesn’t even have a purpose or direction save for what the dice tell him.
It is dark, with the shades of light and dark that the best fairy tales have. The ending is delightfully twisted, and leaves on a note of poignancy that had my thinking for a few moments afterwards. I do wonder on the intended audience for it though. I think a lot of younger readers will be put off with the very traditional style of the writing (it does require some real concentration) and would likely miss the messages of the story. I’m not sure on how it will appeal to the majority of older readers either being a fairly straightforward tale, although it is a lovely book. Personally I’m not a fan of David Robert’s illustrations, but I know a lot of people love them. They are suitably creepy, and I love the use of the red, but there is something off putting about the way he draws faces to me.
I’m disappointed that I didn’t love it. It was just an OK read. Nice to look at (apart from the faces I don’t like!) but never had that spark I was looking for. Some parts really dragged, and I was never exactly gripped by it.
Oh well, onto the next one! I’ve not had much luck so far with this year’s Carnegie Shortlist!