Horse, Flower, Bird
Stories
-
- $15.99
-
- $15.99
Publisher Description
An imaginative, hauntingly poetic collection of contemporary fables that redefine the fairy tale for the modern woman. In Kate Bernheimer’s familiar and spare—yet wondrous—world, an exotic dancer builds her own cage, a wife tends a secret basement menagerie, a fishmonger’s daughter befriends a tulip bulb, and sisters explore cycles of love and violence by reenacting scenes from Star Wars. Enthralling, subtle, and poetic, this collection of eight tales takes readers back to the age-old pleasures of classic fairy tales and makes them new. Their haunting lessons are an evocative reminder that cracking open the door to the imagination is no mere child’s play, and that delight and tragedy lurk in every corner. “Each of these spare and elegant tales rings like a bell in your head. memorable, original, and not much like anything you’ve read.” —Karen Joy Fowler “These stories are the product of a vivid imagination and crafty manipulation by their skillful creator.” —Publishers Weekly “A strange and enchanting book, written in crisp, winning sentences; each story begs to be read aloud and savored.” —Aimee Bender “Horse, Flower, Bird rests uneasily between the intersection of fantasy and reality, dreaming and wakefulness, and the sacred and profane. Like a series of beautiful but troubling dreams, this book will linger long in the memory. Kate Bernheimer is reinventing the fairy tale.” —Peter Buck, R.E.M. “Quirky, twisted. . . . Quietly unhinged narratives by an author who reinvents the fairy tale.” —Kirkus Reviews “[Bernheimer’s] strangely moving stories, such as the eight collected in Horse, Flower, Bird, combine fantasy with deep wisdom; the illustrations by Rikki Ducornet are an added delight.” —Reader’s Digest “Imaginative. . . . Lean and lyrical writing. . . . Bernheimer’s passion for fairy tales is evident in every story she spins.” —Library Journal
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Deep-seated fears find their way into these eight brief, dark adult fairy tales by Bernheimer (The Girl in the Castle Inside the Museum). In "A Doll's Tale," a sad child named Astrid loves a life-size doll to distraction, even though it is "haughty and mean." When the doll is lost, then replaced by an imaginary friend who runs away, Astrid eventually becomes more doll-like than either of her companions. Another woman conspires, in "A Petting Zoo Tale," to keep a small menagerie in her basement, unbeknownst to her distracted lawyer husband. And what to make of the wounded and delirious protagonist of "Whitework"? Taking refuge in a remote cottage, she becomes obsessed with the intricate designs of the white-on-white embroidery she finds there. These stories are the product of a vivid imagination and crafty manipulation by their skillful creator. Pity there are not more drawings by Ducornet.