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The Sleeper and the Spindle  By  cover art

The Sleeper and the Spindle

By: Neil Gaiman
Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt, Lara Pulver, Niamh Walsh
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Publisher's summary

A full cast audio production performed by Julian Rhind-Tutt, Lara Pulver, Niamh Walsh, Adjoa Andoh, Peter Forbes, John Sessions, Michael Maloney, Sean Baker, Jane Collingwood, Clare Corbett, Allan Corduner, Katherine Kingsley, and Daniel Weyman.

It was the closest kingdom to the queen's, as the crow flies, but not even the crows flew it.

You may think you know this story. There's a young queen about to be married. There are some good, brave, hardy dwarfs; a castle shrouded in thorns; and a princess cursed by a witch, so rumor has it, to sleep forever.

But no one is waiting for a noble prince to appear on his trusty steed here. This fairy tale is spun with a thread of dark magic, which twists and turns and glints and shines. A queen might just prove herself a hero if a princess needs rescuing....

©2013 Neil Gaiman (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"The cast of accomplished British voices, including Julian Rhind-Tutt as the narrator and Lara Pulver as the queen, is a joy." ( AudioFile)

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What listeners say about The Sleeper and the Spindle

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amazing with a dark twist

I love this take on this fairy tale and turned it into something new and some what dark

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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wonderful performance of a beautiful story.

I've listened to it three times already. A wonderful new perspective of one of my favorite fairy tales.

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Girl Power!

I purchased this book because the author said he, "Likes stories where the girls rescue themselves". curious, I listened and enjoyed a spin on an age old fairy tale! check it out! 💜

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A suprising twist to the Sleeping Beauty

Once again Neil Gaiman delves into the fairy tales from the Grimm brothers to come up with a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty that blows one's mind away. Using the listener's own knowledge of the well-known tale he goes against expectations and recast the fairy landscape in much the same way he recasted the faiths of the United States in American Gods.

What I liked the most about the story was the little details he lifted from the Grimm brothers' fairy tales using it as clues to guide the listener on where the story is going. His attention to detail is remarkable. I really didn't see the end coming, though afterwards, I thought that it is self evident.

At one point I thought that the story might be a GLBT rewriting of a well-loved tale. Well it isn't

Jullian Rhind-Tutt, Lara Pulver and Niamh Walsh did an outstanding rendering of the story, adding to its enjoyment.

All in all Neil Gaiman stays one of the master story tellers of our age. His rendition... adjustment... of the Sleeping Beauty comes highly recommended.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Delightful reimagining of a beloved fairytale

Like so many gaiman's, I want to share this quick read with my nieces and nephews.

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Gutted

As with many of Gaiman's stories, this one left me enthralled, entranced and ultimately gutted by the twists. A lovely modern retelling of several fairy tales.

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short but sweet

Any additional comments?

The performances are solid. The voice work is smooth. The audio production is fair, and Neil Gaiman's writing is rich and strange.

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Good but could have been better

Wished there was a little more "umph" to this story. Felt short and not much of an ending

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What a wonderful tale

I think this is wonderful interpretation of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale we were all told when we were little girls. It is fair to say that no one ever saw the beauty as a selfish , power hungry character . This is certainly not a story for very young children,but I will be sharing it with my older grand children very soon. Hopefully it will spark great discussion and interesting interpretations,,,,,,

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2 people found this helpful

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  • bz
  • 12-31-19

imaginative but ending is disappointing

A very creative take on Snow White and Sleeping Beauty

*spoilers*

Would have been better if it ended with a lesbian romance.

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1 person found this helpful