Friday, October 19, 2018

Discussion: Retell it to Me


This Week’s Topic: Retell it to Me

My trip to Disney had me thinking about the characters, which had me thinking of the fairytales that inspired many of them, which had me thinking about retellings. Yes! What's old is new, and retellings never seem to go out of style.

How many have you seen?

Just like every generation has their version of A Star is Born, every generation is bound to have one, two, or ten different version of some classic story.


When I think of the many, many retellings I have read, I can break them down into three categories.
  1. The somewhat strict retellings, which retain a multitude of elements from the original story. 
  2. The loose retellings, which capture the essence of the source material, keeping many big ideas, but make some major changes to make the story their own. 
  3. The vague retellings, which I honestly would not have thought were retellings had someone not told me they were. 
As far as retellings go, I like them to be somewhere between a strict and loose retelling. I enjoy being able to search for those pieces retained from original story, and map the characters and major plot points back to its source story, but I also want the author to do something to make the tale fresh and original. I love fairytales, and I like seeing the moral of the story kept intact, but I want to see how far the author can stretch their imagination in order to reinvent the story in some way. 

Let's look at my examples:

Geekerella by Ashley Poston is one of my top retellings! I absolutely adored this book. It was really easy to spot the elements of the original Cinderella tale in this retelling. From character names, to big events, which drove the plot, Geekerealla shared many with this book, while also being modern and fresh. For me, this was a somewhat strict retelling. 







Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel was one that pleasantly surprised me, and
though elements of the original Peter Pan story were easy to find, there were some elements of the original, which Sheinmel illustrated in such an interesting way, which was a huge departure from the source book. Many names were the same, but the modern beach setting and drug storyline set it a long ways from its predecessor. 

And then, there is The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler. I want to first say, that I really, really liked this book. It was a 5-star read for me. I loved it! However, I had no idea it was a retelling. After someone told me this was a Little Mermaid story, I really only saw the idea of the main character losing her voice as something from the original tale. And I guess she was able to win the hero's heart without her voice, but I only picked those parts out after learning it was a retelling. The Little Mermaid story elements were not obvious. 




Now that I sort of explained how I mentally group retellings, share with me your thoughts on retellings, because I am planning to do some group reading, where I read a few retellings of the same story, and then, discuss. 


Now it's your turn!

Do you have a favorite retelling? 
Let us know in the comments!

44 comments:

  1. I like the same kind of retellings. I like when the author incorporates the important elements, the essence, of the original, but puts some unique twist(s) on it. I also like being able to pick out the bits of the original and see what the author did with them. But yeah, there are some "retellings" out there that are so vague that I don't even consider them retellings. For example, it seems like any story about someone kind and someone "monstrous" finding love is labeled a Beauty and the Beast retelling.

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    1. I didn't even think of that, but it does seem like they slap the retelling label on books just because they contain a certain archetype, even if that is the only thing the two stories have in common. If we use that sort of logic, than almost every story is a "retelling".

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  2. I think I agree- I like to be able to see some relation to the original story or fairytale, but it doesn't necessarily need to be slavishly devoted to all the details? I mean unless it's literally supposed to be a strict retelling or production. So yeah I'm with you on that I think. I guess it depends on the story in question too- I've read re- imaginings where I liked the new take better than the original!

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    1. I never want the story to be so direct, that it seems like the same story. Sort of how when a band covers a tune, I don't want it to just be the original song played the same way by different people. There needs to be some sort of fresh spin to make it a legit retelling in my opinion.

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  3. If I'm reading a retelling I definitely want to be able to see some of the elements of the original story. Like ACOTAR being a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Totally got that. But some I'm only learned of the retelling aspect after the fact and I never would have known. And didn't even understand. Ha! It's like, you can't just write a book and proclaim it's a (fill in the blank) retelling because they are trendy right now.

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    1. ACOTAR is an interesting example, because though I think it may have started out with that intention, it strayed away from it. Not sure if that was an intentional choice by Maas or if it organically happened.

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    2. Oh yes, I was talking about the first book specifically. After that it lost all resemblance to the original.

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  4. I learned last week that A Star is Born is a retelling but I had no idea how may others existed!

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    1. I have seen the first three, but not the most recent one, though I heard it was fantastic

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  5. I kind of like the loose type of retellings. Just enough of the classic but enough new to make it interesting. I have The Summer of Chasing Mermaids on my list to read.

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    1. Mermaids was great, but a reach as a retelling, if you ask me.

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  6. I've never seen A Star Is Born and I'm not really likely to either, just because that's not my kind of film! I'm not much for retellings to be honest!

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    1. I like to see a different perspective on a old story. Like I love when artists cover songs, and the reinterpret it, and make you see the song in a new way. That's what a good book retelling does for me.

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  7. I don’t read many retellings, but if I’m going to read one, I want it to feel like a retelling. I want to be able to pick out elements of the original story. Having the original moral intact would be perfect! I don’t like when I read a book and later learn that it’s a retelling. Then I’m like, “Um . . . nope. I didn’t see anything of that fairytale in that novel.”

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. I definitely want the original moral to be a part of the retelling. That's such a major part of fairytales and folklore

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  8. Like you, I prefer retellings where you can definitely pick up the nods to the original. If I don't see much of a connection to the original story, it could still be a great book to be enjoyed on its own, but it doesn't really feel like a retelling in that case.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I agree. A non-retelling retelling can be very enjoyable. I just don't think they should call it a retelling

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  9. I too like the retellings which take the original concept but make it somewhat different. I am yet to read Geekerella but it's on my TBR for so long. I hope to read it soon. Another Cinderella retelling I can remember is Happily by Chauncey Rogers. It is quite different and I liked it a lot.
    To Kill A kingdom is a great example of The Little Mermaid retelling, which is loosely based on the original tale but is executed fantastically.

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    1. I have to check out Happily. I love Cinderella retellings.

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  10. I think I am the opposite, I prefer to almost not be able to tell that it's a retelling. Like- I read one that was suuuuper close to the original (Hunted) and I was getting so MAD because I knew everything that was going to happen hah. So I think I am definitely team Vague. Nora & Kettle is probably my favorite- I think it hovers somewhere around loose-vague. And the Ocean Was Our Sky is a good one. Rook. The Bird and the BLade. Though to be fair, I have little to no knowledge of the source material. Also to be fair, I think I might hate retellings 😂

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    1. I don't want it to be super strict, but I feel like it should have some semblance to the original if you're going to call it a retelling. I didn't realize Nora and Kettle was a Peter Pan retelling. I actually have that book, and should really check it out.

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  11. I agree, I want there to be recognizable elements that relate it back to the original story. I went into The Summer of Chasing Mermaids knowing it was supposed to be a Little Mermaid retelling, but on that count I was disappointed because other than the lost voice, there really wasn't anything else. I thought Cinder was a really good retelling, actually the whole series just reinterprets the original tales in such fun and clever ways.

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    1. I have seen a lot of people note Cinder as a great retelling. I think taking Cinderella from contemporary to scifi is a a huge leap and a great spin.

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  12. Actually, I’m not too picky. Just love a good story. I can say I’m partial to fairy tale retellings but will give anything a chance. Great post Sam! ❤️❤️

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    1. A good story is a good story, I just question the slapping on of the "retelling" label for some. Is it really a retelling or a sort of inspiration, that then took on a life of its own?

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  13. Geekerella wasn’t quite original enough for me but it was cute. Retellings are always fun though.

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    1. Geekerella was quite straight forward, and Poston didn't try to keep that a secret, but the twist was so fun, and I just enjoyed every second of it.

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  14. I went through a phase a few years ago that lasted a few months that involved reading a lot of classic fairy tale retellings and greek mythology retellings. I tend to like the vague retellings because I prefer the author to throw in twists and turns I wouldn't expect of a retelling. I don't need to know a story is a retelling off the bat. I'd rather find out after the fact and connect the dots from there :)

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    1. If you haven't read the original, than I can see not caring how much of the original tale is incorporated into the retelling, but if I pick up a retelling, because I am such a fan of the original, I feel a little hoodwinked if there are too few details included.

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  15. Hm, I think I like all these types for different reasons - although I would like that if the retelling is so vague they wouldn't market it as a "retelling" maybe just as something that was inspired by X? With that said, I think the middle type is the most interesting - it's so cool to see what parts the author found the most important/interesting and decided to utilize in their version. Great discussion!

    Veronika @ The Regal Critiques

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    1. That's how I feel about the vague ones. Like, cool, the author was "inspired" by a certain story, but with almost no elements of the original, I hate being tricked into thinking it was a retelling. It's like trying to profit off of a certain fanbase and then not delivering.

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  16. I adore retellings and I wish there were more of them! I prefer the ones that are more in the middle. The retellings that are too close to the original don't leave enough mystery. I also enjoy the ones that are just loosely inspired by something else. I think my favorite retelling is probably Splintered by A.G. Howard.

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    1. I definitely like to see something original and new brought to the table. I loved the Splintered books, though for me, it was more of a continuation since Howard speaks directly about Alice and her time in wonderland. An amazing series, even if I thought Howard took the easy way out of that love triangle.

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  17. I don't really read a lot of re-tellings. I have read a few books that I later see someone talking about how it was a re-telling but I hadn't even noticed when I originally read the book.

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    1. That has happened to me a few times. It doesn't mean the book was bad, but had I picked the book up on the pretense that it was a retelling, I would probably have been disappointed.

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  18. I love your breakdown, Sam. I love me some fairytale retellings, of course, and I love you broke it down in the 3 different categories. I think a story has to successfully make you know that it's a retelling. It doesn't have to have all the elements, but it has to showcase a few of the elements and go oh, okay, this is a Peter Pan retelling. I've read a few that veered FAR too much from the original and I felt let down by the story because of this. Great post! :)

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    1. Exactly, there should be some sort of nod to the original. There are some that are not necessarily retellings, but like the Splintered books, what happened after the original, which is very cool too.

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  19. I'm with you, though I'd probably say I like loose re-tellings more than anything. I don't want to necessarily know what all is going to happen because it's exactly like the original, but I like finding the little nuggets throughout. For example, I love the Lunar Chronicles.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. With my natural middle of the road nature, I am on team loose as well, but the vague one's annoy me, because it seems more like a marketing ploy, than an actual attempt to reinvent an old story. And retelling are all about finding those nuggets. That's part of the fun.

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  20. I've seen the two older A Star is Born movies and I liked them well enough, but I'm just not interested in the new one.

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    1. My parents went to see the new one, and they thought it was amazing. That, from people, who have seen all four.

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  21. I agree with your categories for retellings. When they stick too closely to the original source, though, I can find it a little boring because I honestly figure I might as well read the original. I like when retellings feel like their own original story. I want them to feel like their own story which are influenced by an old tale which they are influenced by.

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    1. I think anything too close is almost pointless. The author has to innovate in some way, but I want to see something of the original. I think there is a big difference between a retelling and a story influenced by a classic.

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