Six-Gun Snow White | 
so-so@Clwojick #pantone2023 #taylorswift2023readingchallenge
This was an interesting take on a fairytale retelling and it was different enough to keep me reading along.
A solid read that had a bit of a slow start as I did find that it started a bit slow but once I got going I was all in!
The only reason I didn't rate this higher is that it feels a bit meh in the beginning, good in the middle and abrupt ending that left me meh.
so-soSnow White is the daughter of a Nevada oil man and a Crow woman named Gun That Sings. And with a ruby encrusted gun named Rose Red, she is determined to find her place in the wild West.
I read this 6 years ago, and I‘m glad I tried the audiobook. The narration was absolutely perfect, melding the western with the magical. The story is a fun & fierce retelling, but with an abrupt ending & a level of racism that just felt heavy handed. 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
so-soIt may be time to acknowledge that Valente may not be for me. Her style tends to be experimental. Sometimes it works; most times it doesn't. This didn't.
This was based off Snow White (obvs). It's weird and the narrative style was folksy non-linear storytelling, which was neat but also off-putting. The ending was super out of left field. I was also uncomfortable with a white author's depiction of the continual racism Snow White faced.
panA fairy tale reimagining of Snow White in the old American West. I enjoyed aspects of the story--& some of the changes & allusions to fairy tales like her ruby-encrusted gun named Rose Red--but overall wasn't blown away. And the recurrent cruelty & racism toward Snow White for being half Crow didn't sit right with me-- esp coming from a white author. It felt excessive and gratuitous. Honestly wish I'd devoted that reading time to something else.
so-soBk2 of my #BuzzWordBookathon is this retelling of the Snow White fairytale in which the MC is a half Crow Indian half white gun toting cowgirl in the Wild West. Not sure it really worked for me, I don‘t know whether it‘s because I‘m not a western fan(especially when they use hokey accents. A lot.)or if the story itself was the issue. Still giving it a so-so not a pan, it may be to others tastes. And it‘s one more colour down for my #buzzword🤍
panThis had been on my TBR for ages. Didn‘t care for it when I finally got to it.
Pro‘s: very short, interesting illustrations, Snow White retelling, nice cover art
Con‘s: felt choppy, disjointed, experimental, slow, and very boring
#fairytaleretelling
Yeehaw, Littens! It‘s time for a Western themed #sundayfunday!
1. True Grit, the John Wayne one
2. United States Deputy Marshall Bass Reeves
3. Six Gun Snow White by Catherynne Valente
Don‘t forget to tag me! 🤠
Made it to another Monday!
📚Six Gun Snow White - I want to read it
🎬The Magnificent Seven
🎼 Into the Great Wide Open
#manicmonday @JoScho
Chocolate cake and Valente for lunch. ❤️
#booked2019 winter season prompts complete! I feel like booked & #readharder both are helping me to read some new things I never would have explored otherwise! ❤️ The tagged book, for example. So thankful for the Litsy community who has brought such fun challenges into my life!
pickThis retelling of Snow White was incredibly refreshing. I often forgot it was a retelling, having moments of recognition such as who the hunter was or what a certain moment symbolized. The imagery astounded me. It could be amazing and beautiful and gruesome. There are some disturbing moments in this book, including sexual assault. I haven't finished a book in over a year so SGSW is now especially special to me.
panIf I were to summarise this book, I‘d have to say that it‘s racist & supremely offensive especially towards Native Americans. I‘m so tired of narratives where POC are compared to animals due to having dark skin, while non-POC are portrayed as being the most beautiful ppl ever. If that wasn‘t bad enough, they have to go thru all the levels of Hell to become strong, fierce people—rape & oppression. I can‘t convey enough how painful this was. 1/5.
Starting this today. This is a Snow White re-telling where Snow White is a gunslinger in the Wild West, & I believe she‘s also an Indigenous person! Super excited for it.
#fairytale #fantasy #western
pick4⭐️ This is probably the most interesting retelling of Snow White I have ever read. It‘s almost hard to call it a fantasy. And aren‘t most fairy tales fantasy? The fantasy is there, but it‘s small. It‘s still important to the story. But wow!
Full review on GR and LT.
Ps. I hate this cover
pickI have to sleep on this before writing my review. I know I overuse the word interesting but that is the best word for it. It‘s a Snow White retelling but then again no it‘s not. As I said more later.
A very true thing you see in fairy tales frequently. Changing for love.
This description s is beautifully annoying.
“But when Gun That Sings* returned to town with her relations and Mr H had opportunity to clap eyes on her again, he knew he could not be satisfied except to own her entirely. A man don‘t rent a silver mine. He buys it right out. “🤯
pickWhen Catherynne Valente does a thing, she does it all the way. In this case, she pulled off a western retelling of Snow White with a bad ass, complicated POC heroine, a creepy, complicated villainess and enough of the uncanny to give it a lovely edge of strangeness. It‘s a gritty novella with gorgeous evocative prose - the kind of book you gobble while trying to savor the words.
pickThe subtitle is: A Fully Loaded Fairy Tale
Y‘all know by now that mama is a sucker for a re-telling with a badass POC heroine. Oh man, it‘s amazing. It‘s so profound. There are such strong themes that emerge once Snow White is made into a Native American woman. I am here for it.
Fairy tale retellings can be such a shot in the dark; not sure about this Snow White western. (Pun completely and unapologetically intended.)
Someday, I‘m going to read this retelling of Snow White set in the #wildwildwest. Someday, when I get all the money. Someday, when I get a grip on my unruly tbr. Someday, sigh..
#HeatofJuly
panThat was super weird. I would be okay if I hadn‘t read it. Not bad enough to bail, but the worst part was how it tried SO HARD to sound like a western. That‘s not necessary.
Holy guilted schnikes Batman!
In an attempt to be more organized I decided to make a list of all the books I have receive in Swaps since I started.
No wonder my book shelves are full. You are all an awesome and generous bunch of Litens. Time to get reading.
pickThis was a gritty and fascinating retelling of Snow White in the Wild West.
#audiobook #LRC16 #sameageauthor #LitsyReadingChallenge
I love this novella, about a mixed race girl in the Wild West! #Six #NovemberByTheNumbers
pickI borrowed this audiobook from the library as a potential pick for #TheRetellingBookswap. I didn't get to it in time, but I figured I should read it anyway before it expired. Why did I wait?! This #fairytaleretelling was outstanding! Valente is a phenomenal storyteller. Do yourself a favor and don't wait to read this like I did!
P.S. Julia Whelan, the narrator, was impressively good. Experience this on audiobook, if you can.
OMG OMG OMG. I have always wanted an Out of Print book bag but could never bring myself to buy one. And now Nancy Drew and I will be BFF. Plus I have this book on my TBR for a while (Goodreads not Litsy). So excited to be wrong. So So excited !!!!! #summersantagoespostal
Finished the #ERMadLibs reading challenge. A few changes from my original plan, but I'm happy with how it turned out. 😄👍
pickAfter a busy day I finished this one in bed tonight. I was expecting quirky and funny, but got bittersweet and poignant instead. This is a wonderful re-telling and also a commentary on sexism and racism. It is raw and it hurts and it drags you through the pages. Brilliant!
I was having a hard time deciding what book to read next, so I finally decided on this bite-sized novella to tide me over for the rest of the day.
#AprilTBR #AprilBookShowers
At least the first two books of the month. The rest of the month will be a surprise and impulse grabs. 😄
Some of the #fairytaleretellings on my #tbr that I haven't bought yet. Maybe some of them will end up under the Christmas tree this year 😉
It would seem I got a thing for Snow White retellings 📚
#photoadaynov16
pickOh boy, did I love this! It has so many things that I love: fairy tales reimagined, magical realism, and the Wild Wild West. This eminently readable reimagining of Snow White is darker and grimmer than the original tale and is such a quick read. So glad this caught my eye at the library!
pickLove, love, love. Perfection. Didn't quite understand the ending - but the journey was so fun and meaningful, I didn't really care.
pickA classic fairy tale reimagined as a Western? Sign me tf up. It's exactly what I wanted it to be.
pickThis re-telling of the classic Snow White fairytale by new new favorite author Catherynne M. Valente is A.MA.ZING. The Old West setting and Snow White's half-white/half-Native American heritage leads to lyrical and haunting commentary on race and gender. This is a must read for sure!
I did not know this existed until today. I think I'd like to try it.
so-soI really wanted to like it. It's Snow White (half Native-American/half white) in the wild wild Midwest. I couldn't get into the story that well and the ending seemed really rushed. But if you like fairy tale remixes, try it. It's short enough :)
