Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I received an advanced review copy for free from NetGalley

Probably one of the best short story collections I’ve ever read. Bonus points for them all being diverse fairy tales from various countries. While I didn’t always agree with Cornelia’s viewpoints on the tales, I enjoyed seeing her thoughts after each one and they made me think more on the subject of why fairy tales stick so well with people.

The Boy Who Drew Cats— A much different kind of fairy tale that I enjoyed very much. A young boy obsessed with drawing cats learns that his skill has a use after all. 4 stars

Kotura, Lord of the Winds--While the message is a little troubling (women should do what they are told), I thought the remaining daughter's bit was enjoyable to read. Her sister's fates are quite brutal though, and I kind of agree with Cornelia Funke's observations on the tasks and what would happen had the daughters been sons instead. 3 stars.

Through the Water Curtain-- A monk discovers a different land through the waterfall and ends up becoming the target for the village's sacrifice. It was interesting to see a guy being set up as the sacrifice in a fairy tale and his solution for the tradition was clever. The monk discovers a new sort of life for himself while displaying the same compassion he had before, Great ending. 4.5 stars!

The Areca Tree--A bittersweet tale about two brothers and a woman who all love one another. 4 stars.

The Maid of the Copper Mountain-- Loved this one. A young miner does the work of the mine's goddess and finds himself tested as well as rewarded. It's bittersweet at the end but I loved the descriptions as well as the maid and the young man. 4.5 stars

The Tale of the Firebird--The youngest son of a ruler goes on a quest with a wolf companion, discovering that not following directions can sometimes lead to the greatest treasure of all. An interesting take as most fairy tales punish those who do not listen. Loved the richness of this Russian tale. Features Baba Yaga the Wicked. 4 stars.

Bluebeard—This one was on the gruesome side, which is right up my alley. I’ve heard this one summarized in the past but I’d never read the actual story itself. Like Cornelia, I have no idea what moral this story is supposed to give but I liked how everything played out. 4.5 stars.

The Six Swans—I loved this one. It has evil witches, animal transformations, and noble sacrifice in it. I loved the king’s daughter for her strength even when others were trying to test it. The ending gave me a stunning image as well. This is one of Cornelia’s favorites and I have to say that I feel the same way. 5 stars!

“The magic of fairy tales is not in their words. It’s in the images their words summon.”

Golden Feet—A very strange tale but I really liked the imagery and the hero’s strength to get out of his misfortunate situation was remarkable. The little twist at the end was interesting. 3 stars

The Story of One Who Set Out to Study Fear —An interesting story about a stupid boy who goes searching for ways to “feel his flesh creep.” It was on the more humorous side and probably one of the most strangest fairy tales I’ve come across. 4 stars.

The Frog Princess—I loved the magical elements in this one. The Frog Princess, as well as her prince, Vasyl’, are also interesting and inventive characters. This tale also involves rewards for sparing others as well as a small quest, which I love reading about. 5 stars.

The One Handed Murderer—I loved how resilient the princess is in this one. The men in her life (father, husband) fail to protect her so she must do so herself. The ending was very satisfactory. 5 stars.

The Girl Who Gave a Knight a Kiss Out of Necessity—A great story about giving someone a taste of their own medicine. Loved the way it was written. The end was delightful. 5 stars.

I love a good collection of stories. Cornelia Funke brought this collection from the world together and I got lost in them. I really enjoyed the styles and the fact that they were well beyond our typical Disney style stories. Some were stronger than others but that is to be expected.

I have always been a huge fan of Cornelia Funke, ever since reading The Thief Lord and Inkheart as a child - this is a perfect gifty book for someone who loves fairytales.

I was lucky to read via Netgalley Through The Water Curtain by Cornelia Funke which can be described as an anthology of Fairy Tales throughout the world. The fairytales come from different countries such as Siberia, Japan and Korea and I found them more enjoyable than the fairytales like Cinderella because some of the stories showed the female characters to be stronger than their Male Counterparts and this can be seen in The One-handed Murderer. What I also loved that Cornelia wrote why she had chosen these stories as opposed to others. I would definitely recommend this book and will be giving this 4 stars.

As both a big fan of Cornelia Funke (editor) and of fairy tales and fables- this book was an absolutely delightful read from start to finish.

Through the Water Curtain gathers fairy tales, some I had read before in other formats and others that were completely unknown to me, and ties them together in a perfect anthology that circles the globe. From Japan to Russia, from Germany to Italy, magic practically leaps from the pages.

Some of the stories had me reliving childhood favorites in a new, haunting way (The Six Swans) while some of the other familiar inclusions were like a warm blanket made of my favorite things (The Tale of the Firebird). Some of the stories I'd never experienced before had me flipping the pages and wondering how I'd never heard of them (Golden Foot) and there really was not a single one that I didn't enjoy.

Reading this was a gift- and one I highly recommend that any fan of fairy tales and fables give themselves.

Through the Water Curtain was a lovely selection of fairy tales and folk tales from a number of countries. I wouldn't say it was hugely diverse, and there were a few I recognised, but it they were the kind of short stories that I enjoy.


Title: Through the Water Curtain and other Tales from Around the World
Author: selected by Cornelia Funke
Pages: 224
Publisher: Pushkin Press
Publication Date: 8th October 2019

This set of short tales is very much as expected - a range of short stories in a very traditional bare bones, folk tale manner. It's a way of storytelling that I really enjoy - storytelling as straightforward facts, no matter how ridiculous it may seem - something that may not work for everyone.

I haven't read Funke's Mirrorworld series and, although it's nice to hear how an author selected the tales that influenced their work, I didn't really have much interest in reading about that alongside these stories.

The choice of these tales also largely seemed to be governed by how they had affected Funke's own writing, or because they appeared to show independent women. For some reason, they were limited to those from Japan, Vietnam, Siberia, and Europe. I'm not sure why ones from the Americas, Australia or Africa weren't included - perhaps they just didn't play a part in Funke's influences. And, in a short collection, there's wasn't room. But still, some nice stories, some of which I hadn't read before.

A really charming and timeless anthology of varied fairytales. Not to mention I adore Funke so I was already excited for the chance to read this. Each spry was unique and different and I loved that she shared her thoughts at the end of each one.

This anthology seems to go from more male dominated fairy tales (as most are) to ones where women are shown to be more than just helpless princesses.
I really appreciated that Cornelia Funke went out of her way to find unique stories with different takes on ones we may know or are new all together. Funke's comment's at the end of each story are insightful and ask good questions that prompt both children and adults to think about the origin, purpose and themes in each of the 13 stories.
Each of these stories is just long enough to have substance but short enough that they one could be a great bedtime story. It's a gorgeous little hardback book that would make a lovely gift to any child.
Here are my notes from each story:

Story #1 - The Boy Who Drew Cats
I love that Funke points out in a note at end of the story that this version reads a bit too Western because it’s not the original Japanese translation.
A clever little story about the power of art. I quite liked it.

Story #2 - Kotura, Lord of the Winds
A typical three daughters, none do as they are told except the youngest, story. I’m not a fan of this one as it’s about women taking orders and doing exactly as asked. The shining light here is youngest’s compassion for the old woman and regard for bird.
As Funke mentions, in the post story comment; wouldn’t it be cool if one day these stories were less gender bias?

Story #3 - Through the Water Curtain
I wish walking through a waterfall would take me to another world. Just like balloon, tornado or looking glass might.

Story #4 - The Areca Tree
I could handle being a tree. A rock maybe not so much; but a tree seems doable.
A beautiful story about how love isn’t convenient but can endure.

Story #5 - The Maid of the Copper Mountain
This is a Russian folktale that focuses on not being greedy and keeping your word. I like the way it’s set-up and think it’s so important to give kids good role models these days.

Story #6 - Tale of the Firebird
This story has many of the laws we see in our own fairy tales. Always in threes, rules not to touch things, and promises kept it’s different in that when the hero does something wrong he is forgiven each time. This bothered me at first and then I realized the world would be a better place if we all had more forgiveness in our hearts.

Story #7 - Bluebeard
I struggle with this story. Not because it’s gruesome but because it seems to be giving a warning to women about making poor choices. And while the men that save our lady are her brothers it definitely still indicates that no woman can save herself.
I realize this is typical of a fairy tale but this one seems an odd choice for Funke either way.

Story #8 - The Six Swans
OMG yes! While not quite the version of this story I have heard many times, it’s very close. But this is a personal favourite because of the amazing re-telling that Juliet Marieller wrote called [book:Daughter of the Forest|13928]Daughter of the Forest. It has some of my favourite fiction quotes and easily my favourite romantic moment ever. And that all exists because of this little fairy tale about the bravest girl.

Story #9 - Golden Foot
Hmmm... while Funke points out that this is clearly a pagan story with Christian overtones layered on top and she indicates that is one of the reasons she chose it; I’m still bothered by it. This story makes it seem as though a pagan is indeed evil and his offspring as well. Not a big fan of this one.

Story #10 - The Story of One Who Set Out to Study Fear
Best story yet!! I loved this one. If only we were all so fearless in moments like the ones posed to our hero! Although I can’t help but think anyone with such little fear much be a psychopath. Hmmm...

Story #11 - The Frog Prince
This is not the Grimm version most are familiar with and that Disney popularized. But instead we have a princess that is strong, beautiful (of course, roll eyes) and useful. Her usefulness is my favourite part.

Story #12 - The One-Handed Murderer
I have read this story, almost exactly the same before. It’s one of my personal favourites as the women saves herself... eventually. But it at least says that women are strong enough when pushed far enough. Today’s women just don’t take as much abuse beforehand thankfully.

Story #13 - The Girl who gave a Knight a Kiss out of Necessity
As the last story in this adorable anthology; I like the Funke has ended strong with a strong female story from Sweden.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Absolutely adored this! As a German, I've been a long-time fan of Cornelia Funke's works and was please to read this collection of selected fairy tales with original commentary by her! Magical and wonderful and addressing the issues that some old fairy tales still bring to our fantastical storywriting today, this was a delight to read!

I had a hard time keeping interested in this one. I thought that since it was a collection of short tales that I could finish one and read another at a different time and still have interest. The first story about the cat drawings I enjoyed. The swans story meh, pretty basic. Others seemed more traditional. I thought reading them to my son would help and that he may find them entertaining and I was told that it was boring.
a collector or someone who studies sauce stories around the world from multiple cultures would find this much more illuminating than I did that is for sure.
Just not for me.

I liked the idea you started with about finding and presenting stories with strong women though this theme fell by the wayside in a few stories. There was also no story included from Native American traditions though I’d love to read some. There are some nice tales from Asia which I enjoyed seeing and reading. Along with some dark stories and ones which have (mainly) heroes who seem to do little to earn their HEA (Vasyl in “The Frog Princess” and Ivan in “The Tale of the Firebird” I’m looking at you two), there is a hilarious one I’d never read before that seemed a bit of Monty Python meets a fairy tale called “The Story of One Who Set Out to Study Fear.” And while I wish there had been more in this vein, the heroines of “The Frog Princess,” “The One-Handed Murderer,” and “The Girl Who Gave a Knight a Kiss Out of Necessity” were great in saving themselves or getting a little revenge. Ah and the front page illustrations for all the stories were lovely, too.

Aaah fairy tales! I think I have spoken about my love of fairy tales countless of times on this blog, but it remains true. I adore them and they were the first step in my lifelong journey through literature. They are the first step for many children and in that way they are something we all share. Through the Water Curtain sees Cornelia Funke bring together a range of different fairy tales. Thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In the introduction to this collection, Cornelia Funke describes how her love affair with fairy tales has always been a double-edged sword. On the one hand they are not very deep tales. The characters are often very flat and many of the tales reinforce stereotypes we now consider, at the very least, not great. On the other hand, they are incredibly imaginative and have some stunning imagery. I myself read the unedited tales Grimms' tales, full of murder, death, incest and violence, as well as the deeply sad but beautiful tales by H.C. Andersen. There are some truths children learn through fairy tales, that they later as adults forget, or smooth away. There are dragons, but dragons can be defeated. You may be abandoned in a wood, but if you're smart you'll find a way out. There can be a high price to pay for even the smallest transgression. In Through the Water Curtain, Funke collects 13 tales she thinks veer away ever so slightly from the usual, slightly sanctimonious tone of many fairy tales, showing just why so many of us, herself included, have been inspired by them.

Many of the tales in this collection were new to me. 'The Boy Who Drew Cats' is a wonderful little tale that shows that survival doesn't just depend on strength, but also on passion and art and, just sometimes, listening to the advice of others. 'The Girl Who Gave a Knight a Kiss out of Necessity' is hilarious, and a great tale to put some in their place. 'Through the Water Curtain', the tale after which the collection is named, is also fascinating, as it really plays with the readers' expectations. 'The Areca Tree' is a heart-breaking story about brotherly and matrimonial love, whose power lasts lifetimes. One of my favourites was 'The Maid of the Copper Mountains' from the mine workers in Russia's Ural mountains. It was very different from what I am used to in fairy tales and had some great images. It is also a tale that is very clearly shaped by its surroundings and those who shared it.
'The Six Swans' is one of Funke's favourite fairy tales and I completely agree with her. Although the iteration in this collection differs slightly from the one I knew, it is still full of stunning imagery, set pieces and characters. A story of sisterly love, it shows the power of perseverance and belief. Some stories didn't quite hit the spot the way the ones above did. For example, 'The Story of the One Who Set Out to Study Fear' felt like the odd one out and the tone seemed somehow off.

Each tale is followed by a short paragraph from Funke, explaining why she chose this tale and how it has inspired her. I really enjoyed seeing her takes on the stories, but wasn't a major fan of how she continually tied it back to her own, current series of books. Perhaps it's because I didn't majorly enjoy its first installment myself, but I could have done without those references. I couldn't entirely tell from the introduction whether Funke herself had re-written these tales or whether they were taken word for word from other sources. However, they're clearly aimed at children, which means that readers with a more advanced taste might be turned off by that. Overall, however, this is a stunning addition to any fairy tale shelf!

Through the Water Curtain is a lovely collection of fairy tales that are slightly unusual and feature unusual heroes and heroines. It's a great introduction to the wonders of fairy tales for younger readers.

Enjoyed reading this anthology of short stories from around the world. Especially loved the background to having Areca leaf together with betel nut.
And the finished copy has such a beautiful cover. Love it !

My thanks to Pushkin Press for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Through the Water Curtain’ edited by Cornelia Funke in exchange for an honest review.

I have always loved fairy tales and continue to enjoy discovering ones new to me.

‘Through the Water Curtain’ is a diverse collection of folk and fairy tales from around the world intended for readers aged 8-14, though I certainly feel it has appeal for older readers.

Although Cornelia Funke is well established as a writer of children’s fantasy she hasn’t rewritten or reinterpreted these stories but has selected them from existing works, which are credited in the story sources section.

She did write its introduction and concludes each tale with her personal thoughts including highlighting where she has incorporated aspects into her own writings. These reflections have inspired me to add some of her books to my wish list as I am always interested in fantasy inspired by fairy and folk tales.

I was quite taken with the number of strong female characters depicted. Two personal favourites were new to me: ‘The Frog Princess’ from the Ukraine and ‘The Girl Who Gave a Knight a Kiss out of Necessity’ from Sweden.

The cover art is stunning. I have now ordered myself a print edition of this beautiful book.

"A delightful, diverse selection of fairy tales from around the world by one of our most beloved children's writers.

International bestselling children's author Cornelia Funke has long been inspired and fascinated by fairy tales. This wonderful anthology is Funke's personal selection of fairy tales from all around the world - not just from her native Germany but from Russia, Japan and the Native American tradition. It's the perfect Christmas gift for any young reader wishing to discover the wider world of fairy tales."

Cornelia Funke's work is so steeped in fairy tales it makes sense for her to select her favorites and release them in a gorgeous edition that is a wonderful addition to anyone's bookshelf.

This is a really short collection of fairy tales that the editor has collected and put together. Each story is just a few minutes read so it’s good to just pick up and put down or read in one go.

A nice collection of stories for those who enjoy fairy tales.

A wonderful collection of fairytales from around the globe, an amazing anthology for the child in your life or in my case the child in you. I don’t believe we are ever too old for a fairytale or the joy, heartbreak and huge range of emotions they bring. Well written, beautifully illustrated cover and interesting commentary after each tale, this is a must have for the lovers and dreamers in your life.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

International bestselling children's author Cornelia Funke has long been inspired and fascinated by fairy tales. This wonderful anthology is Funke's personal selection of fairy tales from all around the world - not just from her native Germany but from Russia, Japan and the Native American tradition.

This collection really does highlight some gorgeous stories, where we see Funke pick stories which give us bold young women taking control of their lives which we rarely see in fairy tales that appear in the mainstream. ‘The Girl Who Gave The Knight A Kiss Out Of Neccessity’ is a good example of a good comeuppance tale and a girl taking some power into her own hands and ‘Bluebeard’ where the princess saves herself, are great tales included in this collection.

At the end of each story, Funke’s own perspective on each story and her connections to the stories through her own books makes for interesting reading - and little historical notes really add to this book giving us a deeper appreciation to the great stories that are included in this collection of tales.

I really enjoyed this book, and I wish Funke’s own commentary on the stories was extended as I really enjoyed her perspectives throughout. Perfect present for a child for Christmas!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was such a refreshing and exciting book of fairytales and folklore. Oftentimes we see a lot of European fairytales being told so Through The Water Curtain was a refreshing read because it contained many fairytales from around the world and outside of Europe! It was a fun and tragic read with lessons to be learned from every story. Definitely a great book!