These charming stories are excellent examples of narrative. The characters are familiar, everyday people (though sometimes princes and princesses) with whom it is easy to identify. Their experiences are generally terrifying: having eyes gouged out, limbs cut off, dying in several fashions, being turned out of the houses to starve, etc. But, in the end, they are usually restored their previous positions of life and privilege and the stories almost always end happily.
The stories are told in classic story tale style with a strong emphasis on sequence: the princess is born, replaced in the cradle with a dog, mother and child are turned out of the house, years go by, the mistake is discovered, the evil-doer punished, and, in the end, mother, child and king reunited. Each event flows naturally from previous events (though supernatural experiences and reasons abound) and the stories are full of surprises.
Although I was not changed by the stories I read, I found them memorable and very enjoyable. I caught myself looking at real life through the eyes of a fairy tale, making up imaginative explanations for everyday strife and confusion. These stories are narrated well with an ear for the twists, deceptions, evil-doings, and magic that make fairy tales so enjoyable.
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