There can be little doubt, this is a female book, framed by its femaleness and pre-occupied with blood - female blood: the blood of childbirth, the blood of the ruptured hymen, the blood of menstruation and the blood of violence. These are extensions of, or re-tellings of once popular fairy tales but with a heavy dose of the macabre. Gothic horror surrounding childhood innocence, and all so beautifully told. Primeval fears are exposed with great lucidity and never before have I read of quite so many female victims of bestial men. The one blessed relief, and Carter’s mischievousness is almost palpable here, is in the story of Puss-in-Boots. The lighthearted eroticism of this story is a wonderful antidote to the unreserved gloom of despoiled virgins and lupine men. A wonderful collection that delights the discerning reader but take care not to let your candle flicker, that fright may be your last.
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