The popular author of The Book Thief, Markus Zusak aptly says in his introduction of this book: "There's something in these fairy tales that reminds me why any of us would want to be readers and writers in the first place, and that is that, the more amazing the stories become, the more I believe them, and the more I realize that I won't forget them." For me, these stories are truly unforgettable!The Happy Prince : 5 stars (Amazing!)A formerly rich and only child prince is now a regal statue. The...

If this book doesn't make you want to curl up with a nice hot cup of arsenic and maybe some razor blades, you read a different edition than I did. Apparently Wilde read Hans Christian Anderson and thought, "Dang nab it, I can write way way depressing fairy tales, too!"Not saying it's not pretty. Just saying.

I love fairy tales.I adore Oscar Wilde.

Sad stories, beautifully written.

A Beautiful Collection for All Ages Each little story is a beautifully told allegory touching to the heart. You will never be too old or too young to appreciate the marvellous moral in each story.The stories in this collection are: The Happy Prince, The Nightingale and the Rose, The Selfish Giant, The Devoted Friend, and The Remarkable Rocket. Many of my favourite epigrams come from this collection. Here are a few gems (of many):"Surely Love is a wonderful thing. It is more precious than emer

“Life is one fool thing after another whereas love is two fool things after each other.”4.5*This was one of my favorite books that I have read as a child, and I have to say that, after re-reading it, I ended up loving it even more.The Happy Prince - 5*The Nightingale and the Rose - 5*The Selfish Giant - 5*The Devoted Friend - 4*The Remarkable Rocket - 3*

Note to self: never ever try to read/finish this book on a train or anywhere in public!To think that the author who kept the stiff Victorians in stitches with his plays could write such heart-wrenching stuff....Ahhhh, don't talk to me today, I am totally undone.

Actual rating: 4 stars The Happy Prince: 5 stars The Nightingale and the Rose: 5 stars The Selfish Giant: 4,5 stars The Devoted Friend: 3 starsThe Remarkable Rocket: 2,5 stars

These short stories were recommended by a Goodreads' friend, Amira K. after we were discussing Oscar Wilde's "The Portrait of Dorian Gray" (1890) and how I might like the children stories in "The Happy Prince and Other Tales" (1888). So I then put them on my list to read this year and having just finished these stories, I wanted to comment on both these books before I talk of the short stories. If you heard or read "The Portrait of Dorian Gray", you would know how dark a book it is and seeing th...

This collection was so cute! Consisting of Oscar Wilde’s five short children’s stories, aka his fairytales. Every story features anthropomorphised animals, plants and/or rockets, but more importantly every story also has a strong and clear moral (they also all have at least one character die? I guess you gotta learn at some point). The Happy Prince - 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Nightingale and the Rose - 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Selfish Giant - 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (wasn’t totally onboard with that weird Jes...

The Happy Prince and Other Tales‬ = The Happy Prince and Other Stories‭, Oscar WildeThe Happy Prince and Other Tales is a collection of stories for children by Oscar Wilde first published in May 1888. It contains five stories: "The Happy Prince", "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Selfish Giant", "The Devoted Friend", and "The Remarkable Rocket".The Happy Prince: In a town where a lot of poor people suffer and where there are a lot of miseries, a swallow who was left behind after his flock fle...

This book is real gem. A collection of five short stories.Each story beautifully woven around a moral. The stories are simple but evoke strong emotions. Every story may make you happy or make you sad (mostly) but each one will surely touch your heart.Oscar Wilde is a true genius. Highly Recommended !!!

I do really like Oscar Wilde, so giving this collectiont three stars pains me somewhat. It's not that they aren't well written, they're just incredibly sad and frustrating. "The Devoted Friend", for example, just annoyed me. There are no happy endings and, call me old fashioned, but I think happy endings in children's stories are a necessity. That being said I read "The Selfish Giant" many times as a child. Whether it did me any good or not remains to be seen!From an analytical point of view I c...

This is a collection of five short stories, that are fairy-tale-like moral fables, not only for children, but drenched in subtle hints aimed at the older readers.When questioned about the maturity of the language in his stories, Wilde ridiculed the idea that "extremely limited vocabulary at the disposal of the British child" should be "the standard by which the prose of an artist is to be judged".These tales are dark and colorful at the same time, and deal mostly with selfishness, compassion, eg...

I have found that any author I was forced to read in my ancient school days tends to be ignored these days when I can choose my own reading. Oscar Wilde certainly fits that statement. I remember having to dissect The Picture Of Dorian Gray for some class or other, and the only other work of his I have read since then was The Importance Of Being Earnest. I enjoyed that, but it did not inspire me to discover any more about or by Wilde.But a few days ago I noticed a review by fellow GR group member...

“I like to do all the talking myself. It saves time, and prevents arguments.”These are a lot like Andersen's tales - fairy-tale kind of prose, talking objects, often with sad elements and sad endings. Add to it, Wilde's popular witticisms. The Rose and Nightingale is one of the most beautiful stories I have read.“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.” “Life is one fool thing after another whereas love is two fool things after each other.” “I hate peo...

Oscar Wilde does fairy tales--a kind of strange mixture.The title story, The Happy Prince, and its successor, The Nightingale and the Rose, are a bit sorrowful and bleak. I dare say the main takeaway might be that love brings death and is much unappreciated. The Selfish Giant is an almost religious tale in which an act of kindness is rewarded...the sort of tale in which the main character does not realize who he is aiding but proves his worth by his unselfish act.The fourth story was my favorite...

When you truly live your life, you have to learn to accept and maybe expect the rare and unexpected surprises that might be in store for you. These unanticipated wonders often bring about a lot of joy in our lives and sometimes also have the capacity of teaching us a gentle yet important lesson. My surprise for the day was this small little book, a set of short stories written by Oscar Wilde and believe me I was simply floored by the simplicity as well as the complexity there was in these tales....

This is a beautiful little collection of stories. I thought I'd never read any of them, but I'd definitely read "The Selfish Giant" before, and some of the others seemed familiar. The stories are all a little like fairy tales, though, so that's probably part of it.My favourites were "The Nightingale and the Rose" and "The Fisherman and His Soul", I think. All of them are lovely, though. I especially like the beginning of Star-Child. Some of the lines in it are gorgeous, like: "And when they came...