With Advent season upon us, I turned to a Christmas classic: The Nutcracker. Marie and Fritz are delighted with their Christmas gifts- Marie is especially enchanted by the nutcracker. One night, she witnesses said Nutcracker leading Fritz's new Hussar army against the wicked Mouse King. In the morning, she's told it's just a dream, but the family friend Herr Drosselmeier tells her a story that leaves her questioning. In it, a boy is turned to a nutcracker after he saves a beautiful princess from a mouse's curse- and himself needs to be loved if he's to regain human form. It's just a story, though . . . isn't it?
I read versions of this tale six years ago (reviewed here), and of course I've seen the ballet and TV adaptations. This is the first time I've read the original, and (not surprisingly) it differs markedly in places from its derivatives. But it was enjoyable- we see sacrificial love and the joys of childhood with tongue-in-cheek storytelling and fantastic scenarios. Confusing in places (I feel like a joke or two may have gone over my head, and "was she dreaming or not" tales can always throw me), it's still worthwhile.
Rating: A
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