Bookish Thoughts

Let’s Talk Bookish: Can There Be Too Many Retellings?

Dini @ dinipandareads25 Comments

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits, and it’s where we get to discuss certain topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Check out the April 2024 Topics if you want to join in the bookish discussion fun.

This week’s topic is actually a Freebie so I’m doing last week’s topic and answering:

Can There Be Too Many Retellings?

Prompts: There is no end to the fictional retellings out there. From fairytales to Shakespeare to mythology all over the world, there are many stories that have been retold countless times in countless ways. Do you like reading retellings? What are some of your favourites? Are there any stories you’re tired of seeing retold? Do you think that there can be too many retellings?

Do you like reading retellings?

I love retellings. From fairytales and folklore to mythology to pop culture and modern classics like Jane Austen. There’s just something wonderful about an “old” story being retold in a way that’s (hopefully) “new and fresh.” I wouldn’t say that I go seeking out retellings but when a story is mentioned to be one, I feel I’m more inclined to pick it up, especially if the original story is one of my favourites.

Are there any stories you’re tired of seeing retold?

Honestly? No. 😂 There are certain fairytales that I’m not super fond of, for example, Sleeping Beauty (sorry!) but I don’t think that those retellings have oversaturated the market or anything like that. Perhaps one retelling that I see more often compared to others is that of Beauty & the Beast. As that’s one of my favourite tales, I have no objection to all the B&B retellings but I have heard readers on the interwebs say they’re tired of seeing them. I’ve also seen some comments about being tired of Arthurian retellings in YA. That said, I would love to see other stories being retold, specifically tales/myths/fables from other cultures around the world.

Do you think that there can be too many retellings?

Again, as someone who loves a retelling, I don’t think there can be too many of them! 😂 If we only got retellings that very closely stuck to the original without taking creative liberties to make it a refreshing new story, it could get boring or repetitive. However, it’s a delicate balance for authors without taking the story too far from the original that it ends up being less “retelling” and more just simply “taking inspiration from”.

As I mentioned above, I’d love to see a wider range of stories being retold from different parts of the world. I love that we’ve been getting more of that in the past couple of years and I hope that it continues because being able to see the stories you grew up with being reflected in the mainstream and sharing those stories with a wider audience is such a wonderful experience!

What are some of your favourites?

Time to shine a spotlight on a couple of favourites!

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe, Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher, Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen, Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
House of Salt and Sorrow by Erin A. Craig, The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones, Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, Kindling by Traci Chee, King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair
Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen, Northranger by Rex Ogle, Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

Do you like retellings? Do you think certain ones are overrated? What are some of your favourite retellings and the ones you recommend most often? I’d love to have more recs to add to my TBR!

25 thoughts on “Let’s Talk Bookish: Can There Be Too Many Retellings?”

  2. In general, I like retellings. However, recently I’ve been really burnt out on Greek mythology retellings. I’m kind of over it. That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s too many, but I feel like I see a new one being released all the time.

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    • That’s true, there are a lot of Greek mythology retellings and they just keep coming out. I’ve actually not read many of them even though they’re all over the interwebs most of the time. 😂 Tbh I think it’s the hype that usually puts me off reading them immediately but I think the Greek retellings are the most popular.

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  3. I love retellings! I especially love seeing different stories than the usual ones retold, and I’m a huge fan when they’re told by people in the area where the story originated. My current favorite thing to look for (though I have only added them to my TBR so far and haven’t read them yet) are Greek myths retold by Greek authors.

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    • Yes! Give us more new retellings of different stories 😍 I love seeing more Asian folklore being retold but even more Eastern European folklore too, especially if they’re by authors who’ve grown up hearing those stories. Greek myth retellings are probably the most popular retellings I see but there are so many that I feel like I’ll never be able to read them all 😂 They do sound great though!

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  6. I’m not the biggest fan of retellings, mainly because when there was that first boom of fairytale retellings in the mid 2010s, they were mostly based on the same European fairytales as Disney movies used to be. I’m more likely to read more recent retellings when they’re telling stories that are from cultures I’m not familiar with because it helps me to learn about folklore from those places.

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    • Fair enough! There are still plenty of those European/Disney fairytale retellings that are coming out but I’m so happy to see more folktale retellings from other cultures. There are so many great ones out there and they deserve to be known and out in the world too 😃

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  7. As long as the author is doing something fun or new with them, I don’t mind if they are retelling something. A of books that aren’t retellings are not new stories anyway. Like your average murder mystery pretty much follows the same plot!

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    • I totally agree! Actually, your comment reminded me of this Austen inspired cosy mystery series that I read the first book of and enjoyed. I thought I added it to this list (oops) but I found it unique to see how the original was spun into this crime solving setting!

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  8. Like you, I enjoy a good retelling even when I have not read the original, but I do feel that the author needs to bring something new to the table. It shouldn’t seem derivative. I don’t even need it to strictly follow the original, but it should capture the spirit of the source.

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    • I totally agree! It doesn’t need to adhere strictly to the original but obviously there has to be something obvious enough for readers to connect to the original (the spirit of it!), otherwise then it’s not a retelling IMHO. It has to have that uniqueness to it!

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  11. I don’t read the retellings that interest me very much (just because I don’t read much right now), but there is SO many that interest me and I do plan to read at some point. Just have to actually read them, especially the ones that I already have on my shelf. 🙂 Like you, I don’t think there’s too many… at least not now, because hopefully each other puts their own unique spin on the beloved tale.

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  13. Love love love retellings, it’s always cool to see how authors will put their own spin on them! Totally with you on getting retellings of other tales around the world. Being an Asian born overseas most of the retellings I read as a kid was based off Western tales but it’s really exciting now to see all the retellings of Asian mythology having their moment 🥳

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  14. I don’t read a lot of retellings, but I have enjoyed some of the mythology ones that I have read or listened to lately. I often don’t even realize some books are retellings until after the fact when I am writing my review and think “hey, that’s …” I think if people like to read them, then there aren’t too many.

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