• The Blue Fairy Book

  • By: Andrew Lang
  • Narrated by: Angele Masters
  • Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (508 ratings)

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The Blue Fairy Book  By  cover art

The Blue Fairy Book

By: Andrew Lang
Narrated by: Angele Masters
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Editorial reviews

Narrator Angele Masters' natural, unaffected delivery livens up Andrew Lang's collection of fairy tales taken from different cultures and countries around the world. Masters' timing is impeccable and she will elicit gasps from children as she describes encounters with monsters and heroic actions. Masters also shows off her versatility as she voices each character, moving from Aladdin's wide-eyed innocence in "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp" to Medusa's awful hiss in "The Terrible Head". Listeners will enjoy visiting and revisiting these tales filled with valiant heroes and heroines overcoming horrible beasts and villains and finding love.

Publisher's summary

Here are some of the finest fairytales from around the world - most of them old favorites: "Sleeping Beauty," "Rumpelstiltskin," "Cinderella," three from "The Arabian Nights," and many more. Andrew Lang was one of the most famous literary critics around 1900. He also edited a series of children's fable books that preserved and illustrated a host of tales which are still used extensively today.

Public Domain (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Blue Fairy Book

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    240
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Story
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

My children are spellbound

Where does The Blue Fairy Book rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best audiobooks we've listened to. It goes for hours and hours and keeps my young children (6 and 8) spellbound for well over an hour at a time. They love it, and so do I, because they are learning wonderful vocabulary and quality story-telling while they enjoy the exciting stories.

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Will listen to again and again

The performance is above mediocre, but that is probably because we have become accustomed to all star performances, such as Tim Curry, Elijah Wood, and the like. That said, my children pay no attention to that. They loved this book and will listen to it over and over. My two oldest are ages 6 and 8.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Narrator kept making gross noises.

I couldn’t finish this book. The narrator kept making gross noises with her mouth. Swallowing saliva or licking her lips. It was disgusting to listen to. I know that’s probably natural when you’re just sitting there and talking for hours, but it was always during breaks in her speech, they could have easily edited it out. But they didn’t.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Racist, violent and offensive

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No- I love fairy tales, but unless they are "Cleaned up" the original ones (like the ones in this book) are very offensive and may not be suitable for some parents in today's society.

What was most disappointing about Andrew Lang’s story?

I only got through the first half of the first fairy tale in this book before I deleted it from my children's ipod and returned it to Audible. In the style of very old fairy tales it is very violent ("burn the three little puppies and sprinkle their ashes over the bones of the king your just threw into the boiling cauldron until his skin separated from his bones") and very offensive (a character magically creates a rickety black ship that is operate by "Ugly Negr***") Definitely not suitable for families that are opposed to such backwards racism.

Which character – as performed by Angele Masters – was your favorite?

N/A

Could you see The Blue Fairy Book being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

N/A

Any additional comments?

N/A

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Original Fairy Tales, No Disney Here

Would you listen to The Blue Fairy Book again? Why?

Yes, I would listen to, "The Blue Fairy Book" again. Who can resist the classics AND a great narrator!

What did you like best about this story?

The best thing about, "The Blue Fairy Book" is that it reminds me of the fairy tales that I read in England when I was young. This isn't necessarily the book for children, unless an adult explains it and makes sure the children don't think this is real. I would have read it to my daughter, but not my son. He had nightmares and this would make them worse.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Nostalgia made new

I had forgotten how good these stories were. Although they're full of testosterone and not the Disney versions, they make great listening. These are the myths and legends of society. Angele Masters does a great Gaelic accent, and is at her best when voicing old women and heroes.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Angele Masters narration

Any additional comments?

While Masters did some very good voices & I loved her Scots accent in the final few tales, there were audible mouth sounds (mostly swallowing sounds) which I found off-putting.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Racist, Patriarchal, Ableist, Classist, Misogynistic, Ageist

Stories of a bygone era, these can stay in the past where they belong. These are NOT for children if you hope your children grow into a democracy that honors all people. This IS the kind of smut that programs misogyny, racism, ableism, ageism, classism, and entitlement into our unconscious minds to run without our awareness while setting us up for internal biases. Stay away if that matters to you.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thirsty swallowing

Please stop recording the sound of swallowing.

Fun fairytales, More like the original grimms bros than Disney. Just wasn’t into the narrator.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Free is not always good! 😞

Would you try another book from Andrew Lang and/or Angele Masters?

Uh... Not of fairy tales.

Would you ever listen to anything by Andrew Lang again?

Probably not.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narrator was okay though she lacks in range. She actually sounds better on 3x. Yep I sped the last half of the book.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It was free.

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3 people found this helpful