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The Sleeper and the Spindle  By  cover art

The Sleeper and the Spindle

By: Neil Gaiman
Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt, Lara Pulver, Niamh Walsh
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Publisher's summary

A full cast audio production performed by Julian Rhind-Tutt, Lara Pulver, Niamh Walsh, Adjoa Andoh, Peter Forbes, John Sessions, Michael Maloney, Sean Baker, Jane Collingwood, Clare Corbett, Allan Corduner, Katherine Kingsley, and Daniel Weyman.

It was the closest kingdom to the queen's, as the crow flies, but not even the crows flew it.

You may think you know this story. There's a young queen about to be married. There are some good, brave, hardy dwarfs; a castle shrouded in thorns; and a princess cursed by a witch, so rumor has it, to sleep forever.

But no one is waiting for a noble prince to appear on his trusty steed here. This fairy tale is spun with a thread of dark magic, which twists and turns and glints and shines. A queen might just prove herself a hero if a princess needs rescuing....

©2013 Neil Gaiman (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"The cast of accomplished British voices, including Julian Rhind-Tutt as the narrator and Lara Pulver as the queen, is a joy." ( AudioFile)

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What listeners say about The Sleeper and the Spindle

Average customer ratings
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amazing with a dark twist

I love this take on this fairy tale and turned it into something new and some what dark

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wonderful performance of a beautiful story.

I've listened to it three times already. A wonderful new perspective of one of my favorite fairy tales.

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Girl Power!

I purchased this book because the author said he, "Likes stories where the girls rescue themselves". curious, I listened and enjoyed a spin on an age old fairy tale! check it out! 💜

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What a wonderful tale

I think this is wonderful interpretation of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale we were all told when we were little girls. It is fair to say that no one ever saw the beauty as a selfish , power hungry character . This is certainly not a story for very young children,but I will be sharing it with my older grand children very soon. Hopefully it will spark great discussion and interesting interpretations,,,,,,

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  • bz
  • 12-31-19

imaginative but ending is disappointing

A very creative take on Snow White and Sleeping Beauty

*spoilers*

Would have been better if it ended with a lesbian romance.

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Fantastic choice of voice actors

Wow, I am quite impressed! Casting was great and it was a very enjoyable hour of my life spent listening to this twist on a fairytale! And oh is the twist wonderful. Honestly I cannot recommend this enough!

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    4 out of 5 stars

1 hour was simply not enough!

This was a delightful story!
The combination of old world stories framed in a new and enjoyable way makes one sad it does not go on for longer. it was truly and enjoyable adventure, and I could have listened to it for many more hours.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

short and sweet

quick and nice book. I enjoyed it and would have enjoyed even more. worth a listen

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Short and sweet.

Really enjoyed this reimagining of some well known fairy tales. Voice acting was excellent and the story was enjoyable.

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Sheer magic

Anything Neil Gaiman touches is magical and this beautiful story is no exception. Wonderfully crafted

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