Catherynne M. Valente

A retelling of "Snow White" set in the "gritty gun-slinging west."

Six-Gun Snow White

B. K.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for some interesting ideas. This is my first time reading Catherynne M. Valente and I liked the writing style. Also liked the "western" interpretations of the hunter and the seven dwarves. A few things didn't really work for me - (view spoiler)[the inclusion of the mirror-brother, which felt unnecessary; Snow White essentially committing suicide; the jump to the future at the end (hide spoiler)] - but overall the audiobook was a quick, enjoyable listen.

Hope Brockway

This book has been on my tbr for quite a while and, when I learned my library had it, I was excited to try it out. I mean, the cover is gorgeous, the premise is amazing, and the blurb is very intriguing. But, I'm afraid, I didn't like the contents quite as much.

This is a fairly short book and, right from the beginning, I found myself engrossed in the story. The writing style was stunning. The author has a talent for drawing the reader in. Her descriptions were gorgeous and the western elements were quite well done. 

So, after that glistening paragraph, why did I not like it? Well, I have a few reasons. 

 1. This story was quite dark.  Now, I don't have a problem with dark stories. But, since I went in expecting a fairy tale with a Disney-ified plot, I was sorely disappointed. The first part was what one would call an origin story. We get lots of details from Snow White's mouth and, despite the bleakness, I enjoyed it. Then, just before the halfway point, things took a turn. Well, they took a turn as soon as Mrs. H entered, but that's kind of the point of the story. It kept getting darker from there. Death, destruction, and cussing abounded. Not really my style and not what I was expecting. 

2. The portrayal of some racist elements.  From the blurb, I can tell this theme was going to be explored throughout the book. I think racism against Native Americans is something we need to discuss. Unfortunately, I felt uncomfortable with the way it was all handled. Maybe that was the point? I'm not quite sure. But I began to feel increasingly uncomfortable the more it was explored. Maybe because it was never really called out? Yes, a few of the characters ended up dying, but there was this theme throughout the book that I felt incredibly uncomfortable with. So yeah. I was not having a good time. DM for details if you really want to know. Or you can check out other reviews.

3. The ending I was just not thrilled how everything went down. And I was also very confused. After the book shifted from Snow White's first-person POV to a third-person, it became increasingly more confusing. (view spoiler)[Again, this may be an expectation thing, but I was expecting a Disney ending. That's what I came here for. So for Snow White to end up dead and maybe eventually coming back to life? (It was relatively unclear and I was a bit done at that point) I was most definitely not here for it.  (hide spoiler)]

So, for the many instances of cussing, some racist elements that I felt were not handled the best, and for the general vibe, I did not enjoy this story. I will say that it was an interesting experiment. The mixing of fairytales and the old west was fascinating and I enjoyed seeing those elements weaved throughout the story. But again, not a fan of the story in general.

Ben Nathan

That was a fun take on the fairy tale we all know and love

Dani C

Six-Gun Snow White is a fast reading, Western retake on Snow White. I wasn't so sure about this book when I started it but I was pleasantly surprised. The story was mostly good, and written in such a way that it was almost believable that Snow White was always meant to be told with a Western, Native American twist. 
That said - there were very obvious flaws. And the ending felt like a complete cop out. 
Instead of listing everything I disliked about the story, here are some things I enjoyed:
- turning a dark fairytale into a dark, Western, magical realism that played on America's witchy and Puritanical conflicts
- taking the old tale of Snow White and her purity and twisting it into how taking a darker look at what being "snow white" and "pure" means - the abusive and racist reality of a world in which white people destroy those who are not white
- the lyrical and fantastical way in which the story is told

Six-Gun Snow White

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