The Enchanted Flounder – a Review

One of the creative writing exercises I have suggested is to rewrite a fairy tale. Susan Meredith has done just this. She has rewritten many of the fairy tales full of wicked people and scary imagery to make them child friendly.

The Enchanted Flounder is one of Gram’s Fairy Tales sent to me free by the publisher. It is a humorous retelling of The Fisherman and His Wife by the Brothers Grimm. I read the book several times, then read it out loud to my husband. Both of us enjoyed the book tremendously.

Curious, I had to find the original version of The Fisherman and His Wife. After reading the original, I came to the conclusion that the newer version by Susan Meredith is much more enjoyable. The moral of the story, being satisfied with what one has and not being greedy, comes through loud and clear in both versions, but is more memorable when presented in a humorous manner.

The fisherman is the type of husband that all of us ladies want for a lifetime companion. He is patient and understanding. He takes the responsibility of providing for his wife seriously. The wife, on the other hand, does not appreciate the gem of a man she married. No matter how blessed she is, her list of wants and desires only grows. I don’t believe that anything could ever satisfy that woman.

She throws a fit when her husband catches a talking flounder, then throws it back into the ocean without asking for anything. She demands he goes back and makes a wish. After al, there is so much they need, starting with a better place to live.

The first wish is granted. She still isn’t satisfied. So there is a second wish, and a third wish. Each time the fisherman patiently goes back to sea to ask for another wish to be granted for his greedy, self-centered wife. Each trip finds the ocean a little less friendly. Any more wishes, she must go to the flounder herself. Still, she makes her way to the flounder over a very rough sea for one final wish.

The ending to the original is appropriate, but not satisfying at all. The greedy wife still gets what she deserves, but no one else receives what they should. The patient, long-suffering husband goes right back to living in a hovel with his selfish, greedy, ungrateful wife. Yes, the moral to not be greedy rings out loud and clear, but it leaves me feeling sorry for the husband.

In The Enchanted Flounder, the flounder grants her final wish, just not as the greedy woman would have it granted. The ending is humorous, satisfying, and everyone gets just what they deserve. This is a story that you will want to read again and again, no matter your age.

For young readers, various words throughout the book are underlined. These words many not be familiar to those just beginning to read. At the end of the book, there is a small illustrated dictionary explaining what these words mean.

Even if you don’t have young children or grandchildren to read this book to, I recommend getting it for yourself. It is well worth reading. A link to buy this book through Amazon is provided below.