This collection of audiobooks features classic stories and favorite fairy tales and reimagines them with modern flair. Marissa Meyer takes on Rumpelstiltskin in Gilded, Lauren Blackwood gives an Ethiopian-inspired fantasy twist to Jane Eyre in Within These Wicked Walls, Alix E. Harrow puts her own spin on Sleeping Beauty in A Spindle Splintered, and more. Hear them all now! But let’s be real. It seems like some classic stories have been retold to death. I’ve read two Jane Eyre retellings this year alone, and at this point, I think “Pride and Prejudice retellings” should just be its own literary genre. Now that The Great Gatsby has entered the public domain as of January 1, 2021, I feel like this is going to be the next story that authors are going to be lining up to retell with their own spin on things. It’s starting to happen already! Of course, these texts are ripe for retellings, which is why they’re happening so much. And do I love reading them? Totally. But I also have a whole wishlist of other stories I’d love to see reimagined in some way. Authors, take note. If you take any of these ideas, I won’t even ask for royalties. I’ll just be happy the stories are out there! You’re welcome. Some of the books on this list are newer titles, so some of this is just wishful thinking at this point. But authors, these titles that have been around for years? Let’s get on this right now! There are fresh new retellings to be told. If this story sounds like other legends/myths/religious tales you’ve heard of, you’re right. It definitely has echoes of Adam and Eve and Orpheus and Eurydice, to name a few. We love a good tragic love story, and this one is familiar yet unique enough that it would make for a fascinating contemporary retelling. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, it’s about this princess named Nouronnihar whose family died and so she was raised in a neighboring kingdom by the sultan, alongside the sultan’s three sons. As the sons grew older, the sultan realized that all of his sons were in love with Nouronnihar. Okay, yes, they all basically grew up together as siblings, but they weren’t technically siblings, so I guess that makes it okay? Try not to think about it too much. Anyway, when Nouronnihar gets old enough to be married, all of the sons ask for her hand in marriage, but the sultan cannot choose between his sons. So he sends them all out to find something valuable and rare to bring back to him to prove that they are the one worthy of Nouronnihar. The sons bring back a magic carpet, an ivory tube that shows the owner his greatest wishes, and a healing apple. When they return with the items, they discover that Nouronnihar is ill, and so rather than competing with each other for her love, they bring their items together to save her life. It’s an interesting story, right? But it’s not very feminist, like, at all. It would be cool to get a retelling of this story from Nouronnihar’s perspective and give her a bit of (or a lot of) agency. I am ready for this. Furthermore, “The Nightingale” is a story set in China about a Chinese Emperor who becomes disinterested with the real nightingale when he receives a jeweled mechanical bird. So yeah, it’s a story set in China about Chinese people. But Hans Christian Andersen? He’s Danish. I would love to see a Chinese author on an author of Chinese descent take on this story. Apparently, Hans Christian Andersen was inspired to write this story after spending time in Tivoli, a Danish amusement part and pleasure garden with some Chinese motifs. So the inspiration wasn’t even Chinese. It would be cool to see an author add more connections to authentic Chinese history and mythology in the retelling of this story. While my favorite novel of all time is Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, I will refrain from requesting a retelling of it for a few reasons. Most importantly, there are already retellings of Wuthering Heights out there. But they’re just not that great? And I’m wondering if I would just feel that way about any retelling of that novel because it’s so close to my heart. So for personal reasons, we’re leaving Wuthering Heights out of the equation. Moving on to Anne Brontë, the oft forgotten but equally talented Brontë sister. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a feminist masterpiece whose themes and characters would perfectly fit in a contemporary retelling of this story. Readers would champion a contemporary version of Helen Graham fleeing from her abusive husband and setting out to build a life of her own. Honestly, very few changes would have to be made to make this story make sense in contemporary times. Sadly, people still gossip and speculate about single women, and abusive, toxic relationships still exist. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a story contemporary readers need! Now that I’m adult, I still adore The Secret Garden with my whole heart. But rereading it now that I’m older? Yeah, I realize there are some elements of the story that are a little problematic. First of all, our hero Mary Lennox comes from a family of British colonizers who were living in India until Mary’s parents died from cholera. As a result? Yeah, Mary says a lot of questionable things towards the beginning of the novel that come off as racist and classist. Then there’s Mary’s cousin Colin, who is apparently ill, but Mary insists all he needs is fresh air to get better. And it turns out she was right. That is fine and all, I guess, but it’s sort of too reminiscent of all the people who encourage those dealing with mental or physical health issue to just go for a walk to feel better. It seems…insensitive at best. Ignorant at worst. So how to retell this story? I have so many ideas. I’ve literally had my whole life to think about this. In the future, I’d like to see at least ten retellings of The Secret Garden. But to start, I think it would be really cool to hear Dickon’s story. Dickon is Mary’s friend whom she meets playing in the garden. He doesn’t come from a rich family like Mary does, and she admires that Dickon seems so connected to nature and the animals. Dickon is seemingly so perfect he almost seems mythical. But unfortunately, that means that sometimes he feels more like a catalyst for change in the rich kids Colin and Mary than a fully realized character in his own right. I would love to see a Dickon with flaws and desires of his own. And yeah, I’d like to read more about animals. Who doesn’t? And while we’re chatting about Agatha Christie, I’d love to see her detectives Hercule Poirot and/or Jane Marple reimagined in a different time or setting. I feel like we get new Sherlock Holmes retellings all the time. It would be fun to play with some other famous literary detectives. And Agatha Christie’s are some of the best! Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is another one of those stories that has withstood the test of time and still remains relevant to this day, which is why this is another book that would be perfect for a contemporary retelling. The play follows the story of Black family living in Chicago who struggle to improve their financial status while also dealing with issues of housing discrimination and racism. A Raisin in the Sun is a scathing takedown of the American dream, specifically how the American promise of wealth and prosperity is particularly difficult to reach for people of color. It’s unfortunate, but what was true for the Younger family in the 1950s is still true in America to this day. For an updated version of the story, the author could get into recent events in this country that has also made financial success more difficult for people who aren’t born into wealth and people of color. There’s the housing market, student loans, the COVID-19 crisis, low-paying jobs, police brutality, mass incarceration, and so much more. When it comes to things holding back American families from achieving their dreams, the list goes on. Don’t get me wrong. Celie’s journey in this novel is a powerful one. Her story is at times heartbreaking and difficult to read, but ultimately uplifting. It makes sense that The Color Purple is Celie’s story and told through her letters. But now that we have that story, it would be interesting to read books that explore other characters in the novel. There are two specifically that I’d like to know more about. First of all, there’s Nettie. Nettie is Celie’s younger sister whom Celie promises to protect no matter what. Celie gets married off to an abusive widower (called Mr.) while Nettie leaves to go to Africa and become a missionary. Nettie promises Celie she will write, but Mr. hides the letters. Yes, Celie does eventually get the letters, but there’s still so much of Nettie’s story that could be expanded upon. Then there’s the charismatic and enigmatic Shug Avery. Shug is a blues singer who is carrying on an affair with Celie’s husband. For much of the novel, Celie completely idolizes her, and the two eventually develop a friendship that becomes romantic. Celie sees Shug as confident, wise, and pretty much the most fabulous human being she’s ever met. It would be interested to get beyond the surface of Shug to see what’s going on inside her head. What are her fears? Her insecurities? And what does she really make of our dear Celie?
