Briar Rose Audiobook By Jane Yolen cover art

Briar Rose

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Briar Rose

By: Jane Yolen
Narrated by: Linda Stephens
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.19

Buy for $17.19

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

Briar Rose is a historically sensitive retelling of Sleeping Beauty set amid forests patrolled by the German army during World War II.

In the heat of midsummer 1942, deep in a forest in the heart of Poland, Briar Rose arrives at a castle that has fallen into the hands of an evil army. Corrupted by dark deeds and choked by a poisonous mist, the castle will soon come to be known as Chelmno extermination camp. And in that place of death, Briar Rose is plunged into a deep sleep. …

Ever since she was a child, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma's stories of Briar Rose. Becca would have sworn the stories were made up, but on her deathbed Gemma extracts from Becca a promise to fulfill three impossible requests: find the castle, find the prince, and find the spell-maker. Her vow sends Becca on a remarkable journey to uncover the truth of Gemma's astonishing claim: I am Briar Rose.

Yolen's graceful retelling of the German folktale of “Briar Rose”—known to some as “Sleeping Beauty”—sets the story amid forests patrolled by the German army during World War II. Yolen confronts the deeply tragic events of the Holocaust with lyrical prose and rich characterizations that tell a tale of good and evil, hope and despair.

The Washington Post called Briar Rose “a terrifically moving story.”

©1992 Jane Yolen (P)1996 Recorded Books Fiction Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Magic Fantasy

People who viewed this also viewed...

The Devil's Arithmetic Audiobook By Jane Yolen cover art
The Devil's Arithmetic By: Jane Yolen
Masterful Storytelling • Heart Wrenching Story • Enchanting Protagonist • Engaging Narrative • Creative Sleuthing
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
Becca Berlin makes a commitment to her Gemma, who is waiting on the stairs of death, to find the missing puzzle pieces of a childhood fairytale and bring it to reality. Unbeknownst to Becca, this vow sends her on a mysterious voyage, in a faraway land, to uncover the authenticity of her grandmother's rendition of Sleeping Beauty. But when the answers become more questions can she put it all together and find the truth. Yolen writes an effective and heart wrenching story about the trials and tribulations that were endured during one of the darkest times in history, and the LOVE one can have for another.

Awesome rendition

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have loved this book since childhood. It makes me cry every time. Ms Yolen is a masterful story teller and while they are very different in styles, this makes a great companion to the Devil’s Arithmetic also by Jane Yolen.

Hauntingly beautiful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

If you could sum up Briar Rose in three words, what would they be?

Educational not entertaining

Any additional comments?

Not having read the blurbs and other comments, I was a little surprised. Not fantasy at all except for using the Sleeping Beauty scaffolding. I'd place the book in holocaust studies and subtitle it The Gay Prince and the Alternative Kiss. The quest part felt more like a stage setting for the final lecture.

Fairytale without fantasy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
My husband and I listened together and loved it we highly recommend it, especially if you know some of history.

Better than expected

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The only way someone can truly get the feeling of a historical time is through a narrative or historical fiction. Briar Rose truly captures the perspectives of those persecuted in Poland during World War II. Becca grew up listening to the fairytale as told by her grandmother Gemma. She knew it was more than a fairytale to Gemma and the only clue to Gemma’s past. She promises Gemma as her grandmother is dying that she will find the castle, the prince and the spell-maker in her life. The journey Becca takes reveals much as she learns all her grandmother endured.
#tagsgiving #sweepstakes #Holocaust #World War II #Gay persecution #family history #Poland history

A Tale of Survival

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I would leave it as just the title but there is a minimum word count.

Heart Wrenching

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
There are major sections of the book that have terrible sound quality. Sounds like it’s raining and there are people talking in the background. Really bad, makes it hard to listen to. The story gets better once the main character goes to Poland, but the beginning is a bit vapid. It’s worth hanging in there, story-wise, but the sound quality is almost a deal-breaker.

Story is okay but sound quality is horrible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Jane Yolen’s Briar Rose is an enchanting story of a young woman’s search for the truth behind her grandmother's fairy tale. After her grandmother passes away, Rebecca goes on a quest to divine the real backstory of her grandmother. Stumbling across old photographs, she gradually pieces together her time in the US, but eventually travels to Poland and learns a horrifying, but engrossing tale of WWII and extermination camps and finally understands how her grandmother came to be Briar Rose.

Yolen crafts an engaging and compelling story that involves some creative sleuthing. Eventually, the story of Briar Rose (or sleeping beauty) is woven into real historical events during WWII.

The narration is well done with solid character distinction and smooth pacing.

Uncovering a family secret

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well written and expertly narrated. I thoroughly enjoyed this story linking past and present. I was so surprised to learn about Fort Oswego & it’s role during WWII. Especially because I live nearby in Rochester NY. This story is hard to hear, but also important to hear for awareness of atrocities committed. It will stick with me.

Thoroughly enjoyed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A surprisingly linear narrative whose denouement is rather obvious and disappointing, The secondary romance plot is superficial and unconvincing, with a male love interest I found unlikeable (or perhaps just poorly written). I expected a more compelling, complex protagonist, but that was true for me of young protagonist of The Devil’s Arithmetic, too.

Disappointed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews