Reviews

“All the long echoes sing the same delight/this shortest day.” At one level a simple Solstice (rather than Christmas) poem, beautifully illustrated by Carson Ellis to show the continuity of Solstice celebrations from the earliest (? European) humans: at another, well, this is Susan Cooper, and the world of Will Stanton and the beliefs at the heart of The Dark is Rising are, for me, inescapable. Does this enrich or detract from my reading? I honestly can’t decide, even on multiple re-readings.
The plain but beautiful cadences of the short poem are worth celebrating; the art work is likewise gorgeous. Was I expecting more? A deeper delve into the Matter of Britain? And should I turn those expectations off, and enjoy this for what it is?

mat_tobin's review

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5.0

Composed around the same time that Cooper was writing/publishing [b:The Dark Is Rising|210329|The Dark Is Rising|Susan Cooper|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349051230l/210329._SY75_.jpg|1530651], The Shortest Day owes much to the research and mythologies associated with the winter solstice which plays a part in both poem and novel. It reminds us of the great cycle of life, the pagan origins of the Christmas ritual and rebirth and of our deep connection with the landscape.

Far lighter than the Dark is Rising, this poem is more a celebration of light and the continuation of life. It is a poem, Cooper tells us in the back, to be read aloud and shared during the winter solstice. Just as she had written the poem for Langstaff’s American Christmas Revels (which fused the medieval and modern) so Ellis's incredible illustrations do the same bringing to light the cycle of New Years and our constant desire to fight the darkness with light.