Scan barcode
missbookiverse's review against another edition
3.0
[3.5 stars]
I found the framing of this collection to be very enjoyable (retelling traditional folktales) and I liked that "traditional" did not entail "white, male, and hetero." Some stories stayed within the old-fashioned setting of the originals, but I preferred the ones that updated the scenery and put a modern, forward-thinking twist on the plot. My favorites include: Sour Hall (a f/f couple moves to an old spooky farm) by Naomi Booth, Between Sea & Sky (an archeologist bears a baby boy with a high affinity for the sea) by Kirsty Logan, The Dampness is Spreading (an old midwife longs for a child of her own) by Emma Glass, and The Holloway (a family suffers under an alcoholic father/husband) by Imogen Hermes Gowar.
I found the framing of this collection to be very enjoyable (retelling traditional folktales) and I liked that "traditional" did not entail "white, male, and hetero." Some stories stayed within the old-fashioned setting of the originals, but I preferred the ones that updated the scenery and put a modern, forward-thinking twist on the plot. My favorites include: Sour Hall (a f/f couple moves to an old spooky farm) by Naomi Booth, Between Sea & Sky (an archeologist bears a baby boy with a high affinity for the sea) by Kirsty Logan, The Dampness is Spreading (an old midwife longs for a child of her own) by Emma Glass, and The Holloway (a family suffers under an alcoholic father/husband) by Imogen Hermes Gowar.
emilysummer_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
wunkymatts's review against another edition
4.0
There are some truly beautiful stories in this little book. 'Sour Hall' by Naomi Booth and 'Between Sea and Sky' are both excellent. A couple of the stories didn't gel with me stylistically to the point where I found them hard to read, but that's always the case with anthologies. I was also charmed by the original stories (taken from older local collections of folk tales) being included at the end of the book.
sineadlgull's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Great selection of folktales retold for a modern, diverse audience.
blila's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars? Hard to rate this because it’s multiple authors so the writing style and interpretations differed between them all.
Natasha Carthew’s retelling of The Mermaid and the Man of Cury was SO hard to read, I’m guessing it’s her writing style but there were virtually no commas so the sentences became incoherent. I did enjoy Emma Glass’ retelling of The Fairy Midwife though, which is interesting because I did not enjoy her novella Peach at all.
Natasha Carthew’s retelling of The Mermaid and the Man of Cury was SO hard to read, I’m guessing it’s her writing style but there were virtually no commas so the sentences became incoherent. I did enjoy Emma Glass’ retelling of The Fairy Midwife though, which is interesting because I did not enjoy her novella Peach at all.
veecaswell's review against another edition
4.0
Here are sisters fighting for the love of the same woman, a pregnant archaeologist unearthing impossible bones and lost children following you home. A panther runs through the forests of England and pixies prey upon violent men.
From the islands of Scotland to the coast of Cornwall, the mountains of Galway to the depths of the Fens, these forgotten folktales howl, cackle and sing their way into the 21st century, wildly reimagined by some of the most exciting women writing in Britain and Ireland today.
Some of these folk tales are new to me, so reading some for me really has inspired me to go find their origins as these are told so incredibly well throughout this book. Tales such as ‘The Dauntless Girl’ which is a folk tale from my part of England here reinterpreted as ‘Rosheen’ is unforgettable and grips you more as you delve into the story - the characterisation and the dark setting is inescapable, and why would you want to? (Irenosen Okojie is definitely someone I want to read more from).
Another story that stands out is ‘Between Sea And Sky’ by Kirsty Logan in this collection. The changes of perspective between the mother and child as the story develops is brilliant and the ending is brilliantly done and it lingers on my mind now - the use of rhymes in the story leaving a haunting mark on it that just stays with me. ‘The Panther’s Tale’ by Mahsuda Snaith follow this and makes for an incredible read as we see the panther arrive and the people that ‘meet it’ - I think the last lines of this story are some of my favourite in the book.
This collection is so good and has some incredible retellings told by some incredible authors who really highlight their talent in this book throughout - with stunning characterisation, beautifully set scenes and bringing excellent twists to very old stories. I loved maybe the first half more, but really these stories feel so timeless, haunting, and perfect for this time of the year.
(I received an ARC from Netgalley for honest review).