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brendan_h's review against another edition
4.0
The first four stories are really excellent, weird old stuff from pre-christian Wales that move quickly and are consistently entertaining and surprising. I found the Arthurian stories a little less interesting, though not terrible by any stretch. The Welsh taxonomy is just fantastic, and puzzling out the correct pronunciation of character and place names (with the help of the pronunciation guide) is a great game. Wales seems to get short shrift among Celt-crazy Americans, and it seems a bit unfair after reading this.
Also recommended if you enjoyed Lloyd Alexander in your youth, as he clearly drew heavily from this and similar sources.
Also recommended if you enjoyed Lloyd Alexander in your youth, as he clearly drew heavily from this and similar sources.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
My massive issues with remembering Welsh pronunciation aside, this collection of Welsh-originated tales is fun to read. It is important to note that, by the time the Branches and Welsh Romances were written down, they were heavily Chritianized by about 1400 AD so the original Celtic mythology had been altered. The later Romances are very similar to Malory, if you've read any Le Morte d'Arthur.
sarah_emtage's review against another edition
4.0
Some of the stuff that happens in this book is downright bonkers.
thymenvb's review against another edition
5.0
The Four Branches of the Mabinogi were amazing! But some of the other stories were not as interesting
5 stars to Sioned Davies and this edition though!! She put so much effort and passion into the translation and notes and it really added a lot
5 stars to Sioned Davies and this edition though!! She put so much effort and passion into the translation and notes and it really added a lot
othersideoftherain's review against another edition
4.0
love these tales but this isn’t my favorite translation or edition; some formatting choices makes it difficult to navigate, though I do enjoy the Welsh pronunciation guide in the beginning.
turtlekat23's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
3.5
This is a collection of very old shorter stories. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys books or stories for their own sake or fairy tales. They are similar to other stories but different enough to warrant their own read too.
monsterful_alex's review against another edition
3.0
The collection of stories is entertaining and comforting in its classic fairytale format. The little details, such as the descriptions of how everyone sits at the table, add so much flavour to the narratives. The notes also give an additional insight into Welsh language, culture and habits. While to original 'mabinogi' are only the first 4 branches, the other stories following the knightly endeavours of the Arthurian legends, the collection create an all encompassing national spirit, giving legitimacy to Welsh rule and power through geographical symbolic naming (how London was named, the dream of Emperor Maxen explaining Roman conquer etc.). That being said, the later Arthurian stories were much more sexist and reductive of their women characters, and the knights were undoubtedly a bunch of obnoxious arrogant jerks (the jocks of the middle ages, no doubt). 'How Culhwch won Olwen' is a pretty boring tale which has a very strenuous narrative, costisting of lists of Welsh names and ridiculous quests, such as obtaining a comb out of a magic boar's head so that Culhwch can marry a stranger whom he never met because his step mother told him to. The four branches of the Mabinogi were by far my favourite, especially the second branch when Bendigeiedfran crosses the Irish sea like he's out on a stroll and the Irish are wondering why that mountain keeps coming closer, while his sister Branwen is smugly waiting for him, knowing that the only reason he came to save her is because she taught a bird to speak Welsh and deliver a message to him - like a BOSS.