Scan barcode
xiggy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
amycrea's review against another edition
4.0
The Norwegians sure gave the Grimm Brothers a run for their money on odd, violent, and disturbing tales.
trufyre's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
laurenkd89's review against another edition
3.0
These are fun, bizarre Norwegian folktales - simply put. Asbjornsen and Moe were two nineteenth-century collectors of old Norwegian folklore who worked in tandem for most of their folk-telling careers; this is the first English translation of their complete folktales in more than 150 years.
The stories read like a mix of Grimm’s fairy tales, ancient etiological stories, and Greek myths. To me, they’re not the kind of myths that I would have enjoyed reading as a young girl - they’re filled with deception, mischief, murder (quite often), and other wild adventures - but I can see these being popular oral histories for kids of the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the myths tell tales of “Ash Lad,” the youngest of three sons who was so named because his older brothers said he was only good for digging in the ashes - but as you may expect, Ash Lad is a clever boy, finding novel solutions to problems that stump his older brothers. You’ll find all of the other folktale characters here - damsels in distress, tricky robbers, nasty Norwegian trolls, wise and prophetic old women or men, all set against Norway’s forests and mountains.
Reading the introductory note from the translator gives you a sense of how daunting it must have been to translate these stories - not did Nunnally have to translate from old Norwegian, but she strived to maintain the same simple narrative style that Asbjornsen and Moe used, filled with humor, alliteration, and repetition. She also updated the dialogue to make it less archaic, but still reflective of the homely characters in the stories. Some of Nunnally’s efforts don’t fully succeed, but I was impressed anywhere I could get even a glimpse of the humor and mischief that was present in the original Norwegian tales.
Overall, an entertaining and fun read if you were the kind of kid who enjoyed fairy tales or the kind of high-schooler who enjoyed the Greek epics. Thank you to University of Minnesota Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
The stories read like a mix of Grimm’s fairy tales, ancient etiological stories, and Greek myths. To me, they’re not the kind of myths that I would have enjoyed reading as a young girl - they’re filled with deception, mischief, murder (quite often), and other wild adventures - but I can see these being popular oral histories for kids of the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the myths tell tales of “Ash Lad,” the youngest of three sons who was so named because his older brothers said he was only good for digging in the ashes - but as you may expect, Ash Lad is a clever boy, finding novel solutions to problems that stump his older brothers. You’ll find all of the other folktale characters here - damsels in distress, tricky robbers, nasty Norwegian trolls, wise and prophetic old women or men, all set against Norway’s forests and mountains.
Reading the introductory note from the translator gives you a sense of how daunting it must have been to translate these stories - not did Nunnally have to translate from old Norwegian, but she strived to maintain the same simple narrative style that Asbjornsen and Moe used, filled with humor, alliteration, and repetition. She also updated the dialogue to make it less archaic, but still reflective of the homely characters in the stories. Some of Nunnally’s efforts don’t fully succeed, but I was impressed anywhere I could get even a glimpse of the humor and mischief that was present in the original Norwegian tales.
Overall, an entertaining and fun read if you were the kind of kid who enjoyed fairy tales or the kind of high-schooler who enjoyed the Greek epics. Thank you to University of Minnesota Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
mashygpig's review against another edition
5.0
Great collection of folktales. Being of Norwegian descent, it was really fun to see how little aspects of my daily life resonate with the stories - in particular the humor and lightheartedness!
kyleofbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Thanks to NetGalley and The University of Minnesota Press for this ARC.
As requested, I will hold off on my full review here until closer to the book’s publication.
As requested, I will hold off on my full review here until closer to the book’s publication.
marziesreads's review against another edition
5.0
Translator Tiina Nunnally first caught my attention in 2005 with her spectacular modern translations of the Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales which removed all the syrupy sweet Disney coating and looked at the astonishingly sharp lessons Andersen offered up to Danish children. (Witness the actual story of The Snow Queen, for instance, in all its Christian allusion.) As such, I was eager to review Nunnally's latest translation of folktales, modern translations of the much loved Norwegian Folktales collected over decades by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. From Ash Lad to Three Billy Goats Gruff, from three-headed trolls to twelve-headed ones, all the classics are here including my personal childhood favorite, "The Tabby Cat of Dovre Mountain." (If you've never that one, you should if you want a good laugh.) This is a beautiful edition of the folktales but alas, it is only at present available in hardcover. I'm still waiting for my copy because it looks as if the first printing may have sold out. If you are a lover of folktales, this is a wonderful edition. Nunnally's well-worded translations (she points out all the efforts translators make to capture the intent of the original in terms understood by modern readers.
The introduction written by Neil Gaiman was not made available in the Digital Review Copy I received, but many readers may recall his own recent foray into the Norse world, [b:Norse Mythology|37903770|Norse Mythology|Neil Gaiman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516128292l/37903770._SX50_.jpg|51396954]. I'm eager to see what he has written about this classic collection.
Spin, span, spun- my review is done!
I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from UMP via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The introduction written by Neil Gaiman was not made available in the Digital Review Copy I received, but many readers may recall his own recent foray into the Norse world, [b:Norse Mythology|37903770|Norse Mythology|Neil Gaiman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516128292l/37903770._SX50_.jpg|51396954]. I'm eager to see what he has written about this classic collection.
Spin, span, spun- my review is done!
I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from UMP via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
caitasoflate's review against another edition
5.0
Quirky, strange, heartwarming, heroic, bizarre, adventurous and proud are all adjectives I'd use to describe the stories found in this brilliant collection of Norwegian Folktales.
Recommend highly!
Recommend highly!