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camilleisreading24's review against another edition
4.0
Very strange but good book. Read it in about a day. It is a novel in some ways, a myth in others, but with historical realism as well. Framed as stories read by a thin young girl living in WWII England and seeking an escape from the harsh reality of the air raids, Byatt provides a collection of Norse myths. I was familiar with some, others were new to me. I got the feeling that the tale was semi-autobiographical which made it more compelling.
berlinbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
The way Byatt interweaves the Norse mythologies leading up to Ragnarok and the experiences of a young girl in wartime Britain is very well done, and Byatt elicits a lot of resonances between the two storylines I would not have expected. Both the English countryside and the world of the Norse sagas are very lushly described, a thrilling overabundance of description that almost borders on too much, and yet it is just right for the feeling of a world where nothing is quite right. My favourite part of the book was the chapters about Jormungandr's life in the sea, the playfullness and brutality worked very well together.
an0987's review against another edition
I wanted to love this based on Usrala Le Guin’s praise of it and my general interest in mythology, but sadly it didn’t hold my attention. I feel that it was written in the style of a folktale. However it just didn’t land for me. The prose was beautiful but somehow not captivating. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more as an audiobook, but I can’t be bothered to try and get back into it.
Rating: 2.5/5
Rating: 2.5/5
monsterful_alex's review against another edition
4.0
Byatt gives justice to the ominous quality of Norse mythology in this very short novella. I found it a good introductory book to get acquainted with the ancient stories of Norse gods, but it is also a compelling piece of literature -it deftly conveys the end of the world by narrating the chaos of Ragnarok, all through the eyes of a young girl who is also experiencing an end of a world - growing up during the Second World War.
mikesqw's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
ninjamuse's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
mvanhoeck's review against another edition
Piqued my interest in Norse mythology. Beautiful moments, unengaging narrative. Thin girl device didn’t work for me.
kristine2221's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
yak_attak's review against another edition
2.0
Not really sure I get the point here. Byatt rephrases Norse myth of the end of the world through two main guises - first, sparsely as seen from her own perspective as a child growing up in world war II. It's an interesting thread but one that doesn't seem to amount to much? The comparison between the end of the world and the war seem obvious and fascinating, but she almost tries to avoid that as much as possible, instead casting 'the thin child' as nothing more than an intercession between us and the main text.
The second is that of nature, and this is much stronger - the world of the myth is very natural, wild, brimming with life, and Ragnarok is its destruction in its variety and beauty. But here we get into the large issue I have with the book... it's just written so blandly straight? Like it's only a few edits off from a long-form Wikipedia article. A *well written* Wikipedia article mind you, her choice of words and phrasing is excellent in places, but the story takes the form of an endless repetition of facts, nothing more, reducing the myth down to all the shit you already knew anyways.
Seems like this was the wrong choice for my first experience with her work.
The second is that of nature, and this is much stronger - the world of the myth is very natural, wild, brimming with life, and Ragnarok is its destruction in its variety and beauty. But here we get into the large issue I have with the book... it's just written so blandly straight? Like it's only a few edits off from a long-form Wikipedia article. A *well written* Wikipedia article mind you, her choice of words and phrasing is excellent in places, but the story takes the form of an endless repetition of facts, nothing more, reducing the myth down to all the shit you already knew anyways.
Seems like this was the wrong choice for my first experience with her work.
batbones's review against another edition
5.0
Byatt sounds beautifully eloquent even when using the simplest of words.