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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
I'm not giving this a star rating because I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this book yet. As with most collections of stories, some stand out more than others - The Story of the Eldest Princess is hands down my favorite all around - but in the case of this book, it wasn't as much stories standing out as it was ASPECTS of the stories. There are themes, especially in the title novella that really hooked me, but the product as a whole is not always coherent. Byatt has a rambling narrative style which I personally didn't enjoy but of which she is undoubtedly a master. I believe this style may be part of why I'm feeling so dissatisfied with the overall reading experience. Regardless, I'm still planning to read another of her books, Possession, further down the TBR list, so I guess that's praise enough.
mysterious
reflective
Very interesting collection of shorts, with a novella taking up about half the book at the close.
We start off with a version of The Glass Coffin, a familiar story but told excellently by Byatt. I like starting with this as it frames the others as stories not necessarily of Byatt's construction, but as fairy tales that we just haven't heard before. 4/5 for this story.
Gode's Story was unusual, but I liked the ending. Looking back I think it fits in the closest with the title novella but was also my least favorite of the shorts, 3/5.
The Story of the Eldest Princess was a brilliant and fun riff on traditional fairy tales with a nice meta-narrative twist. My favorite of the stories with a quote I'll remember for a while. 5/5:
"'I always believe stories whilst they are being told,' said the Cockroach.
'You are a wise creature,' said the Old Woman. 'That is what stories are for. And after, we shall see what we shall see.' So she told."
Dragons' Breath seemed like an allegory for any number of natural (or climate) disasters until the ending. I was a bit puzzled by it but it's a good story. 4/5
The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye takes way, way too long to get to the good stuff. If it had been half the length it'd have been much stronger. I picked this book up for this story; George Miller is adapting it into a movie and I was intrigued by the premise. This story spends a lot of time establishing setting and not a lot of time moving the narrative along, which is a bit puzzling considering the thematic content, but when it does actually get around to telling the story, it's really quite good - and like the previous stories, has some clever meta-narrative twists to it. Definitely worth reading. 4/5
We start off with a version of The Glass Coffin, a familiar story but told excellently by Byatt. I like starting with this as it frames the others as stories not necessarily of Byatt's construction, but as fairy tales that we just haven't heard before. 4/5 for this story.
Gode's Story was unusual, but I liked the ending. Looking back I think it fits in the closest with the title novella but was also my least favorite of the shorts, 3/5.
The Story of the Eldest Princess was a brilliant and fun riff on traditional fairy tales with a nice meta-narrative twist. My favorite of the stories with a quote I'll remember for a while. 5/5:
"'I always believe stories whilst they are being told,' said the Cockroach.
'You are a wise creature,' said the Old Woman. 'That is what stories are for. And after, we shall see what we shall see.' So she told."
Dragons' Breath seemed like an allegory for any number of natural (or climate) disasters until the ending. I was a bit puzzled by it but it's a good story. 4/5
The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye takes way, way too long to get to the good stuff. If it had been half the length it'd have been much stronger. I picked this book up for this story; George Miller is adapting it into a movie and I was intrigued by the premise. This story spends a lot of time establishing setting and not a lot of time moving the narrative along, which is a bit puzzling considering the thematic content, but when it does actually get around to telling the story, it's really quite good - and like the previous stories, has some clever meta-narrative twists to it. Definitely worth reading. 4/5
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A collection of four short stories and one novella, the latter being the basis for the 2022 movie Three Thousand Years of Longing. It’s because I loved the movie that I wanted to read the novella. I enjoyed the four stories almost more than the longer tale of the djinn - I hadn’t read fairy tales in quite a while so that was an entertaining change.
But the stories themselves aren’t necessarily fun. The one that has stayed with me, Dragon’s Breath, about six massive and repellent fiery worms descending a mountain to a village, seem an apt metaphor for fascism and its steady creep toward those who refuse to take the danger seriously or who wait too long to take action.
In the past I’ve found Byatt’s writing to be somewhat austere* and slow, though that could be a faulty perception on my part. Alas, for me, the story of the grateful djinn and the English narratologist wasn’t as entertaining on the page as it was on the screen. That said, Byatt is a natural storyteller and I enjoy her plots.
*Austere isn’t the right term because the language is rich with descriptions. But I find it cold somehow, it doesn’t reach me.
But the stories themselves aren’t necessarily fun. The one that has stayed with me, Dragon’s Breath, about six massive and repellent fiery worms descending a mountain to a village, seem an apt metaphor for fascism and its steady creep toward those who refuse to take the danger seriously or who wait too long to take action.
In the past I’ve found Byatt’s writing to be somewhat austere* and slow, though that could be a faulty perception on my part. Alas, for me, the story of the grateful djinn and the English narratologist wasn’t as entertaining on the page as it was on the screen. That said, Byatt is a natural storyteller and I enjoy her plots.
*Austere isn’t the right term because the language is rich with descriptions. But I find it cold somehow, it doesn’t reach me.
Byatt is marvelous, she really is. I loved the first four, more traditional, fairy stories.
But the fifth novella? GENIUS. I absolutely adored it.
But the fifth novella? GENIUS. I absolutely adored it.
Did not enjoy. Early stories are basic retellings and the last story was boring.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reviewing just the titular novella, which I wanted to like more but it kept wandering away from its most interesting pieces.