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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
the first four and the last story could almost be out of different collections - the shorter stories all seem reminiscent of anglo-european fairy tales many westerners are familiar with; the latter is a modern-day tale but rooted in the traditions of the middle east, borrowing quite a bit from arabian nights. what the stories have in common, it seems, is paying homage to the storyteller (or narratologist, in the cast of the last one). not surprising that so many writers should want to highlight the importance of stories and the written word.
A collection of fairy tales written not for children, but for those of us approaching (or already comfortably in) middle age.
adventurous
medium-paced
“I want our solitudes to be together.”
“Hope is a monster and a deer and i am its play thing.”
what would i do if i had 3 wishes?
1. first, that my family have happy, healthy lives for as long as they live. ✨
2. second, that i have my own library with an unlimited supply of books I could ever wish for. ✨
3. and lastly that my Djin be free from his servitudes. ✨
“Hope is a monster and a deer and i am its play thing.”
what would i do if i had 3 wishes?
1. first, that my family have happy, healthy lives for as long as they live. ✨
2. second, that i have my own library with an unlimited supply of books I could ever wish for. ✨
3. and lastly that my Djin be free from his servitudes. ✨
This weird book was not a pleasure to read, but my husband and I had some good discussions about whether it was successful or not. He suspects it was an essay she turned into fiction and it works so-so, and I suspect she needed to publish something, anything, and cobbled together a collection from what was available and the resulting book doesn’t cohere. In any case, it seems the sort of thing better studied than read casually. Byatt is not for everyone.
(My husband wanted to read this before watching the movie it inspired—“Three Thousand Years of Longing”—but said it was virtually impossible to find a copy. At which point I went to our home library and grabbed the one marked “Staff Copy,” which I’d taken from my college-era job at Barnes and Noble. He looked at me like I’d just performed a magic trick, which in a way I had.)
(My husband wanted to read this before watching the movie it inspired—“Three Thousand Years of Longing”—but said it was virtually impossible to find a copy. At which point I went to our home library and grabbed the one marked “Staff Copy,” which I’d taken from my college-era job at Barnes and Noble. He looked at me like I’d just performed a magic trick, which in a way I had.)
Never have I read fairy tales as completely lovely and original as in these pages. I read this several years ago and am finding it just as wonderful on the second reading.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book feels like two separate entities. There are four very short tales that feel torn from a collection. Then there is the novella with the title of the book. I want to pull the short tales away, and if I rated each individually they would be all over the place. So I'm giving this 3.75 stars. I'm glad to finally get to this author. I'm interested in trying more of her work, which is very inventive and like classic fairy tales with sometimes a modern take. The audiobook narration is very good.
This is the last book I'll be finishing in 2024.
This is the last book I'll be finishing in 2024.
Truly stunning writing that perfectly bridges the gap between the worlds of fairy tales lost to time and a modern master of the pen. Each story had me transfixed and I couldn't put the book down. I ended up reading the entire book within a few hours.
This was such an enjoyable book of short stories to read.
I am not the biggest fan of short stories usually, but this book was full of stories written in such beautiful words and I truly enjoyed all of the stories, not just for their plot but for their language and the imagery and atmosphere they created.
I am not the biggest fan of short stories usually, but this book was full of stories written in such beautiful words and I truly enjoyed all of the stories, not just for their plot but for their language and the imagery and atmosphere they created.