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bluejayreads's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
My only dive into Russian anything so far has been the Russian bestselling novel Vita Nostra, but I have read a fair bit of folklore and I'm always eager to learn more about folk traditions and new places. So this was an exciting read.
There were a lot of similar themes in this story. Some common occurrences are people "striking the floor" (whatever that means) and turning into birds, men being set impossible tasks and their wise wives telling them to go to bed and solving the problem while they're asleep, kidnapped princesses in palaces made of precious metals giving magic gifts to wandering folktale protagonists, and clever villains being outwitted by our hero who got help from the people or animals he helped along his journey (although that last one is pretty common across multiple folk traditions).
A few things I found noteworthy about these stories:
- Almost all of the stories were about royalty - often princes and kings, but sometimes a common man who rescues and marries a princess and so becomes royalty. I had expected that there would be more of a focus on the common folk.
- Sometimes the "fool," lazy person, or cheat came out on top, which I don't think I've read about in any other folktale collection.
- "The Wise Maid and the Seven Robbers" is almost a point-for-point retelling of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" from the Arabian Nights, just Russia-flavored instead of Middle East-flavored.
- There is a lot of repetition, both in content and theme between stories and in dialogue and actions within stories. Events usually happen in threes, such as a protagonist will sequentially meet three princesses in three palaces and have the same conversation with each, word for word. I'm sure it makes it easier to remember for an oral retelling but it's a little weird to read.
- Considering that roughly 75% of the protagonists in this book were named Ivan, I think "Ivan" is the Russian version of American and British folktales' "Jack" - a generic moniker for a character whose adventures matter more than his name.
Almost all of the stories were interesting in their own way (except "Good But Bad," which was utterly incomprehensible), but they have so many of the same themes that they blend together after a while. I can't really pick out any that are particular favorites or that I particularly dislike (again, except "Good But Bad"). This collection was fascinating and well-told and I'm glad I read it, but I can't differentiate much between the different stories it contains.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Child death, Animal death, Torture, and Child abuse
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