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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
In comparison to some of the others in the series i found this a difficult and to some extent uninspiring read. Byatt tells the story of Ragnarok - the destruction of the Gods - through the eyes of a child evacuee as she reads the myths. It makes for some dryness in the storyline and certainly didn't hold me captivated as others have
Norse mythology. War torn England. Storytelling.
Story: The story begins with a young, thin girl during wartime, her family torn apart and not knowing if she will ever see her soldier father again. She discovers a book on Norse mythology and it gives her pleasure and at the same time conflicts with the Christian scripture lessons learned in the village. More and more, she is drawn to and seeks refuge in the myths and stories that are told throughout the book.
Characters: The main character is an unnamed child, only referred to as thin, little girl. The myths tell stories of all the famous Norse gods and demigods.
Language: Unlike many nonfiction textual tales of the Norse myths, this book tells the tales out in a lyrical, narrative fashion, full of description and drawn out in length. As a bonus, the author includes her own section at the end of the book describing her own references to the Norse myths and this tale, which is really enlightening.
As a youngster, I was never much into Greek or Roman mythology, but instead towards the Norse mythologies. This was a joy to read the tales again, but in a more novel format, and I enjoyed the intertwining story of the young girl. I really enjoyed the authors essay at the end. Great read, short and fast.
Story: The story begins with a young, thin girl during wartime, her family torn apart and not knowing if she will ever see her soldier father again. She discovers a book on Norse mythology and it gives her pleasure and at the same time conflicts with the Christian scripture lessons learned in the village. More and more, she is drawn to and seeks refuge in the myths and stories that are told throughout the book.
Characters: The main character is an unnamed child, only referred to as thin, little girl. The myths tell stories of all the famous Norse gods and demigods.
Language: Unlike many nonfiction textual tales of the Norse myths, this book tells the tales out in a lyrical, narrative fashion, full of description and drawn out in length. As a bonus, the author includes her own section at the end of the book describing her own references to the Norse myths and this tale, which is really enlightening.
As a youngster, I was never much into Greek or Roman mythology, but instead towards the Norse mythologies. This was a joy to read the tales again, but in a more novel format, and I enjoyed the intertwining story of the young girl. I really enjoyed the authors essay at the end. Great read, short and fast.
Трогательная история девочки и ее отношения с реальностью Второй мировой войны и очень красивый пересказ скандинавских мифов. Я, к сожалению, не смогла сложить эти две линии в единый сюжет. Возможно, скандинавские мифы в изложении А.С.Байетт слишком хороши и это вносит некий дисбаланс?
A.S. Byatt's nearly straight retelling of Ragnarok, with a light framing around a girl growing up in WW II England and learning the stories for the first time through the book Asgard and the Gods. The frame works well, illuminating the myth itself which is told in beautiful but somewhat elliptical language. The first time I started this book I put it down in a certain amount of confusion, this time I was more familiar with the underlying Norse myths so found it much easier to enjoy the language and images without struggling to follow the storyline as well.
Reached page 51 and then gave the fuck up because this book is boring as hell and has no plot whatsoever.
If you enjoyed Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology, I highly recommend Byatt's Ragnarok, which gives an even more in-depth look to the end of the world as the Norse gods knew it.
it was interesting to read but I wouldn't say it's byatt's best work