Scan barcode
emma_merkulova's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
laurablackwell's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book fascinating. The Russian tales are very interesting; I've seen only one of them ("Silver Hoof")in another book. The hard lives of the serfs and citizens in mining and gold-prospecting villages make the demigoddess and spirits of the mountains all the more magical. The translation is charming and conversational. However, the 2002 Predonia edition has some problems.
It appears to be a facsimile edition, which is nice in some ways. The illustrations are beautiful, and I'm glad to have them. However, there's a lack of context. It's not clear who made the pen-and-ink art, nor who made the elaborate prints that I can only guess might have been color plates in the original. No translator is credited, either. Delightful as the translation is, I'd like to know why the characters often speak in a dialect that reads something like Scottish.
A preface or some notes about the stories would be useful as well. I wasn't clear as to whether these were old stories, stories from the time of the Russian Revolution, or some combination. Real people of the Russian Revolution appear, and I don't know whether they have always been a part of those tales or not. Some unusual words, such as "artel" (a kind of co-op), are defined; others, such as "quit-rent," are not.
My biggest concern with this edition is that a page is repeated. It's repeated in a different story, so that the last page of "Zhelezkho's Covers" appears twice and the penultimate page of "Cat's Ears" never appears at all.
I would love to read these stories again, and I'd love to have more context for understanding them. I'm keeping this copy, but if I ever find an affordable copy of an older edition, I will buy that one and pass this one on.
It appears to be a facsimile edition, which is nice in some ways. The illustrations are beautiful, and I'm glad to have them. However, there's a lack of context. It's not clear who made the pen-and-ink art, nor who made the elaborate prints that I can only guess might have been color plates in the original. No translator is credited, either. Delightful as the translation is, I'd like to know why the characters often speak in a dialect that reads something like Scottish.
A preface or some notes about the stories would be useful as well. I wasn't clear as to whether these were old stories, stories from the time of the Russian Revolution, or some combination. Real people of the Russian Revolution appear, and I don't know whether they have always been a part of those tales or not. Some unusual words, such as "artel" (a kind of co-op), are defined; others, such as "quit-rent," are not.
My biggest concern with this edition is that a page is repeated. It's repeated in a different story, so that the last page of "Zhelezkho's Covers" appears twice and the penultimate page of "Cat's Ears" never appears at all.
I would love to read these stories again, and I'd love to have more context for understanding them. I'm keeping this copy, but if I ever find an affordable copy of an older edition, I will buy that one and pass this one on.
More...