kristykay22 's review for:

Winter's Tales by Isak Dinesen

5.0

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

---

I wasn't sure what to expect from this collection of short stories by Isak Dinesen (aka Karen Blixen, the Danish author most known for writing Out of Africa), but they were just enchanting and now I want to read everything she wrote. The stories are set in the late 19th / early 20th century, sometimes in Denmark, but not exclusively. They have a fairytale / fable otherworldliness to them and her skill with quickly building the world of story and surgically precise and crisp descriptions make each story unique and engaging. Dinesen was in her mid-50s when these were published in 1941 during the Nazi occupation of Denmark, and several of the stories resonate with that moment in history. Highly recommended.