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I picked this up on a whim when returning a DVD to the library. This title is part of a series of contemporary retellings of ancient myths from various cultures. ("The Myth Series From Canongate.") Each one is done by a well-known, accomplished author that’s culturally appropriate: so McCall Smith, who is a Scotsman, gets Dream Angus. The chapters alternate: a scene from the Dream Angus stories, then a contemporary story. It’s a nice idea, but the problem is that you’re constantly left hanging. Interesting characters surface and are never heard again. One tale is dark and twisted, another as light as meringue. Threads of a story begin, but there is no resolution. So by the end of the slim book, I wasn’t very interested in whatever was coming next, since there was no promise that I’d get an actual story in its fullness. I’d still be interested in the other titles in the series, particularly Margaret Atwood’s and AS Byatt’s.

2023-06-10 01:52