cjdavey's review against another edition
3.0
At heart, Storyteller is a gentle coming-of-age story, set against a richly imagined background of Mediterranean origin. The weakness, though, is the stories themselves. Not only do they give away too much too soon (ironically, something Florio warns the young Samad against early in his own career), but they also lack the cadence, rhythms and idioms of an oral tradition. They're little more than simplified reductions of Thomaon's prose style. Without credibility here, the structures around which the book is constructed begin to creak a little.
carolined314's review
2.0
I wanted to like this book. It features a strong female lead, the power of changing a narrative, sea creatures with wit and telepathy, and non-traditional protagonists.
It unfolds like a fairy tale, with light, generous touches and strong characters.
The plot is a bare thread, supported only by the characters. This is where it started to lose me, as the two main characters (and their whale friend) are elevated above all other characters in terms of longevity, caring, and their own relationship to one another. It feels, in the end, like the story supports a benevolent dictatorship. Having the right intentions is always rewarded.
Fairy tales work because they inspire fear and have a grounding in emotional reality. Although there are emotions aplenty in this book, the characters live in a benevolent, caring world full of support systems and generosity. This is a light, fluffy tale with good writing and some pieces I'll remember.
Yet it felt too easy, and the world too dreamy. In the end, that made me pull away in disbelief and frustration.
The depiction of gay men was also stereotyped and distant, frustratingly ungrounded in humanity.
It unfolds like a fairy tale, with light, generous touches and strong characters.
The plot is a bare thread, supported only by the characters. This is where it started to lose me, as the two main characters (and their whale friend) are elevated above all other characters in terms of longevity, caring, and their own relationship to one another. It feels, in the end, like the story supports a benevolent dictatorship. Having the right intentions is always rewarded.
Fairy tales work because they inspire fear and have a grounding in emotional reality. Although there are emotions aplenty in this book, the characters live in a benevolent, caring world full of support systems and generosity. This is a light, fluffy tale with good writing and some pieces I'll remember.
Yet it felt too easy, and the world too dreamy. In the end, that made me pull away in disbelief and frustration.
The depiction of gay men was also stereotyped and distant, frustratingly ungrounded in humanity.
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