lleullawgyffes's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
arthurbdd's review
2.0
The Third Branch of the Mabinogi is by far the silliest, and seems to intentionally be so, with elements of social satire woven into it. Therefore, Walton's insistence on trying to take even the silliest sections seriously in this retelling kind of misses the point. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2022/07/09/repairing-the-tapestry-of-the-mabinogion/
murmuration19's review against another edition
3.0
I couldn't get into this one as much as The Children of Llyr. The characters just kind of mope around for most of the book. Also, I wasn't sure if I were reading The Song of Rhiannon or The Song of the Rhiannon--the "editor" (I use that term loosely) didn't seem to know either. Still marveling at the sheer number of mistakes in this omnibus edition.
poirotketchup's review
4.0
Another captivating adaptation by Walton. She's bolder in this, the final branch. She adds her own take on Stonehenge and mixes some Irish folklore into the tale, creating a believable world out of the ancient Welsh mythology.
octavia_cade's review
3.0
A thoughtful and accomplished retelling from Walton, continuing her interpretation of the Mabinogion. I'm not hugely familiar with Welsh mythology though I have a vague and excessively superficial understanding of the main players, but one doesn't need prior knowledge to understand what's going on here. A young and well-meaning king makes a mistake that dooms his land to emptiness (all the inhabitants being turned to butterflies or dragonflies or somesuch) and it's up to his long-suffering stepfather - who's not actually a stepfather - to out-think the otherworldly force behind all this trouble. It's an enjoyable read, simply and quietly told, with the odd moment that really gleams (usually in the characterisation), but I feel more admiration than emotional connection.
jmeston's review
4.0
My soft cover copy was printed in the 70s and has the most porntastic vibe to it. Continued good fantasy legend stuff from Evangeline Walton. I like her mind.
kaisermatthias's review
5.0
Despite the title, Rhiannon is a secondary character in this story. Ultimately, it is her life that shaped the plot, and her power that changed it at the end, but the point of view throughout belongs largely to Manawyddan, last son of Llyr and rightful High King. His adventures in this branch of the Mabinogion are varied, and prove both his skills and inner nobility.
lessthanwise's review
I have no real review nor rating for this book. I read it for my Medieval Literature class, and it’s a retelling/detailed adaptation of one of the Mabinogi branches. However I just felt that taking a classic medieval story and then expanding it like this (especially the way/writing the author used) was incredibly unnecessary. Just read the original. But if you really enjoyed it for some reason and wanted to see some of those boring scenes of them deciding what job they were going to, moving around, and doing nothing expanded to like 20 pages each go ahead and read this. That being said, the author did take some liberties from the original story that were interesting, and obviously the story itself is fascinating, but not extremely entertaining when expanding a 30-50 page story into 200 pages.
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