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thepaperwitch's review
4.0
3.5 rounded up
The telling of Ragnarök contexualized in tandem with a child's view of growing up during WWII. The writing is both stark and flourishing, which seems perfect for the way the tale is told. Sometimes the prose gets a little too poetic, but I still enjoyed the style of writing.
There is an interesting dichotomy between the violence and chaos of war and the Gods with the peacetime and dailiness of life. It is also interesting to consider that the thin child's most depressing life comes from returning to the city in a time of peace rather than when she was evacuated and living in vivid countryside among her happier mother and the tales of the Gods. Her father also plays a conflicting source in her life. She could accept that he would never return and be at peace with it alongside the stories of the Gods, but his return sparks her happiness at the cost of cutting away her coping mechanism.
The section Thoughts on Myths brings about a greater understanding of how a culture can forsee its utter destruction without any redemption or attempt to stop it. By examining Ragnarök, the end of the Gods, in the context of homo homini deus est, man is a god to another man, it is easy to see the failures of humans as we cleverly, efficiently, and ruthlessly bring about our own demise.
"But there is a sense in which the Norse Gods are particularly human in a different way. They are human because they are limited and stupid. They are greedy and enjoy fighting and playing games. They are cruel and enjoyed hunting and jokes. They know Ragnarök is coming but are incapable of imagining any way to fend it off, or change the story. They know how to die gallantly but not how to make a better world. [...] [T]he world ends because neither the all too human gods, with their armies and quarrels, nor the fiery thinker know how to save it."
The telling of Ragnarök contexualized in tandem with a child's view of growing up during WWII. The writing is both stark and flourishing, which seems perfect for the way the tale is told. Sometimes the prose gets a little too poetic, but I still enjoyed the style of writing.
There is an interesting dichotomy between the violence and chaos of war and the Gods with the peacetime and dailiness of life. It is also interesting to consider that the thin child's most depressing life comes from returning to the city in a time of peace rather than when she was evacuated and living in vivid countryside among her happier mother and the tales of the Gods. Her father also plays a conflicting source in her life. She could accept that he would never return and be at peace with it alongside the stories of the Gods, but his return sparks her happiness at the cost of cutting away her coping mechanism.
The section Thoughts on Myths brings about a greater understanding of how a culture can forsee its utter destruction without any redemption or attempt to stop it. By examining Ragnarök, the end of the Gods, in the context of homo homini deus est, man is a god to another man, it is easy to see the failures of humans as we cleverly, efficiently, and ruthlessly bring about our own demise.
"But there is a sense in which the Norse Gods are particularly human in a different way. They are human because they are limited and stupid. They are greedy and enjoy fighting and playing games. They are cruel and enjoyed hunting and jokes. They know Ragnarök is coming but are incapable of imagining any way to fend it off, or change the story. They know how to die gallantly but not how to make a better world. [...] [T]he world ends because neither the all too human gods, with their armies and quarrels, nor the fiery thinker know how to save it."
teresatumminello's review against another edition
3.0
This book would probably be more interesting to those who know nothing, or not much, of Nordic mythology. Since I, as Byatt, read stories from this mythology as a child, I found myself looking for more, perhaps a retelling or an allegory (or more of the story of the 'thin child,' which is Byatt herself), which is exactly what Byatt says in her "Thoughts on Myths" (at the end) she didn't want to write.
More than anything else, this novella is Byatt's love-letter to [b:Asgard and the Gods|525794|Asgard and the Gods The Tales and Traditions of Our Northern Ancestors|Wilhelm Wägner|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347982621s/525794.jpg|513637], and shows how reading and rereading it informed her vision of the world. And by the very end, I decided it was an allegory -- of all the abundance (justifying her sometimes seemingly endless lists of flora, fauna, etc that populate these pages) that was once in the world and is no longer, due to the hubris of both gods and men.
More than anything else, this novella is Byatt's love-letter to [b:Asgard and the Gods|525794|Asgard and the Gods The Tales and Traditions of Our Northern Ancestors|Wilhelm Wägner|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347982621s/525794.jpg|513637], and shows how reading and rereading it informed her vision of the world. And by the very end, I decided it was an allegory -- of all the abundance (justifying her sometimes seemingly endless lists of flora, fauna, etc that populate these pages) that was once in the world and is no longer, due to the hubris of both gods and men.
schutte_hayden's review against another edition
5.0
Byatt introduces the reader to "Thin Girl" reading Norse myths during World War 2
She then proceeds to tie said myths into one another, carefully selecting the most morbid ones to eventually climax into Ragnarok.
By concious choice of words, myths and connections to the imaginary leader, a very peculiar atmosphere is created, which however perfectly captures the myths' similarity to WW2 slowly eclipsing any light source.
Truly addictive to read
She then proceeds to tie said myths into one another, carefully selecting the most morbid ones to eventually climax into Ragnarok.
By concious choice of words, myths and connections to the imaginary leader, a very peculiar atmosphere is created, which however perfectly captures the myths' similarity to WW2 slowly eclipsing any light source.
Truly addictive to read
chavag's review
3.0
My first exposure to Nordic mythology.
This isn't a thriller although the plot lines do offer the occasional intrigue. It needs to be read with the expectation of reading it piecemeal; that it is more prose than story.
The descriptive language, of fields and sea and Ash Tree and forest, are remarkable. I've never read a description of nature that was so active.
I'm undecided though if the onslaught of description is an effective literary tool, or something that could have been drastically reduced.
This isn't a thriller although the plot lines do offer the occasional intrigue. It needs to be read with the expectation of reading it piecemeal; that it is more prose than story.
The descriptive language, of fields and sea and Ash Tree and forest, are remarkable. I've never read a description of nature that was so active.
I'm undecided though if the onslaught of description is an effective literary tool, or something that could have been drastically reduced.
ptankha's review against another edition
4.0
When I picked up Ragnarok, I expected a tale about a young girl dealing with the difficulties of life in wartime through immersion in mythology - not unlike the film Pan's Labyrinth, where the real and the fantastical seamlessly blend into each other. Instead, I got a detailed, comprehensive perspective on the Norse pantheon and its stories, with only occasional insertions about the thin child and her understanding of these tales.
It wasn't until the very last chapter that my wish was fulfilled, but somewhere along the way, Byatt's narrative prowess won me over, and I was happy to re-familiarise myself with the world of Asgard and its gods. The stories are told simply yet descriptively, as though narrated by a loved one at bedtime. It was one of my concerns when I picked up the book - that it might be a children's novel, but this isn't the case at all. Ragnarok is a great book for someone looking for an accessible but accurate compilation of the myths, complete with multiple references to the different apocryphal versions as well.
It wasn't until the very last chapter that my wish was fulfilled, but somewhere along the way, Byatt's narrative prowess won me over, and I was happy to re-familiarise myself with the world of Asgard and its gods. The stories are told simply yet descriptively, as though narrated by a loved one at bedtime. It was one of my concerns when I picked up the book - that it might be a children's novel, but this isn't the case at all. Ragnarok is a great book for someone looking for an accessible but accurate compilation of the myths, complete with multiple references to the different apocryphal versions as well.
leighgoodmark's review
3.0
3.5 stars. Not what I expected (or honestly, what I wanted, though having read the afterword, I appreciate why Byatt made the choices she made). Not a retelling of the myths and assumes a bit of knowledge that I certainly didn’t have.
saschaben's review
4.0
This is dark and lovely writing, both dreamlike and properly prosaic. As Byatt sets out to do, it answers no questions, mythically or emotionally speaking, nor does it clarify the reasons for what it expounds in the tale. It is myth without apology, and imagination without interference.
As I said: dark, and lovely.
As I said: dark, and lovely.
sminismoni's review
Never thought I would DNF a book by A S Byatt, but this was it. A literal retelling of Norse myth, with a rather self-indulgent frame story about a young girl in the WWII English countryside (that is obviously autobiographical), it gives little room for interpretation. The account is so intensely personal, I felt there was no room for the reader. We are mere spectators of a distant and largely internal experience. As well as this, Byatt indulges her passion for lists, showing off her vast knowledge of fauna and flora throughout, but it seems like an exhibitionist stunt that becomes tedious to watch. I just couldn't do it.
imoran's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Gore
Minor: War
davechua's review
4.0
A marvelous retelling of Asgard legend. The chapter on Baldur's death is particularly affecting and moving.