A review by slimikin
The Penguin Book of Mermaids by Cristina Bacchilega, Marie Alohalani Brown

3.0

I love the variety of mermaid stories and the breadth of cultures this collection draws upon, but I wish it had been a less overtly scholarly work. That is, I appreciated the efforts to contextualize these tales within their communities of origin; I didn't appreciate when the editors attempted to assert a specific meaning for a tale. Perhaps scholars of folklore do indeed abide by a rigid lexicon of symbolic interpretation—alas for that dismal reality, if so—but I find most of my enjoyment in stories like these arises from discovering my own interpretations, lessons, and truths.